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Showing posts from August, 2010

16 New Jersey swamp white oaks planted at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza

Source : Wiki Commons / Bruce Marlin .  A 40-year old Quercus bicolor at the Morton Arboretum. Over the weekend, 16 swamp white oaks ( Quercus bicolor ) arrived at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza site.  This morning, the trees were planted and by the time the memorial is completed, a total of 400 of trees will have been planted.  The swamp white oaks were grown at a nursery in Millstone, New Jersey.  One of the criteria for tree selection was that the trees come from a local source, according Ula Ilnytzky of the Associated Press.  Environmental Design, a tree transplanting and preservation company in Houston , has responsibility for the plaza's trees.  The plaza was designed by Peter Walker Partners and Landscape Architecture and Michael Arad of Handel Architects . Of the trees, 9/11 Memorial Chairman Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said "The planting of the first trees on the Memorial marks a special moment in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. Over this next year, the tre

Israel's water meter drone goes abroad

Arad Metering Technologies of Israel has developed a battery-operated aerial drone-meter to monitor "how much water has been consumed, how much water was lost, and even where tampering may have taken place," reports Fast Company . Image source : Wiki Commons Arad has realized that water loss is a significant issue beyond arid nations like Israel; it plagues even water-abundant countries. So it has focused on the biggest ones. Its largest cluster of clients is in the United Sates, and its next four biggest markets are now Brazil, China, India, and Russia--a quartet of emerging powers that suggests the size of both the problem and Arad's ambition. Read the full Fast Company article .

Bird Watch in Spain, Berkeley, and more

Papendick's outdoor sculptures for birds A complex, elevated, pendulous nest Hummingbird update Nesting adult hummingbird with chicks The birds were back, briefly Nest and dust bath and Post no. 300 Central Park, East Bay regional parks, and the Okavango Delta Four birds common to my backyard Pigeon watching three blocks away, almost Niches in my yard and Notes on the hedgerow and mountain ash Berries and buds attract robins and cedar waxwings Tri-city bird spotting

Hug a tree

Hug a tree, or leave a comment on our recent tree-related posts: Tree Walk Montreal Rise, Fall, and Rise of New Haven’s Elms Ran Morin's suspended and pendulum trees Bee trees

Tree Walk Montreal

Instead of a wholly traditional tree tour, we present several tree spaces we observed while visiting Montreal.  First, we enjoyed the street tree gardens in downtown Montreal.  The gardens are installed on top of the existing soil (instead of mounding soil to create new planting areas).  Wire baskets are lined with hay and filled with soil.  The baskets (a pair or four) are placed around, not against, the trunk and attached to each other with plastic ties.  The gardens might be in response to the City's recommendation to "plant vegetation at the base of trees to help keep the soil moist." We also liked that the trunks of small trees were protected from bicycle chains by installing plastic tubing around the trunks.  On its Nature in the city Web page, the City of Montreal urges residents to "avoid hanging bicycles or other objects from trees, or nailing into or otherwise damaging the bark. On our way to the Plateau neighborhood, we walked by this stepped plaza o

Rise, Fall, and Rise of New Haven’s Elms

Temple Street, New Haven.  Source : NYPL Digital Gallery      New Haven was one of the first towns in the American colonies to civilize Ulmus americana .  The first native elm was planted inside the city limits in 1685, and many more were added over the years, especially during the "Great Planting" of 1786-1800.  Dickens thought the trees brought about "a kind of compromise between town and country; as if each had met the other half-way, and shaken hands upon it; which is at once novel and pleasant." An Ohio minister visiting New Haven said simply, "I call it New Haven."      That urban Eden did not last.  In the twentieth century New Haven's elms suffered a series of natural and manmade assaults that brought them down by the thousands. -- excerpted from "The Elm City, then and now: Photos of the rise, fall, and rise of New Haven's signature tree" by Bruce Fellman in the Yale Alumni Magazine, September/October 2006.  (The issue is arc

Ran Morin's suspended and pendulum trees

Acacia Pendulum, Eliat. Source : Ran Morin, ranmorin.com Accustomed to seeing trees grounded, I was intrigued by Ran Morin's suspended trees featured on the myurbanist blog.  I contacted Mr. Morin seeking permission to use his images on this blog and asking him about his sculptures.  I wanted to know what inspired him to create suspended tree art and why he chose the species he did (orange, acacia, etc.).  I assumed the species selection spoke to the locale in which the sculpture was installed.  I also asked why he selected the sites he did and what he hoped viewers of his work would know/ learn/ see/ think about.  In the case of the latter, I assumed there would be as many interpretations of his work as there were viewers.  I think it's quite brilliant that one can view the whole tree (though the roots on view are a fraction of what one would find if the tree were growing in the ground); so often, a tree's underground life is overlooked.  Roots and tree health are t

Bee trees

Local ecologist's parent website - the local ecology project - promotes landscapes designed to produce ecosystem services, one of which is wildlife habitat and forage.  We were thrilled to read Jim McCausland's article about nectar trees for honey bees!  The article was originally published on the Sunset Fresh Dirt blog. In response to our blog listing Nectar Plants for Honey Bees, Jim Fischer of The Gotham City Honey Co-Op commented that we should “Consider simply planting a tree that flowers. One Linden tree or Tulip Poplar tree will provide more nectar than a half-acre of the plants listed above.” Though space for more trees is at a premium in most gardens, his point is well taken, and I promised to follow up with the following list of trees that honey bees forage for nectar and pollen. Such lists vary hugely from region to region, and while this list reflects my experience in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve included many trees that are widely adaptable. Because honey b

Superego Hits the Roof: How We Got Cool

Cool roofs don't have to be green.  Julie Ardery's new roof came in silver -- Silver Birch.  Julie notes that "Silver Sycamore" might be a more appropriate color for her region of Texas.  All images courtesy of Julie Ardery. July was rainy this year – a miracle in Central Texas. But gratitude soured when we noticed a discolored spot on the bedroom ceiling. It was right below where, eleven years ago, we’d had a fellow named Ken make a funky notch in the roof line – rather than chop off a huge live oak limb that overhangs the house. The house is old. The roof looked old when we moved in, October 1999. The little ringworm spot on the ceiling was looking monumental. A roofer checked things out,descending the ladder with an air of finality. We needed a new roof. After getting his five-figure bid, we got a second opinion. (Or couldn’t we just wish it all away?) Our second man concurred, and was willing to take on the job for a little bit less. Plus, he informed us ab

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day Montreal

Photographs from gardens seen in Montreal, our late contribution to May Dreams Gardens August Bloggers' Bloom Day backdated to August 15. Jardin Botanique Zebra grass and rose mallow Montevilla 'Double Pink' Carre St. Louis Jardin du pre fleuri du monarque (butterfly garden) *** *** *** front yard in the Village Shaughnessy

Jardin du pre fleuri du monarque and other tweeted photographs

In an attempt to streamline our operations we will no longer use a service to tweet photos.  We have compiled the photos in question here. Flowering chair, Senteir Urbain (Montreal), Jardin du pre fleuri du monarque Honeylocusts and lindens on Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village Sacramento Urban Heat Islands (at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District HQ) Park-goers, Hong Kong (also below) Passion fruit (also below)

8 farmers markets, 6 U.S. cities

In celebration of National Farmers Market Week (August 1-7, 2010), here are photographs of several farmers markets we have visited across the country.  Here is what the USDA has to say about farmers markets: Farmers markets are an integral part of the urban/farm linkage and have continued to rise in popularity, mostly due to the growing consumer interest in obtaining fresh products directly from the farm. Farmers markets allow consumers to have access to locally grown, farm fresh produce, enables farmers the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with their customers, and cultivate consumer loyalty with the farmers who grows the produce. Direct marketing of farm products through farmers markets continues to be an important sales outlet for agricultural producers nationwide. As of mid-2009, there were 5,274 farmers markets operating throughout the U.S. Downtown Berkeley Produce purchased at the Derby Street Berkeley Farmers Market ( another ) In Philadelphia (below, t

Bike thief beheads young tree

Many thanks to Elliott Wright of Canopy, Palo Alto's urban forest nonprofit, for sharing this article on the link between (inadequate) bicycle parking and tree health. This article was originally published as "Young Tree Cut-down by Bike Thief" in the Canopy e-newsletter dated July 27, 2010.  All images courtesy of Canopy.org . Palo Alto Weekly staff members came to work on Thursday last week to discover that a beautiful young tree had been destroyed in front of their office. The tree -- a Chinese Pistache -- was cut-down by a thief interested in a bicycle that was locked to the tree. The bike was owned by an intern at the Palo Alto Weekly offices. An article was published and the bike is remains missing. The link between bikes and trees The negative practice of locking bikes to trees is common on Palo Alto streets such as California and University Avenue. Locking bikes directly to trees and/or tree-stakes causes direct harm to trees. Young trees have a ver