Mary Anne Kurtz welcomed all and visitors. We were asked us to keep Claudia Hickly in
our prayers due to her younger brother’s passing and other sad events in her
family. Dues of $15 per member are due. Send payment to Anita Wagner.
Please check your contact information in the membership book and let Linda
Brown know if there are any changes for next year’s directory.
Our Passavant White Garden is winding down, but still looks
quite good and will probably not be cut down completely as was suggested by
last month’s speaker Jessica Walliser to support good bugs. As you are winterizing your gardens, take
note of the perennials that are large and need dividing so you will know in the
spring what can be potted up for the Plant Sale. More garden
related items for thank you baskets for the speakers are needed. Our
50/50 raffle will be every other month or possibly once a quarter.
Barb Sappie and Anita were thanked for their desserts and
arrangement respectively.
Plants available at meeting: tall Dutch iris from Mary Anne’s garden
Bill Goff introduced Gilda
Arroyo of the Animal Rescue League who presented an informative and
interesting talk, “The Bat – A
Gardener’s Friend” which included many detailed pictures. She stressed the importance of planting
Pennsylvania natives and and making the effort to attract bats. There are nine species of bats in PA and all
are protected. They are having difficulty surviving and populating mainly due
to White Nose Syndrome which is a fungus that irritates and wakes up the bats
in mid-hibernation and since they cannot find food/insects in the cold weather,
they die. The fungus also eats away the bat’s flesh and webbing. The fungus was
most likely introduced to the US by European spelunkers’ carrying the fungus on
their boots and gear. The European bats have built an immune against the fungus
and therefore it does not have the impact on their bat population. It will take a very long time, possibly
hundreds of years, for the local bats to build the immune to the fungus.
Take home points:
- Bats eat enough insects (stink bugs, mosquitoes, leaf hoppers, corn rootworm etc.) saving $74/acre
- Have only 1 pup each year, so slow reproduction. Mate in fall, birth in spring. Don’t close off bat nests during the spring to early fall since they are feeding their young and cannot be separated from them during this time. Use one-way doors. Timing is everything.
- Provide higher landscaping for bats which can’t take off from the ground
- Provide a water feature so bats can fly low and lap up water
- Honor cave closures, clean boots and gear
- Bat friendly garden has large trees, large shrubs, water feature, native plants, roosting spots, avoids pesticides, has night blooming pale flowers such as stemless evening primrose, cut leaf evening primrose
- Provide a bat box--2 ft tall, 3” deep, rough interior, 12-18 ft above ground, south side of pole or tree, give lots of time for bats to inhabit the box, possibly a few years.
- Rabies—few bats have rabies, however, don’t pick up a bat with bare hands, consider getting shots if in room contact with bats (may not know that you or child has been bitten)
Because of a prior demonstration, Gilda brought a 2½ year
old porcupine (Irwin) and showed him after the meeting. What a treat to see one
so close!
Upcoming Events:
November 26, “Easy Care Roses in the Modern Urban Garden” by
Claire Schuchman