The Crew, Bugs, Bird, City Support and a Poem

Labor Day is just around the corner, as is the end of summer. August was a busy month at Prospect Gardens and especially this last week. Ann and I worked for a few hours on Friday, the 25th. I continued weeding and restoring a bed in a section that was washed out during an early summer storm. Ann weeded and cut grass along the Dudgeon-Monroe side of the Gardens using a hand clipper.  She now wants one of those old styled sickles. I checked Amazon and a Japanese steel grass sickle goes for $13.16. Perhaps a Christmas present?

On Saturday, four volunteers joined Ann and I. We were a hardworking crew that enjoyed each other's company.  We always share a few laughs. Pictured to the right is me in the middle with the floppy hat. To my left are Laura, and Joyce, with the orange hat. On the top step is Eli and on the first step is Ann N.  Thank you all for pitching in.  We were feeling contented because we just finished enjoying Ann's homemade lemon bars, which are always a hit.   

We continued to work despite occasional light rain sprinkles. I spent most of the four hours pulling rudbeckia from the raspberry patch. Here's a picture showing the profuse rudbeckia, now somewhat tamed.

Several years ago, rudbeckia were planted in the top right  corner of the picture. According to the label, when mature, they would be three to four feet tall. They are now at least five feet tall. As you can summarize, rudbeckia spread easily and to my surprise they were threatening to shade out the raspberries. I say surprised because when we planted the raspberries, I was worried that they would spread and conquer this section of the Gardens. The conquerors are the rudbeckia.

The raspberries attract grandparents and their grandchildren and bring joy to both. The patch is the most popular section of the Gardens. Bike riders even come to a screeching stop to savor the berries.

Here's a wheelbarrow full of rudbeckia. I must admit I felt some remorse about removing these cheerful yellow blooming plants. Removal sure illustrated the adage that any plant in the wrong place at the wrong time is a weed. They were fairly easy to pull, offering little resistance.

Here's Ann N. looking over her work on the bed of ajuga, a wonderful, colorful ground cover. The other objective was removing bishops weeds. Removing bishops weeds is a challenge because its tubers are several inches below the rocks that cover much of this section of the garden. Plus the green leafy tops easily break off, leaving the roots still in the earth.  Picking up the rocks to dig out the tubers is part of the weeding process.

Here's Joyce also working on removing bishops weeds. Joyce is an expert at removing bishops weeds. Notice she does it with a smile.

Another volunteer, Laura, temporarily hiding behind the asters, also pulled bishops weeds for much of the time. She too is an expert weeder.

Some asters that are in more sunny areas of the Gardens are already in bloom, another sign of the emerging fall season. Asters add fall color. Yet, like the rudbeckia, left on their own, asters rapidly spread and overtake other plants. They too, must be occasionally thinned out.

Here's Joyce and Eli teaming up to combat the bishops weeds. This was Eli's first time volunteering. Eli, thanks for joining the crew on Saturday.

Saturday was a reminder that other beings make gardens their the home and I assume enjoy gardens as much as humans. My previous blog entry featured a bee.

Here's an interesting bug that hitched a ride on my sleeve as I was pulling out the rudbeckia. I gently returned him to the Gardens so it could enjoy the remainder of its life.

Another being enjoying the Gardens is the Cat Bird. This noisy, gray bird continued to chatter away and enjoy the fruit of the black elderberry, as I took the picture. I was surprised how close I got when taking the picture and the bird remained feasting for some time afterwards. Usually, Janice and her husband (former neighbors on Keyes) harvest the berries. Hopefully, the Cat Birds will leave some for Janice.

Another bird that frequently visits the Gardens is the flashy Goldfinch. These small darting flashes of yellow feed on Purple Cone flower seeds. 

Gardening at Prospect Gardens would be even more challenging without the support of the city crews. Here are two picking up the large pile of plant material and cleaning up afterwards. I can't imagine bagging the material and hauling it to the city refuse collection site. An email to the supervisor, Dan, for pick up sends this smiling crew. Thanks so much for making gardening at Prospect easier and more enjoyable.

The next work session will be on September 16th from 9am to noon.  Preparing the Gardens for winter will be on the agenda. Please come join the crew, if you are in the Madison area.  Caring for the Gardens is a very satisfying experience. Interacting with neighbors, including chit-chatting with volunteers, is always enjoyable. Finally, savoring Ann's homemade treats is the icing on the cake.

I end with a Robert Louis Stevenson poem about summer. The poem ends with a foreshadowing of winter. 

THE summer sun shone round me,
The folded valley lay
In a stream of sun and odour,
That sultry summer day.

The tall trees stood in the sunlight
As still as still could be,
But the deep grass sighed and rustled
And bowed and beckoned me.

The deep grass moved and whispered
And bowed and brushed my face.
It whispered in the sunshine:
"The winter comes apace."

Bumble Bee

Yesterday my friend, Barb, visited the Prospect Gardens and photographed this red-belted bumble bee (Bombus rufocinctus, according to Barb) nectaring on Joe-Pye-Weed.  She thinks it is a male because of having a third red segment on its abdomen. I would never have known. Barb also reports that the bee was not gathering pollen as the females do. Another fact that I did not know. Barb entered the handsome male on Bumble Bee Watch. Thanks, Barb, for sharing.

Here's an Emily Dickinson poem about this visitor to the Prospect Gardens:

Like trains of cars on tracks of plush
I hear the level bee:
A jar across the flowers goes,
Their velvet masonry

Withstands until the sweet assault
Their chivalry consumes,
While he, victorious, tilts away
To vanquish other blooms.

His feet are shod with gauze,
His helmet is of gold;
His breast, a single onyx
With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labor is a chant,
His idleness a tune;
Oh, for a bee's experience
Of clovers and of noon!