Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Shall We Introduce Ourselves?, 1 by sciurus

sciurus wrote:
It's so good to encounter folks who respect wildlife and nature, even if the wildlife does eat their plants. I posted to another forum here where they were discussing how to get rid of squirrels, i.e. trap, shoot, etc. I reminded them that it is against the law to harm wildlife of any kind in most states, and then I took off. I'm sure the squirrel haters will be after me big time. Fortunately, I'm at that age where I can't remember everything (actually, can't remember anything would be more accurate) and I can't even remember which forum I posted to. Just as well.

Angie, I know Chris Montouri at Second Chance. When our rehab vet was incapcitated, I ran my badly injured animals all the way over there so they could see her vet. She's a great rehabber and her organization is probably the premier wildlife rehab facility in the DC/MD area. The wildlife rehab community in MD is fairly tight knit. There aren't too many of us and we usually interact with everyone at one time or another. I'm actually semi-retired but I maintain my state license and do a lot of referrals and education. I still get pressed into service when there are a lot of orphans to raise. Raising squirrels is a lot like raising kids except your "children" can climb the curtains. Squirrels are adorable when they are babies and will happily bite your face off as teenagers and adults. Here's a baby squirrel for those who have never seen one. This little guy is about 5 weeks old and was found walking down the street looking for his mom who was hit by a car.

As to woodland gardening, we haven't attempted too much of that. We have about one acre cleared with the rest heavily wooded. We have an old stream with very steep banks and some swampy areas in the lower section of the property. I'd like to introduce some native wildflowers in areas where they'd naturally grow but haven't had the resources or the time to do so. Until last year, I worked full time. When we first moved in here, 10 years ago, the bottom land near the swamp was covered with jack-in-the-pulpit. My husband, Mr. Black Thumb, mowed them all down without saying anything to me. Last year was the first time I saw a jack-in-the-pulpit since that happened.

We have a lot of pawpaw trees, sweet gums, swamp oak, holly, beech, black walnut, hickory, and of course, loblolly pines. I don't know the age of the woods but the trees are mostly in the 50-foot-plus range. The undergrowth is formidible with Virginia creeper, sweetbriar, honeysuckle and wild black raspberries. There's also awesome poison ivy with vines as big around as your forearm hanging from some of the older trees.

For those who are interested, there will be a native plant sale at Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Nature Center near Prince Frederick on Saturday, May 6, 2006. It runs 9 AM to 1 PM. They always have an excellent selection of Maryland wildflowers and wetland/woodland plants. If anyone is interested, I'll be happy to give you driving directions.

The turtle-in-the-road reminded me of the time I stopped near Chesapeake Beach to move a huge snapping turtle from the middle of the road. It was so heavy that it took two of us to lift it--very carefully. I think it would have done some damage to any car that hit it.

It's time to get back to the garden. I'm very slow planting this year. I worked outside all yesterday afternoon and only succeeded in planting two small sections. We tilled up some previously unplanted areas this year. The soil in them is sandy and there are so many pebbles that it's like planting in a gravel pit. The neighbors tell me that this was a gravel pit before the houses were built in the 80s.

Hope you all have a great day.

Annie