The Mid-June Issue: More Outings Than You Can Shake a Stick At+Native Plant Events at Garden Centers+Themed Walks+’Undernight' Camping
June is Great Outdoors Month. Naturally, I've filled my calendar with more outings than I can possibly go on. Here's why you should, too.
So far this month, I’ve missed more outings than I went on. I missed a field trip with my women’s hiking group to Manitoga, the estate and modernist home of industrial designer Russel Wright; birding with a local club in a new-to-me grassland preserve; plant identification and birding walks held on the same day at my state’s botanical garden; and a garden tour at New York Times garden columnist Margaret Roach’s upstate New York property. (That last one really hurt. I thought I’d purchased tickets for it only to realize later the tickets were for the wrong garden tour. Oh well, next year.)
I did manage to get to the beach. I also visited a farm in Connecticut that grows native plants for seed used in restoration projects. (There’s a shortage of native seed due to high demand.) A dozen or so of us stood among rows of sneezeweed, white wood aster, Joy Pye weed, and blue wood aster as the farmer discussed the trials and tribulations of growing natives. “We’re on the edge of an emerging industry based on science that’s also emerging,” she said. Here’s a great article on the coalition, which includes this farmer, called the Northeast Seed Network, which is working to produce seed.
I also did some volunteer work at the new wildflower garden at my local nature preserve. Volunteers ripped out invasive species, fenced in the area, and filled it with natives. Volunteering is a great way to get outside and improve your local environment.
This time of year there are so many outings to choose from. Add them to your calendar even if you know you can’t make them all. If you need to register for them, let the group know early on if you can’t make it. Outings fill up fast, and there’s typically a wait list.
Native Plant Experts Sprouting Up at Garden Centers. June 17-23 is Pollinator Week, and native plant folk are taking it very seriously, as they should. More native plant groups are taking their message to independent garden centers. Specifically, they’re working with garden center owners to run outdoor events and set up tables where they answer customer questions about native plants. So far, I’ve seen a native plant group giving a talk on butterflies, and another running a pollinator event featuring talks by a botanist, author of a book on butterflies, and a native plant garden designer. These are great opportunities to learn how to introduce natives to your garden. You can find out about these events by signing up for your local independent garden center’s newsletter, or joining your local native plant group.
Themed Strolls, Walks and Hikes. I’m seeing lots of guided walks featuring themes that will leave you physically and mentally refreshed. The guides are often well-versed in the theme. Some themed walks I’ve come across cover:
-Forest ecology
-Wildflowers
-Endangered species
-Lichen and moss
-Geology and landscape
-History
I also recently came across so-called four-season walks. Here a land trust set up a series of four walks for each season to showcase native plants, and how they change throughout the year.
Look for themed walks offered by nature preserves, land trusts, and state, county and town parks.
Get Into High Gear. Check out the outings offered by your local outdoor gear retail stores. These small businesses turn up the creative juices to help customers get outside. I’m signed up for a three-hour intro event billed as “undernight camping.” The event is designed to teach participants to pitch a tent, make a fire, and use camping gear. We’ll also learn to cook up some camp food, including (of course) s’mores. The owners of the gear store recently purchased a nearby farm, so we’ll also get a tour and learn about the types of products grown there. The cost? $15.
Like many local gear stores, this one takes advantage of its nearby green and blue spaces, renting bikes to ride on car-free paths in the nearby state park, and tubes and kayaks for taking on the Delaware River. Check out your outdoor gear store, and support them.
Probably Outside isn’t just for those who want to spend more time outside.
Probably Outside is also for those who work in the outdoor space, creating programs, field trips, and outings for their visitors and customers. Feel free to share this post, and by all means subscribe. Thanks!