Category: trees

tree tubes

When Tilly was 10 weeks old she hung out while I planted 41 tulip trees in tubes.
Two years later all those trees have survived. Some have thrived, others are only slightly larger than when they were planted. Same weather, same soil, same source. What is the variable that accounts for the difference?
Tree tubes are not magic. Maintenance is required.

favorite things v land use plan

Rivanna trail
pedestrian/bike trails, overarching tree canopy, falling snow, walks by the river…
draft land use map
The draft land use plan now being considered by Council and the Planning Commission shows the Rivanna river trail passing through a “High Intensity” river corridor from the residential Woolen Mills neighborhood to the VFW Post on River Road…

High Intensity

These (the purple shaded areas) are the most intense, urban areas within the City and allow for the highest density developments.
To increase access to housing for all, the City should incentivize on-site affordable dwelling units. In addition, the City should incentivize development to incorporate civic space, such as public meeting space, public parking, or other public needs. Buildings, rather than developments, should provide reasonably consistent street level uses along public rights of way. Mixed use development should be encouraged throughout the site, while passive uses that do not create activity at the street level should be discouraged. These areas should have intense activities that attract large employment centers. New developments should be contextually sensitive to the existing street grid pattern and create buildings that are close together. Areas just inside the City limits should be transit hubs where parking should be integrated into a larger parking plan as part of a regional parking strategy.

quercus macrocarpa

branch from below
Quercus macrocarpa is cultivated by plant nurseries for use in gardens, in parks, and on urban sidewalks. Bur oak makes an outstanding ornamental tree. Among the white oaks, it is one of the most tolerant of urban conditions, and is one of the fastest-growing of the group. It has been planted in many climates, ranging northwards to Anchorage, Alaska, and as far south as Mission, Texas. It withstands chinook conditions in Calgary, Alberta.–wikipedia

Big acorns on the downtown mall.

Maladera castanea, Asiatic garden beetles

breakfast buffet for crows
The Asiatic Garden Beetles are back, feeding at night on tender oak leaves. The AGBs are attracted to electric light. Don’t swim well. So this tupperware pool, lit from below, attracts about twenty-five beetles per night. The beetles tread water until just after dawn when the crows come and enjoy crunchy breakfast buffet.

A native of Japan and China, where it is not an important pest, the
Asiatic garden beetle (Maladera castanea) was first discovered in
the United States in New Jersey in 1922. Asiatic garden beetle grubs
feed off the roots of grasses and weeds in early spring. Adult beetles
attack many different vegetable, herb, fruit, and ornamental plants,
feeding mostly at night where they strip, shred, and notch the foliage
of their hosts. Asiatic garden beetle damage is especially prevalent
around the leaf margins.–University of New Hampshire

Abscission

sycamore leaf frost
A plant will abscise a part either to discard a member that is no longer necessary, such as a leaf during autumn, or a flower following fertilisation, or for the purposes of reproduction. Most deciduous plants drop their leaves by abscission before winter, whereas evergreen plants continuously abscise their leaves. Another form of abscission is fruit drop, when a plant abscises fruit while still immature, in order to conserve resources needed to bring the remaining fruit to maturity. If a leaf is damaged, a plant may also abscise it to conserve water or photosynthetic efficiency, depending on the ‘costs’ to the plant as a whole. The abscission layer is a greenish-grayish color.–Wikipedia