Skunk Cabbage with a side of Sandhill Cranes

Last Friday as I headed out for a walk, I was giddily hopeful that I would see skunk cabbage in FGB*. One of our earliest springtime flowering plants, I was confident that I would be able to spot it peeping out of the ground near Lake Marmo at the Arboretum. Alas, skunk cabbage, otherwise known as Symplocarpus foetidus was not to be found on Friday morning, but during my walk I was rewarded by flocks of Sandhill cranes swirling through the skies overhead. I had heard rumblings in the avian world that the cranes were beginning to migrate through the area and was delighted to see/hear them!

Wondering about the meaning of the scientific name of Symplocarpus foetidus, I decided to do a little detective work. According to Stearn’s Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners** (published in 1992), I discovered: Symplocarpus is from the Greek, symploke meaning combination, connection, embrace; and karpos meaning fruit. (According to Stearn: "The ovaries of this swamp-loving perennial herb grow together to make one fruit.") Foetidus does sound a bit more sinister and according to Stearn’s book means the plant is bad-smelling. Some believe the plant’s unusual odor aids in attracting certain pollinators. Another highly unusual and remarkable aspect of this plant is its ability to create its own heat (take that ComEd/Nicor!) and melt its way through frozen ground. As the weather moderates, more unusual plants and creatures will begin to make their grand appearances at the Arboretum. Before you head out for a walk, stop by the Sterling Morton Library to pick up a wildflower or bird identifucation guide today!

* = full glorious bloom
** = The Sterling Morton Library has a number of fascinating resources on the meaning of plant names.

(The First Flowers of Spring by May T. Watts from the Arboretum's Bulletin of Popular Information, v. 20, no. 2, February 1945.)

Wearing the Snow

We’ve had lots and lots of snow this winter at the Arboretum. As I walked through the Conifer Collection today, I was delighted to see all of the amazing pines, spruces and firs frosted by our most recent snowstorm. This walk reminded me of an article written by May Theilgaard Watts describing and illustrating the way various plants wear the snow. Written in January of 1945, Watts in her inimitable style and with her keen observation skills shares how different plants hold the snow.

They Wear the Snow with a Difference

“Weather is the Master of Ceremonies under whose showmanship plants take their turns in the spotlight. Each changing mood points out a specialist. The best performer in the dew is probably a lupine leaf; in hoar frost, it is ironwood; and in sleet, the beaded curtain of weeping willow twigs. In the wind the best performer is the white pine; but in a breeze it is the trembling aspen, or silver poplar; while in the thirsty wind of summer drought it is cottonwood, making the sound of rain on the roof. The place on which prevailing westerlies write their permanent record most plainly is a row of willows. A slow spring train makes the best blue-gray setting for the pale yellow of hazel catkins, but a fall rain achieves its triumph when it blackens the trunks of red oak in contrast with the brilliance of fall foliage.
But these are passing moods of weather compared to snow. In this winter of much snow we realize that it is well to be surrounded by those good companions that meet the winter with charm, as well as those that offer spring, summer, or fall display.”

-- by May T. Watts
Bulletin of Popular Information, v. 20, no. 1
January 1945

63 years later, the words and drawings of May T. Watts still resonate with us! Before you head out for your next snowy adventure at the Arboretum, be sure to savor Watts' complete text and illustrations at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2056062/They-Wear-the-Snow-with-a-Difference. To view other issues of the Bulletin of Popular Information, stop by the Sterling Morton Library and peruse our collection!

Celebrating 50 years of Reading the Landscape with May T. Watts

"There is good reading on the land, first-hand reading, involving no symbols.

The records are written in forests, in fence-rows, in bogs, in play-grounds, in pastures, in gardens, in canyons, in trees rings.

The records were made by sun and shade; by wind, rain, and fire; by time; and by animals."

Opening from the Preface -- Reading the Landscape : an adventure in ecology
by May Theilgaard Watts published by Macmillan in 1957

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Reading the Landscape : an adventure in ecology by May Theilgaard Watts. To celebrate this remarkable book, author and anniversary, the Sterling Morton Library staff has just created an interim display* of some of the treasures in our collection related to May T. Watts. Within the Library's collections can be found original artwork, papers, manuscripts, guides, books, poems, clippings, photographs, and, even, pottery by Watts, founder of the Arboretum's education program and renowned teacher, author, and naturalist. To commemorate this golden anniversary, we've selected items from our collection highlighting Reading the Landscape including manuscripts, original artwork, page proofs, fan mail, and reviews of her groundbreaking book. In addition, we've selected further resources from our collection to present other aspects of her contributions to the Arboretum and the study of nature and ecology.

As you will see when viewing this display, her contributions are significant and, as a bonus, visually interesting! Within the display, we're presenting her early Arboretum visitor maps, original artwork, publications, and even her efforts to create the Prairie Path which received a letter of commendation from the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon.

What better time to visit the Library, view this display and revisit a classic!

* Make haste! This special interim display will be available for viewing through August 22, 2007 in the Sterling Morton Library.