Latin for Gardeners: April 2025

Latin for Gardeners
April’s Native Maryland Plant

Acer rubrum L.
(AY-sir ROO-brum)
Common Name: Red Maple

I’m seeing red, are you? 

Acer rubrum is one of the most abundant, widespread trees in North America; it is adaptable to most conditions across its native range and is a prolific seed producer.  It is considered a keystone species1, although its numbers are not in the top five for supporting life. The one growing in my front yard is frequently visited by bees in the spring and woodpeckers year-round, red-bellied, of course. These beautiful birds, with just a blush of red on their bellies can often blend in with the red and black of the tree, it’s just their red cap and nape that are conspicuously red and can give them away – and of course their relentless drumming for insects. With their barbed tongue and sticky spit, they’re able to access insects hiding in tiny crevices of trees.

Acer rubrum is the state tree of Rhode Island, the Ocean State, my original home state.  I grew up loving this tree throughout all four seasons.  In spring and in summer I frequently climbed the one in our front yard, pulled the winged “helicopter” fruits from its branches to press on my nose and raked piles of its leaves in the fall - just so I could jump in them and wrap myself in a blanket of red.  And then in winter I watched from my bedroom window as this beautiful canopy tree held its own against the strong nor’easters that frequent New England. 

My intention in choosing Acer rubrum for this month was to urge you to consider it as a tree to plant on Arbor Day, April 25th.  I do encourage you to find one in your neighborhood, to look at its small flowers which bloom in spring and are a valuable food source for bees, and to plant one if you are really set on a maple.  However, because of its ability to spread so rapidly on its own I’m more inclined to plant a tree that can find it hard to compete and yet, it is one of the most majestic and longest-lived plants, it’s also rated #1 as a keystone species - an oak. I’d urge you to consider a Quercus rubra a northern red oak or maybe a Quercus alba, the white oak, it’s also the state tree of Maryland, the Free State, it’s where I now call home.

1 https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-trees-and-shrubs/

Alison Milligan – MG/MN 2013 
Watershed Steward Class 7/Anne Arundel Tree Trooper
Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)
aligmilligan@gmail.com

Sugg-Jeff-Tion: April 2025

A Beautiful Disaster…

Ahhhh spring! The birds are singing, the spring peepers are calling… and the Bradford pear trees are blooming everywhere, filling the air with their foul stench. YUCK!

The Bradford pear, a cultivar of the Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), was brought to the United States in the 1960s. It was originally thought to be the PERFECT ornamental tree, due to its fast growth, early and beautiful spring flowers, and uniform and symmetrical shape. It was the go-to foundation tree for new developments for years. With all the positive characteristics of this new horticultural marvel, who would have ever guessed that this beautiful tree would eventually turn out to a beautiful botanical disaster that now threatens our local ecosystems.

When the Bradford pear was originally developed and released to the public, it was carefully bred to be sterile to ensure it would not escape cultivation. However, as more and more were planted, and additional varieties of the Callery pear were developed and planted, the cross-pollination of the different pear varieties led to successful production of viable seeds. Since then, this tree has blossomed into an absolute beast of an invasive species that thrives on disturbed sites, meadows, and forest edges. The fruits, which are consumed and spread primarily by birds, are fast to germinate and can form dense thickets in open areas in just a few years. You can easily see the impacts driving along our highways at this time of year. Those trees were not intentionally planted, they are all growing wild and quickly outcompeting native species of trees, shrubs, and other plants. This invasion can quickly lead to ecological food deserts; where native plants once supported biodiversity, invasive pear trees provide very little in the form of food for wildlife. The flowers, while beautiful, attract mostly flies as pollinators due to their vile scent. Their leaves are not known to serve as preferred food sources for caterpillars. In one study, only one caterpillar was found on a Bradford pear tree, whereas over 400 caterpillars, representing 19 species, were found on a similar-sized native oak.

Unfortunately, the Bradford pear continues to be sold at big box nurseries all over the US. They are usually the cheapest flowering trees you can buy, and people who aren’t aware plant them with good intention. That is where YOU come in! We need YOU to help spread the word and encourage people to plant native! Let them know that at this time of year, they can visually see the effects of invasive species on our wild spaces by just looking down at the Bradford pear-stained highways. There is no better time than now to help reverse the effects of invasive species on our ecosystems and help people understand that while beautiful, they also threaten the birds, bees, and butterflies we all love.

So, if you like the smell of rotting fish, attracting flies, fragile trees that often split in half during windstorms, and contributing to the demise of our local ecosystems, then plant a Bradford pear. Otherwise, plant a native flowering tree like eastern redbud, serviceberry, or flowering dogwood that will last much longer, support local wildlife, and add some color to your early spring landscape. That’s my sugg-Jeff-tion!

Latin for Gardeners: March 2025

Latin for Gardeners
March’s Native Maryland Plant

Geranium maculatum L.
(jer-AY-nee-um mak-yuh-LAH-tum)
Common Name: Wild Geranium, Spotted Geranium, Cranesbill

Wild Geranium is a lovely, low-growing, rhizomatic perennial often found blanketing the ground in woodlands or along roadsides. It’s an adaptable, clump-forming groundcover that thrives in a dry to moist area of my garden. Its dehiscent¹ fruits have allowed it to spread into other areas of my yard which I find a charming feature of this plant. I often find it growing far from where it was originally planted, usually where I’m leaning over to pull weeds – it makes for a welcome distraction from this never-ending chore.

The plant’s five petals range in color from lavender to pink to almost white and feature slightly darker contrasting lines that act as nectar guides – aiding pollinators in their search for pollen and nectar. Each flower has a single pistil surrounded by ten stamens. Beneath the flower are five green sepals and a slightly pubescent stem.

Wild geranium is a larval host plant for the White-Marked Tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma). The plant may also be visited by slugs and snails - these two garden pests can be managed by creating an inviting habitat, like a compost pile, for ground beetles who will eagerly feed on them.

Having a compost is a great way to recycle yard waste. It also saves time and money and can gain you multiple Bay-wise² points! Top dressing your flower beds with compost, including those with Geranium maculatum, suppresses weeds and adds nutrients to the soil. What better way to keep plants healthy so they can continue to spread their seeds? Happy gardening.

¹ the explosive release of seeds from the fruit

² The Univ. of MD program that focuses on water quality. Find out more here:

https://extension.umd.edu/programs/environment-natural-resources/program-areas/bay-wise-program/

Alison Milligan – MG/MN 2013
Watershed Steward Class 7/Anne Arundel Tree Trooper
Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)
aligmilligan@gmail.com

The Woods in Winter Highlight the Ivy Problem

The Woods in Winter Highlight the Ivy Problem

By Nina Fisher (Class 5 Watershed Steward, WSA Board member and co-founder of Save Our Trees)

Take a look at the woods in winter. Now, really scrutinize them. Most of the trees are bare, shorn of their summer green garb, awaiting the warmish breaths of spring. The conifers and hollies stand out as they hold on to their dark green foliage.

This description is how the woods should look...but many do not. High up in many deciduous trees is a tangle of green English ivy and other invasive vines. It’s easy to see at this time of year and immediately alerts you to this serious problem in our forests.

The scope of the problem is enormous. When you drive around our county, there are very few places not compromised by these horrid invasive vines—English ivy, bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, porcelain berry and others. The vines wrap around tree trunks, holding moisture against the bark. They suck up nutrients and water that could go to the trees. They add enormous weight that the trees must support and make them more likely to topple during storms. They crowd out the native plants upon which our wildlife depends.

The problem seems overwhelming.

I am a co-founder of Save Our Trees (now a program under WSA), an organization that started when five concerned women got together just under three years ago because we wanted to do SOMETHING about this menace. And we have. In under three years, we and our volunteers have cleared almost 7,000 trees of these vines.

Is it a drop in the bucket? Yes. Does it make a difference? To every one of those 7,000 trees it does.

We take a “Just One Tree” approach. You may not be able to clear an entire forest of invasive vines, but you can clear just one tree. And after that, another tree. Every tree matters.

So, here is our ask. When you are walking around your yard or your neighborhood, we ask that you view the trees in a new light. Look for the vines. Then, get your pruners and start clipping. (see how at www.saveourtreestogether.org/resources/removing-ivy/). If the tree is not on your own property, get permission from the community or landowner first.

Your tree will thank you. Really! If you listen carefully, you can hear a huge sigh of relief.

We also ask that you count every tree that you free from vines and report the number to us. Our goal for the end of our third year is to reach 10,000 trees. We have a long way to go but with community help, we can get there.

If you become really enthused about removing vines, Save Our Trees is happy to help you run a neighborhood event. We have a short guide to setting up such an effort on our website (www.saveourtreestogether.org). We will also come to the event to demonstrate proper removal techniques and to help clear vines.

Save Our Trees wants the act of removing vines to ripple across the county so that more and more people understand the harm vines cause and the actions they can take in their own yards and communities.

Please reach out to us at saveourtreestogether@gmail.com and let us know how we can help you tackle this widespread problem. Every tree saved will thank you.

See how to properly clip ivy here.
Visit the Save Our Trees website here.
Email Save Our Trees here.