news and insights on conserving native plants & their habitats • summer 2013

new englandWILD

The Ever-ChangingLandscape

New England WILDNews and Insight on Conserving Native Plants & Their HabitatsVolume 6, No. 1, Summer 2013

New England WILD is published by New England Wild Flower Society, an in depen dent, nonprofit, member- supported organization whose missionis to conserve and promote the region’s native plants to ensure healthy,biologically diverse landscapes. Subscriptions to New England WILD areincluded in membership dues, starting at $40/year for individuals.

DesignRachel Wolff Lander

Copyright© 2013 New England Wild Flower Society®. All rights reserved.No material in this publication may be reproduced or used in any way without written consent. For permission, contact Editor, New England WILD,180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701.

180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701508-877-7630 • information@newenglandwild.org www.newenglandwild.org

New EnglandWild Flower Society

ChairDeirdre C. Menoyo

Vice ChairPam Resor

TreasurerCharles A. Wain

Assistant TreasurerJohn F. Page

ClerkCarrie Waterman

Assistant ClerkAnita E. Springer

Executive DirectorDebbi Edelstein

Board of TrusteesLalor BurdickAnthony T. CopeRuah DonnellyChristopher R. ElyJanet GansonMarjorie GrevillePhoebe McCarthyCarolyn M. OsteenJessie B. PanekPolly PierceBonnie PotterCharity TremblayMartha J. Wallace

board of trustees

On the cover:Fall Foliage, Hop Brook, Garden in the Woods

Photo: Steven Scholom

A quotation in the lead article of this issue of the magazinecaught my eye:“To thrive and grow as time goes on.” In its sim-plicity, the phrase could serve as a goal for many of life’s activi-ties, from gardening to parenting. It immediately struck me asthe “small print” mission statement for the Society, by evokingour aspirations for natural areas and designed landscapes, for thepeople we engage and educate, and for the organization itself.

If you love plants and the land, you often have to focus onchallenges—you fight invasive plants and pests, control deer,oppose bad development projects, and lament weather that so farthis season has been by turns too cold and too hot, too wet andtoo dry, for optimal gardening. And then a breathtakingly beau-tiful day or a chance phrase puts it all in perspective. At the coreof what we all do as conservationists and gardeners—as stewardsof the good green Earth—is optimism and joy. Collecting orplanting a seed may be a defiant act in the face of grim realities,but it feels like hope, like one of many parallel steps to ensurethat a much-loved corner of the world will thrive and grow.

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From the Executive Director

HORTICULTURE

Past is Prologue: The Evolution of a Garden

A Special Place for Families

Volunteer Spotlight: David Mittlestadt

Growing in a New Direction atNasami Farm

Controlling Invasive Winter Moth

CONSERVATIONBanking on the Future

Sanctuary Spotlight: Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary

ANNUAL REPORT 2011Celebrating Our 2012 Donors

EDUCATIONVolunteer Spotlight: Robin Wilkerson

Go Botany: Bigger and Better!

Northern Gardening Symposium

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1From the Executive Director

Sincerely,

Debbi Edelstein

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New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org2

Past is Prologue: The Evolution of a GardenThe Gardener as ArtistWill Curtis and his partner Dick Stilesimbued Garden in the Woods with theirspirit of experimentation, instinct for natu-ralistic garden design, and a sense of wonderthat is clear some 82 years after the firstshovel hit the earth. Curtis was an artistwho, according to Stiles, never worked froma plan, “for it was all in that brain that couldenvision and feel and know just how it shouldbe.” Although they often appear effortless,naturalistic gardens are the most challengingto envision and among the most challeng-ing to maintain. How can one improve or

perfect that which took eons for nature tocreate? How does one choose which treesto fell in a forest to create the perfectamount of dappled light for a garden ofspring ephemerals? Where is the best placeto site a path to make it seem like a natural-ly occurring feature of a garden? Curtis’smastery of this art form, developed over alifetime of gardening, is apparent through-out Garden in the Woods.

For longtime members of theSociety, the history of Garden in the Woodsis familiar. But what we don’t often consid-er is that Curtis, like most gardeners, never

truly “finished” his garden but simply ranout of time to undertake whatever nextsteps he envisioned. Given more activeyears, he may have built more habitat gar-den displays, expanded into the “naturalareas” serving as buffers, or even torn outand replanted entire garden sections. Noone can say how Curtis’s garden might haveevolved, but when I consider his passion, Irealize that I have never visited a “finished”garden, private or public, because by theirvery nature, gardens are dynamic and con-stantly evolving. They change from seasonto season, month to month, and often hour

horticulture

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to hour; they change by design and by nat-ural intervention.

As an artist whose medium wasplants, Curtis was aware of the fragility ofhis creations and, like all gardeners,embraced—eagerly or reluctantly—theinevitability of change. The devastationwrought by the 1938 hurricane nearly con-vinced him to abandon his dream. Gardenin the Woods lost nearly three hundredlarge trees. That kind of devastation is notunlike the loss of the one perfect tree overa small shade garden in a residential neigh-borhood. The effect is the same on the gar-dener–shock, sadness, and dismay at theprospect of losing a lifetime of work, fol-lowed by excitement at the possibility ofrenewal in newfound sunlight. Curtis knewthat his garden was just as vulnerable to thenext storm, to late frosts, pests, or diseases.But he devoted half a lifetime to creating a“big wild garden” anyway. Despite thethreats, gardeners soldier on, intent on satis-fying their own artistic interests and creat-ing something beyond themselves, some-thing beautiful to share with others. Thevision for the garden adapts to change outof necessity, and the garden benefits fromthe dynamism of creative thought.

The Path to Garden in the WoodsBorn in Schuylerville, New York, in 1883,Will Curtis was a plant lover from an earlyage—he planted his first garden when hewas nine. While working for a florist as ateenager, he began dreaming of one dayhaving a big wildflower garden. His passionled him to earn a degree in landscape archi-tecture from Cornell University and even-tually to working as office manager forlandscape architect Warren H. Manning, anearly pioneer of the “wild garden” move-ment and a founding member of theAmerican Society of Landscape Architects.Manning apprenticed with Frederick LawOlmsted, considered by many to be thefather of American landscape architecture,before beginning his own design firm inBillerica, Massachusetts, in the 1890s. Hisinfluence on Curtis’s naturalistic gardeningethos is clear: Manning advocated for “anew type of gardening wherein theLandscaper recognizes, first, the beauty ofexisting conditions and develops this beau-ty to the minutest detail.” Manning’s call foran American style of landscape design thatenhanced and preserved the subtle beautyof nature is expressed in the way Curtis

developed Garden in the Woods to takeadvantage of, rather than compete with, thenatural features and topography of the site.

In 1931 Curtis stumbled upon a tractof land in Framingham that had “eskerswith steep-sided valleys between, a pond, awooden-bog, numerous springs, and anever-flowing brook.” He described it as “anaturally beautiful place with interestingcontours, many old trees, and a variety oftypical New England vegetation” that was“just the spot for a wild flower garden.” TheOld Colony Railroad, which had minedpart of the land for its glacial graveldeposits, sold Curtis 30 acres for $1,000, andhe began developing the gardens in earnest.By this time, Curtis was manager of LittleTree Farm in Framingham and was runninga fairly successful landscape design andinstallation business. Garden in the Woodswould become a living showcase of hiscapabilities, a more permanent exhibitionthan the award-winning flower showexhibits he designed and constructed topromote his professional services.

By 1933 construction of the gardenwas well underway, and the 50-year-oldCurtis recruited 23-year-old Dick Stiles tohelp with the heavy lifting. Stiles was not a

Curtis cabin and pit greenhouse, circa 1937.

Dick Stiles and Will Curtis at Garden in the Woods.

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org4

horticulturist by training, but proved such aquick study that Curtis invited him tobecome a full partner in the garden in 1936.The pair spent the next 30 years developinga garden collection of North Americannative plants, a novel concept during thatera. Among their creations, the First Garden(what we now call the Woodland Garden) isrich with spring ephemerals, woodlandperennials, and flowering shrubs set beneatha high canopy of oaks. Here they usedplants to create an almost rhythmic experi-ence of light and shadow and an impressivespring display. They built the Lily Pond in1935, using mules to dredge a shallow pondand make it habitable for a variety of aquat-ic plants. They created habitat gardensnamed for their inspiration and showcasingCurtis’s wide-ranging interests as a collectorand propagator of plants: he developed analpine garden he called Mt. Washington, apine barren he called New Jersey, and a col-lection of western plants he calledMontana.

By the mid-1960s, Curtis and Stileshad begun thinking about the future oftheir garden. Concerned about theencroaching suburban development, theyrealized the only way to prevent bulldozersfrom destroying their lifetime of work wasto find a partner to whom they couldentrust its care. Curtis shared his concernwith his client and friend, Homer C. Lucas,an active member and fierce advocate forthe New England Wild Flower PreservationSociety. Lucas helped negotiate the transferof ownership to the Society, with an agree-ment that required the Society to raise anendowment to support ongoing care andmaintenance of the garden. On Curtis’s82nd birthday, May 8, 1965, Curtis andStiles gave Garden in the Woods to theSociety. The two remained on staff—Curtisas Garden Director until his death in 1969,and Stiles as Curator until his retirement in1970. (He passed away in 1984.) TheSociety moved its headquarters from down-town Boston to the site in 1968.

Past is Prologue: The Ever-Changing Garden

Above: Stiles and Curtis in the greenhouse at Garden in the Woods.

Below: Stiles and Curtis giving Garden in the Woods to the NewEngland Wild Flower Preservation Society on May 8, 1965.

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Thriving as Time Goes OnSince 1965 New England Wild FlowerSociety has continued to care for Garden inthe Woods as a sanctuary for both plants andpeople. The hand of a single man with avision became many hands shaping theGarden’s development. New challenges, likeexpanding parking for visitors and addingbuildings to accommodate a growing staff,have required a multitude of changes.Through them all, the Society has clearlymaintained Curtis’s rustic, naturalisticdesign and his emphasis on experimentingwith “why wild flowers will grow here andnot there.” Garden in the Woods is both acollector’s paradise, with more than 1,000taxa of primarily New England native flora,and a casual visitor’s delight, especially inspring, when thousands of blooms burstforth in the warmth of April and May.

As the organization’s mission hasevolved, so has the Garden. In 2010 theSociety renewed its focus on New Englandnative plants with a new mission state-ment—“to conserve and promote theregion’s native plants to ensure healthy, bio-

logically diverse landscapes”—and a strate-gic plan that calls for a broader and moreengaged constituency for native plants. Oneof the steps in building that constituency isthe development of a comprehensive masterplan for Garden in the Woods. In 2012 wewere fortunate to secure funding from theInstitute of Museum and Library Servicesand the Hope Goddard Iselin Foundationto pursue that effort. The plan, scheduledfor completion in October of this year, willserve as the overarching vision for theGarden for the next 25 years and beyond. Itwill help unify the organization’s conserva-tion and horticulture messages, honorCurtis’s legacy, and build a roadmap for aresilient garden that can adapt to the effectsof climate change.

The Society’s hope is that the masterplan will launch a renaissance of Garden inthe Woods that blends Curtis’s originalvision for the garden as “a peaceful pictureof our land as nature intended it” withmodern sustainable design. The planningprocess, led by landscape architecture firmAndropogon Associates, whose guiding

principle is “designing with nature,” reflectsa careful and measured approach to design.The resulting plan will reflect our conserva-tion ethos by embracing and guidingchange in a manner that is both naturallybeautiful and ecologically functional.

Dick Stiles wrote a tribute to Curtisthat was published in the American RockGarden Society Bulletin in April 1970, sixmonths after his friend’s death. In it, hedescribed Curtis as “a most unusual charac-ter: rugged, determined, resourceful, unde-viatingly honest with no use whatsoever forso-called diplomacy.” He also referred toCurtis as “a man with vision, a true artistwho knew exactly what he wanted andwent to any amount of time and labor toachieve it.” In that same tribute, Stiles wrotethat his own hope for the Garden was for itto “thrive and grow as time goes on.” Thatis the essence of the master plan–to reshapethe vision for a garden that its founder cre-ated as his “contribution to conservation”and to ensure that it continues to thrive andgrow as time goes on.

mark richardson, director of horticulture

A Special Place for Families Families with young children have long enjoyed coming to Gardenin the Woods, even though it has offered only a “look, don’t touch”experience for kids who might want to get their hands dirty. Thisspring a group of children cut the ribbon on a new Family ActivityArea, and it has already become a prime destination for those seek-ing opportunities to play, create, imagine, and connect with nature.

Located on the high path between the habitat displays andthe New England Rare Plant Garden, the Family Activity Area is inthe perfect shady spot above Hop Brook to find refuge from thehot summer sun. Visitors enter through a rustic cottage entrancedesigned and built by local craftsman Frank Hamm, who also makesthe lovely cedar benches throughout the Garden. Within the spaceare a series of hexagon-shaped habitat boxes forming nichesinspired by British landscape designer Nigel Dunnett’s habitat walls.Kids are encouraged to build their own habitats with materials onhand and to think about the critters that might live in them. Otherinteractive features include a crawl-through critter cave and, laterthis season, a fiddlehead labyrinth.

After some early brainstorming between staff in theHorticulture and Education departments and a design charette withstudents from the Conway School of Landscape Design,Horticulturist Nate McCullin led the design and constructionof the interactive exhibit. The Family Activity Area officiallyopened on May 10 as part of the annual NationalPublic Gardens Day celebration. The Society washonored that State Senator Karen Spilkajoined us to mark the occasion.National Public Gardens Day,

sponsored by the American PublicGardens Association and Rain Bird,a manufacturer of irrigation proj-ects, celebrates the nation’s publicgardens to raise awareness of theimportant role botanical gardensand arboretums play in promotingenvironmental stewardship, plant andwater conservation, greenspaces, and education in com-munities nationwide.

The Family ActivityArea was made possiblethanks to generous sup-port from Whole FoodsMarkets of Framinghamand Wayland and grants fromthe cultural councils ofActon-Boxborough, Ashland,Framingham, Hudson, Natick,Southborough, Sudbury, and Weston.

nate mccullin, horticulturist

In the early 1990s, New England Wild Flower Society hired SasakiAssociates, Inc. to conduct a building suitability study and designthe Rare Plant Garden at Garden in the Woods. Those projectsintroduced us to David Mittelstadt, at that time a Senior Associatewith Sasaki, who has for nearly twenty years provided invaluableservice as a volunteer with the Society.

Originally from Racine, Wisconsin, David studied landscapearchitecture under Phil Lewis at the University of Wisconsin.Lewis’s emphasis on resource management and environmental cor-ridors shaped David’s interest in the field. Upon graduation in1969, David began working for the Army Corps of Engineers inWilmington, North Carolina, on water-related recreational masterplanning. After two short years in the field, he moved back up northto pursue an advanced degree under Carl Steinitz at the HarvardGraduate School of Design. David completed his studies in 1973and went on to work for five years with Walter Gropius’s firm,The Architects’ Collaborative (TAC). TAC employed an integratedapproach to design, with teams of architects, engineers, and land-scape architects working collaboratively for corporate and publicclients.

In 1978 David began working for Sasaki, where his first proj-ect was a 21-kilometer waterfront master plan for Kuwait City,Kuwait. He led Sasaki’s Middle East project work, which includedhis proposed design for the Baghdad Zoo and Botanical Garden.David’s concentration soon became botanic garden master plans,leading him to design projects for, among others, the University ofWisconsin-Madison Botanic Garden, North Carolina Arboretumin Asheville, and Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.

When David was brought in to help with the two projectshere at the Garden, staff quickly realized the value he could bringto the Society. Former Director of Horticulture Cheryl Lowe invit-ed him to join the Horticulture Committee, where his designexpertise has been an indispensable asset. While still working full-time, he completed the Native Plant Certificate program, with afinal project that culminated in the design and installation of anative butterfly meadow at the Ecotarium in Worcester,Massachusetts. His involvement with the Society expanded whenhe was invited to become an Overseer and later a member of theBoard of Trustees.

David retired from Sasaki in 2011, which has freed him todevote considerable time to the Garden’s master plan, for which hehas long advocated. His years of experience on the other end ofthe designer/client relationship have made him a vital resourcethroughout the process, and his Zen-like, analytical approach tolandscape design has had a powerfully calming effect on a challeng-ing and complex process. When asked what he would like to seefrom the master plan, David resisted the urge to target a pet proj-ect or a specific garden type; rather, he described his hope to helpthe Society make the vision developed by Andropogon Associates areality at Garden in the Woods.

Since retiring, David has started a small landscape architecturefirm of his own. In addition to his design work, David enjoys travel-ing to Italy with his wife and taking watercolor courses at Boston’sMuseum of Fine Arts.

kristin desouza, senior horticulturist and plant recordscoordinator

David Mittelstadt

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Volunteer Spotlight

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org8

Finding the right plant material is at theheart of any garden design project.Traditionally, this process has been fairlystraightforward: identify a reputable sourcefor the right plants at the right size and priceand in the quantities necessary. As we lookahead to the implementation of the masterplan for Garden in the Woods, we face a dif-ferent, more complex challenge: growing,rather than buying, the right plant material,which is defined by the Society’s strategicplan as plants native to the ecoregions ofNew England and of known origin withinthose boundaries. With that challenge inmind, and in line with the strategic goal to“develop, demonstrate, and advance scientif-ic and practical knowledge about the region’snative plants,” Nasami Farm Nurserychanged its focus last year to producing

plants of known origin that are geneticallydiverse, regionally adapted, and well-suitedto support our native ecosystems.

Unlike many operations that orderseeds and plugs from other nurseries,Nasami propagates native plants from seedssustainably harvested from wild sources.That’s not easy. It takes considerable timeand research to identify large plant popula-tions throughout the region from which wecan sustainably harvest enough seed forproduction and research. CayteMcDonough, Production Manager atNasami, relies heavily on tips from PlantConservation Volunteers, staff, and others tolocate those large populations. In the 2012season she collected seed from about 100species—no small feat. She does most of thecollecting herself, with help from a small

group of volunteers, and works closely withPropagator Kate Stafford and a team of ded-icated volunteers to clean, store, and sowseed.

Through the efforts at Nasami, wehave formed partnerships with nurseriesthat share our desire to expand the availabil-ity of genetically diverse native plants. Wehave developed a model that plays to thepartners’ core strengths: Nasami concen-trates on seed collection, research, and prop-agation, while Van Berkum Nursery, ProjectNative, and Amherst Nurseries use theirexpertise and facilities to grow the plants tofinished retail size.

Nasami also partners with municipal-ities and other nonprofit conservationorganizations to grow plants for restorationand ecological landscaping projects. Several

Growing in a New Direction at Nasami Farm

A volunteer separates healthy seed from less viable seed and chaff in preparation for sowing. We record details of what is sown in our seed-sowing log. Photo by Chuck Walla

Controlling InvasiveWinter MothIf you’ve wandered in the woods in eastern Massachusettsand parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island on late fallevenings, you might have noticed the large numbers of win-ter moths (Operophtera brumata) flying around. An invasiveEuropean insect that was first discovered in Nova Scotia inthe 1930s, winter moth is a generalist feeder that poses a realthreat to many of the dominant native deciduous trees andshrubs throughout the region, including Amelanchier, Betula,Carpinus, Quercus, and Rhododendron. Already established insouthern New England, this pest has recently been discov-ered in Maine. A team of entomologists from the Universityof Massachusetts, led by Dr. Joseph Elkinton, is working ona plan to halt its spread and has asked the Society to partici-pate in a research project at Garden in the Woods.

In 1954 a European parasitic tachinid fly, Cyzenis albi-cans, was released in Nova Scotia, where it effectively con-trolled the outbreak of winter moth. In the 1970s, anotheroutbreak of winter moth in the Pacific Northwest also waseffectively controlled by C. albicans. Monitoring has shownthat in both locations, the flies’ breeding populationsdeclined with the population of winter moth, but continuedto provide effective control decades after the initial release.Adult flies lay eggs on the foliage of plants that winter mothcaterpillars eat. Fly larvae then hatch inside the moths andparasitize. One concern about introducing non-native bio-logical control mechanisms is the possibility that they willaffect multiple species, but C. albicans is host-specific and hasnot been shown to parasitize anything but winter moth.

Since 2005 Dr. Elkinton’s team has been collecting,breeding, and releasing flies in locations throughout NewEngland. In 2010 they were excited to find fly larvae at a sitewhere they had not conducted a release, which was evidencethat the flies could establish themselves without assistance.This spring, the team attempted to release flies at Garden inthe Woods, which has a winter moth problem. Dr. Elkintonchose the Garden because of its strategic location west of allprevious releases in Massachusetts and because of our organ-ic management practices, which ensure that neither the fliesnor the winter moth will be killed by insecticides. He alsohoped that a release here might help to establish breedingpopulations across a large section of eastern Massachusettsand keep winter moth populations at bay for generations.Part of the plan for this spring was an experiment with anew method for timing the release of the flies with the opti-mum larval stage of the winter moth caterpillar. Due to thelifecycle of the flies, they need to be kept alive onsite forabout two weeks prior to release. The approach tried at theGarden was not a complete success, as most of the flies diedin containment. Nonetheless, the experiment yielded goodinformation about how to successfully rear the flies on site,which will contribute to future releases.

dan jaffe, propagator and stock bed grower

years ago, for example, we grew thousands of Chamaecyparis thyoides(Atlantic White Cedar) for the restoration of the Eel River in Plymouth,Massachusetts. More recently, we partnered with the Rhode IslandNatural History Survey’s Rhody Native initiative, which aims to buildcapacity for the production of native plants for habitat restoration inRhode Island. This partnership has resulted in the exchange of informa-tion about coastal plant communities in Rhode Island, as well as theexchange of seed and plugs. Many of the species we grow or plan togrow are of interest to Rhody Native, including Amelanchier canadensis(eastern shadbush) and Gaylusacia baccata (black huckleberry). Last sea-son we received seed for nine species of plants from Rhody Native,including Rhexia virginica from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, which willeventually find its way into the new coastal sand plain display at Gardenin the Woods.

In July we delivered 1,600 plugs for a habitat improvement proj-ect in the old mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts, which is turningan area of industrial wasteland into the city’s largest park. GroundworkLawrence had funding to replace invasive and unsightly brush and blacklocust trees with native species for a meadow, pollinator garden, andhabitat for urban wildlife, especially birds. Other contracts include prop-agating plants for turning a degraded park in Braintree, Massachusetts,into a wildflower meadow and for a project on cranberry bogs and pol-linators undertaken by the Department of Environmental Conservationat the University of Massachusetts.

This season the Garden Shops at Garden in the Woods andNasami Farm are carrying about thirty species of New England nativeplants grown from wild-collected seed and propagated at our nursery,including Aralia racemosa (American spikenard) and Rubus odoratus (flow-ering raspberry). The number of true New England native plants weoffer for sale will grow to nearly fifty species in 2014 and will continueto grow each year as we find more wild populations from which to col-lect and as our production seed bank expands.

mark richardson, director of horticulture

Plant Propagator Kate Stafford (center) and volunteers Evelyn Villa (left),and Lesley Harrington, sowing seed in the greenhouse at Nasami Farm. We sow much of our seed in early winter, allowing it to experience a coldperiod, which many species require for germination. Photo by Chuck Walla

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org10

conservation

The scientific community overwhelmingaccepts the clear evidence that the earth iswarming and our climate is changing.Although there is uncertainty about thepace and extent of the effects of this climateshift, it is likely that the Northeast ofthe future will be a very different place.Predictions include warmer temperatures,an increase in the number of extreme rain-fall events (causing floods), an increase inprecipitation as rain, a decrease in snow,drier and hotter summers with increasedperiods of drought, and a rise in sea level.

Scientific studies around the worldhave documented range shifts and speciesdeclines directly related to climate change.Given the current climate trajectory, scien-tists predict that 57 percent of the planet’splant species will lose more than half theirrange by 2080. In New England, as else-where, changes will be felt most dramatical-ly in forests, with the likely extirpation ofthe spruce-fir forest type from parts of theregion; the reduction in, but possible reten-tion of, aspen-birch; a large reduction inmaple-beech-birch; and an increase in oak-hickory and oak-pine types. Maple-beech-birch is likely to be completely displaced bymore southern forest types by the end ofthe century. In general, plant communitieswill come apart and re-form in new com-binations related to their seed dispersalmechanisms, differing migration rates, andestablishment success.

Adaptive Responses to Climate ChangeA number of steps can be taken to preparefor and adapt to these predicted changes inthe landscape. Increasing connectivitybetween natural areas to facilitate migra-tion, removing invasive species to producehealthier plant communities, and buildingresiliency by maintaining larger blocks ofhabitat are some of the recommendedactions. Another tactic, “assisted migration”or “assisted relocation” (moving plant

species that cannot migrate successfully tonew locations outside their historic ranges),is being hotly debated among biologists andecologists. Some species, especially therarest endemics, will not be able to migratefast enough to avoid extirpation. Only oneaction guarantees their survival, at least asgenetic material for potential reintroduc-tion to the wild: seed banking.

Seed Collection TargetsWe know that most seeds of temperatespecies can be successfully stored in seedbanks for many years, but where should weput our efforts? According to BotanicGarden Conservation International, prioritytargets for seed banking in response to cli-mate change include rare and endangeredspecies, plants of alpine areas, and plantsfrom other habitats that are under threatfrom climate change (for example, coastalregions). Although collection of seed fromcommon species affected by climate changeis vital for the future restoration of changinghabitats, seed collection of rare and endan-gered species is a top priority because thethreat of extirpation for these plants—gen-erally limited to a few populations in nichehabitats—is already significant without theadditional impacts of climate change.

As a national leader in plant conser-vation, we have invested in the research andon-the-ground monitoring that enables usto assess the state of New England’s rareflora. The recently published second editionof our ground-breaking Flora Conservandashows that 388 plant taxa in our region areeither globally or regionally rare. (For thefull report, go to www.newenglandwild.organd search for Flora Conservanda.) Of those,62 are globally rare species, which have acombined 1,300 occurrences in NewEngland. Also critical to conserve are the326 regionally rare taxa, with approximate-ly 2,000 occurrences. To date, we have col-lected seeds of 146 species, but from only316 of the combined 3,300 populations.

Meeting the ChallengeWe need to dramatically increase the paceof seed collection. The full program in NewEngland will require approximately $5 mil-lion and up to ten years to complete. In theprocess, the Society will develop and pilot areplicable, comprehensive, science-basedapproach to preserving species in the regionand gather crucial information rangingfrom population sizes and genetic variationto changes in community composition, seedset, and other measures of species health andpersistence. Furthermore, having represen-tative genetic samples of a species in thebank will enable us to compare changes inthe genetics of wild populations over time.Seed banking also gives us the ability todevelop germination and propagation pro-tocols in advance of any potential need fortransplanting or reintroducing species.

Given the strength of our conserva-tion program, the Society is in a uniqueposition to develop the protocols to be usedby seed collection efforts in other regions,including guidance on selecting occur-rences across the region, evaluating sites,sampling strategies, and determining moni-toring needs.

Measures of SuccessBanking seeds does beg the question: Whatdo you plan to do with them? While seedbanking is the best form of ex situ conserva-tion, the ultimate goal is to have function-ing ecosystems (of whatever composition)with species continuing to evolve in thewild. Retaining seeds in a seed bank or arare plant in a botanic garden is much thesame as holding an endangered tiger in azoo. Without appropriate habitat in thewild, the seeds, plants, and tiger are museumartifacts of bygone eras.

Augmenting existing wild popula-tions or introducing new ones is a difficultprocess, but we know from past efforts thatit can be successful. We were part of a col-laborative project to save the endangered

Banking on the Future

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Potentilla robbinsiana (Robbins’ cinquefoil),a diminutive alpine plant found only intwo areas in the White Mountains of NewHampshire and endangered by over-collec-tion and by hikers roaming off-trail. Whileothers relocated the trail, we banked theseed and grew plants to augment the wild

population.The collaborative effort resultedin Potentilla robbinsiana becoming the firstplant removed from the EndangeredSpecies List due to the recovery of the wildpopulations and the success of the intro-duced plants.

We have also had success with recov-ery of another species, Agalinis acuta (sand-plain gerardia), a small annual species thatmust attach its roots to a host plant toflower and set seed, which is how an annu-al species survives. Found in about 12 loca-

tions in the coastal plain from Maryland toMassachusetts, it has had been able to hangon in several graveyards on Cape Cod,apparently because of the disturbancecaused by mowing. Research at Garden inthe Woods indicated that the plant was ableto use Schizachyrium scoparium (little

bluestem), a common component of sand-plain grasslands, as a host species.Experiments with sowing seed in scarifiedsoil in the wild led to the establishment ofthousands of plants in suitable habitat onprotected land; research into the propermanagement necessary to keep it thriving isongoing.

Although we can cultivate many rarespecies, successful re-introductions areuncommon, which indicates that plantsneed more than apparently appropriate

habitat. Nonetheless, it seems likely that wewill be assisting some species by either relo-cating them to appropriate habitats withinnewly developed climate envelopes or byconstructing new populations from the seedbank.

Some people advocate moving plantsnow, well ahead of clear knowledge of thelocal impacts of climate change. But justbecause it is now possible to successfullygrow a species further north does not meanthat the climate or the habitat or the plantcommunity will be suitable in the future.Recent models are beginning to predictwhere plants might naturally end up underdifferent climate scenarios. Seed bankinggives us the ability to time our interventionswell and base them on scientific evidence ofchanges in climate and habitat. We can thenmake the best decisions about augmentingpopulations at existing sites, reintroducingspecies to sites from which they have disap-peared, or introducing them to new sites inthe historic range or beyond.

Seed banking is critical to the con-servation of our New England flora andenables us to act intelligently, saving eachcog and wheel along the way.

bill brumback, director of conservation

to keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.

-aldo leopold, A Sand County Almanac

“

”

The Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary in Springvale,Maine, is a 56-acre, forested property with low rolling hills and sev-eral wetland basins. Acquired by New England Wild Flower Societyin six land transfers from several landowners between 1964 and2005, most of the site is covered by a mature northern hardwoodforest mixed with coniferous trees. The sanctuary’s namesake,Harvey Butler, was a Springvale resident who formerly owned theparcel of land on which most of the rhododendron plants grow.Butler was aware of the significance of this area and managed hisland accordingly; access was monitored, and firewood harvesting inthe surrounding woods was kept well away from the grove.

Common tree species in the sanctuary include Acer rubrum(red maple), Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch), Betula papyrifera(paper birch), Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Picea rubens (redspruce), and Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock). Located on glacialtill deposits and with acidic soils, the property lacks high plantdiversity, but a range of spring- and summer-blooming wildflowersbrings color to its woodlands and wetlands. Among the 140 speciesof plants identified in the sanctuary by Society staff and volunteersare Chelone glabra (white turtlehead), Clintonia borealis (yellow blue-bead-lily), Coptis trifolia (three-leaved goldthread), Iris versicolor (blueiris), Trillium undulatum (painted trillium or painted wakerobin), andViola pallens (northern or smooth white violet). The property alsohas numerous ferns, including Osumunda claytoniana (interruptedfern), Osmunda regalis (royal fern), Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (cin-namon fern), several Dryopteris species (wood ferns), and Phegopterisconnectilis (long beech fern).

The botanical highlight of the Butler Sanctuary is the five-acre Rhododendron maximum (great rhododendron or great rosebay)stand in the northern section of the property. The stand is a densemonoculture of shrubs ranging from three feet to ten feet in height.It extends from the middle of a north-facing slope with a partialcanopy of yellow birch, beech, and aspen down to the edge of a large

red maple swamp. To the west of the main rhododendron stand,small clumps are scattered in and around a small, wet basin under acover of hemlock and Thuja occidentalis (northern white-cedar).

The spectacular blooms of this large stand attract scores ofvisitors to the sanctuary every year. Peak flowering period is in earlyto mid-July. The Butler rhododendron population is one of only ahandful of native populations in Maine, where it is near the north-ern limit of its natural range. The species is listed as Threatened bythe Maine Natural Areas Program. The Butler population, which isthe largest in Maine, has been known since at least the eighteenthcentury (Korecki and Jalbert 2004).

About ten years ago it became apparent that deer werebrowsing the population. By 2005 sections of the rhododendronstand were riddled with deer “trails,” where the herd had eaten itsway toward the core. In response to this threat, in the fall of 2006the Sanctuary Committee, Society staff, and volunteers constructeda ten-foot-tall deer fence around four acres of the stand. The con-struction was a logistical challenge and a laborious effort, but it haspaid off. In the seven years since its construction, there has beenminimal herbivory inside the fence. The rhododendron populationis thriving and robust. Herbaceous perennials near the rhododen-drons have also rebounded: Trillium undulatum, Aralia nudicaulis(wild sarsaparilla), and Medeola virginiana (Indian cucumber root) areall noticeably more abundant inside the fence.1

Regular inspection and maintenance of the deer fence is nec-essary to minimize the possibility of deer browse. Despite the remoteand heavily wooded terrain, the fence is surprisingly resilient, and fewmajor breaches occur. The most common problem is the errantbranch or dead tree that blows down during heavy winds.

Local resident Shawn Jalbert has been the Steward of theButler Rhododendron Sanctuary for more than ten years. Shawnacts as the local representative for the Society and makes regular

Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary

Sanctuary Committee members Jim Wickis and Doug Payne workingon a deer fence at Butler Sanctuary.

Sanctuary Spotlight

Rhododendron maximum (great rhododendron or great rosebay).

continued on page 20

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org12

annual report 2011, continued

13

Message from the Treasurer2012 was a year of significant investment in the Society. Weinvested in infrastructure, such as migrating all membership,development, education, and retail records into one integrat-ed, cloud-based software system; and in the future, by decidingto expand the chronically understaffed philanthropy program.After three years of development, funded by a $2.5 milliongrant from the National Science Foundation, we alsolaunched the first phase of GoBotany, a website for teachingbotany to the next generation.

Those planned investments, and the increased deprecia-tion related to the five-year write down of the software devel-opment for GoBotany, contributed to an operating deficit inFY12, two-thirds of which is non-cash depreciation of assets.The deficit was anticipated in the FY12 budget approved bythe Board of Trustees.

Investment returns, capital grants, and endowment giftsincreased the Society’s net assets by $572,062 to $12,751,434 as of December 31, 2012. Overall, the Society remains fiscallystable as it invests in long-range planning for growth in revenue.

Thanks to the hard work of our Board, dedicated staff,committed volunteers, and the generous gifts of our manymembers and supporters, the Society had a successful year.

Sincerely,

Charles A. Wain

Fiscal 2012 Expenses6%

78%

14%

Program Services G&A and Facilities

Fundraising

Fiscal 2012 Income7%

55%

10%

Grants and Contributions

Program Income

Membership Dues

Investment Income

28%

Fiscal Year 2012 Operating ResultsincomeGrants and Contributions $1,420,448 Program Income 718,827 Investment Income 190,092 Membership Dues 262,796

Total Income $2,592,163

expensesProgram Services

Conservation $1,142,005 Horticulture 560,825 Education 191,269 Sanctuaries 21,007Retail Shops 216,319 Member Services 216,315 Total Program Services $2,347,740

Support ServicesFundraising $188.443 G&A and Facilities 417,124 Total Supporting Services $605,567

Total Expenses $2,953,307

Operating Surplus(Deficit) (361,144)

Notes• The deficit is primarily non-cash depreciation, including the first year of a five-year write-down of software development costs for the $2.5 million GoBotany website.• The Society’s net asset value increased by $572,062 to $12,751,434 as of 12/31/12.• A copy of the audited financial statements is available upon request from twillmott@newenglandwild.org.

annual report 2012

Conservation Circleand Leadership GiftsThe Conservation Circlehonors individuals whosepersonal philanthropic sup-port was $1,000 or more in2012. Total giving during thefiscal year reflects restrictedand unrestricted gifts, mem-bership, and pledges. Manyleadership gifts and grantsfrom companies and founda-tions also had an extraordi-nary impact on the Society,and we are pleased to pub-licly thank all of you. + denotes deceased donors

$200,000 or moreAnonymousNational Science Foundation

$100,000-$199,999Lalor and Patricia N. BurdickHope Goddard Iselin FoundationDorothy S. Long Revocable Trust+

The Estate of Margaret Moody+

Martha Wallace and Ed Kane

$25,000-$99,999Anonymous (2)Susan+ and Dudley B. Dumaine

Maude B. Elkins Trust+

Fidelity Charitable Gift FundsChristina T. HobbsJane’s TrustLitowitz Foundation, Inc.May H. and Daniel Pierce

$10,000-$24,999Asenath S. Blake+

Center for Plant ConservationMarjorie D. and Nicholas P. Greville

John R.+ and Scottie HeldJohnson-Stillman Family Foundation

Louise S. and Lewis E. LehrmanJessie B. and Jon PanekGeri and Douglas D. PayneBarbara S. SchneiderBruce and Sarah SchwaeglerStanley Smith Horticultural TrustJackie and Thomas E. StoneU.S. Charitable Gift TrustsWilliam P. Wharton Trust

$5,000-$9,999Helen T. ChapellFrances H. Clark and Bernard J. McHugh

Stuart L. CummingsFrederick Pratt

Mary Ann StreeterCaroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust

Timber Press, Inc.Whole FoodsElizabeth Willey and Richard Mlynarik

Schwab Charitable Funds

$1,000-$4,999Anonymous (2)Daniel S. and Louise F. AhearnAnnemarie Altman and David Cook

Molly and John E. Beard/Beard Family Charitable Trust

Bernardi Auto GroupBose CorporationRoland H. Boutwell IIIKim and Lawrence BuellMarcy and John BuschCapital One Services, LLCKeena and Chris CliffordCommunity Foundation of Western MA

David L. and Rebecca E. ConantJudith H. CookAnthony T. and Judith A. CopeJames Underwood Crockett Agricultural Technology Growth Fund

Ruah Donnelly and Steven E. Dinkelaker

Pamela B. and David W. DurrantSuzanne R. Dworsky and Alan J. Dworsky

EarthShareEaton Vance ManagementEcological Landscaping Association

Debbi EdelsteinCaroline EdwardsEllis Charitable FoundationChristopher R. and Carole M. ElyElizabeth S. and Frederic A. Eustis

Allen E. EverettLisa and George B. FooteFramingham Garden Club, Inc.George L. Shinn and Clara S. Shinn Foundation, Inc.

Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc.

Becky and David E. HamlinHelen C. Hamman and Peter C. Isakson

Dena and G. Felda HardymonThelma K. and John H. HewittLucile P. and William C. HicksHighland Street FoundationDaniel Hildreth

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org14

Celebrating Our 2012 Donors

Primary funders for the period January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012, are listed below.

New England Wild Flower Society thanks our generous donors for helping usthrive and enabling us to conserve and promote the region’s native plants.

Mary B. Griffin, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, and Debbi Edelstein, Executive Director, New England Wild Flower Society, enjoying the conversationabout climate change and seed collection during the first

annual Leadership Summit on April 18, 2103.

15

Barbara M. and Robert A. KellerJohn M. and Marilyn K. Kucharski

Peggy LahsGreta B. Layton/GBL Charitable Foundation

Lucinda H. and David S. LeeEmily L. Lewis and George LewisHelen and Anthony LewisSusanA Litowitz Sharon E. and Alistair LoweBrian K. and Anne S. MazarPhoebe and Stephen McCarthyDeirdre MenoyoEdith N. K. MeyerMichele H. and David R. Mittelman

Martha S. MooreWilliam L. Murphy and Claire M. Corcoran

New Hampshire Charitable Foundation

Carolyn M. and Robert T. OsteenOverhills FoundationElizabeth S. PaynterRichard B. and Beverly S. PeiserKaren D. and Matthew V. PierceGloria J. and Roger P. Plourde/ Plourde Family Charitable Trust

Bonnie B. Potter

Barbara F. and Frederick M. PryorGeorge and Nancy PutnamPamela P. and Griffith L. ResorThe Sandra S. Rodgers Estate+

Johanna SchmittBruce M. and Sarah T. Schwaegler

Anne T. and Douglas H. SearsKathleen E. and Robert C. Shamberger

Wendy Shattuck and Samuel Plimpton

Edwin E. and Katharine T. SmithRachael Solem and Barry HerringNancy B. SouletteAnita E. Springer and James P. Lerner

Natalie StarrRobert J. TerkanianThe Robert Treat Paine Association

Robert H. TraylorCharity and Thomas TremblayEmily WadeTony and Lorraine A. WainCarolyn and Sturtevant Waterman

Hartley D. and Benson WebsterGray H. and Paul M. WexelblatWhite Flower Farm

Jim and Betty WickisTracey WillmottRichard and Christine WoodElizabeth H. WrightDavid and Susan ZimmermanVanguard Charitable Endowment Programs

$500-$999William S. AndreasDorothy H. BaldiniKathleen Lucas BarberChristine F. and Randall BattatBeacon Hill Garden ClubPeter M. and Elaine BremAviva and Douglas BrooksFrederick and Judy BuechnerAnne L. CrossMartha R. DavisRalph C. Eagle Jr.Bayard C. EwingElaine W. Fiske and Philip L. Ladd

Emily L. Lewis/Middlecott Foundation

Walter J. and Anne GambleJanet W. and John P. GansonCharles A. and Barbara A. Grunden

Jane C. HallowellRichard K. Johnson

Mary A. Lambert and David Litwack

SusanA Litowitz and Jim HillElizabeth A. and Bernard MeyerAnthony Mirenda and Tracey Cornogg

Erhart and Ruth MullerDonna L. NimecNoanett Garden ClubMarcela and Paul NoonanBruce Patterson and Roberta FoxRare Plant Group, G.C.A.David B. Rundle and Catherine M. Huntley

Amy and John SaarSacajawea Charitable FoundationLoring L. and Andrew M. SchwarzSeamans Capital Management, LLCAnne K. Serrell-JonesLee A. ShaneNicholas A. SkinnerAnne G. St. GoarClaire B. and Meir J. StampferLisa A. StandleyAnne SymchychThe MathWorks, Inc.Ellen Withrow and Robert NoahKathy H. Wrean and Hugh W. Chandler

Susan and Paul Young

what a lovely way to add more plants to your beds and meet other people who are equally enthusiastic

about their gardens. sharing your abundance with fellow gardeners is almost as much fun as

capturing a prized plant for yourself!

barbara keller at the members’ plant swap, on june 29, 2013.“

”

Guests, including Lucinda and David Lee (pictured left), greatlyappreciated the opportunity to learn about the American naturalistlandscape design style favored by Will Curtis and his peers duringthe inaugural Horticulture Director’s Talk on June 1, 2013.

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org16

Supporter Members Ellen AbdowWalter L. and Beverlee A. Adamski

Michael AltermanLisa M. BendixenLisa A. BielefeldStephen J. and Maria R. BlewittKen Blumberg and Sarah Weinstein

David A. Bristol and Barbara F. Bristol

Patricia A. and Russell E. BrooksDavid and Marti BuddingJonathan Bush and Amanda Dean

Mary Ann and Churchill G. CareyBill and Lisa ChioffiPatricia B. and Richard R. Clemence

Ann R. and Peter B. CoffinLoring and Louise R. ConantBarbara DavidGail Davidson and Thomas R. Gidwitz

Lucy W. and Neil J. DeanKaren P. Doppke and Philip F. Judy

Margaret P. Farley and David Elkind

Louisa FerreeSandra Peters and Alan L. Frohman

Caroline B. and Ralph A. Gakenheimer

Sarah Garland-Hoch and Roland Hoch

Joan P. GulovsenBenjamin W. Guy IIISusan Smith and Rodney J. Hager

Tammy C. HarrisMichele L. Hertz and Lawrence B. Friedman

Fred HicksStanley HoweYutaka and Sally T. IshizakaSara JaegerFern and David JaffeAtakan and Sevim KadiElizabeth F. KamioBarbara KatzenbergKate KruesiEllen A. and Stephen LittleCynthia J. Manson and Timothy LaVallee

Mason/Hamlin Family

C. D. McLainThomas J. and Jo-Ann MichalakRoberta and Colin MooreJohn W. MurphyLinea K. and Robert A. MurrayAndre J. and Christine W. NavezC. W. Eliot Paine and Linda Paine

Robert A. and Veronica S. Petersen

Richard and Carol RaderElisabeth A. RaleighStephen RealKathy RehlJacqueline RigolioHeather and Thornton RingSharon and William RissoRobert and Nancy SawyerAlice Bragg SchoriNicholas A. SkinnerMary G. SlavetDick SnellgroveCharles SpencerAnne Felton SpencerElizabeth F. Spiess and Gary A. Spiess

Betty and Frank StanleyCarolyn Summers and David A. Brittenham

Heather and Jared F. TausigLouis J. and Linda C. WagnerCarl M. WallmanCharles H. and Louise E. Weed

Life MembersThese dedicated individualshave chosen to play a long-term role in the preservationof our region’s native floraby becoming life members.

Judy A. Artley and Charles T. Moses

Nancy H. AugustPatricia Callan and Chuck CraftsJohn S. and Jane ChatfieldTerry A. ChvisukEdward H. and Sandy Coburn Robert S. CoburnBarbara F. CoburnVirginia and Jay Coburn Martha Franklin Coburn and Robert W. Carlson

John D. Constable

Judith H. CookPaul CookHarriet DaamsDavid L. DeKingElizabeth DudleyElizabeth S. and Frederic A. Eustis

Janet Fillion and Richard LaineMary F. and Joseph FioreJoanne C. and Lionel L. FrayAnne and Walter J. GambleNancy Goodman and Mike Kotarba

Marjorie D. and Nicholas P. Greville

T. C. HaffenrefferJane C. HallowellDena and G. F. HardymonAllyson Hayward and P.H. Kareiva

Thelma K. and John H. HewittRobert C. HooperLarry Lee JonesKristina Niovi Jones and Peter Hecht

Kathleen A. KleinCatherine Z. LandDavid R. LonglandEllen West and George M. Lovejoy, Jr.

Jane LymanEugene I. MajerowiczEllen B. and Duncan McFarlandMichele H. and David R. Mittelman

Monadnock Garden ClubErhart and Ruth MullerSally McGuire MusprattBeverly and Herbert MyersAnn Dinsmore and Richard Nemrow

May H. and Daniel PiercePeggy and Hollis PlimptonE. M. PossPatricia PrattChristine A. Psathas and Robert E. Shabot

Harriet D. PurcellPaul John Rich Chandler S. RobbinsJohanna RossBarbara V. and George R. Rowland

(Left to right) Carrie Waterman, Robin Wilkerson, KathleenShamberger, and (front) Barbara Pryor at the Old Friendships andNew Endeavors luncheon, on March 26, 2013.

we have great fun bringing together long-time supporters and helping them make

new connections. it is wonderful to see how excited everyone gets about coming together in anticipation of spring and another amazing year for the society!

carrie waterman“

”

17

David B. Rundle and Catherine M. Huntley

Beverly H. RyburnAire-Maija SchwannCatherine and George G. Schwenk

Robin R. Shield and John TariotWilliam and Hatsy ShieldsMary M. SmithlineGwen L. StaufferGalen L. and Anne StoneRobert H. TraylorMary Ann TynanEdward S. ValentineEmily WadeNancy L. WeissLouise WestcottWeston Garden ClubCheryl K. WilfongRobin E. Wilkerson and Steve Atlas

Patricia Plum WyldeMargaret F. and T. C. Price Zimmermann

Trillium SocietyThe following generousfriends have included theSociety in their estate plans,to help ensure our futureability to conserve nativeplants and their habitats.

Elizabeth L. AghajanianAnnemarie Altman and David Cook

Lalor BurdickPaul CookStuart L. CummingsPeter V. Doyle and Ellen ClancyNancy GoodmanGeorge C. and Diantha C. Harrington

Patti LaierAnn R. LemmonCarole M. MerrifieldGeri and Douglas D. PayneKaren D. and Matthew V. PierceBeverly H. RyburnDori SmithAnita E. SpringerLeslie TurekMary Ann TynanCheryl K. Wilfong

Patricia Plum and John H. Wylde

TributesIn 2012 we received honoraria or memorialdonations in tribute to thefollowing friends, colleagues,mentors, and loved ones.

In Honor OfDutchie AugustAnnemarie AltmanLaura BagnallDavid and Jean BaldwinAnne L. CrossClosey DickeyJessica Fry and Jacob StraussMarjorie D. GrevilleJane C. Hallowell

Carol HausnerBarbara M. KellerHenry KesnerKaren D. and Matthew V. PierceThe Crew at the Pumpkin Brook Organic Gardening

Bert & Dori ReussMichael J. RobinsonSarah and Bruce SchwaeglerCarolyn WatermanGray E. and Paul E. WexelblatRobin E. WilkersonSteven Ziglar

In Memory OfCharlotte BrownRuth S. CapersMaria C. CaturelloEric DrobinskiAvis Golub

Myrtle KingRonnie LewinDotsy LongRobert Thomas MartinCynthia MollerHelen NowersBetty PorterValerie PortwayMarie SilversteinSara SilversteinHilda Strait CardwellMary M. WalkerRichard Wheeler

Corporate DonationsWe extend special thanks to the following businessesfor their generous supportin 2012.

SponsorsBernardi ToyotaLongfellow’s Wayside InnWhole Foods

Matching Gift CompaniesAdobe SystemsBank of AmericaThe Citizens Charitable Foundation

The Clowes FundThe Coca-Cola FoundationGoogleThe IBM CorporationOraclePfizer, Inc.SAPThe Waters Corporation

Services and Gifts-In-KindWe gratefully acknowledgethe hands-on and practicalassistance of the followingcontributors.

Cabot CreameryCarol S. EnglenderNancy GoodmanSusan PhillipsRoche Bros. Supermarkets, Inc.Jackie StoneJames ThomsonTrader Joe’s

With an eye to the futureAnita Springer’s management career finely tuned her ability to see the benefits of planning for tomorrow whilealso taking good care of today, so it was no surprise shewas attracted to the options offered by planned giving.But she was surprised how easy it was to include NewEngland Wild Flower Society in her estate plans. “I wasalways interested in providing major support for thiswonderful organization, in addition to my annual gifts,but thought it would be a complicated process requiringsignificant investments. Not true! In talking to the staff, I learned how to make a planned gift to the Society farlarger than that I could donate during my lifetime.” By letting us know she had designated a bequest to theSociety, Anita became a member of the Trillium Society,which enables us to thank her now for her generosity.Thank you, Anita, for having a keen eye to the future andhelping protect native plants in years to come.

James P. Lerner and Anita Springer

New England WILD • Summer 2013 www.newenglandwild.org18

Volunteer Spotlight

Ask Robin Wilkerson what part of Gardenin the Woods is her favorite and she’ll tellyou about a place that changes every timeshe visits, that evolves with the seasons andthe years, and seems like a “painting inmotion.” It’s the meadow garden—habitatfor butterflies, bees, and birds. Robin lovesthe Garden, old parts and new.

More than twenty years have passedsince she first became involved as a volun-

Robin Wilkersonteer tour guide at Garden in the Woods. Atthat time, hostas and epimediums grewalongside North American native plants inCurtis’ woodland garden, providing foliarinterest when flowers faded. As more andmore non-natives were removed in aneffort to give the garden a more nativefocus, Robin admits to being initiallysomewhat resistant to change. Now, howev-er, she has come to fully embrace thechanges, and has adopted a “nativist” view,both for the Garden in the Woods, whichshe loves dearly, as well as for her ownbeautiful property in Lincoln,Massachusetts. She has become inspired asan ecological gardener, not just an aestheticgardener, and her enthusiasm shinesthrough as she leads visitors through theGarden on tours each year.

“The Garden has changed my life,”Robin admits, telling the story of almostpassing out with shyness addressing someinitial groups. But the experience of sharingthe Garden’s beauty and the Society’s mes-sage over time has helped build her confi-dence to the point where she now helpstrain and inspire new guides each spring.She travels the region presenting slide pro-

education

grams about such topics as “The SuperNatural Garden” and “Native Heroes,”which focus on the wildlife value of nativeshrubs. She also teaches as part of ourCertificate in Native Plant Studies program.

Providing electric golf cart toursgives Robin a special pleasure, since itenables her to share the Garden with peo-ple who might not otherwise have thechance to enjoy a garden experience. “I alsoenjoy the interactions of the family groups,mothers and daughters, husbands andwives, as we ride through the woods.”

In addition to leading tours, teachingclasses, and presenting programs, Robin hasserved on the Education, Plant Sale, and GoWild committees and most recently on thecommittee that organizes our “OldFriends” luncheon. Robin says she feeds offthe “collective energy” from workingtogether with others to benefit the Society.We were pleased to recognize Robin withour annual Service to the Society award in2009 for all the energy she has shared withus over the years.

“The Wild Flower Society has keptits hold on me because of its conservationmission, its beautiful garden, the wonderfulpeople involved, and the opportunity tokeep learning and growing,” Robin says.“There are so many tangible and intangiblebenefits, the payback is way beyond whatI give out.” Volunteers like Robin ensurethat the Society itself continues to growand thrive. For this we are most grateful!

bonnie drexler, former director of education

The meadow garden at its peak in Augustat Garden in the Woods.

19

New features on a computer near you! We’re celebrating the success of Go Botanyby noting that in its first year more than150,000 unique visitors came to the web-site, and usage continues to grow by theday! New features that went live in Julyshould appeal to a broad spectrum of plantenthusiasts and make Go Botany even morepopular.

The interactive dichotomous keyproudly exhibits all the rich informationavailable in Arthur Haines’s Flora NovaeAngliae (Yale University Press 2011).Guaranteed to please any budding plantgeek, this key enables users to identify anyplant in New England (more than 3,500taxa); keys to families, genera, and speciesare all here. All technical botanical termsare defined with drawings and text whenyou roll the cursor over them. All 900 tech-nical illustrations by Gordon Morrison andElizabeth Farnsworth also pop up whenyou move the cursor over a figure number.A set of beautiful photographs illustrates allthe families, genera, and species, updating asyou narrow down the possible taxa that fityour choices. But best of all, this uniquedichotomous key displays the path you havetaken as you make choices at each step of

the way. Thus, you will never get lost. If youend up at an unexpected dead-end, the keyenables you to change your mind at anyjuncture. No more turning pages to retraceyour missteps! Students, professors, experi-enced naturalists, and professionals will allfind this resource valuable; there is simplynothing else like it on the web.

Our major new feature is PlantShare,where a community of plant fans can sharediscoveries, ask questions of the communityand expert botanists, and compile checklistsof the plants they have seen. We envisionPlantShare as a useful way to gather andshare information on plants and learn fromothers. Imagine you’re a teacher who wantsto engage your students in compiling aschoolyard flora. Here are all the tools youneed to form a group (e.g., Mrs. Smith’s 8th-grade biology class), challenge your studentsto go out and locate plants, use the SimpleKey to identify plants, post photographs andinformation on plants your students observe,and create a truly collaborative flora.

Or perhaps you’re a land trust stew-ard, charged with developing a baselineplant list for a conservation area. You can dothis in PlantShare and create a lasting pub-lic archive. PlantShare participants canchoose who can see their sightings and

checklists, protecting both privacy andinformation on rare plants. You can even logon from Facebook, but you’ll never bebesieged by ads or unwanted contacts. Signup and join the conversation!

We are also making the display of theSimple and Full Keys more pleasing onsmaller, handheld platforms like iPhones.Leveraging funding from a project with theSmithsonian Institution to build a versionof Go Botany for North American orchids,we’re collaborating with programmers and adesign team to create a truly user-friendlyexperience within the confines of a smallscreen. This means you will only need a cellsignal—not high-speed wifi—to access therich world of Go Botany anywhere, anytime.

You can also check out Go Botany atthe Early Spring: Henry Thoreau and ClimateChange exhibition at the Concord (MA)Museum through September 15. We’veadapted our database to enable researchersto identify the flora of Concord. So manyways to use Go Botany. Enjoy!

elizabeth farnsworth, senior researchecologist and acting director of education

Go Botany: Bigger and Better!

Americorps’ Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT)conservation volunteers learn how to use Go Botany at a workshopled by Elizabeth Farnsworth (not pictured). Society staff and partnershave conducted workshops for more 5,000 people in the last year.

Photo: Dee Robbins

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, one of our educationalpartners on Go Botany, teaches high school students to use the toolto identify invasive plants on the university’s West Campus.

Phot

o: Ji

m S

irch

20New England WILD • Winter 2012 www.newenglandwild.org

Northern Gardening SymposiumOne important annual rite of spring, theSociety’s Northern Gardening Symposiumin Randolph, Vermont, was a bittersweetsuccess for the 83 participants this year. Theprogram on April 13 was the last to beorganized by Thelma Hewitt, who foreighteen years has gathered wonderfulspeakers and dedicated gardeners to envi-sion the landscape once the snow has melt-ed. The Society’s Executive Director, DebbiEdelstein, honored Thelma’s dedication,presented her with a gift, and promised tocontinue the tradition by organizing thesymposium through the EducationDepartment.

The common thread in the threepresentations at this year’s symposium wassustainability, though not in the typical useof that word. Justin Nichols, Horticulturistat Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens(CMBG), began the day with a presentationthat looked at the Garden’s sustainable

horticulture practices, trail construction,and great native woody plants for a varietyof places.

The Society’s Director ofHorticulture Mark Richardson looked atboth the history and the future of Gardenin the Woods. He shared thoughts about theGarden’s founder and his development ofthe Garden as a naturalistic landscape andoffered a glimpse into the current develop-ment of a comprehensive master plan forthe site. Finally, Arthur Haines presented acompelling case for preserving the knowl-edge once commonplace among nativepeople—the many and varied nutritionaland health uses for native plants.

The excited guests left this year’ssymposium energized, ready to get out intotheir gardens, and with a hearty “see younext year” for the event that signals thearrival of spring in New Hampshire andVermont.

trips to the property to repair fence breaks and keep trails open. Everyyear he fields calls from prospective visitors and gives them directions aswell as guidance on the best times to see the plants in bloom. “TheHarvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary is almost like an urban mytharound here, having a ‘secret garden’ mystique,” Shawn notes.“Interestingly, a lot of people think that the sanctuary is a planted gar-den; they are a bit taken aback when I tell them that this is a naturallyoccurring population.”

Visitors are welcome at Butler Sanctuary. There is parking at theentrance along Route 11A west of Springvale. A marked trail of approx-imately one mile leads through the woods to the rhododendron stand.

ted elliman, senior botanist

1 Deer predation has long been known as a problem for rhododendron populations inMaine. An analysis of the Maine populations in the 1950s noted that one of the state’slargest stands was being heavily browsed by deer (Hodgdon and Pike 1960).

ReferencesHodgdon, A.R., and Radcliffe Pike. April 1960. “Recent changes in some Rhododendroncolonies in Maine and New Hampshire.” Rhodora: Journal of the New England BotanicalClub. 62, 87-93.

Korecki, J. and S. Jalbert. 2004. “Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary ManagementPlan.” New England Wild Flower Society Conservation Department. 10 pp.

Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary continued from page 12

Thelma Hewitt at the April 13 NorthernGardening Symposium.

We invite you to join us on a 16-day excursionoffering an exceptional opportunity to explore thenatural heritage and unique flora and wildlife ofMadagascar.

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and has been isolated from the Africancontinent for 30 million years. It is home to atleast 12,000 plants, a high percentage of whichare unique to the country. Ninety-five percentof the lemurs and reptiles, 80 percent of theflowering plants, 98 percent of the palms, andmore than 100 birds are found nowhere else.

Leading this tour will be Herilala Jonah, asuperb Madagascar naturalist. Representing theSociety will be John Burns, our Plant ConservationVolunteer Coordinator, who has extensive knowl-edge of tropical plants and wildlife.

Travel with usto MadagascarOctober 4-19, 2014

We hope you will join us for this adventure and discover the magnificence of Madagascar in 2014!

For more information, visit www.newenglandwild.org/learn/adult/internationaltravel.

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Floras are dynamic. Species enter and leave areasbecause of changes to the landscape, changes to theclimate, and chance happenings. Some changes aresmall-scale, such as site succession—a progressionof floristic and soil changes a site passes throughfrom earlier stages (e.g., disturbed) to later stages(e.g., mature forest). Some changes are large-scale,such as glaciation and global temperature rise. Somechanges occur as a result of humans, and some fromnon-human processes. Change is a constant on naturallandscapes.

A few examples will illustrate howchange occurs. Lycopodiellaalopecuroides (foxtail bog-clubmoss)was not documented to occur inMaine until 2000, when it was foundgrowing in a power line right-of-way—

a human-created opening in what hadbeen a forested swamp before the trans-mission corridor was cleared. The near-

est known population wasabout 155 miles away

in Massachusetts. Lycopodiella alopecuroides is a moresouthern species that appears to be expanding itsrange north, utilizing small openings in the forestedlandscape of Maine.

We often hear of plant species moving north asthe global temperature increases (resulting in a netincrease in our flora), but we must remember thatspecies already near our northern boundary will alsomigrate north (resulting in a net decrease in flora).Thus several species that were once found in north-ern New England are no longer part of our flora.Examples include Carex praticola (northern meadowsedge, last seen in 1898) and Carex sychnocephala(many-headed sedge, last seen in 1943), which disap-peared for one reason or another and now may notbe able to grow in New England due to ongoingclimate change. These and other examples documentthe dynamic nature of our flora, which is a key factorin any strategy for the long-term protection of plantdiversity in New England.

arthur haines, research botanist

Change Is Constant

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