Author: Marion Robertson

Marion has always had a love for native plants. When she realized native Ontario plants were starting to go extinct, she started collecting their seeds and growing new trees in their family tree nursery, in essence, saving the plant species.

Spring in a Jar

Posted on by Marion Robertson

Every tree, shrub and wildflower has its own unique formula for germination.  It is up to us, as growers, to understand their uniqueness and simulate these requirements.  Some plants have very complex germination requirements while others are, relatively, simple.  Each germination inhibitor must be removed, in order, so that seeds may sprout.

Most seeds need a period of warm followed by a period of cold stratification.  These periods of warm and cold simulate nature’s winters and springs.  Some seeds may also need to get scarified.  This means we need to scar the dense seed coat so that water can get inside the seed and initiate germination.  Without water, no germination will ever occur.  In nature, the scarification would occur as the seed passes through the digestive tract of a bird or mammal and the gastric juices would pit the seed.

It always feels like spring is around the corner once we start moving stored seeds and nuts to their next phase of germination.  Right now, many seeds are being moved into refrigeration awaiting the beginning of spring.

The Sweet Making of Honey

Posted on by Marion Robertson

Probably, the most asked question, to beekeepers is, ‘ How is honey made? ‘ It is, actually, a very involved process between flower and bee. Once you understand this process, you really do appreciate what a miracle bees, honey and pollination are.

Honey is a natural product made from plant nectar by honey bees. The flavor and odor of honey is derived from the plant pigments and other materials in the nectar. Honey from each floral source is unique just as the flowers themselves.

All nectar contains microscopic yeast cells. These are specialized yeast that can grow in rich sugar solutions containing 30 – 80 % sugar. These yeast cells may cause fermentation of diluted honey (green) but they are inactive in normal (ripened) honey containing less than 19% water. It is important that the bees ripen honey as quickly as possible in order to prevent this fermentation.

Honeycomb in closeup

In most nectars, the predominate sugar is sucrose. The other major component is water. The nectar is manipulated by the honey bee in many ways. The nectar undergoes 2 chemical changes induced by natural enzymes secreted by the honey bee into the nectar from glands in their bodies. There is also 1 physical change that occurs, again, by the bee.

Wood Duck Boxes

Posted on by Marion Robertson
Wood Ducks
Wood Ducks

Though the thermometer was at -25 yesterday, it was a good day to clean out the water access only wood duck boxes. We have to wait for the lake to freeze to get to the boxes. It is always a surprise when cleaning and resetting the boxes for spring occupation, what you will find.

Not all stories are happy. This unfortunate wood duck egg never quite hatched. We found some mice in fluffy wood rush nests and some even stranger occupants. A common grackle had built this huge twig nest and left 1 unhatched egg behind.

The Christmas Bird Count

Posted on by Marion Robertson

According to Bird Studies Canada, the Christmas bird count started in 1900. This makes the count the longest running Citizen Science project. In Canada, approximately 14,000 birders count over 3 million birds from December 14 to January 5. Data is collected by Birds Studies Canada to help create strategies to protect birds and their habitats. In conjunction with Audubon, a ‘Birds and Climate Change Report’ has evolved highlighting dangerous bird population trends and the need for conservation action.

It is easy to participate. Simply contact Bird Studies Canada to find a count near you. Counts may be done from the warmth of your home while watching bird feeders or hiking in the crisp winter weather observing fields for bird activity. Don’t forget to take photos and submit them to the Christmas Bird Count photo contest.

I’ll be donning on my favorite warm socks and traveling the trails.  My assistant, Runabout, will keep me company on our walks. It is a great way to enjoy the Christmas season.

Firefly Watch

Posted on by Marion Robertson

One of my anticipated events in June is the nightly, blinking light show of the fireflies. This year did not seem as spectacular as other years and it lead me to wonder.   Had the wet and cold spring adversely affected the firefly? It turns out to be a more complicated issue than just adverse weather conditions. As far back as 2010, scientists from around the world knew our beloved firefly was in trouble. During the International Firefly Symposium, 13 nations documented noticeable population declines and declared an urgent need for conservation of their habitats. Just conserving habitat is not enough.

Read the full article.

Collecting the American Beech

Posted on by Marion Robertson

Last year, in May 2016, we talked about a very special tree on site. Our American Beech tree had been recognized and protected by Trees Ontario as a Heritage Tree. It stands by the House of Dove as it has stood for the last 100 years. Trees of this age have unique genetics in that their longevity shows a resistance to disease, climate change, pollution and have grit to survive whatever Mother Nature dishes out.

We have waited 7 years for this tree to produce fruit and, finally, this is the year. After every wind or rain event I visit the tree and collect the seeds laying about on the ground and fight off the squirrels and chipmunks trying to collect seed for their winter stashes. We want to collect as many seeds as possible since, it seems, that we can only harvest every 7 years. Soon the seeds will be processed and next year a new wave of American Beech will germinate carrying the genetics of this beautiful heritage tree forward. Something worth celebrating.

The Art of Gaping

Posted on by Marion Robertson

This is the best year, so far, for having orioles come to the feeders. We estimate we have 30 – 40 northern orioles coming to feed on the grape jelly, daily, at the five feeders. We wanted to share some photos of the orioles gaping our trumpet vine.

Oriole at feeder

You have to realize, northern orioles are regular consumers of nectar. In this area, they love trumpet vine. They do not feed like the hummingbirds but, rather, by gaping. They pierce the bottom of the flower and pry open the gap and rob the nectar from the flower. Unfortunately, the flower does not get pollinated since the orioles bypass the sexual parts.

Pinning up the Eggs

Posted on by Marion Robertson

Sometimes female butterflies find the ‘ perfect ‘ site on which to lay their precious eggs. She is quite capable of depositing 100 eggs. This can be quite overwhelming for the host plant and in order to avoid starvation of all the caterpillars, transplanting of the eggs is required.

We simply pin the leaves on which the eggs are on to a new area. Pinning causes little damage to the host plant and the eggs continue to develop, uninterrupted, on the underside of the plant away from the rain and eyes of predators.

These are spicebush swallowtail eggs and caterpillars being transferred to fresh spicebush host plants.

In Search of Unique Hawthorns

Posted on by Marion Robertson

This is the year we are readjusting our mindset, at the nursery, in regards to what we thought were valuable additions to the landscape. Many trees and shrubs that we believed to be of little or no value are now getting a second chance. Turns out it is all in the eye of the beholder. What is no worth to someone is someone else s gold.

We had blindly listened to opinions stating trees such as poplar and hawthorn were garbage trees and not worth planting. But, you know, these opinions were based 40 years ago and our southern Ontario landscape and the environment has changed greatly. Now when I take a second look at the hawthorn I see a tree ready-made for disturbed soil locations, abandoned hayfields, and hot, open lots. They tolerate no shade and are perfectly suited to our present-day environment. As a pioneer, and restoration species, it is at the top of the list.

In North America, we have a vast variety of hawthorn. Unfortunately, since tIn North America, we have a vast variety of hawthorn. Unfortunately, since this is not a sought after species, most of the varieties are not found at nurseries. That spurred us on to conduct a survey to find local, wild hawthorns. So far, we have tentatively identified 5 varieties and will have to wait until the Fall to verify our findings. The fruit will definitively determine the varieties.