The Grapevine was a column in the Wild Ones Journal written by Maryann Whitman between 2002 and 2015.
Maryann refers to her bachelor of arts degree and her graduate work in psychology as her misspent youth. When she came to her senses, she went back to read biology, botany, chemistry, physics, and ecology and has not yet stopped. She discovered Wild Ones in 1995 and was the founding president of the Oakland Chapter (MI) of Wild Ones in 1999.
Ecological Pathways: Poisonous Slugs No-till farming (not plowing and harrowing and disking the land frequently), benefits field and forage crop production by reducing soil erosion, Garden Slug conserving water (if irrigation is necessary), improving soil health, and reducing fuel and labor costs. It’s generally a ‘good thing’ to do. Neonicotinoids are the most widely used […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Jan 2015)"
Use of Controversial Pesticides Banned in National Wildlife Refuges After facing a series of legal challenges from environmental groups around the country, the United States Forestry Service has issued a memorandum to the effect that by January 2016, it will have phased out use of neonicotinoid pesticides and “genetically engineered crop seeds” on National Wildlife […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Sept 2014)"
Pre-poisoned Plants This is a reiteration of the importance of Mariette Nowak’s article titled “Are ‘Safe’ Pesticides Killing Pollinators”. A few things that have come up since she wrote it. It was recently revealed (Pesticide Research Institute, Pesticide Action Network of North America, Beyond Pesticides) that many “bee friendly” home garden plants sold at Home […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Nov 2013)"
Natural Areas Maintenance from the JFNew Nursery Newsletter, 2009 As the year winds down, fall is a great time to prepare new areas for a dormant or “frost” seeding. Many people associate fall plantings with just cool-season grasses, but many wildflower species do well if planted in the fall. The ideal planting time is from […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Nov 2009)"
Dear Deer: Please Go Away. Eat Somewhere Else Another Day. If you’re having problems with deer eating your plants, here are some ideas that might help. Deer Repellent Idea #1 From Rochelle Whiteman of the Milwaukee North (WI) Chapter. I have found this method to deal with deer in my garden: Wearing rubber gloves, try […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Sept 2009)"
Common Milkweed: insulating and edible The common milkweed, (Asclepias syriaca), is one of the best-known wild plants in North America. Children love to play with the downy fluff in autumn, and during World War II schoolchildren collected milkweed floss to fill life preservers for the armed forces. It’s used today to stuff jackets, comforters, and […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (July 2009)"
The times of our lives Honeybees and wild pollinators too, no longer have the same number or variety of flowers available to them because we humans have tried to “neaten” our environments. We have, for example, planted huge expanses of crops without weedy, flower-filled borders or fencerows. We maintain large green lawns free of any […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (May 2009)"
Nature Lovers Livid Over Missing Words Robert Bateman, Canadian environmental artist, naturalist, lecturer, and self-admitted old-fogey is reported to be horrified. David Suzuki, zoologist and Canadian environmental activist says he is mystified. Both are responding to revelations of an editorial decision on the part of the Oxford University Press. The Oxford Junior Dictionary, intended for […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Jan 2009)"
Sustaining Life According to the new book, Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends upon Biodiversity, we need birds, bugs, and bacteria a lot more than they need us. Dr. Eric Chivian, sharer of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, and Founder and Director of Harvard Medical School’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, was […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Sept 2008)"
Project Budburst You may have read about Project Budburst in a recent Wild Ones Journal. It’s a nationwide volunteer effort to observe buds, leaves and blossoms on trees as part of tracking climatic variation over time. Herbaceous and non-native plants are also targets. You can learn more, and sign up at windows.ucar.edu/citizen_ science/budburst/. “As a […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (July 2008)"