After being postponed by the rain and wind brought by Hurricane Ian, on Saturday Friends of Glen Providence Park held our 10th annual plantings for National Public Lands Day. Twenty-six adults and teens volunteered for a combined 94 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, and watering, all to improve wildlife habitat in Glen Providence!

This was Phase Four of our Kirk Lane project, which we started on National Public Lands Days in 2015, 2016 and 2019. We expanded on previous plantings with an additional 17 native trees and shrubs, and 13 native woodland plants – the complete list is below. The plants benefit wildlife by providing seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, all while helping to slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff.

In addition, many of the plants provide food for humans – adding to the food forest we have started by the Kirk Lane entrance in previous years.

Thank you to the 26 volunteers who worked diligently all morning (and some into the afternoon!), and all who made this project possible:

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered a new bench and the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated additional woodland plants, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the deer fencing and posts, snacks, two special trees, and other supplies for this project.

Additional groups of volunteers from Penncrest High School and Springton Lake Middle School provided invaluable manpower, and neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose from their house to water the plantings. Cafe Isla donated coffee to fuel our volunteers, and Pinocchio’s Restaurant donated pizza for lunch. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

Here’s our native plant list from October 15, 2022.

And check out our photos (and video!) below:

This year was our 10th National Public Lands Day volunteering in Glen Providence Park! On Saturday, October 2, 27 lovely adults and kids volunteered a combined 101 hours removing and reusing deer fencing, installing tree guards, weeding, digging, planting, mulching, and watering. In addition, eight volunteers worked on site more than 20 combined hours the Friday before, preparing the site and carrying supplies down the hill.

Over the past ten years, we had planted over 222 native trees and shrubs in the glen. At this year’s event, we prioritized the maintenance of the existing plantings – we removed deer fencing from trees and shrubs that outgrew them, replacing a number of them with tree guards. We reused most of that fencing on new native trees and shrubs! We worked in the area of our 2017 Wildlife Habitat Plantings below the sledding hill fence, and our 2012 and 2014 Streamside Buffer Plantings below the pavilion and along the streambank. We also removed 21(!) contractor bags of invasive Japanese Stiltgrass from around the plantings!

The native trees, shrubs, and woodland plants help to restore the forest, protect the stream, and stabilize the hillside and streambank. In addition to helping control erosion, the plants benefit wildlife by providing habitat and seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. We planted 27 native trees and shrubs, and 17 woodland plants – the complete list is below.

Thank you! We have so many to thank for their help with this project… starting with all those wonderful volunteers! It is inspiring to work with people who are generous and dedicated enough to our environment to spend a beautiful Saturday morning working to care for and plant trees.

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the tree guards, pizza, water, and coffee for volunteers, and other supplies for this project. Neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose downhill from their house to water the plantings. Carol Carmon volunteered her time to video the bustle of activity. Keep Media Green and Media Rotary both helped recruit volunteers!

Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise selecting 20 native trees, shrubs, and perennials, Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated nine additional trees and shrubs, Garden Influence donated six additional woodland plants, and Patrick Burke donated five additional trees (and donuts)!

As a bonus, John Wenderoth donated three American Chestnuts, back-crossed with Chinese Chestnut pollen, which were grown at Mount Cuba’s nursery in Delaware. These were planted by the Kirk Lane entrance with our previous American Chestnut plantings – read more about American Chestnuts in Glen Providence Park and the efforts to restore this magnificent tree!

We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

The next time you are in Glen Providence Park, look for these native plants, and check out the photos below – just click on any for a closer look or to scroll through them. Carol Carmon’s video on YouTube of our planting gives an excellent overview of the morning’s purpose and activity!

Trees:

• White Spruce, Picea glauca – 4
• Arborvitae, Thuja sp. – 1
• American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana – 2
• Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis – 1
• Paw Paw, Asimina triloba – 3
• Washington Hawthorne, Crataegus phaenopyrum – 1
• Fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus – 1
• (At Kirk Lane) Hybrid American Chestnuts, Castanea dentata – 3

Shrubs:

• Virginia sweetspire ‘Merlot’, Itea virginica – 3
• Black Chokeberry ‘Viking’, Aronia melanocarpa – 1
• Black Chokeberry ‘Low Scape’,  Aronia melanocarpa – 1
• Blueberry ‘Jersey’, ‘Elizabeth’, & ‘Patriot’ Vaccinium corymbosum – 6

Woodland plants:

• Dixie Wood Fern, Dryopteris australis – 2
• Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis – 2
• Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum – 3
• Hairy alum root ‘Autumn Bride’ Heuchera villosa – 3
• Wild Geranium ‘Espresso’, Geranium maculatum – 3
• Northern Sea Oats,  Chasmanthium latifolium – 3
• Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense – 1

Photos by George Tate, Stephanie Gaboriault, and Carol Carmon. Video by Carol Carmon.

You have likely noticed the seemingly whimsical stacks of rocks along the stream in Glen Providence Park. People have also been moving rocks in the stream to dam and redirect sections, and presumably to make it easier to cross on foot. We believe these activities are well-intentioned, but moving rocks in and around the stream has unintended negative consequences. 

First, it is harmful to wildlife

To quote Ben Lorson, of the PA Fish and Boat Commission’s Habitat Division, “A stream’s bottom — the substrate — has its own micro-habitats. The substrate provides the base of the aquatic food chain — from algae to macro-invertebrates all the way up to game fish. The surfaces of the rocks and the cracks and crevices between them are very important as habitat…”  

And from ausableriver.org: “Salamanders and crayfish also make their homes under rocks, and rock moving can destroy their homes, and even lead to direct mortality of these creatures. Every single rock is potentially a home to the larval stages of aquatic insects, including dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies, and many others. They cling to rocks and capture drifting food particles. By moving and stacking rocks, the insects that are attached to or living on the rocks can be desiccated and burned by the sun.”

It is also causing erosion

Much of the rock-moving that has occurred has directed water outwards towards the streambanks, where it is worsening the already severe erosion. Large trees have been undercut by the stream and fallen. Over the years, our Friday morning Conservation Crew has worked to remove log jams in the stream — this is important to direct water away from the streambanks. Constructing dams, redirections, and crossings in the stream has the opposite, negative effect — it directs water to the sides, towards the already-severely-eroded streambanks. 

The County is looking at long-term solutions for the pond and stream to address the ongoing erosion and other issues, but it will take several years before large-scale solutions can be implemented. Until then, it is especially important that the water flow towards the center of the stream and away from the streambanks to minimize the already severe erosion.

We discourage any moving of rocks in or around the stream, without first consulting with Delaware County Parks & Recreation and/or the Delaware County Conservation District. 

We were saddened to cancel our annual native tree planting for National Public Lands Day this fall due to COVID-19, as it is one of our favorite events! However, in 2019 and 2020, volunteers have planted 32 native trees and shrubs – and dozens of woodland plants – by the Kirk Lane entrance to Glen Providence Park.

In October 2019, we completed Phase Three of our Wildlife Habitat Plantings at the entrance and along the Scouts Loop trail. In both April 2019 and November 2020, our PA State Representative Chris Quinn planted a tree for Arbor Day. And in July 2020, volunteers planted three hybrid American Chestnut trees. All of these native plantings will benefit future generations of humans and wildlife!

National Public Lands Day
Saturday, October 5, 2019

Last Fall, 40 lovely adults, teens, and kids volunteered a combined 107 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, raking, and watering, all to improve wildlife habitat in Glen Providence!

This was Phase Three of our Kirk Lane project, which we started on National Public Lands Days in 2015 and 2016. We expanded on previous plantings with an additional 27 native trees and shrubs, and 50 native woodland plants – the complete list is below. The plants benefit wildlife by providing seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, in addition to helping to slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff.

This project demonstrated the wonderful range of community groups and volunteers who come together to help in Glen Providence Park:

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, Taylor Memorial Arboretum and Garden Influence donated additional woodland plants, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the deer fencing, posts, and other supplies for this project.

Additional groups of volunteers from Media Rotary and Springton Lake Middle School provided invaluable manpower, and neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose from their house to water the plantings. Cafe Isla donated coffee to fuel our volunteers, and our PA State Rep. Chris Quinn both helped with the planting, and paid for and picked up pizza for lunch. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

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Plantings by PA State Representative Chris Quinn
Arbor Day 2019 & November 2020

Chris Quinn has planted two other native trees in the park by Kirk Lane – a Willow Oak for Arbor Day in 2019, and a magnificent “Green Gable” Black Tupelo today! He purchased both trees and planted them with us. We are grateful for his generosity, and that he chose Glen Providence Park for Arbor Day plantings!

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Trees from the American Chestnut Foundation
July 2020

Ron Brzowski and Pat Burke planted three hybrid American Chestnut saplings near two hybrids we planted with Ron in 2016. We were able to re-use deer fencing from some of our previous plantings. The trees were donated by Tyler Arboretum’s American Chestnut Nursery via The American Chestnut Foundation, and they were grown at the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware. It’s all part of a decades-long effort to restore the majestic American Chestnuts that once dominated our eastern woods, but were decimated by a blight in the early 1900’s.

To learn more, visit the American Chestnut Foundation website or read about the chestnut’s local history and the two surviving pure American Chestnuts we found in Glen Providence. Thank you to Ron and Pat for planting and tending to the Chestnut trees in Glen Providence!

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Here’s our native plant list from National Public Lands Day in October 2019. And check out our photos from our planting days!

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For National Public Lands Day*, the Friends of Glen Providence Park will again plant native trees and shrubs in the glen. This is our 8th annual planting project, working to improve wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, and beautify the park! 

Native Tree & Shrub Planting!

Saturday, October 5
rain date Sunday, October 6
9:00-12:00noon
Glen Providence Park – Kirk Lane entrance
Kirk Lane & Third Street, Upper Providence, PA

Our planting day is one of our most popular and fun events! We are incredibly grateful to Delaware County Parks & Recreation for providing funds for this project, and to the Delaware County Conservation District for the use of its Conservation Planting Trailer and supplies.

To help us plan our time effectively, and to plan for refreshments, we ask that you RSVP for this event at FriendsoftheGlen [AT] gmail.com – please let us know the number of volunteers in your party.

Volunteering details:

We will update this description as we identify other relevant details for volunteers. Please contact us to register.

Estimated time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Lunch and drinks will be provided for registered volunteers.

Activities will include:

• digging holes for the trees and shrubs
• spreading woodchips
• installing deer protection around trees and shrubs
• watering
• Squashing any invasive Spotted Lanternflies…

More logistics:

• We will provide the equipment, including shovels, spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows – but if you have favorite tools, feel free to bring them! If you do bring your own tools, please label them with your name.
• Bring work gloves if you have them.

Rain plan:
Our rain date is Sunday, October 6 at 9:00 am. If the weather is not clear, we will post here and on our facebook wall by 8:45 am Saturday advising whether we will use the rain date.

Thank you, we hope to see you on National Public Lands Day!

* National Public Lands Day is on Saturday, September 28, but we’re celebrating it one week later. 

For our 8th National Public Lands Day on Saturday, October 6, we installed wildlife habitat plantings along the 1941 Trail in Glen Providence Park! This year, 25 lovely adults, teens, and kids volunteered a combined 76 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, raking, and watering. Our volunteers were so efficient, they finished planting early, and cleared trash along the trails!

The native trees, shrubs, and woodland plants help to restore the forest, protect the stream, and stabilize the hillside along the 1941 Trail, where several trees fell during storms last winter. In addition to helping control erosion, the plants benefit wildlife by providing habitat and seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. We planted 19 native trees and shrubs, and 34 woodland plants – the complete list is below.

This short trail is named for “The Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park,” a pamphlet from 1941 that leads the visitor on a self-guided tour through the park, starting on this trail. You can view the PDF version of the 1941 Nature Guide, and take its tour!

We have so many to thank for their help with this project… starting with all those wonderful volunteers!

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, Garden Influence donated additional woodland plants, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the deer fencing, posts, food and coffee for volunteers, and other supplies for this project. Neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose downhill from their house to water the plantings. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

The next time you are on the 1941 Trail, look for these native plants, and check out the photos below – just click on any for a closer look or to scroll through them.

Woodland plants:

Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides – 10
New York Fern, Thelypteris noveboracensis – 2
Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense – 6
Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis – 8
Sweet Cicely, Myrrhis odorata – 2
Blue Wood Aster, Aster cordifolius – 2
Spiderwort, Tradescantia – 2
Blue mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum – 2

Photos by author, George Tate, & Marcia Tate

For National Public Lands Day*, the Friends of Glen Providence Park will again plant native trees and shrubs in the glen. This is our 7th annual planting project, working to improve wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, and beautify the park! 

Native Tree & Shrub Planting!

Saturday, October 6
rain date Sunday, October 7
9:00-12:00noon
Glen Providence Park – main entrance
550 W. State Street, Media, PA

Our planting day is one of our most popular and fun events! We are incredibly grateful to Delaware County Parks & Recreation for providing funds for this project, and to the Delaware County Conservation District for the use of its Conservation Planting Trailer and supplies.

This year, we’ll be planting along the 1941 Trail, which suffered the loss of several trees in last winter’s storms. The trail is named for the Glen Providence Nature Guide from 1941 that we discovered, which leads the visitor on a self-guided tour through the park, starting down the 1941 Trail! 

It’s our second tree planting this year, after working with Media Rotary, Media Providence Friends School, and Delaware County on canopy tree plantings for Earth Day this spring.  

To help us plan our time effectively, and to plan for refreshments, we ask that you RSVP for this event at FriendsoftheGlen [AT] gmail.com – please let us know the number of volunteers in your party.

Volunteering details:

We will update this description as we identify other relevant details for volunteers. Please contact us to register.

Estimated time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Lunch and drinks will be provided for registered volunteers.

Activities will include:

• digging holes for the trees and shrubs
• spreading woodchips
• installing deer protection around trees and shrubs
• watering
• Of course, we also welcome anyone who wants to participate by picking up trash along the trails and stream!

More logistics:

• We will provide the equipment, including shovels, spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows – but if you have favorite tools, feel free to bring them!
• Bring work gloves if you have them.

Rain plan:
Our rain date is Sunday, October 7 at 9:00 am. If the weather is not clear, we will post here and on our facebook wall by 8:45 am Saturday advising whether we will use the rain date.

Thank you, we hope to see you on National Public Lands Day!

* Ok, technically National Public Lands Day is on Saturday, September 22. We’re celebrating it 2 weeks later. 

On National Public Lands Day, the Friends of Glen Providence Park will again plant native trees and shrubs in the glen. This is our 6th annual planting project, working to improve wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, and beautify the park!

Native Tree & Shrub Planting!

Saturday, September 30
rain date Sunday, October 1
9:00-12:00noon
Glen Providence Park – main entrance
550 W. State Street, Media, PA

This is one of our most popular and fun events! We are incredibly grateful to Delaware County Parks & Recreation for providing funds for this project, to the Delaware County Conservation District for the use of its Conservation Planting Trailer and supplies, and to Taylor Memorial Arboretum for donating some of the trees and shrubs.

To help us plan our time effectively, and to plan for refreshments, we ask that you RSVP for this event at FriendsoftheGlen [AT] gmail.com – please let us know the number of volunteers in your party.

Volunteering details:

We will update this description as we identify other relevant details for volunteers. Please contact us to register.

Estimated time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Lunch and drinks will be provided for registered volunteers.

Activities will include:

• digging holes for the trees and shrubs
• spreading woodchips
• installing deer protection around trees and shrubs
• watering
• Of course, we also welcome anyone who wants to participate by picking up trash along the trails and stream!

More logistics:

• We will provide the equipment, including shovels, spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows – but if you have favorite tools, feel free to bring them!
• Bring work gloves if you have them.

Rain plan:
Our rain date is Sunday, October 1 at 9:00 am. If the weather is not clear, we will post here and on our facebook wall by 8:45 am Saturday advising whether we will use the rain date.

Thank you, we hope to see you on National Public Lands Day!

Throughout November, we have been counting down to Thanksgiving by posting daily thanks on Facebook. There is some overlap with our lists from Thanksgiving in 2012 and 2014, and so much more to add – it is amazing how much there is to be grateful for! Here are those daily posts – these were in no particular order, and it is by no means a complete list!

Day 1: … long-time park supervisor James Stokes, Jr. for his years of care for the park. He started work on October 31, 1935 and continued for at least 25 years, and by all accounts really loved Glen Providence Park. He served as park guard, caretaker, supervisor, and park ranger – personally building picnic tables, preparing for concerts, planting trees & flowers, teaching visitors about the plants & wildlife, and creating the 1941 Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park!

Day 2: … the local schools that use Glen Providence Park as an outdoor classroom and for service learning, teaching their students a love of nature, science, art, and more. Thank you Media Elementary School, Springton Lake Middle School, Media Providence Friends School, Penncrest High School – and homeschoolers!

Day 3: … Delaware County Parks & Recreation, for resurfacing the historical WPA stage last summer in time for the park’s 80th anniversary celebration, for their support of our events and activities, and for their many years of caretaking and managing their 621 acres (and growing!) of open space for the public.

Day 4: … all that Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association has done since 1970 to protect, conserve, and restore the watersheds throughout its 132 square mile stewardship area! Its initiatives include annual streams cleanups, riparian reforestation, advocacy, education, and stream monitoring. We are honored to receive their Organizational Stewardship Award this year!  

Day 5: … our Nature Walk guides and monthly event leaders who volunteered their time in the past two years: the ever-helpful Al Guarente of the Birding Club of Delaware County, Gary Stolz, David Hewitt, Shannon Davidson, Marcia Tate, Stephanie Gaboriault, Kyle Loucks, George Tate, the Media-Upper Providence Free Library, Holly Hoffmann, Aura Lester, and Charles Randall.

Day 6: … Taylor Memorial Arboretum in Wallingford, for generously growing and donating native trees and shrubs each year for habitat restoration plantings by other organizations – including for our past four National Public Lands Days!

Day 7: … the Delaware County Institute of Science, an amazing organization that has been all volunteer since 1833.  It has wonderful scientific and historical collections, and is well worth a visit. Its members have been studying Glen Providence Park since before it was a park – a 1928 Chester Times article about the valley indicated that “Naturalists, from all over the country, attending the Delaware County Institute of Science, make a study of it.”  

Day 8: … EllieReed Lewis and Clifford Butler Lewis, the grandchildren of park donors George and Eleanor Butler –  for sharing their recollections from childhood in Glen Providence Park, and for celebrating the park’s 80th anniversary with us last summer!

Day 9: … our Invasive Plant Removal volunteers, who meet most Friday mornings to work in the park. In the past 4 years, they have cleared over 250 packed contractor bags of invasive plants – keeping trails clear, liberating native plants from strangling vines, improving habitat, and beautifying the park.

Day 10: … those who have made our historical research possible, including the Media Historic Archives, the Delaware County Historical Society, and the Newspaper Archives of Delaware County Library – and Delaware County, PA History for sharing our history-related facebook posts.

Day 11: … the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts for their years of involvement in Glen Providence Park going back to at least 1939 – with hikes, cookouts, award ceremonies, meetings, and community service. In the past few years, Brownie Troop #5248 and Minquas District Boy Scouts have volunteered, and Girl Scout Troop #5037 and Pack 503’s Webelos II have had meetings and outings in the park!

Day 12: … our wonderfully generous Concert Sponsors: Media Recreation Board, Media Rotary Foundation, Diego’s Cantina, Seven Stones Café, Shere-e-Punjab Indian Restaurant, Sterling Pig, and Tagine, who made it possible for us to revive the decades-long tradition of free summer concerts in Glen Providence Park.

Day 13: … Media Lions Club and McCarrin Chiropractic, for continuing Glen Providence Park’s longest-running tradition – the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt started in 1954! The Lions have worked since 1917 to fight blindness, and on many other community projects.

Day 14: … the American Chestnut Foundation, for their work to restore this once-majestic native tree, decimated by blight in the early 1900’s. Chestnuts were called the Sequoias of the east, and we know from T. Chalkley Palmer’s 1889 writings that the park’s eastern hill was once “continuously wooded with oaks and chestnuts.” We have found two surviving trees so far!

Day 15:  … all of the volunteers who have spent their free time working for Glen Providence Park through the years – our dedicated committee members, the dozens of people who have helped at our 17 volunteer days, and all those who volunteered in the park before us.

Day 16: … the Pennsylvania Amphibian & Reptile Survey (PARS), for their work to gather data for the study and conservation of our amphibians and reptiles, and for leading 3 Herpetology Walks in Glen Providence Park! We’ve documented 18 species in the park so far…

Day 17: … Samuel L. Smedley, who with great foresight and wisdom in 1927 urged regional planning for open space, and spearheaded the creation of Delaware County Parks & Recreation, which was used as a model nationally for its excellent planning. He personally helped create and plan Glen Providence Park.

Day 18: … all of those who appreciate our efforts to preserve and enhance Glen Providence Park – whether by reading our newsletter and website, attending our concerts and nature walks, or saying a kind word when they see us in the park – and of course our Facebook fans!

Day 19: … the Delaware County Conservation District for their guidance, mini-grants, donations, use of their Conservation Trailer, and support for our native plantings over the past 5 years – helping us to combat streamside erosion, restore habitat, provide food for wildlife, and  beautify the park.

Day 20: … our donors, whose generous support enables us to continue our work to improve the park and plan future concerts, plantings, events, and activities!

Day 21: … the array of wildlife, native plants, and all living things in the park, which with the changing seasons provide something new to discover on every walk in Glen Providence Park.

Day 22: … Hedgerow Theatre, for their enchanting performances at the WPA stage – enacting the park’s historical Newlywed Ghost and Witch Stories for Glen Providence’s 80th anniversary last year, and bringing Shakespeare to the park this summer!

Day 23: … T. Chalkley Palmer, 1860-1934, for writing in loving detail about Scroggie Valley in 1889, enabling us all these years later to read about the geology, landscape, flora, and fauna of Glen Providence Park as it was in the 1800′s. He also had remarkable environmental insights for his time. What a gift!

Day 24 of Thanks: We are so thankful for George and Eleanor Butler, who with great generosity and foresight in 1935 donated most of the land for Glen Providence Park as a Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum, to be preserved for future generations. There would be no park without them – we are incredibly grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For our 6th National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 24, we installed wildlife habitat plantings at the lovely Kirk Lane entrance to Glen Providence Park! This year, 15 adults, teens, and children volunteered a combined 79 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing edging and deer fencing, raking, and watering! These planting events draw truly lovely people who are inspired to spend a Saturday morning working to improve a local park, and the morning was filled with fun conversation and laughter.

This was Phase Two of our Kirk Lane project, which we started on National Public Lands Day in 2015. We expanded on last year’s plantings with an additional 22 native trees and shrubs, and 22 native perennials – the complete list is below. The plants benefit wildlife by providing seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, in addition to helping to slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff.

We take the long view when planning what to plant, including replacement of fallen canopy trees. A large Tuliptree had split and fallen in the lawn area by the entrance just a few weeks ago. On Friday morning, Delaware County Parks & Recreation removed the tree to make way for our plantings. Twenty-four hours later, we planted three canopy trees – Chestnut oak, Blackgum, and Red maple – to someday replace it! We also added two more Pawpaw trees to last year’s three, creating a future grove to provide fruit for humans and wildlife alike. This once-common native fruit was enjoyed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. When you see the plantings, envision how it will look in the decades to come!

Our hours spent planting are preceded by many hours of planning and site preparation. The week before our planting, our Invasives Removal team cleared vines covering shrubs and trees adjacent to our plantings, beautifying the area and making room for native plants. In addition, we were able to remove 15 of the deer fences from our 2013 plantings by the pond (which are now thriving!), to reuse for this year’s plants.

We have so many to thank for their help with this project… starting with all those wonderful volunteers!

The volunteers were fueled by delicious coffee, generously donated by Seven Stones Cafe, and by donuts thoughtfully contributed by one of our volunteers! We are tremendously grateful to neighbors of the park for the use of a 150’ garden hose, for additional watering, and for allowing us to run the hose from their house to water the plantings!

Delaware County Parks & Recreation removed the fallen Tuliptree, provided the funding for the plants, and delivered the mulch. Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated native trees, shrubs, and perennials again this year, and Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the supplies for this project. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

The next time you are at the Kirk Lane entrance, look for these native plants, and check out the fun in the photos below – just click on one to scroll through them. Thank you to George Tate for the wonderful photos of National Public Lands Day. 

*John Wenderoth donated two hybrid (B3F3) American chestnuts via the American Chestnut Foundation, grown at the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware. Read about efforts to restore the American chestnut, and the two young surviving trees we found in the park!

Additional photos by author.