by Pandra Williams

Lobelia cardinalis, the cardinal flower, has a range that covers better than half the North American continent.  This plant grows to between 3 – 6 feet in height, and flourishes in full sun to open shade.  Right now these beauties are putting on a fireworks display in the EcoAddendum nursery with their striking racemes of brilliant red flowers.

As most insects find the tubular flowers too long to access the nectar, the major pollinator of the cardinal flower is the hummingbird.  Cecilia Marrero, our nursery manager, captured a photo of this cloudless yellow sulphur butterfly (Phoebis sennae) sipping nectar from the brilliant red blooms.  The butterfly is not likely doing much pollinating, as it is not brushing against the stamens and pistils of the flower.

Over picking of the Cardinal flower has led to the plants’ scarcity or threatened status in some states.  The plant is easy to grow in normal garden cultivation, and would be a lovely addition to any garden wishing to broaden its appeal to wildlife.

The Cloudless Sulphur butterfly uses cassia species of plants (in the pea family) as host plants for its caterpillars.  The adults get nectar from flowers with long tubes, such as cardinal flower, hibiscus and wild morning glories.

Our sources for this article:

for more information about the flower:

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, the University of Texas.  2009. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 18 August 2009). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

for more information about the butterfly:

Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version MMDDYYYY).

EcoAddendum, a non-profit organization, has developed the BBB program as an outreach of its mission to return native plants to the landscape by promoting the use of local species in public and private gardens and greenspaces.  This program also supports the recovery of natural environment space by creating schoolyard and backyard habitats. The BBB process facilitates the installation of wildlife-friendly native plant installations in public schools and greenspaces that may find themselves strapped for funding by creating an easily used and adaptable microfunding approach.

EcoAddendum designs and installs public and private plantings that are both attractive for humans and beneficial to birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. As we are non-profit, these services are provided at near cost, any revenues going toward the perpetuation of our stated goals. We also give educational programs on how and why to plant native species and promote volunteer participation in their planting and maintenance. We are co-operating with Atlanta Audubon, the U.S. Forest Service, and other organizations in the National Wildlife Federation sponsored Flyway Cities Coalition, a nationwide effort to promote activities beneficial to migratory birds passing through urban areas.

MLK Day at the OAC

The Outdoor Activity Center (OAC) has a long term vision of restoring their 26 acre forest and grounds to a healthy, native plant community.

Working together for the past eighteen months, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA), EcoAddendum, Park Pride, Trees Atlanta, West Atlanta Mountain Bike Association and many volunteers,  removed invasive species from the garden site and its immediate surroundings during regular and intensive volunteer workdays.  The Atlanta Botanical Garden donated twolarge truckload of organic compost to topdress this project.  EcoAddendum has developed a garden plan and native plant list for the butterfly garden site.  Although the entire OAC grounds comprise 26 acres, the first efforts are being concentrated on the eighteen by thirty five foot butterfly garden.

Planting species native to the Georgia piedmont region recreates the foundation of the local food web and ecosystem that has been lost over the past two hundred years ago due to poor land management practices.  Reintroducing these environmental building blocks creates a sustaining base that supports missing insects, butterflies, pollinators, birds and other animals.  This, in turn, creates an outdoor classroom for environmental journaling, science observation, and collaborative art projects.

These projects expose our local youth and community to native plants, the species they support, and the local ecotone and food web, things that they may not see otherwise in urban Atlanta.  Programming and related activities develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of Atlanta’s urban forest and meadow, and ultimately foster stewardship.

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) and EcoAddendum have developed an environmental experiential after school program for the youth of Southwest Atlanta which is scheduled to debut March 2009.  The activities include orienteering, hiking, journaling and environmentally based art projects.  The native plant garden is an important element of this program and deepens the experiential aspect of all the planned activities.  Active documented use of the garden during the OAC’s Junior Naturalist program through journaling, drawing projects, and other related stewardship and gardening activities create a measurable outcome for this garden.

EcoAddendum and West Atlanta Watershed Alliance working together.

Darryl Haddock and Pandra Williams clearing the garden bed of invasive plants at OAC.

EcoAddendum coworkers Connie Gray and Pandra Williams teamed up with Darryl Haddock from the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance to knock out invasive plants and work on installing the first part of the native plant proposal at the Outdoor Activity Center in southwest Atlanta.

Connie Gray, who is also the president of Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, is shown here removing a vine that looks like a native grape, but is actually a porcelainberry, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata. Porcelain-berry is a vigorous vine that overgrows native vegetation, pulling good habitat plants down and shading them out.

Darryl Haddock and Derek Roqumore, had both done the lion’s share of work cleaning out large non-native hollies. Garden variety species of iris as well as large quantities of helleborus were offered to neighbors. In the place of these common garden plants a native plant butterfly garden with an emphasis on biodiverse plants from the Georgia Piedmont will be installed over the course of the next few months.

Connie Gray removing porcelain-berry.

The first plants to be installed were beauty berry, purple coneflower, stone mountain daisies, and spider wort. Eventually both sides of the driveway and the front garden bed will be repopulated with a diverse range of shrubs and perennials, most of which are native to the Georgia piedmont area. The shrubs selected not only have wonderful blooms, but also provide habitat and food sources for wildlife such as songbirds and butterflies.

Darryl Haddock installing native plants at OAC.

EcoAddendum is designing a new planting plan for the Outdoor Activity Center in Southwest Atlanta. Below is a proposed specie list:

Group A :
Agastache sp
Callicarpa americana, Beautyberry
Doellingeria infirma, Cornel leaved aster
Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot
Philadelphus inodorus, Mock Orange
Sambucus canadensis, Elderberry
Group B :
Amelanchier arborea, Serviceberry,
Aronia arbutifolia, Red Cholkeberry
Asclepias tuberosa, Butterflyweed
Aster azureus, Georgia Blue Aster
Ceanothus americanus, New Jersey Tea
Echinacea purpurea, Purple Coneflower
Eupatorium perfoliatum, Boneset
Helianthus hirsutis, Perennial Sunflower
Rudbeckia fulgida, Black-eyed Susan
Stokesia laevis, Stokes Aster
Vaccinium elliottii, Elliot’s blueberry
Group C :
Agastache sp
Callicarpa americana, Beautyberry
Doellingeria infirma, Cornel leaved aster
Hydrangea arborescens, Wild Hydrangea
Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot
Viburnum acerfolium, Maple leafed Viburnum

Earlier this Winter, on February 16th, the National Wildlife Federation “Earth Tomorrow” program took a field day at Boat Rock Preserve. About two dozen students from five schools in the Atlanta Metro area came out to enjoy a day of activities, hiking and climbing demonstrations. After a short introduction to the SCC’s history with the Boat Rock climbing area and Preserve, the students began their tour of the forest to learn about the environment and greenspace issues. The students were first introduced to the boulders with a brief overview of general climbing techniques by Will Ecclestion, followed by a demonstration of crack climbing by resident hardwomen Josipa Kukucka.

Tim Wommick of the National Tree Trust is an environmental educator that roams the US giving interactive presentations concerning the social, environmental and economic value of trees. In one hour students were engaged in tree “dress up,” call and response, and some tree based comedy, all geared toward sustainable use of forests, conservation, and jobs in environmental studies.

Dr.Cheryl Young of Mays High School in Atlanta gave a presentation on the geology of the Boat Rock granite. Each student collected a rock, and Dr. Young described a brief geological history of their find.

The day was capped by a hike through the forest and around the lake. The students learned the ID of the different species of trees and plants within the Preserve, and noted the effects of the drought on the area’s lake.

Overall, the students had a great day learning about the forest, the environment, the unique geology at Boat Rock and got to do a little bit of climbing too.

Note: Special thanks to the Tim Wommick (National Tree Trust), Dr. Cheryl
Young (Mays High School) and Team Boat Rock for helping to educate young
people on environmental issues at Boat Rock.

By Pandra Williams and Brad McLeod

By Brad McLeod. on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 – a group of 10 students toured the Boat Rock Preserve with Botanist Connie Gray to learn about native plant communities. The tour was put together by climber and eco-artist Pandra Williams, a long time friend of Boat Rock and one of the original organizers to save the area.
The plant group walked the boulder field while Connie Gray gave lessons and commentary on the different native plant communities and ecosystems. The group looked at differences between similar plant species while also looking at the larger dry mesic hardwood forest that typifies the Boat Rock Preserve. The course is entitled “Management and Restoration of Natural Areas of the Georgia Piedmont” and used Boat Rock as one of their field examples. Sue Wilmoth, another long time friend of Boat Rock was also present and asked about everyone in the climbing community and wanted to know how everyone was doing.

The group commented and viewed the recent fire at Boat Rock and talked about how the fire may actually help the forest by reducing fuel load, reducing competing species such as grape vine and spurring on small wildflowers and groundcovers to flourish.

To learn more about Pandra Williams and her ongoing native plant projects and some great photos of Boat Rock, you can go to Pandra’s website: http://www.ecoaddendum.org/

The Boat Rock Preserve is located in southwest Atlanta and encompasses 33-acres and owned by The Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC). The SCC encourages school groups to tour the area to learn about the forest ecosystem and environmental education. You can find out more about The Southeastern Climbers Coalition and the Boat Rock Preserve at www.seclimbers.org

A Few Tips for CLimbers on How They Can Save the Vegetation at Boat Rock
1. Dont cut any vegetation
2. Show up at trail days and help us plant native trees, shrubs and ferns
3. Be careful where you put your pad, or better yet, dont climb with one (it squashes plants)
4. Pack it in – Pack it out (ok; that doesnt save vegetation, but help cleanup trash anyhow
5. Drop some change in the kiosk to help pay for next years native plantings
6. Try to leave “No Trace” as best as you can.

Thanks for helping to keep your impact to a minimum and practicing “Leave no Trace”.