Super Swampers Spring Planning

Super Swampers met today to plan activities for the year. We spent time thinking about what we liked about the wet meadows and the project and then brainstormed things we'd like to do.

Here's what we like:

• It helps the environment
• The flowers and the birds
• Community
• Bringing beauty to our park
• Flowers
• Helps animals live
• Habitats for animals
• Playing, plants, water, smiles, laughing

Here are some of the things we'd like to do (in the order of number of dot votes each one got):

• Making or planting things (6)
• Food (4)
• The Burn (4)
• Signs and awareness (4)
• Animals (3)
• Play/Fun (2) - but we always have fun
• Taking care of it (1)

We'll get together soon to start planning the burn and things to make or plant.

Wet Meadow Seed Collecting Fall 2011

Wet Meadow Seed Collecting Fall 2011, a set on Flickr.

We spent some time on a beautiful fall Saturday collecting and spreading seeds in Wet Meadow 3. We also collected Buhr Park apples and made apple sauce.a

Wet Meadow 1 Planting Planning Meeting

18 kids and adults got together today to begin planning for planting day. Kids (of many ages) are taking leadership roles for all aspects of the project. Planting day is tentatively scheduled for May 15, 2011.

Leaders, called specialists, are working on these areas:
Plants/Seeds
Planting Day
Site Plan
Media//Story/Documentation/Signs
Volunteer Recruitment
Community Education
Ongoing Stewardship

Wet Meadow 1 Extension and Path

This fall, the City of Ann Arbor reconstructed the path from Easy Street into Buhr Park. The new sidewalk replaces one that had been sitting in the lowest part of the park. The reconstructed path goes has been re-routed so that it is a little higher and it also allows for expansion of Wet Meadow 1.

Originally, the first wet meadow was going to be in this location, but because of the existing sidewalk (now removed) and a shallow underground drain tile, Wet Meadow 1 was built just to the north.

During construction, the Super Swampers investigated where the drain tile was located by finding the west and east catch basins.

The new design also includes a grass path between wet meadow 1 and the expansion, sometimes called 1b.

Earth Day All Species Parade - Come Join the Milkweed Ecosystem

Super Swampers and other members of the wet meadow community will once again be participating in the All Species Parade at Ann Arbor's Earth Day Festival.

The earth day festival will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2010 Noon to 4 p.m. at Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence building.

The wet meadow team will be there with our display focusing on recruiting people to come to the Wet Meadow III planting.

As usual, we'll be participating in the all species parade. We encourage people to come dressed as a milkweed or a member of the milkweed ecosystem. See the list of possibilities below, or check out the Milkweed Web of Life document.

Plant:

• Common Milkweed
• Butterfly weed
• Swamp Milkweed

Insects:

• bees (pollinators)
• bumblebees
• honey bees
• green metallic bee
• carpenter bees
• gray striped "leaf-cutter" bees
• wasps
• Pompillid
• spiders
• Crab
• butterflies/moths
• Monarch
• Milkweed Tussock Moth
• Clear-wing hawkmoth
• caterpillars
• Monarch
• Tussock
• beetles
• Long horned milkweed
• Lady bug
• bugs
• Small milkweed bug- nymph
• Small milkweed bug- adult
• Large milkweed bug- nymph
• Large milkweed bug- adult
• Milkweed assassin bug
• flies
• Tachinid flies
• ants
• aphids

Birds:

• Orioles
• Goldfinches

Earth Day 2009 - Milkweeds!

Super Swampers staffed the table and displays at the City of Ann Arbor Earth Day celebration at Leslie Science Center.

The theme of the day and for the all species parade was 'milkweeds'. We explained the importance of milkweeds for stormwater and for all the critters that depend upon them for their mutual well-being.

People who visited the Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow table were treated to free milkweed seeds. Many of them also purchased seed packets of wildflowers from the wet meadows (see previous post).

The also learned about the importance of wetlands in capturing stormwater in the ever popular paint tray stormwater model. See several of the smallest super swampers running the show below:

Seed Planting and Sorting

Today the Super Swampers spread seed that they had collected in Wet Meadows I & II.

We spent the most time planting in the sandy part of the upper basin of Wet Meadow II. We planted little bluestem seeds individually under moss that is growing there.


While we were planting, we found some visitors there, or at least some signs of visitors. Do you recognize these homes? It looks like there were two different creatures. The one on the left is some kind of red ant. The right one? We don't know.


We also sorted seeds into seed packets that we'll sell at Earth Day and other events.


Finally, we prepared for the all species parade at the Ann Arbor Earth Day festival. We plan to go dressed as various milkweeds and the critters that depend on them and help them. Would that be a group of symbiotic friends?

Fox Hollow Prairie Planting

A new partnership with the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission began today when a team of Super Swampers planted the new Fox Hollow Prairie in County Farm Park.

The seeds were collected by the Super Swampers over the past several years from Buhr Park. Our stock of seed is now large enough that we can share. County Parks was interested, so we agreed on a place in County Farm Park called Fox Hollow.

We decided to go with a low tech approach for this project. Previously we would do extensive planning. This time we're experimenting. What if we sow seeds on the ground with minimal preparation? The idea is based in part on a conversation with Greg Vaclavek at the Native Plant Nursery a few years ago as he showed off a section of land that they stopped mowing, burned and did minimal seeding. It might be a longer process, but we've got time.

Soil preparation was simple: raking the ground and pulling loose materials off. Then seeds were sowed by the kids.

Complete List of Seeds

• Yellow Coneflower
• Iron Weed
• Prairie Dock

• Indian Grass
• Blue Stem Goldenrod
• Sneezeweed
• Switch Grass
• Fox Glove Beard Tongue
• Hairy Beard Tongue
• Bottle Brush Grass
• Split Leaf Black Eyed Susan
• Black Eyed Susan
• Bee Balm
• Penstemon
• Evening Primrose

• Stiff Goldenrod
• Cow Parsnip
• Thimbleweed
• Butterfly Milkweed
• Common Milkweed

All seeds were collected from the Buhr Park "wet meadows" but our wet meadows have turned more to prairie over time. But we have no plans to change our name.

We have an idea that this small prairie will grow over the years and spread south and west as our little plot develops a good seed bank and nature takes its course.

Special thanks to Shawn Severance of the parks department who came and helped out.

Larger Images:
One
Two
Three

Fall Seed Party

Super Swampers gathered today for a fall seed party.

Cornbread: We took corn off the cob, ground it into cornmeal and made delicious corn bread.

Applesauce: We picked apples (the last of the season) from the Buhr Park orchard and made yummy applesauce - it was red!

Ironweed: we carefully plucked seeds from ironweed stalks to plant next year.

Milkweed storm: we took a bunch of milkweed seeds out of their pods and blew them around the room. It looked like snow.

Super Swampers Gather Seeds

A group of Super Swampers met today to gather seeds. It was an incredible day to be out and even better for collecting seeds. Many dry days, low humidity and bright sunshine meant that seeds were flying off the plants into our buckets.

The best luck was with bee balm, milkweed (butterfly and common) indian grass and yellow coneflowers.

Super Swampers Build a Path

The Super Swampers met today and worked on a new path going across Wet Meadow II. It was a little bit snowy at the beginning, but it got better and we all warmed up with the hard work.



Feel free to walk on the new path as much as you want.

12 people, 1.5 hours= 18 volunteer hours of work

Super Swampers, Global Warming and Observations

The Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow Super Swampers met today to talk about the city of Ann Arbor mayors visit to the Blossom Eco Circle. They also took a stroll around the park to post signs and see what was happening at the wet meadows.

We compared our carbon footprint pie charts - they showed where the carbon we produce carbon comes from. And we talked about different things that we can do around our homes to reduce our carbon output.

We checked out Wet Meadow I. It still had water and slush in it. The winter melt that fills the wet meadow doesn't soak in to the frozen ground.

We also noticed that some small shrub seedlings at the north end of Wet Meadow II had been pummeled by sledders. They might not have noticed that the stakes and plastic guards were protecting small plants. Maybe we'll need to mark them more carefully and sturdily next time.

We also put up signs for the upcoming Wet Meadow Burn on March 26.

February 2, 2008 - Superswampers Seed Collecting

Today we collected seeds for Yousef's project on the south slope of Wet Meadow. If you didn't know, Yousef is working to make the front of WM II thicker with native plants. He is also trying to get the turf grass out. He is also a busy guy in many other ways.

We collected these seeds:

• Bee Balm
• Indian Grass
• Yellow Coneflower
• Black Eyed Susan

It was very cold and you could get tired really easy because there were so many seeds. It wasn't so cold, and we weren't too tired because Luke and Clare did a little sledding.

After collecting seeds we had hot chocolate, corn puffs and cider.

We also talke about the upcoming burn and global warming. When thinking about global warming, Fiona (who was very late indeed) rememberd seeing a video online about a man who powers his washing machine with a pedal power.

We also noticed that utility trucks were driving in the swale on the east side of Buhr Park. Jeannine chased them out this morning. Go Jeannine! We hope you get well soon.