March 2025 Meeting Notes

 President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members to the March 2025 meeting of the LAGC. 

Nancy had a joke for the group.  What kind of pickles do gardeners like?  Daffodils!

 We have a new LACG member: Mark Donatelli.  He did not attend the March meeting. We hope to welcome him at the April meeting.

 We were reminded about the upcoming Tree Planting Service Project which is scheduled for Friday, April 11^th at the Horse Arena in North Park.  We’ll begin at 3:00pm and work until we’re done.  We anticipate completing the project by about 6:00pm but, if we have great participation then we could be done even earlier. Parking is available at the location. All the tools will be provided. It’s suggested that you bring your own gloves. Please wear your new LAGC T-shirt. The event will occur regardless of the weather so please be sure to dress appropriately.  The North Park Rangers will provide a tutorial to show how to plant the trees.  Members are encouraged to bring kids and grandkids to participate in the planting process. Drinking water will be available for participants.  

 The Penn State Master Garden Symposium will be held on Saturday, April 26th at the Hampton Community Center. Last month LAGC members voted to be a “Friend” of PSMG and will have our club name printed in the program brochure. The symposium is a great opportunity to do some shopping for plants even if you don’t want to attend the symposium.

 Mary Ann Kurtz, Plant Sale Coordinator, was unable to attend this evening's meeting so Claudia stepped in to talk about the preparations for our annual Perennial Plant Sale which will be held on Saturday, May 18^th. Please check your e-mail for a message from Mary Ann with many details but, here are some of the highlights.

·      Publicity is important for a successful sale.  Paper reminders were distributed to all members to hand to family and friends.  When you see the post on Facebook, please share it with your friends.

·      The sign up sheet was circulated for members to volunteer for specific jobs at the plant sale. 

·      Plant sale tags were available for members to take.  Please be sure to mark the top of the tag with the symbol of the light requirements for your plants. Draw a sun for “full sun”, a solid circle is “shade” and a circle that is half-shaded signifies “part sun/part shade”.

·      Please bring as many plants as you can. The more plants we have then the more we have available to sell. 

WWear your new blue T-shirt.  

·      Bring your gently used plant and garden items for the free table.  Shoppers love to look at the treasures and get something for free.

·      If you have extra plastic pots to share with members, please bring them to the April meeting or the Tree Planting Project on April 11^th.  

·      Marlow Madeoy, Vice President announced that our holiday tour and luncheon have been confirmed for Saturday, November 15, 2025.  We will be visiting Phipps Conservatory and having lunch at Monte Cello’s Restaurant on Babcock Blvd.  More details will be given when they become available.  Please mark the date on your calendar.  

·      Diana Berendowski invited LAGC members to the Earth Day Celebration sponsored by  Bradford Woods Conservancy on Saturday, April 26th from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Reserve in Bradford Woods.  Admission is free along with a free picnic lunch.  The highlight at 11:00am is a Birds of Prey Presentation. Enjoy the other programs and vendors. 

 Hostess and Arrangement:  Linda Brown’s table arrangement represented Spring with the bright yellow daffodils, purple Siberian Iris and adorable ceramic bunnies.  Rosemary Highman delighted everyone’s taste buds with a selection of apple cake, cashews, grapes and maple cream cookies.  Thank you, Ladies!

 

Program – “Backyard Invasive Species - Don't let them bug ya!” by Dawn Shaffer

Our March speaker, Dawn Shaffer was very informative and engaging as she presented her talk about some common backyard invasive species.  She focused mainly on the praying mantis.  We learned that there are 2,400 species of praying mantises in the world and 20 species in the USA.  In Pennsylvania we have 3 species: Asian or Chinese mantis, European mantis and the Carolina mantis which is our native mantis.

Praying mantises are indiscriminate eaters and will eat all varieties of bugs, bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, Spotted Lanternflies and even hummingbirds if the praying mantis is a large species.  Mantises hatch from an egg sac which can contain between 70 to 200 nymphs.  All mantis nymphs are bright green and look alike, which makes it difficult to determine what species of mantis you are observing.  Adults can vary in shades of green and brown.

There are some common misconceptions about praying mantises that we may have learned as children.  Many people think that the praying mantis is a protected species but, this is not true.  They are not classified as a protected species.  The second misconception is that all mantises are green but, mantises can be green or brown.  The last misconception that Dawn discussed is that all females eat their male partner after mating.  Studies have shown that mantises may eat their male partner, but not always.

Since mantises eat everything in our gardens from pollinators to our plants we should try to remove them from our gardens.  The best way to deal with praying mantis is through integrated pest management rather than pesticides.  Dawn suggests destroying the egg sacs by putting them in water or feeding them to your chickens. You can keep the native sacs. 

Our speaker presented us with a few cautions when dealing with praying mantis: don’t take the egg sacs inside your house because the egg sac will think it's spring and the nymphs will hatch and disburse everywhere; Don't buy praying mantises or nymph sacs online because you can't guarantee what kind of praying mantis you're going to receive; Don’t interact with the praying mantises – just leave them alone and they won’t bother you.

We also talked about the Spotted Lanternfly and the fact that it is still expected to be a problem in our area again this year.  Our speaker is concerned that the invasive insect is moving towards Erie County and will affect the grape vineyards and in turn affect wine production.  This could be a major issue for the Erie economy because grapes are such an important money-making crop in that area.

Now is the time to be looking for the egg masses of the Spotted Lanternfly on flat surfaces of your car, trees, outdoor furniture, etc.  The best way to remove them is by using an old credit card and discarding the egg masses in your municipal trash.  Dawn brought along a variety of handouts with her display and members could pick up a scraper to remove the egg masses.

Our speaker, Dawn also spoke about the decline of butterflies and that the plant we know as the Butterfly Bush is now on the invasive species list and we should be removing this non-native from our yards.  Instead, we should be planting milkweed for Monarch butterflies, spice bush for Swallowtails and plants from the parsley family for Black Swallowtails.

Members really enjoyed Dawn’s informative presentation and asked many interesting questions. The handouts that we could pick up and the egg mass scraper are very beneficial takeaways. We enjoyed another interesting lecture from a Penn State Master Gardener speaker.

 

 

Meeting Notes Sept 27, 2022

Pictures by Dianne Machesney

On a beautiful Tuesday evening, Colleen welcomed garden club members, and guests.  Blooming in member gardens:  Zinnia, Ageratum, Dahlias, Verbena Bonariensis, Jerusalem Artichokes, Japanese Anemone, Asters and more.

A recording secretary is still needed for the next term.  Duties are to record the meeting minutes and highlights from our speaker or tour.  The notes then get sent to the Vice President who then forwards it on to our blogger.  If the recording secretary is unable to make the meeting, they just need to notify the President who will make arrangements for another member to take notes for that meeting.  This is a great way to be involved in the club.  If interested, please reach out to our current president, Colleen.

 Spotted Lantern Fly has been seen at McCandless Crossing by Peggy.  Also seen a lot in Bellevue and the City of Pittsburgh.  It’s slowly making its way towards us.  If you see it in any form, kill it.  This is the egg laying season, so kill egg masses if you see them.  (See Penn State Extension website.)

 Dues of $15 are being collected today.  If you forget or didn’t make the meeting, please send a check to Denny and Linda Brown.

 Andrea volunteered to do the directory, which will be streamlined.  If you have any updates to your contact info for next year’s directory, please send an email  to Andrea at amaire@email.com.

‘Our October meeting will be a craft led by Victoria Ziegler.

 Sign up sheet for the monthly meeting dessert/arrangement was distributed.  If you were unable to attend, please reach out to Jane MacCredie.

 Many thanks to Mary Anne Kurtz for organizing the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Tour which was very enjoyable. She also brought in divisions from her Annabelle Hydrangea, which blooms on old wood so don’t cut it back. Thanks to Bev Steiger for the desserts and to Claudia Hickley for the beautiful arrangement from her garden

 Dianne provided a treasurer’s report.  After speaker fee expenses of $300, and Field Trip to Botanic Garden disbursement of $126, our ending checking balance was $5,497.15.  Along with petty cash, total cash available is $5,544.21. Club voted and approved donations in the amount of $250 each to Western PA Conservancy, Northern Area Environmental Council, Tree Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens. The rental fee for 2023 for use of the church will remain at $360.

 Our Holiday Outing will be a tour of Johnny Angel’s Ginchy Stuff followed by a luncheon at Monte Cellos on November 12.  Denny will send a sign-up email to membership.  Responses needed by October 17 as to whether you will attend one or both activities.  Motion was made and carried to have the club pay the expense of the tour and luncheon per person.

 Program: April Claus gave a very informative and entertaining presentation and brought some live examples. 

“Leap Into Herpetology, Creatures that Hop, Creep and Slither in our Gardens.”

She highly recommended these books:“Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative” and “The Nature Fix.”

 Herpetology comes from the Greek “herpeton” meaning “creeping animal”

These animals are toads, frogs, salamanders, snakes, turtles, lizards and skunks.  

 Amphibians breath through their skin and are known predators of mosquito larvae. There are 18 kinds of frogs and toads in PA, and they all make different sounds. The Spring Peeper is the first sign that spring has arrived, when you start hearing them. Frogs have the ability to change their color and they lay eggs in clumps or clusters. Toads lay eggs in long strings and use their eyeballs to swallow their food. If you put a depression in the ground, partially covered by a pot or something else, you have created a toad abode. There are 23 varieties of salamanders which can be found in PA.  (I personally never knew these could be found in our gardens, as I’ve never seen one.) Beward of the red spotted newt, a salamander, as it is very poisonous and can kill you.

There are 13 variets of turtles which can be found in PA.  They make horrible pets, as all they do is eat and poop.  The outdoor temperature at the time an egg is laid determines the sex of the turtle.

 There are 22 different varieties of snakes found in PA.  All snakes can swim.  If a snake has a triangle shaped head, it is poisonous, as the venom sacs are found to the sides of the eyes.  Also, their eyes are slits like a cats eye.  The black rat snake is the longest snake to be found in PA.  A ringneck snake has a ring around it’s neck that is the same color as it’s belly.  Snakes can also change color to blend in with their environment.

 How can you help these animals:

Help make habitat

Inform/Educate others

Participate in Citizen Science Project

Get your kids and grandkids outside

LAGC Meeting Summary January 28, 2020

The first meeting of the year.  Colleen opened up the meeting by welcoming the members and 17 guests (wow).  Kudos to our publicity team, Claudia and Jane.

2020 Member handbooks were distributed. Please review and check to make sure your contact information is correct.  If not, please notify Linda Brown and/or Ellen Dvorsky.

Special note that the July meeting will be the 2^nd Tuesday, not the 4^th Tuesday of the month.  Also, make sure you add May 16 to your calendars, this will be the date of our annual plant sale.

Dianne presented the budget.  The board is looking for ideas on how to spend down the excess.  We are starting out the year with a balance or $4,748.55.  This is approximately $2,000 more than we need, and also prior to anything we make from our plant sale.  Please e-mail your ideas on what, if anything should be done with the excess to Colleen Fingal, or text her at 412 225-3691.  We will discuss/vote on at the February meeting.  Some ideas that were presented were making 2021 a dues free year, for anyone who is a member as of 1/1/2020, Subsidizing the Christmas festivities, Adding color to each page in the directory and a Photo Contest.

Soergel’s is having a seed starting class on 2/20, at 6:30. Visit their web-site to sign up if you are interested.

As you can see from the member directory, we are still looking for some topics for some months.  Please coordinate your ideas with Jenna / Colleen.  April, May, September and October are the open months.

Martin had attended the Phipps Orchid/Bonsai show and indicated that it is an excellent show to attend, well worth planning a visit.

Bill gave an update from the Master Gardeners.  Unfortunately, the Spotted Lantern Fly has been spotted in Allegheny County.  All gardeners are asked to be extremely vigilant, report any sightings to the PSU extension offices, and to undertake any measures you can to control them, i.e. scraping eggs into a container and drowning them, is the best. Remove host plant from your property.

Anita provided the lovely arrangement and the delicious desserts were provided by Evan Fingal (well, let’s be honest, really Colleen), and they were yummy.

Dianne Machesney presented “Gardening to Attract Butterflies”.

Why garden for butterflies?

            You will have a variety of plants in your garden.

            Butterflies don’t bite, sting, claw, scratch or infect.

            Butterflies are threatened by loss of habitat.

            Butterflies are very beneficial for your garden.

Typically, a butterfly will lay its egg(s) on the underside of a leaf.  Once the egg(s) hatch, they turn into a caterpillar, then a variety of instars before moving into a chrysalis stage from which they will emerge as a butterfly.

Each butterfly has its own specific host plants to lay eggs on.  Each time they shed their skin, it’s called an instar.  A butterfly will go through 5-7 instars in their life cycle.  They eat many times their body mass, are considered eating machines.

When a butterfly is in the pupa stage (chrysalis), they are very vulnerable, as they are unable to defend themselves.  When they emerge from the pupa, fluids need to be pumped into their wings, which then need to dry out before they can fly.  This process takes several hours.

To entice butterflies:

Try to plant natives as host plants.

Plant for early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer and fall blooms, as there are different host/nectar requirements for the different species.

            Create a sunny corner out of the wind and weather, where a butterfly can bask in the sun

            They need shelter to escape the weather, a border of shrubs will do the trick.

Don’t tidy everything up in autumn, many larvae will overwinter under leaves and in other “dead” material.

            “Layer” your plantings, both in height and bloom times.

            Avoid use of chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides.

Top 10 plants:

1)    Milkweed                    6)    Blazing Star (Liatris)

2)    Butterfly Weed            7)    Joe Pye Weed

3)    Mountain Mint            8)    Ironweed

4)    Monarda Species         9)    Goldenrods

5)    Purple Coneflower      10) Asters

Dianne had many beautiful examples of different species of butterflies, such as swallowtails, monarchs, sulphurs, skippers … etc, both the butterfly as well as their caterpillar.  Most of the photos were her own photographs taken from her garden or hikes.

Below are a few of Dianne's pictures:

Monarch Caterpillar on milkweed, a host plant.

Dun Skipper Butterfly on Milkweed

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

 Chrysalis of Monarch Butterfly

FYI: Below are a couple of pictures showing some quick differences between moths and butterflies.

Stinging Rose Moth Caterpillar. Moths in this stage are spiky, hairy, and often irritate our skin.

Polyphemus Moth Cocoon. Notice moths often incorporate dead leaves in their cocoon.

Following the butterfly presentation, Dianne gave a short presentation on the “Spotted Lantern Fly”, to refresh member memories and educate our guests.  It was much appreciated.

 

Next Meeting: February 25, "Native Plants for Challenging Spaces" by Roxanne Swan of Western Pennsylvania Audubon Society.