Cape Fear’s Going Green • Fall 2020

Cape Fear’s

www.GoingG reenPublications.com

Going Green

your guide to local eco-friendly resources

Native Plant Festival: Self-Guided Nursery Tour Gardening Lectures Public Gardens www.GoingGreenPublications.com

Fall 2020

Environmental Justice Public Transportation Summer & Holiday Recipes Volume 12 Issue 1

Letter from the Editor These are unusual times, and a good number of us are home more than usual. We’re cooking more, gardening more, watching more events online, and spending more time outside in nature. In this issue we feature several articles on things we hope make your stay-at-home time more enjoyable.

Our theme this issue is native plants—plants you can grow, plants you can visit. In these pages you’ll find

detailed information on all the components of the Cape Fear Native Plant Festival, which this year is part virtual and part in-person. The offical date of the festival is September 19, but designed so that you can enjoy its elements all through the year. Lectures on horticultural topics have been pre-recorded so you can watch any time, and you can sign up for a Zoom Q&A October 2–4 if you have questions for the speaker. The annual native plant sale was converted to a self-guided tour of nurseries and landscapes in the community that feature native plants.

Our Festival coverage starts on page 8. Our

expanded Kids Korner section suggests nature activites you and the kids (of all ages) can do together, as we continue to be prudent about gathering with others indoors.

Cooking at home! I never dreamed I’d be cooking so many nights in a row. We’ve expanded our recipes page, to include recipes for summer tomatoes all the way to dishes you can audition prior to the holidays.

Our two fire-related articles are more timely than we dreamed possible when we first planned to run them. Our thoughts are with those in the path of the fires in the West. iNaturalist—I love following people’s postings on this app for recording nature observations. My morning “in” box often includes a link to some local critter new to me. This morning, it was a Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), which a friend submitted as an observation at Halyburton Park. If I see this myself in the wild, I’d think it a dragonfly or damsel fly, although I cannot tell them apart. Seeing the posting allows me to examine her good photo up close, rather than try to study as one whizzes by!

If you’re spending more time outdoors, I recommend this app.

Please stay safe, and make a plan to VOTE. — Valerie L. Robertson Editor On the cover: Showy Passionflower vine attracts many kinds of beneficial insects.

Some visit the face of the flower, some drill a hole at the base of the flower bud to access what’s inside. This particular vine is growing on Shelton Herb Farm.

How many insects do you see? Photo by Heather Brooks.

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Contents 3 Environmental Justice Is Social Justice 4 Audubon North Carolina Presents at UNCW 5 Voting for the Environment 6 Landscape Design for Climate Change 8 Native Plant Festival 2020 9 Native Plant Festival Speakers 13 Native Plant Festival Plant Sellers 21 Native Plant Festival Community Landscapes 22 Cowan Museum Highlights Native Plants 23 Selecting Native Trees and Shrubs for Fall 24 Native Plant Festival Map 26 Shake, Rattle, and Roll—Seed Gathering and Saving Tips 26 ilovetrees.net—Carolina Beach State Park 28 Using Controlled Burns to Manage Forests 30 Your Ecological House™—How To Be Unprepared 31 Shopping for Food Safely in COVID Times 32 Recipes 36 New Hanover County Creates a Stormwater Utility 38 Public Transportation—Protecting the Environment One Ride at a Time 40 Green Business 43 First Net Zero Home Coming to Downtown Wilmington 46 Kid’s Korner 48 Environmental Book Club Reading List for 2020 Cape Fear’s Going Green is a quarterly publication promoting eco-friendly resources and lifestyles in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin.

Publisher & Editor in Chief: Valerie Robertson Sister City: Eugene, Oregon (Voted “Greenest City” 2006 by The Green Guide) Eugene Contributing Editor: Mary Robertson Advisors & Editorial Contributors: Carol Bales, Shannon Bradburn, Heather Brooks, Sue Cag, Katechen Cardamone, Angie Carl, Audrey Dunn, Margaret Fields, Sue Hayes, Nicole Herron, Mitzy Jonkheer, Vanessa Lacer, Michelle Ly, Sally Smits Masten, Sara Meissner, Casey Nelson, Avery Owen, Daryl Rosenbaum, Philip S. Wenz, Charley Winterbauer, and Andy Wood.

Cape Fear’s Going Green Going Green Publications P. O. Box 3164 • Wilmington, NC 28406 (910) 547-4390 publisher@goinggreenpublications.com www.goinggreenpublications.com Cape Fear’s Going Green is available by subscription or on our website.

Print copies are available at more than 140 area eco-friendly businesses and locations, including: Arboretum/New Hanover County Extension Service, Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop, Lovey’s Market, Old Books on Front Street, Pomegranate Books, Tidal Creek Co-op, UNCW, Whole Foods, Shelton Herb Farm, the YWCA, and many area Harris Teeter and Food Lion locations.

Editorial: If you have story ideas or calendar items to suggest, email us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com, or call (910) 547-4390.

Advertising information: Email ads@goinggreenpublications.com.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is distributed free throughout Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties. If you have a business and would like to receive multiple copies for the public, please contact us.

The views and opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication.

environmental justice

Environmental Justice Is Social Justice This is the first in a series of articles on environmental justice.

by Audrey Dunn For decades, just one road connected Wilmington’s Love Grove neighborhood to the rest of town. Trains blocked the road four to five times per day for up to fifteen minutes at a time, trapping residents on one side or the other. The community advocated for itself for five years before Wilmington approved the plan to construct the Love Grove Memorial Bridge, which now provides the neighborhood with a second access point to the rest of Wilmington. Love Grove residents are predominantly Black.

Lacking access to goods and services isn’t just an example of social injustice, it is also environmental injustice.

Just north of us in Duplin and Sampson counties, rural residents bear the health impacts of severe air, water, and soil pollution caused by living amongst the highest density of swine factory farms in the world. Those same counties also contain the highest proportion of Latinx people in North Carolina and higher than average Black populations.

Being exposed to inordinate amounts of pollution in your own home is environmental injustice.

After Hurricane Florence, Wilmington’s Northside received recovery support only after other wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods had their power turned back on and their streets cleaned.

Wilmington’s Northside is predominantly Black and the average annual income is $14–17,000.

Waiting longer for public services is environmental injustice.

Heavy metals contaminated New Hanover County’s Sutton Lake when Hurricane Florence caused Duke Energy’s inadequately stored coal ash (a hazardous waste created by coal combustion) to wash into the lake. Anglers living in nearby communities like Flemington, located off 421, continue to fish out of Sutton Lake to feed themselves and their families. Flemington Fall 2020

is located only half a mile away from the Duke power plant and just down the road from the county’s landfill and recycling center; the area is also industry heavy.

Flemington is a low wealth community with a high proportion of Latinx people.

fact that issues of racism, classism, and segregation run parallel to issues of pollution, vulnerability, and unequal protection. That a person’s zip code indicates their wellbeing and lifespan. That protecting people and the environment go hand-in-hand.

Experiencing food insecurity and living in a blighted neighborhood are environmental injustices.

Environmental Justice is the idea that “all people and communities have a right to equal protection and equal enforcement of environmental laws and regulations.” Cape Fear River Watch is committed to centering environmental justice in their work and to uplifting the voices of those whose well-being is negatively impacted by their environment.

The Wilmingtonbased environmental nonprofit has started a new initiative, their Environmental Justice Civic Engagement Program, in partnership with the New Hanover County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The program will be guided by the perspectives and experiences of people of color and those most impacted by environmental issues, amplifying their concerns and challenges related to environmental justice, educating and training community leaders and students to better take on these challenges, and building momentum for a lasting effort to effect the change they want to see. Cape Fear River Watch and the NAACP will start holding listening sessions this fall.

The water that flows out of the taps of over 300,000 North Carolinians living downstream of Fayetteville’s Chemours facility is polluted with GenX and other PFAS chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases.

Purchasing an expensive, in-home filtration system is unaffordable for many.

Spending extra time and money buying bottled water is also out of the question for some. With no other option available, low-income residents are forced to drink carcinogenic water.

...protecting people and the environment go hand-in-hand.

Lacking access to safe drinking water is environmental injustice.

It is no coincidence that in every instance, people of color and of low income are the ones enduring these hardships.

To look beyond Southeast North Carolina would be to find more of the same. To look back in time would be to find more of the same. Environmental injustice is borne today by the same groups of people who have been historically disempowered, disenfranchised, and dispossessed. And it is no accident. Those in power, those of power, have created a system that benefits themselves at the cost of other people’s health, well-being, and lives.

Robert Bullard, known as the Father of Environmental Justice, has a famous quote: “When you start peeling the onion and uncovering layers and layers of inequity that have been subsidized by government, it makes a lot of people uncomfortable.”

The environmental movement is only just beginning to recognize and act on the

“If we strive to eliminate racism and classism, as well as pollution and environmental degradation, then we are doing what we can to make sure communities are sustainable and livable. It takes a lot of work; it’s not a sprint. But it’s achievable if we view it as important.” – Robert Bullard If you are interested in learning more, getting involved, or participating in a listening session, please email audrey@cfrw.us.

Audrey Dunn is the Outreach & Programs Officer at Cape Fear River Watch. She is passionate about working towards a healthy, sustainable, and just world for all.

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birds

Audubon North Carolina Presents at UNCW

by Sara Meissner “We’re here because birds are in trouble.” Dr. Andrew Hutson, Executive Director of Audubon North Carolina, began the night at UNCW with a dire statement. But the talk was more inspiring and cautiously optimistic than depressing.

First, he outlined the situation. When Audubon compiled this latest report, “Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink,” they pushed for scientific accuracy. Over 140 million observations from over 70 data sources went into creating the largest dataset of North American bird observations ever. Combining climate, human land use, vegetation, and groupspecific variables, the report maps out projected changes in bird ranges given global temperature rises of 1.5 and 3oC by 2100. Eight main threats, mostly cause by the rising temperatures, are explained and assigned to the species in danger: sea level rise, urbanization, cropland expansion,

extreme spring heat, spring drought, fire weather, heavy rains, and false springs.

In North Carolina, 204 bird species are at risk, 68% of which are forest-dwellers.

But even common neighborhood birds like Brown-headed Nuthatches and Gray Catbirds are under threat from urbanization and heavy rains. And outside of breeding season, local shorebirds and water-birds are losing territory already.

In Wilmington, sea level rise and erosion are causing loss of nesting habitats for American Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers, Ospreys, and more.

But here’s where the positive impact comes in: this not a lost cause. Dr. Hutson stressed repeatedly that there are ways for individuals to effect real change. Early in his talk, he shared a family experiences stretching from his childhood into the lives of his children now. Listening to loons calling across the Great Lakes, waiting eagerly for the first Wood Thrush of spring to arrive. He asked the audience to think of their favorite bird, the place they associated with it, and most importantly who they associated the experience with. Birds are • Free evaluation of your yard athrough personal experience; they make climate the “Bird-Friendly Award • Free evaluation of your yardHabitat through change personal and they make nature Program,”Habitat which supports the “Bird-Friendly Award migratory personal. They are an emotional connecbirds through native plantingtion. and And once a memory or a tradition is Program,” which supports migratory thoughtful landscaping. birds evaluation through native planting and • Free of your yard through created, people notice when the birds go thoughtful landscaping. the “Bird-Friendly Habitat Award • Monthly meetings, plus field missing. trips and Program,” which supports migratory guided birdwalks, open members • Monthly meetings, plus field tripstoand These experiences aren’t partisan. birds through native planting and and non-members. guided birdwalks, open to members Families and friends are spending time thoughtful landscaping. and non-members.

• Speakers available for your group outdoors hiking, hunting, fishing, main•• Monthly meetings, fieldgroup trips andtaining bird feeders, having barbeques, Speakers available plus for your www.capefearaudubon.org “It is now within the power of guided birdwalks, open to members all across the state and the country. Dr. info@capefearaudubon.org “It is nowindividual www.capefearaudubon.org within thegardeners power of to do and non-members.

Hutson spoke about how Audubon hosts a info@capefearaudubon.org something that all dream of individual gardeners towe dobase, • Speakers available for your group widely diverse membership covering doing: to “make a difference”... something that wespectrum all dream ofallowing the entire political and www.capefearaudubon.org “It isgroup now within the power of the offorbiodiversity, to doing: toto“make a difference”... the to befuture a force change. Birds info@capefearaudubon.org individual gardeners to do the native plants and animals to the of bond. biodiversity, to are a are thefuture unifying Native plants something that we all dream of North America and thesuitthe native plants and animals hot topic as well, providing not of just doing: to “make a difference”... ecosystems that sustain able nesting and wintering but also of North America and thehabitatthem.” to the future ofnative biodiversity, to supporting the insects necessary ecosystems that sustain them.”

—Douglas Tallamy to the native plants and animals successfully raise chicks.

Popular trees like —DouglasBringing Tallamy Nature Home of North America and nice the but support crepe myrtles may look Bringing Nature Home zero insects. that The birds need our help, Dr. ecosystems sustain them.”

Hutson drove home. And we have the —Douglas Tallamy power, if we act quickly.

Cape Fear Audubon Society CapeCan Fearhelp Audubon you GoSociety Green Can help you Go Green Cape Fear Audubon Society Can help you Go Green

Bringing Nature Home

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The auditorium, quite full for a Tuesday night approaching finals week, was engaged and interested. The Q&A session lasted almost as long as the talk itself. Dr. Hutson gracefully obliged them with answers when he knew them, and with resources to consult when he did not.

Political engagement was forefront in the discussion, as was what individuals can do in their own backyards. No act is too small, as Dr. Hutson promised. Contact a local representative, plant native, install bird feeders and roosting boxes, engage your friends in conservation and activism.

Please visit Audubon.org for more information on the report, how to get involved, and what you can do to help.

Dr. Andrew Hutson bio: He earned his BA in International Relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University. From there, he went on to earn his Masters in Environmental Management (MEM) in Resource Economics & Policy from Duke University, and then his PhD in Public Policy from UNC–Chapel Hill. Dr. Hutson spent twelve years at Environmental Defense Fund in a variety of roles with the organization’s Oceans Program and Corporate Partnerships teams. And now as they Executive Director of Audubon North Carolina, he oversees conservation strategies spanning across our state’s mountains, coast, working lands, and bird-friendly communities.

Sara Meissner is a student in the Masters in Environmental Science department at UNCW, president of Seahawk Audubon (student chapter), avid birder.

This talk was put together with help from Seahawk Audubon, Cape Fear Audubon Society, and the Environmental Science department at UNCW. We welcome submissions of articles and photographs from the community. If you have an article you think might be of interest to our readers, email us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com and request a copy of our Community Submission Guidelines.

elections

Voting for the Environment Some people think of it as voting for the environment. Some think of it as Creation Care. And some just want to be sure their elected officials will take action to make sure they have clean drinking water. Regardless of what you call it, voting for leadership mindful of environmental consequences of our choices—this is a filter you have in mind when deciding how to cast your vote.

Researching Candidates

According to Nathaniel Stinnett, founder of the Environmental Voter Project, environmentalists vote significantly less than the rest of the nation. When he analyzed overall turnout, 69% of registered voters nationwide voted in the 2016 presidential election, but only 50% of environmentalists.

The Leagure of Conservation Voters publishes an annual national scorecard of the environmental voting record of sitting politicians. Each representative receives a score for the past year and a lifetime score of their voting record the entire time they’ve held office. This is useful when researching candidates who are already in office, but not of course for those who’ve never been elected. https://www.lcv.org or https://scorecard.lcv.org

Rather than try to change people’s minds about who to vote for, the organization works to get more environmentalists to vote.

“We’re not in the mind-changing business; we’re in the behaviorchanging business,” Stinnett says. “10.1 million superenvironmentalists who were already registered to vote, didn’t vote in the 2016 election.” (He defines “superenvironmentalist” as someone who lists climate or environmental issues as their number one priority over all others.)

So if you’re voting for the environment, this year what’s important is not to try at this point to change the mind of fellow citizens, as many have made up their mind, but to make sure that everyone votes.

How to Vote • bipartisan guides League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters (LWV) has published a nonpartisan voter guide, VOTE411.org, that is now ready to be used

by North Carolinians as they prepare to cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. VOTE411.org is a comprehensive resource on voting information where citizens can learn about the policy positions of candidates, get detailed instructions on registering to vote, find an early voting location in their county, confirm their Election Day polling place, and take the guesswork out of the absentee-by-mail process.

Boards of Election Every county has its own Board of Elections, with a website explaining how to register to vote, how and where to vote,how to vote absentee by mail, and names of the candidates that will appear on your own ballot.

NC board of Elections https://www.nc.gov/agency/elections-state-board Brunswick County Board of Elections https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/elections/ New Hanover County Board of Elections https://elections.nhcgov.com Pender County Board of Elections https://www.pendercountync.gov If you live alone and want to vote by absentee ballot, you’ll need someone to witness it. Gwenyfar Rohler, owner of Old Books on Front Street, will be happy to witness your ballot at her Wilmington store: 249 No. Front Street. Call for hours: (910)76-BOOKS.

Fall 2020

One way to assess which candidates best match your values is to read about them wherever you can (in the newspaper, on individual candidate websites), attend or listen to as many candidate forum (fora?) as you can, and even try to meet them in person.

You may find that a local environmental group shares information on candidates who are more environmentally minded.

Some organizations are allowed to endorse candiates and others are not, depending on their legal structure. Cape Fear River Watch cannot endorse any particular candiate, because they are a 501(c)3. Sierra Club can make endorsements for candidates and ballot measures, because of their 501(c)4 tax exemption status.

The Sierra Club website shows candidates they endorse at the national, state, and local level, and is updated as further choices are made. https://www.sierraclub.org/north-carolina/endorsements Look for other organizations in your community that may also he hosting a candidate forum. The New Hanover County NAACP hosted a Commissioners Candidate Forum on August 11; the League of Women Voters of the Lower Cape Fear has three online forums planned for September 15, 16 and 17, all of which will be recorded and available afterwards.

Some organizations have reports or blog entries that assess how candidates stand on certain environmental issues. Clean Energy has blog entries on “Where the candidates stand on energy.” https://cleanenergy.org/north-carolina/ Interfaith Power & Light holds workshops in voting for your values. See www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/ participate-in-the-election-process-2/

Make a Plan It’s found that once people have made a firm plan to vote, it is more likely that they will in fact make the effort to get to the polls (or make sure that their ballot does). If you’ve not already done so, you can contact your local board of elections to request they mail you an absentee ballot. Once you have that in hand, you have options on how to submit your ballot. This can be helpful if you are not certain you want to risk standing in line on Election Day during a pandemic. You have the option of mailing your ballot, going in person to a Board of Elections dropbox to submit it, or going in person to your polling place on Election Day. Once you’ve made your plan, check with your friends, neighbors, and family members, and ask them what their plan is for making sure their vote is counted in 2020.

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gardening

Landscape Design for Climate Change

by Kate Cardamone Water—the defining element in the land. Wind—the force of nature that frightens people as the tropical storms increase in scale.

While we cannot control the amount of water on our properties, we can act now to design our properties to lessen the effects of flooding and wind, two of the variables that most impact those of us living on the coastal fringe.

Water Water—Too much? Too little? What is the source? Is it brackish, salt, fresh? Is it polluted and, if so, with what chemical?

Understanding your soil type and chemistry will help you select the right plants for your yard. Most of our soils in the coastal fringe are sandy sharp drainage, but moving into the Piedmont soil can be clay and even loamy. Soil type influences how water moves in the land. Its velocity also impacts the absorption.

What are our practices on our properties that affect the management and success of the water’s drainage attributes?

Armoring (walling) streams, creeks, rivers and oceans inhibits most of the benefits formed by natural water edges. A wetland vegetative border, also called a buffer zone, is critical to mitigate flooding, and pollution; especially pollution from fertilizers getting into the water, which can create algae blooms.

Constructing a rill, a gravity-fed stream channeling the water to move away from the flooding and into a water garden or

pond, is a good practice. (See photo.) This rill can be dug into the site and lined with porous fabric with the addition of rocks or gravel. The edges of this rill could be planted with grasses and Carex (sedges) that are mowed down once a year in the late winter. (See photo.) A solution for a smaller drainage problem could be made of a half ceramic pipe. Using pervious paving when contructing patios and driveways—either concrete pavers with holes as shown in the photo, or coarse material such as gravel— helps with water absorption.

Certain species of plant are better suited biologically for reducing problems caused by too much water in the wrong place. The plants recommended below have roots that seek and pull up more water out of the ground, and some are particularly effective at transpiration, as well. As leaves transpire, they disperse into the air the water they brought into their system from their roots. The faster they transpire, the more water they pull up from the roots. Some roots are better than others at seeking out water.

Plants recommended for soaking up water are trees and shrubs that tolerate flooding. Not many trees can live in flooded areas, but there are a few that do. Trees that are obligate, meaning that their presence indicates that water is present beneath the soil, can do well in flooded areas. Three that do well here are Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens) and Water Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica). All willow species seek water and should be planted near creeks and flooded areas, but not near underground pipes. Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) forms white cedar swamps, and so does red maple (Acer rubrum), often found with clumps of an understory of Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor) in the flood plains.

photo by Kate Cardamone

Select rare and endangered native species such as Franklinia Altamaha, or Franklin Tree, for your yard.

Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), Shadbush (Amelanchier sp.) and Alder such as Tag Alder (Alnus serrulata).

Flood-tolerant Plants (next most highly recommended)

There are other shrubs that tolerate flooding, but whose roots do not run and make new shrubs. These species are very flood-tolerant and should be considered, but not substituted for, species that colonize. Colonizers are more effective because they multiply and knit together underground, helping fight errosion. Some examples are: Sweetspire (Itea virginica), Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra Alnofolia),

Colonizers (most highly recommended) Native shrubs in the coastal fringe, that colonize (form underground roots that produce new shrubs), are listed below. photo by Kate Cardamone

Rill, a small stream cut into lawn, channels water.

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Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), Elderberry (Sanbucus canadensis), Grey

photo by Kate Cardamone

Open pipe to channel edge of clay path.

gardening Landscape Design (continued) Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana).

Two broadleaf evergreen shrubs recommended as flood-tolerant (broadleaf as opposed to needled) evergreens are Inkberry (Ilex glabra) and Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera).

with sun-loving trees such as Longleaf Pines facing south, and shade-tolerant plants to the north.

Some species are better Herbaceous sedges, rushes, and than others at perennials should be used as well, withstanding such as: Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias wind. These are incarnata), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Quill Sedge (Carex tenera), White Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris), Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), Joe Pye Weed (Eupatoriadelphus fistulosus), Scarlet Mallow which has extremely deep tap (Hibuscus coccineus), Scarlet Mallow,and roots. Live Oak Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica).

(Quercus virgincontributed photo Wind Storms iana) is another Wind breaks work better in a grove than a line of trees. Illustration from “Landgood choice— Hurricane wind often causes blowscape Design That Saves Energy” by Anne Simon Moffat and Marc Schiler, William instead of Laurel Morrow and Company, LLC NY 1981, Page 68. Photo used with permission. down of trees and limbs causing many Oak—because people to fear planting bigger trees on of its strong disease-resistant heartwood. blocking the prevailing wind. their property. Well-designed windbreaks These trees should be planted at least 70 can slow the wind penetration. (See illusThe plants recommended in this article feet from the house. Southern Magnolia trations of wind flow and house drawing are all native. It is a good practice to plant (Magnolia grandiflora) dwarf cultivars are of grove of trees.) The design layout on natives, especially endangered species good selections. Understory trees such the ground is important to the success of such as Franklin Tree (Franklinia alataas Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana), a the windbreak. Plant in a zig-zag pattern maha), which went extinct in the wild over multi-trunk native two centuries ago. Planting non-natives that tolerates deep should be done with some care, avoiding shade, is another planting invasives such as Silk Tree (Albizia good choice, along julibrissin), or Nandina (Nandina domestica), with River Birch or non-native species such as Crape Myrtle (Betula nigra), Red (Lagerstroemia sp.) that are over used.

Buckeye (Aesculus Planning your residence for these pavia), Redbud weather events should be well thought (Cercis canadenout. Getting free trees from the city and sis), Fringe Tree, other organizations is wonderful, but if it (Chionanthus virgin- is not the right plant for the right place, it acus), or Fragrant may not be successful on your property. or broadleaf everLastly, leave the needle and leaf drop green Sweet Olive to make a mulch and natural fertilizer for Tea (Osmanthus these groves. fragrans).

Arrangement of Kate Cardamone taught landscape design these species makes and plant materials to graduate and undergraduate students at various college and a difference in how universities for 30 years. She also has had her successful they are own biodiverse environmental design/build at slowing down landscaping firm for decades. the wind. Planting contributed photo an island clump This article is based on a lecture to be given The wind illustration is from “Landscape Design That Saves Energy” by Anne instead of a row is at Cape Fear River Watch’s first Saturday Simon Moffat and Marc Schiler, William Morrow and Company, LLC NY more effective at Seminar series in December, 2020.

1981, Page 68. Photo used with permission.

Fall 2020

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Native Plant Festival 2020

Welcome to the Festival!

Letter from the Organizers

Welcome to the Firth Annual Native Plant Festival!

We live in unusual times, but we are finding comfort in our gardens, and are pleased to share gardening information you might find useful. Our goal is to assist you in helping the environment by learning how to incorporate Native Plants in your gardens and to make everyone aware of the interconnectedness of our gardens to birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

We have pre-recorded our speaker sessions, but scheduled “live” Zoom Q&A sessions in October with each speaker, so you won’t miss the chance to ask any questions you may have. We were reluctant to invite everyone to our big native plant sale, but didn’t want anyone to miss the chance to buy plants. So we converted the sale to an in-person, self-guided tour of nurseries and plant sellers that specialize in natives—across two counties.

You’ll find a map of locations in this magazine. The blue pins by each plant seller’s description correspond to a pin on the map.

Please read the rest of this page to see how to access what the event has to offer.

We hope you will enjoy our modified Festival, and we encourage you to share Festival information with friends and family.

—The Native Plant Festival Planning Committee

5th Annual Native Plant Festival Starts September 19, 2020 The Native Plant Alliance will host its 5th Annual Native Plant Festival on Saturday, September 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free, family-friendly festival celebrates Cape Fear area native plants and helps attendees learn how to incorporate them into their own garden plans.

The Annual Native Plant Festival has been redesigned, so attendees can learn about and buy native plants while honoring safety guidelines surrounding COVID-19. This year’s festival will have an online component and an outdoor component. On Saturday the festival will offer a day of virtual presentations by seven local horticultural experts, which can be enjoyed from home. The festival will also offer a self-guided tour of area nurseries that sell native plants.

Self-Guided Tour To avoid attracting crowds to a single location, many of the nurseries that normally sell plants during the festival will instead invite the public to their farms and nurseries, to view and purchase native plants and to see where they’re grown. A tour map, available online at https://arcg.is/1DqCLW0, indicates hours each location is open. Pop-up windows on the map also indicate when you can buy from these sellers throughout the year.

Participating plant sellers include Five Oaks Nursery & Tree Farm, Lloyd’s Nursery, and Transplanted Garden. Shelton Herb 8

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Farm is on the tour, with an impressive list of more than 55 species, and has invited Lumber River Nursery and Grizz’s Nursery to sell their plants on her farm the day of the event. Going Native Gardens will pre-sell five species of native perennial from September 10 through 18, with pick-up at Wild Bird & Garden’s Wilmington location the day of the Festival (or at their Southport location on Wednesday, September 23). Wild Bird & Garden will sell items to support birds, bees, and bird-watching fans.

The tour map also lists locations of Community Landscapes where one can see native plants used in local landscaping.

Some are public gardens; others are places native plants have been used to beautify storefronts and common areas. The New Hanover County Arboretum is one of the stops on the tour, where participants can tour the Native Plant Garden. This demonstration garden, dedicated to native plants of coastal North Carolina, makes it easy to visualize how these plants might look like in your own yards. All community landscape locations are available to visit year-round, at no cost.

Virtual Presentations Horticultural experts have recorded talks on a variety of plantrelated topics. Their presentations are now available for viewing online. This year’s presenters are: Camilla Herlevich, Paul Hosier, Trena McNabb, Beth Sheppard, Roger Shew, Lloyd Singleton, and Becky Skiba, with a special showing of a previous presentation by Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home.

Presentations can be found on youtube.com by searching “Cape Fear Native Plant Festival 2020” or searching by presentation name. The direct links to the presentations and date of Zoom Q&A appear at the end of each speaker bio on the following pages. Q&A sessions are being scheduled with each of the speakers in early October; this way, viewers can watch the presentations on their own timetable, but still have a chance to ask questions of the presenter via Zoom. Email charley@ncwildflower.org to request Zoom details for attending the speaker Q&A sessions.

Bookmarks listing links to fun activities for children will be distributed to the first several visitors to each plant seller location.

The Kids Korner pages of this issue also list many activities appropriate for children.

You can find extended information about the speakers and plant sellers, as well as a print edition of the map, in this fall issue of Cape Fear’s Going Green magazine. Copies will be available at the Arboretum and at each plant seller location. The digital edition of this issue is online at https://issuu.com/capefearsgoinggreen; please share the link with friends.

The Native Plant Festival is sponsored by: New Hanover County Arboretum, NC Cooperative Extension, Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Cape Fear Audubon Society, Southeast Coastal Chapter of NC Native Plant Society, Halyburton Park, and Cape Fear’s Going Green.

For more information call Valerie Robertson at (910)547-4390.

Native Plant Festival 2020

Meet the Speakers Camilla Herlevich

Paul Hosier

Camilla M. Herlevich is co-founder and Executive Director of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, an accredited land trust established in 1992, which has protected 80,000 acres of conservation land in coastal North Carolina.

She has been nationally recognized for her conservation leadership, notably by International Paper, which awarded Ms. Herlevich its “Conservation Partnership Award” in 2004 in Washington DC, and by the North Carolina Society of New York, which named her and Jane Preyer, formerly the NC head of Environmental Defense Fund, as 2019 co-honorees. Locally, UNCW named Ms. Herlevich its 2014 Albert Schweitzer Honors Scholar and the Wilmington Star News bestowed its “Lifetime Achievement Award” on Ms. Herlevich in 2019.

Paul E. Hosier is a coastal plant ecologist with a Ph.D. from Duke University. He served as professor of biology at the University of North Carolina– Wilmington for forty-one years and is currently professor emeritus at the institution.

Throughout his university career, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in general ecology, barrier island ecology, and coastal management. He has conducted coastal research along the North Carolina, South Carolina and George coasts, including a study of the effects of hurricanes on the vegetation and coastal processes at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a project supported by the North Carolina Sea Grant Program. Sea Grant supported his research on vegetation patterns and succession in oceanic overwash environments along North Carolina’s barrier islands. Hosier also studied dune and marsh vegetation on Kiawah Island prior to development of the island. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the Friends of Plant Conservation and currently serves on the board of directors of North Carolina’s Coastal Land Trust. Hosier is coauthor of the book Living with the Georgia Shore (Duke University Press, 1992) and author of Seacoast Plants of the Carolinas (The University of North Carolina Press, 2018).

Saving the Top 40 Coastal Conservation Projects

Prior to leading the Coastal Land Trust, Ms. Herlevich was an attorney for The Nature Conservancy, was named the first State Director for Audubon North Carolina, and led UNCW’s Cape Fear River Program. She has served on the Boards of the NC Center for Non-profits, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Airlie Gardens Foundation, and the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. A native of Wilmington, NC, she graduated from New Hanover High School, received her undergraduate degree from Duke University, and her law degree from Boston University.

Link to presentation 7 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGOJ70HUJn4 Q&A Zoom with Camilla on October 2 at 11a.m.

Exploring Coastal Native Plants of the Carolinas

Link to presentation 8 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeHCugTxBkE Q&A Zoom with Paul on October 4 at 2p.m.

Special Thanks to Extension Master Gardeners for making the printing of this publication possible.

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Speakers (continued)

Trena McNabb

What, Why & How

Over a 26-year period, Trena McNabb has transformed the tangled mess of a sewer-line easement into a vibrant, healthy native wildflower meadow that is now beginning to look like her original vision. It is one of the first of very few such creations in the Carolinas. She will show photos documenting the progression through the years and seasons and highlight many plants, including a collection of native sunflowers. The talk will include: her technique for controlling unwanted plants using a series of homemade tools, and eliminating non-natives.

McNabb is an amateur gardener and artist living in Bethania, NC. She is a member and past officer on the board of the NC Native Plant Society. Her artistic work can be found in Germany, China, and Japan as well as homes in many cities in the United States.

She uses the plants she grows in her art by photographing and/or pressing them. Story telling is a significant aspect of her work. Each painting is actually a connected series of smaller paintings telling a story that deepens the longer one studies the piece. Areas of the work have been described as a transparent, painted collage. The overlays form a kaleidoscope of colors in acrylic paint on canvas as images overlap one another to depict the multitude of flora, fauna, foods and landscapes, all aspects of our precious earth. The work ranges from 32-ft long multi-canvas, site-specific corporate, hospital or public art commissions to smaller pieces for private residences.

Link to Presentation 6 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZITFTKeB24 Q&A Zoom with Trena on October 2 at 2p.m.

Beth Sheppard

Branching Out, Planting Beyond the Norm

Beth Sheppard, MA Environmental Studies/ Education, has operated a specialty landscape business for over 25 years. Her “Secret Gardener” approach has evolved from planting for instant gratification to working more holistically with individual landscapes which can preserve & embellish natural areas. Some may call this the least favored side of the garden but learning to connect soil, water and habitat maintains a long lasting community versus singular showy moments. We can all benefit from branching out and leaving more of what nature intended.

Link to presentation 2 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otoBJBFFuRQ Q&A Zoom with Beth on October 4 at 3:30p.m.

Roger Shew

Natural Areas of Southeastern N.C.: Enjoy Nature While Physically Distancing

Southeastern NC is blessed with numerous areas that provide opportunities for enjoying nature and recreating, while also safely physical distancing. The discussion will include multiple locations as well as a more detailed description of two sites: the Green Swamp and Ev-Henwood Preserves.

Roger Shew is a Senior Lecturer in Earth and Ocean Sciences and Environmental Sciences Departments at UNC–Wilmington where he teaches geology and environmental science. Roger’s background is in geoscience education, energy and water resources, coastal zone processes, and natural history, particularly of North Carolina. He is Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee and the Natural Areas Stewardship Committee at UNCW, and on the Board of Cape Fear River Watch. He and his wife, Dale, work on longleaf pine restoration, endangered species monitoring, and Venus flytrap studies for the Nature Conservancy.

Q & A Zoom with Roger on Oct. 2 at 9a.m.

Link to Presentation 3 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjD-dWkF3oI

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Speakers (continued)

Lloyd Singleton

Fostering a Healthy Soil Microbiome

A shift in horticultural focus from plant health to soil health will help us all be better native plant gardeners. We will discuss some basic components of a healthy soil microbiome and ways to foster that in your own landscape.

Lloyd Singleton serves as the Director for NC Cooperative Extension, New Hanover County Center at the Arboretum.

Prior to his MS Degree in Agroecology and Extension career with University of Florida, he served as landscape manager for Universal Orlando and The Breakers Palm Beach. With an agroecological perspective on ornamental landscape maintenance, Lloyd works to share sustainable methodologies that balance our economic, social and environmental needs.

Link to presentation 1 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skka3e2z4tM Q&A Zoom with Lloyd on October 3 at 10:00a.m.

Natives or Cultivars?

True native plants are those that are found in the wild in their original geographical areas and environments. Cultivars are plants that have been cross-bred either naturally without human intervention or those bred to have favorable traits, such as color, form, productiveness, or hardiness. If the cultivars are used for decorative purposes, no harm done. If the cultivars are used for commercial or scientific purposes, it is important to preserve information about the plants used to create the cultivars. Whether you use true natives or cultivars, enjoy the plants and treat them well.

Fall 2020

Becky Skiba

Gardening for Birds and Wildlife Creating viable habitat components such as shade, different food sources per season, structure, and spacing to make corridors are very important year round.

Understanding that keeping our native wildlife species fed and present to serve their ecological functions begins with well eaten leaves (sorry gardeners) and creating a space that invites other activities such as nesting, resting, and feeding.

Learn about plants that are easy to get your hands on to help support our native species throughout the year without breaking the bank on maintenance. Make your neighbors jealous with the beauty and bounty of your yard!

Becky Skiba has worked in Environmental Education since 2009.

She has worked in the Southeastern states of Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and now North Carolina. She has assisted with research monitoring nesting sea turtles and wood storks with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources. Becky also worked for Jekyll Island 4-H center to provide coastal and wildlife education and for a non-profit eco-tourism group in Savannah leading tours through the many habitats of the coastal ecosystem. She has worked with Audubon Mississippi after the BP Oil Spill on community education and volunteer efforts to establish a baseline population of water birds affected by the spill. She has worked for the NC Wildlife Commission as Coastal Regional Educator for 5 years and enjoys doing outdoor program and in-person interactions when it is safe, but appreciates you all joining the presentation.

Link to Presentation 8 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6cGfrwCnqc Q&A Zoom with Becky on October 2 at 4p.m.

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Speakers (continued)

Doug Tallamy

Bringing Nature Home

We all hear that insects and animals depend on plants, but in Bringing Nature Home, Douglas Tallamy presetns a powerful and compelling illustration of how the choices we make as gardeners can profoundly impact the diversity of life in our yards, towns and on our planet.

This important work should be required reading for anyone who ever put shovel to earth. --William Cullina Douglas W. Tallamy is Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. He has written more than 65 research articles and has taught insect taxonomy, behavioral ecology, and other courses for many years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities.

Joyce Huguelet and Mindy Nathanson sell their plants at pop-up sales at Wild Bird & Garden.

Natives or Cultivars?

photo courtesy of University of Delaware/Evan Krape

Douglas Tallamy is one of the speakers at this year’s Native Plant Festival.

Link to Presentation 5 of 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEf4Uk5mp8g There will not be a Q&A.

From an interview with Douglas Tallamy: Q. What one common habit of most Americans would you change if you could?

A. I would change the status symbol of the lawn. Get people to see it as a place to walk not as something to look at as vast acreage.

Ask for Native Plants at Local Retailers I use North Carolina native plants in my garden.

Today I was looking for:

If you stock this in the future, please contact me:

Thank you!

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Your local nursery wants your business. If you’d like to buy more native plants from a particular store, let them know of your interest in using North Carolina native plants.

Here is a blank coupon you can use: photocopy or photograph with your phone and print it. Fill it out and leave it with the store if you don’t find the plant you’re looking for. The more people express an interest in purchasing natives, the more readily available they will become.

True native plants are those that are found in the wild in their original geographical areas and environments.

Cultivars are plants that have been crossbred either naturally without human intervention or those bred to have favorable traits, such as color, form, productiveness, or hardiness. If the cultivars are used for decorative purposes, no harm done.

If the cultivars are used for commercial or scientific purposes, it is important to preserve information about the plants used to create the cultivars. Whether you use true natives or cultivars, enjoy the plants and treat them well.

Fall the Best Time to Plant Berries for Birds DId you know that most songbirds rely on berries to fuel their long migration journeys south in the fall? Audubon North Carolina says that birds flock to berryproducing plants for the native insects they attract as well as their flavorful fruits.

They suggest that when adding native berry-producing plants to your yard, you seek out varieties that fruit at different times of the year, so the birds have food to eat year-round. Blackhaw Vibernum, for example, produces edible berries in the fall that attract Brown Thashers, Northern Mockingbirds, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, and Cedar Waxwing.

Visit nc.audubon.org to learn more about this and other plants on their annual “Bird-Friendly Native Plants of the Year” list.

—Source: nc.audubon.org

Native Plant Festival 2020

Meet the Plant Sellers Five Oaks Nursery & Tree Farm Wil Massengill, owner

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2120 Old Winter Park Rd, Wilmington, NC 28405 Wil Massengill • wiltmass@gmail.com (910)762-8637 fiveoaksnursery.com 9/19/20 Sale Hours: 9–3 Regular Hours: See text below.

Five Oaks Nursery and Tree Farm is a wholesale and retail nursery here in Wilmington, NC. We offer shrubs, tree, perennials, and some seasonal color.

We are a family owned business. We grow a wide variety of shrubs including natives. We are also proud to be growers of Proven Winner shrubs. In 2017, we purchased North American Tree Farm. This allows us to also offer our customers larger trees from the field.

Muhly Grass and Wax Myrtle

We are open Monday through Friday 7:30 to 4:00.

During our main Spring and Fall seasons, we also open on Saturdays from 9 until 2. This is for retail only and allows us to focus on our local retail customers. All plant sales are done at the Wilmington location at 2120 Old Winter Park Rd. For the Festival, we will be extending our hours to 9 until 3 at 2120 Old Winter Park Rd. We will be featuring several natives that day, including: • Betula nigra ‘Duraheat®’ – Duraheat Riverbirch • Morella cerifera – Wax Myrtle • Muhlenbergia capillaris – Pink Muhly Grass • Echinacea (multiple varieties) – Coneflower Our perennials will also be 50% off on the day of the festival.

—Wil Massengill

Echinacea

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued)

Going Native Gardens

Joyce Huguelet and Mindy Nathanson

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Going Native Gardens The 5 plants pictured are the Tour location: ones available September 19 Wild Bird & Garden (pre-sale only) 3501 Oleander Drive Wilmington NC 28403 Sale Hours: Pre-sale by calling (910)343-6001; plant pick-up Sat. 10a-4p (or following Wednesday at Southport location) Contact info: Joyce Huguelet • 910-395-4236 • huguelet@bellsouth.net Mindy Nathanson • 910-790-2062 • mpn0211@ec.rr.com NOTE: These plants are available for PRE-SALE ONLY. Our business grew from a hobby. I was just enjoying growing native plants in my backyard. And then a few years ago I was invited to sell some plants at Wild Bird and Garden at Hanover Center, and our business has grown.

My neighbor Mindy Nathanson and I grow all our plants in our back yards.

We grow from seeds, cuttings, and division. We are always interested in what our customers want. Their interests often inspire us to learn about native plants that are new to us and we try to grow them. We enjoy learning more and more about the environment, and our passion is getting American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) Can grow to nine feet in favorable conditions; width can also be nine feet. Small pink flowers come in summer and the showy, bright purple berries in dense clusters mature in late summer to early autumn. Grows well in moist to dry soil.

Likes part shade and sun. Many birds love to eat the berries in the fall and early winter.

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native plants in the environment to help sustain creatures that need native plants.

Ironweed Veronica fasciculata

Pollinators love it. Host plant for American Painted Butterfly. Height: four to six feet. (Taller in moist soil.) Full sun. Blooms July, August, September. Deer-resistant.

Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis

We usually sell plants at special sales at Wild Bird and Garden and at special events such as the Poplar Grove Herb and Garden Fair and The Native Plants Festival at the Arboretum. We have also sold at events in Brunswick County and Pender County sponsored by Master Gardeners.

We do not have a site for regular retail sales. We occasionally work with customers on a one-on-one basis in our yard especially if they are working on a landscaping project and need a number of plants. ­—Joyce Huguelet Spotted Bee Balm Monarda punctata

Striking pinkish purple blooms on two-foot stems. Prefers sandy soils and full sun to part shade. Blooms July, August, September. Also known as Dotted Horsemint. Attracts many pollinators including native bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.

Height: Three to nine feet high, one to three feet wide. Full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, well drained soil but can adapt to average soil. Attracts more than 24 species of birds as well as numerous species of butterflies.

Stokes Aster Stokesia Laeviis

Lavender-blue flowers in early summer. Multiple blooms cover plant reaching one to two feet tall. Can bloom late summer or fall with deadheading. Leavers persist through winter.

Drought resistant, full sun to part shade. Nectar attracts bumble bees and butterflies. Moderate deer- and rabbit-resistant.

Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued)

Grizz’s Nursery

Michael Gore, owner

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Grizz’s Nursery Tour location: Shelton Herb Farm 340 Goodman Road NE Leland NC 28451 9/19/20 Sale Hours: TBD No retail hours: call for appointment.

Contact info: Michael Gore • grizznursery15@gmail.com (910) 547-4934 www.facebook.com/pg/Grizzs-Nursery-483012915184193/about/

Michael Gore grew up on the edge of the Green Swamp, running through the woods, and has been collecting plants since he was five years old. He considers

himself more a collector and an educator, than a nurseryman. He likes to take people on field trips to Brunswick Nature Park and other natural areas he knows well, where he can point out the various plants that are native and have been here for hundreds of years.

Michael works part-time for the Parks Department in Brunswick County, and spends a lot of time in Brunswick Nature Park. Trails built through the area did not necessarily take into account the value of some of the native plants growing there; Michael is now working with them to identify some of these plants, and they are making some of the trails walking trails so as to be less damaging to the vegetation than vehicular trails.

He works on counts of rare plants, and submits that information to the State. He works with UNCW, and takes people on field trips to EV-Henwood.

photo by Michael Gore

Stewartia malacodendron, commonly referred to as Silky Camellia, is a deciduous shrub native to North Carolina. In nature, it can be found in mesic forests, especially on beech-dominated bluffs or “upland islands” in Coastal Plain swamps.

an appreciation for the old ways native plants were used, from the latter.

He used to propagate Venus flytraps, but quit once Walmart started selling them for only $6. He points out those plants usually failed, because they weren’t planted in soil that was suitable for them. Michael knows quite a bit about the soil types that are required to let different plants thrive.

Michael only sells his plants at one festival a year—the Native Plant Festival.

Otherwise he sells plants by appointment only. At the Festival he will have 43 difference species of native plant for sale.

Michael has Irish and photo by Michael Gore Cherokee roots. He says he Stewartia malacodendron, is one of the plants Michael Gore learned the cultivation side of will have for sale at this year’s festival.. Meet Michael and find gardening from the former, and out what makes this plant special

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued)

Lloyd’s Nursery Lloyd’s of Landscape, LTD

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Lloyd and Lisa Brinkley, owners

Lloyd’s Nursery 6425 Windmill Way Wilmington NC 28405 9/19/20 Sale Hours: 10-4 festival only Call for regular seasonal hours Contact info: Lisa Brinkley • lloydsnursery@ec.rr.com (910)686-4984 Lloyd’s of Landscape, LTD is a design build landscape company for all your landscaping needs. Our services include design, irrigation, drainage, night lighting, pavers, retaining walls and of course planting. Lloyd Brinkley, President and owner has been landscaping in Wilmington since 1984. His expertise comes with a background of not only being a horticulturist, a licensed landscape contract and licensed irrigation contractor but someone who pays great attention to detail and to his client’s wants and needs.

Lloyd saw the need early on in his career to be able to provide his clients with the best trees and plants available and Lloyd’s Nursery began in 1988. We at Lloyd’s are happy to help our clients and the general public in selecting the right plants for them. Our clients are excited to be able to view the product first hand and make their own selection if they wish to. Some however can’t decide, and prefer for us to make the selection for them. Our retail nursery is open to the public year round (weather permitting) Monday through Friday from 8a.m.–5p.m. We are open on Saturdays during the spring and fall from 10a.m.–3p.m.

We value all of our Landscape and Nursery customers past, present and future. We appreciate your patronage and look forward to serving your plant and landscaping needs in the future. Please call if you have any questions and please feel free to stop by and visit our new Windmill Way location. Thank you!

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Lloyd’s offers a wide variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, grasses and ferns.

Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued)

Lumber River Native Plants Jep Whitlock, owner

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Lumber River Nursery Tour location: Shelton Herb Farm 340 Goodman Road NE Leland NC 28451 9/19/20 Sale Hours: Sat 10–5 Year-Round Hours: Mail order only (see below).

Jep Whitlock • sales@ncnativeplants.com (336) 601-8787 website: ncnativeplants.com (currently under construction) www.facebook.com/lumberrivernativeplants/

We grow a wide variety of native plants of the SE and Mid Atlantic United States, including trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers although our main focus is native wetland plants.

Our main customers are commercial landscapers who install our wetland plants in constructed Stormwater Wetlands around commercial sites. We also sell/ship plants to homeowners who place orders via email or over the phone.

Our nursery is located on the family farm which has been in operation for over 130 years. My ancestors grew food crops such as sweet potatoes, watermelons, peppers and even broccoli and then transitioned to row crops like corn, soybeans and a lot of cotton. I started Lumber River Native Plants in 2010 and chose to grow native plants because I enjoy nature and native plants play a huge role in keeping ecosystems functioning as they should.

We grow all of our plants from seeds and/or cuttings. Most of the seed and all of the cuttings are collected from local plant populations in and around the farm. We have bee hives and have to be very careful when it comes to any pesticides, therefore we do not use any that contain neonicotinoids. The only pesticide we use is an organic pyrethrum based one made from chrysanthemum flowers.

We don’t have a retail site for plant sales but can email our plant lists to customers and take orders over the phone or by email. We box and ship lots of plants via UPS. Festival sale info: We will be at Shelton Herb Farm on Saturday September 19 from 10:00–5:00 with our plants for sale.

—Jep Whitlock

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued)

Shelton Herb Farm

Margaret Shelton, owner

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Shelton Herb Farm 340 Goodman Road NE Leland NC 28451 9/19/20 Sale Hours: Sat. 8-5; Sun. 12-4 Regular Hours: Mon.–Sat. 9–4 Margaret Shelton • sheltonhf1986@atmc.net (910) 253-5964 www.sheltonherbfarm.com A 200-year farm, Shelton Herb Farm’s current inventory includes more than 800 varieties of herbs, vegetables and native heirloom plants. Margaret Shelton is a champion of area farmers markets, and brings her plants to many in the region. She sells frsh herbs, vegetables, honey and more.

photo by Valerie Robertson

Margaret Shelton, winner of the YWCA Women of Achievement Award for the Environment in 2011.

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Shelton Herb Farm Native Plants Genus Species

Variety/ Where Common Name(s) Native

Achillea millefolium Paprika/Yarrow US Achillea millefolium White Flower/

Wild Yarrow NC Agastache foeniculum Anise Hyssop US Artemisia vulgaris Wild Mugwort US Asclepias curassavica Tropical Milkweed/

Mexican Butterfly weed US Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed US Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed US Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Milkweed NC Baptisia sphaerocarpa ‘N.C. Moonlight’

Wild Indigo NC Callicarpa americana American Beauty Berry NC Chasmanthium latifolium River Oats/Wood Oats US Clethra alnifolia Sweet Pepperbush/

Summersweet NC Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Early Sunrise’

Coreopsis US Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower US Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ Coneflower US Equisetum hyemale Horsetail NC Euonymus americanus Strawberry Bush/

Hearts-A-Bustin’ NC Eupatorium coelestinum Wild Ageratum/

Mist Flower NC Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’ Joe Pye Weed NC Eutrochium fistulosum Joe Pye Weed US Helenium autumnale Sneezeweed NC Hydrangea quercifolia Oakleaf Hydrangea US Hypericum perforatum St. John’s Wort US Liatris spicata ‘Blazing Star’

Gayfeather/Liatris US Lobelia cardinalis Red Cardinal Flower US Lobelia x speciosa ‘Fan Burgundy’

Cardinal Flower US Lonicera fragrantissima Winter Honeysuckle NC Lonicera sempervirens Coral Honeysuckle NC Monarda bradburiana ‘Bradbury’s’

Eastern Bee Balm US Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’

Bee Balm/Bergamot US Monarda fistulosa Bee Balm/

Wild Bergamot US Monarda punctata Spotted Horsemint NC Monarda sp.

“Rex’s Wild Lemony”

Lemon Bee Balm SC Muhlenbergia capillaris Muhly Grass US Oenothera fruticosa Sundrop/

Evening Primrose NC

Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued) Shelton Native Plants List (cont.)

Genus Species

Variety/ Where Common Name(s) Native

Plantago major Variegated Plantain NC Pycnanthemum muticum Short-toothed

Mountain Mint US Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Narrowleaf

Mountain Mint US Pycnanthemum virginianum Virginia Mountain Mint US Sambucus canadensis “Brunswick”Elderberry NC Sambucus canadensis ‘Wyldewood’Elderberry NC Sambucus canadensis ‘John’s’Elderberry US Sambucus canadensis “Pender”Elderberry NC Sambucus canadensis ‘York’Elderberry US Saponaria officinalis Soapwort NC Solidago odora Anise Scented/

Sweet Goldenrod NC Stachys officinalis Wood Betony NC Symphyotrichum lateriflorum Calico Aster NC Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’

Aster/Aromatic Aster US Symphyotrichum ‘Wood’s Blue’ Wood’s Aster US Vaccinium arboreum Sparkleberry/Farkleberry/

Huckleberry NC Zephyranthes candida Rain Lily/Fairy Lily NC

The Transplanted Garden

Tom Ericson & Allen Sabin, owners

photo by Heather Brooks

Anise Hyssop, or Agastache foeniculum, is popular with pollinators.

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Transplanted Garden 502 So. 16th Street Wilmington NC 28401 9/19/20 Sale Hours: Sat. 10a-4p For regular seasonal hours call (910)763-7448 www.transplantedgarden.com Owners Tom Ericson and Allen Sabin opened The Transplanted Garden in March 2000. Their vision was an intimate garden center offering knowledgeable, friendly, personalized service with the best and widest variety of plants available for our area.

Before moving to Wilmington, Tom was a top rated Landscape Designer in Connecticut, planning everything from cottage gardens to estates in Greenwich and Stamford. He also designed an award winning display at the Philadelphia Flower Show. If you bring in printed pictures of your problem areas or new garden beds, Tom or another member of their staff will design a garden for you, and assist you in picking out the proper plant material for your new garden.

Allen was a department store buyer and gift store owner, and has used those skills to showcase fascinating plant-related gifts Fall 2020

Plant milkweed for Monarchs.

and a huge selection of containers of all sizes and materials. They will help you design beautiful combinations for you to plant in the containers you choose, or if you prefer, will plant them for you.

As we went to press Tom had milkweed in stock—Aclepias tuberosa and Asclepias incarnata—and near the end of September will be getting in some one-gallon pawpaw trees.

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Native Plant Festival 2020 Meet the Plant Sellers (continued)

Wild Bird & Garden Jill Peleuses, owner

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Wild Bird & Garden Hanover Square 3501 Oleander Drive Wilmington NC 28403 9/19/20 Sale Hours: Sat. 10a-4p; Sun. 12p-4p.

Regular hours (Wilmington store): Mon.–Sat. 10a-4p; Sun. 12p-4p. wildbirdgardeninc@gmail.com www.wildbirdgardeninc.com Wild Bird & Garden provides quality bird and nature products, gifts, and environmental education to Wilmington and Southport, North Carolina and surrounding areas. The store is known for its variety of quality supplies for wild birds and unique gifts for the people who love them.

Bee houses for our pollinator friends.

Staff are well versed in ornithology, and are provide helpful advice for the beginners and experienced birders and nature lovers. Once the pandemic subsides, they will resume hosting educational classes and workshops on birds and sustainable gardening. Teaming with outside organizations, they lead bird hikes and hayaking trips.

The store offers the space in front of the store for Going Native Gardens to have pop-up sales on some Saturdays. The schedule of native plant sales is on www.wildbirdgardeninc.com, where you can also sign up for their newsletter to keep up with the variety of products and events.

The Southport location, located under the blue water tower in Southport, 105 East Brown Street, is open Monday through Saturday from 10p–2p.

Curbside service is available at both store locations.

Butterfly feeders.

Additional Sources of Native Plants Tinga Nursery Serving the Wilmington area since 1913, Tinga Nursery has a section devoted to native plants. Closed on the weekend, they were not able to participate in the Native Plant Festival, but invite you to come see their inventory at 2918 Castle Hayne Road, Castle Hayne, any weekday. Visit www. tinganursery.com or call (910)762-1975.

Plant Sales at the Arboretum The New Hanover County Arboretum generally has two plant sales per year: a tree sale in the fall (see ad page 41) and a big plant sale in the spring, both of which include a number of native plants.

In normal times the Ability Garden at the Arboretum holds a monthly plant sale on the third Saturday of the month, but due to the pandemic there are currently no plant sales scheduled. The do sell natives when they have them available. Plant sales at the Arboretum are publicized on their website and Facebook page.

Distinctive bird houses.

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Native Plant Festival 2020

Community Landscapes Community Landscaping:

Carolina Beach State Park (see article on page 27) 1010 State Park Rd, Carolina Beach NC 28428

As use of native plants grows in popularity, the opportunities to see them used in landscaping is growing. The Arboretum’s Native Plant Demonstration Garden is a great place to start, and it is helpful that the plants are correctly labeled and that handouts are available to explain the optimal growing conditions for each.

As you learn to identify native plants, keep an eye out for them throughout the community. Those listed below appear on our map on pages 24–25 (and as pins in our interactive map as well).

To access the interactive map, you can capture the QR code on page 25, or go to https://arcg.is/1DqCLW0.

Halyburton Park 4099 S 17th St, Wilmington NC 28412 Paved walking trails make it easy to enjoy the nature that was left in place when this park was created. New gardens of native plants have been added in front of the Nature Center.

Where to see Native Plants:

New Hanover County Arboretum Native Plant Demonstration Garden 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington NC 28403 UNCW 601 So. College Road, Wilmington NC Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve is the most ecologically diverse area of UNCW’s campus. There are five zones lending to a diverse range of flora and fauna.

See the Preserve website: https://uncw.edu/sustainability/ bluethenthal/bluethenthalwebsite.html The left-hand navigation has a tab for “plants in the preserve.” and also 1898 Monument and Memorial Park 1081 No 3rd Street, Wilmington NC Native plantings are used in the curved garden.

Cameron Musuem of Art 3201 So. 17th Street, Wilmington NC 28412 Native plantings grow along Independence Boulevard, starting at the intersection of Independence and 17th Street.

You can also walk a nature trail that winds through their Civil War historic site on the other side of the main parking lot.

Cape Fear Museum 814 Market Street, Wilmington NC 28401 On-site guessing games in the Museum’s community park indicate which plantings are native and which are not.

Fall 2020

Hemp Farmacy 1402-1 So. College Road, Wilmington NC 28403 The eastern prickly pear cactus out front is native to parts of eastern North America.

New Hanover County Public Library: Main Branch 201 Chestnut Street, Wilmington NC 28401 The library’s Story Park area includes native plants.

New Hanover County Public Library: Pine Valley 3802 So. College Road, Wilmington NC 28412 This new branch of the library landscaped with native grasses and more.

North Carolina Coastal Federation 309 W. Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach, NC 29480 Coneflower, milkweed, black-eyed Susans, and native grasses are planted outside the education center. Follow their onemile walking tour of stormwater reduction projects to see ways they help keep waterways clean. https://www.nccoast.org/protect-the-coast/stormwater/ walk-loop-clean-water/ Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden 3800 Canterbury Road, Wilmington NC 28403 Planted as an educational garden for the schoolchildren next door, features a variety of carnivorous plants, including the Venus flytrap, which is only found in the wild within a 50mile radius of Wilmington.

Palate Bottle Shop & Reserve 1007 No. 4th Street, Wilmington NC 28401 Native grasses are used as landscaping along the fence.

James E. L. Wade Park 3500 Bethel Road, Wilmington NC 28409 Native vegetation attracts dragonflies, damselflies and many other pollinators.

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Cowan Museum Highlights Native Plants Our list of community landscapes (page x) that one can visit is limited to sites in the Wilmington area, but there is a public garden worth mentioning here—and worth a field trip to Kenansville. Sandy and Andy Wood, owners of Habitats Gardens, LLC, have created a unique native plant collection on the grounds of the Cowan Museum of History and Science in Kenansville, North Carolina.

On the grounds is a botanical garden with approximately 90 species of commercially-available native plants in what has become the region’s first free, public native-plant-focused botanical landscape garden. This outdoor space, open 24 hours a day, has pollinator gardens, a wet meadow garden, Longleaf Pine upland garden, and a Bald Cypress wetland garden.

The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is unique among North Carolina’s other public gardens because its plant collection is composed with plants native to our State. Nearly 90 North Carolina native plant species are represented by more than 300 individual plants in this accessible garden, highlighting native species adapted to coastal plain soils, climate, and topography.

Many of the trees and shrubs on display are species that have been used in American landscapes since 1850, around the time the Kelly-Farrior House (the Museum’s main building) was built.

These include such plants as Clethra (Summersweet), Fothergilla (Witch Alder), Winterberry, Elderberry, Blueberry, Callicarpa (Beautyberry), Fringe Tree, Dogwood. American Beech, Witch Hazel, Itea (Virginia Sweetspire), Red Cedar, Swamp Bay, and Adam’s Needle (Yucca).

Plants were also selected for this garden using the guiding principle, “right plant-right place” (Habitats Gardens, LLC), with attention to the site’s water-holding sandy-clay soils and sunny exposure.

In keeping with historic gardening, this garden thrives without modern irrigation.

As a demonstration garden, plants were also selected based on their respective availability in the nursery trade—all the plants on display were obtained from North Carolina nurseries.

The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden was made possible with grant funding provided by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, through the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. The idea

for a native plant garden was inspired by this ecoregion’s natural heritage, including the rivers, forests, and grassy meadows that first drew people to this area. With cultural heritage artifacts on display in and around the Museum, including historic gardening tools, it was a logical fit to install an accessible garden space where visitors may observe the living connection between our natural and cultural heritage.

Long before being transformed into a botanical garden, the property around the Museum was forest habitat, dominated by stately old live oak, tulip poplar, water oak, American holly, and other trees and large shrubs. As Kenansville grew into a community, the forest was replaced by open recreational fields and parks with a turf grass-dominated landscape.

The area where a botanical garden now grows was a patch of turf grass with little diversity and appeal. Today, that grass has been replaced by a collection of native plants adapted to the local environment and provides important ecosystem services to everyone’s benefit, including wildlife, songbirds, and pollinating insects. The insects, attracted by flowering plants, are in turn supporting insect-eating toads, tree frogs, lizards, and birds.

As you explore the garden you may see leaves being chewed by caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other plant-eaters. This is a full-service garden that welcomes plant-eaters, including butterfly caterpillars. For this reason, no pesticides are used and yet the plants thrive because gardens composed with many different kinds of plants are attractive to many different kinds of wildlife, including insect-eaters. In addition to being a space that supports and nourishes local creatures, the Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is a welcoming space where people can connect with their natural heritage, outdoors in nature.

The Cowan Museum of History and Science is at 411 So. Main Street, Kenansville, N.C. 28349.

At this writing the museum had just reopened after months of closure due to COVID-19, and its website, https://cowanmuseum.org, is rich in programs and resources that can be used during the pandemic. The garden has remained accessible 24 hours a day.

photo by Andy Wood

Flowering Obedient Plants frame the botanical garden’s rain meadow; a living exhibit supporting more than a dozen commercially-available native plants that provide visual appeal while drinking rooftop rainwater.

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For more information call (910)296-2149 or email info.museum@duplincountync.com.

Visitors are asked to honor social distancing practices.

—Source: https://cowanmuseum.org

native plants

Selecting Native Trees and Shrubs for Fall Color

by Carol Bales

This is the seventh of a series of Cape Fear area native plant articles to appear in Going Green. The articles will include stories about common native plants that would enhance any coastal North Carolina garden or landscape.

What a glorious tapestry Mother Nature paints for us during the fall! Vividly colored trees and shrubs turn their foliage from green to gold, orange and red.

Holly trees, native wild plums, and even Viburnum bushes produce colorful berries that complement the trees. Our native evergreens provide striking green contrast to the autumn tree palette.

The New Hanover County Arboretum is a great place to start your search for the perfect tree or shrub for your needs. Some of their trees are huge and ancient and some are new saplings just starting to grow tall. Lloyd Singleton, Arboretum Director, has supervised purchase and planting of several new trees to replace the ones that were taken out by last year’s hurricanes.

Some of those trees are ones that, once mature, will have lovely autumn foliage, like the Downy Serviceberry and American hornbeam. Other new trees have been planted in the Arboretum’s Native Plant Garden. Those are all identified by name tags at their base so that you can learn them by name.

My favorite tree for fall color is the Asimina triloba, commonly known as the Pawpaw tree. In the fall, its big broad leaves

Asimina triloba, commonly known as the Pawpaw Tree, produces exotic-look flowers and— once it reaches seven years or so—delicious fruit.

Fall 2020

turn a warm golden yellow before the first hard freeze, when its leaves carpet the ground like a Christmas tree skirt. The Pawpaw is well behaved and keeps to itself while young, but it propagates itself by sending up saplings from its roots when it is mature. If these shoots are not dug up, the result will be a Pawpaw patch with a grove of trees. It produces the largest fruits of any native [North American] species, and the Pawpaw

Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is starting to be used in area landscaping.

“apples” can be used to make delicious puddings, breads, and more. The tree is only about 25 feet tall, and is happy planted in poor soil in a dry spot in your garden.

Not many garden centers carry Pawpaw trees, so you might need to shop around before you find one for your landscape. The effort of finding one is worth the reward of a beautiful little tree that has quite a legacy.

[The Transplanted Garden sometimes carries Pawpaw trees, as does Shelton Herb Farm—both on our map on pages 24–25.

—Ed.] The Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is another favorite of mine. It can be found all over our area and is readily identified during the spring when its flowers cascade over it, producing a lacy white mantle. It is in the olive family, and as such it grows very slowly. In the fall, its leaves usually turn a clear light yellow. It loves close company with other trees and shrubs, and if not pruned, it looks like a shrub. Mature specimens grow to 30 feet tall, and are suitable to plant under taller trees that provide a shade canopy.

Some years every tree seems to drop their leaves before they change color. Other years all the leaves turn dull brown without going through the colorful stage. Larry Mellichamp describes those factors that affect fall foliage color in his book, Native Plants of the Southeast. Those factors are:

• The nature of the tree or shrub—some trees always turn color unless they are affected by drought, pests, or flooding.

The leaves of some varieties will never change color, so be careful to select those that do.

• The characteristics of the place where the tree is growing—native trees and shrubs that produce brilliant hues in the fall usually grow in soil that is poor in nutrients and rather dry. If the tree is provided with ample soil amendments and lots of water, it might not be very colorful in the fall.

• The weather—Mother Nature is so unpredictable so no matter how perfect conditions seem to be, she is uncontrollable. Bright sunny days and cool nights are best to bring out the foliage colors.

If you would like fall color in your landscape, you can take snapshots of trees you admire, take them to your local garden center and ask them if they can match those trees with ones they have for sale.

Selecting new trees is a delightful way to enjoy fall. Local vendors that can help you are listed starting on page 13.

Reference Mellichamp, Larry. 2014. Native Plants of the Southeast. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc.

Carol Bales is an avid gardener and seed saver, and grows several kinds of milkweed in her yard.

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gardening

Shake, Rattle, and Roll—Seed Gathering and Saving Tips

by Carol Bales Saving seeds from your favorite plants is a wonderful way to raise new plants for your garden. There are several ways to collect seeds: • Buy seed packets at a garden center • Order seeds online • Pick up seeds at a Seed Swap • Save seeds from your own plants • Trade seeds with others • Collect seeds from the wild • Use seeds from your produce Organic heirloom and native seeds are hard to find, so gathering your own seed is important to preserve those plants. A free seed swap and giveaway has been part of the Arboretum’s Plant Sales and Native Plant Festivals since 2015. During the swap, native seeds collected by local gardeners are offered to our visitors. Native plant experts offer their advice, information and gardening tips during the events. If you have seeds to share, you can bring clean, identified seeds to the Arboretum Plant Clinic where they will be offered to the public.

Gathering mature seeds is a bit tricky since there are so many types of seed heads and pods. It is best to collect them when they are very dry. Then put them in a

paper bag or plastic Ziploc bag and seal it up. Keep it for at least a month, then “shake, rattle, and roll” the bag to free the seeds from the chaff.

Remove the chaff and keep the seed that is left in the bottom of the bag.

Place the cleaned seeds in a baggie or sealed Mason jar. Seal the bag or stock photo jar, mark it with the Glass jars with tight lids are a good choice for storing saved seeds. plant name, date collected, source and plant description. Place the bagged Seed Saver Exchange – The Seed seeds in the refrigerator until you are ready Garden, The Art and Practice of Seed Saving to plant them. The cold storage mimics

by Lee Buttala & Shanyn Siegel nature’s way of over-wintering the seeds. It Seedswap, The gardener’s guide to savalso kills any insects that might be damag- ing and swapping seeds by Josie Jeffery. ing the seeds. If you are sharing your seeds Gardening from Seed, The keys to success with others, show them a photo of the with Flowers and Vegetables by Martha source plants, and keep a few seeds to Stewart. plant back in your own garden.

Gathering, Memoir of a Seed Saver by If you want more information about Diane Ott Whealy. seed gathering and storing, you can find many gardening books and online articles available at your local library. Some of my favorites are:

Our thanks goes out to everyone who is a seed gatherer and sharer! Good luck with your seed collecting and plant propagation!

Carol Bales is an avid gardener and seed saver, and grows several kinds of milkweed in her yard. She writes artciles on native plants for this magazine.

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B+O: design studio, PLLC

architecture / landscape architecture

mail: 1319-CC Military Cutoff Rd., PMB 221 tel: 910.821.0084 www.b-and-o.net

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www.ncwildflower.org Southeast Coast Chapter

ilovetrees.net

Carolina Beach State Park There are many wonderful natural spaces in the Wilmington area. ILoveTrees.net is a photo blog documenting these local treasures. Profiled here are the forests, wildlife, and native plants of Carolina Beach State Park.

by Sue Cag Carolina Beach State Park is where you can see it all: forests, swamp, savannah, pocosin, beach, butterflies, birds, snakes, and deer. You can easily walk from a boardwalk above a swamp, through a savannah,

and into venus flytrap habitat. Or you can saunter through a live oak grove and find yourself in a sandy longleaf pine forest.

You can watch a pileated woodpecker lay waste to a fallen log or admire the graceful way a deer moves through wet lowlands.

You can crouch down to find puffy oak toe lichen or look up to see pelicans swooping and splashing in the water. You can bring your binoculars and bird watch for hours.

Whatever your nature fix, you’ll find it here.

First, the forests.

There are two remarkable swamp forests here, both accessible by short boardwalks. At the end of the Flytrap Trail you’ll find a modest stretch of tupelo (black gum) growing out of the water. Their bases are flared out and covered with moss. Nearby on the Sugarloaf Trail, you’ll find mature maple trees growing up from the same soggy ground. The latter is one of my favorite places in the park.

I always return to linger there, feeling the gentle breeze and listening to the creaking branches of the canopy. The tree roots fascinate me as they stretch out like fingers over the wet earth, trying to take hold in every direction.

photo by Sue Cag

Forest of Carolina Beach State Park.

Fall 2020

I’ve seen mature live oak individuals along the road and in various parts of the park, often with spanish moss draping from their branches. I’ve enjoyed short walks

along the Track and Snow’s Cut trails which lead through a pleasant forest. Along the way I’ve stopped to appreciate a large laurel oak with branches reaching above the other trees. Below those trails are wooded campsites. In my experience, campgrounds are often cleared and open (on purpose or by campers), but here I’ve come across sites featuring live oaks as well as one site with a wonderful stocky cedar with many low branches growing out wildly.

The west side of the popular Flytrap Trail winds across pine savannah. You can continue walking through pine forest by weaving through trails heading south and west. At the bottom tip of the park, the paths turn to bright white sand barely peppered with pine needles, and turkey oaks easily dominate the understory. This entire expanse is longleaf pine forest. I found mature trees, young trees, and grassy upstarts along the way. I haven’t come across any particularly large longleaf pines, but it’s a very big deal to be able to walk through this strip of precious native forest.

Turning left at the Sugarloaf trailhead behind the marina leads through a beautiful mixed pine and hardwood forest. I quickly spot loblolly pine, magnolia, ironwood, black cherry, and sweet gum. This is also the area where I was first mesmerized by the “skeleton trees.” You can hardly see them anymore, but they were big dead trees out in the marsh that I’ve watched crumble away over the years. Heading right at the Sugarloaf trailhead moves through oaks and pines before quickly coming to the beach where you’ll find a giant driftwood log. If you look up along the way, you’ll spot cross vine growing on the pine trees.

Finally, I must note the cypress trees growing in the aptly named Cypress Pond.

These are young trees, but it’s nice to see cypress rounding out the variety of native trees represented in the park.

Next, the wildlife.

Every time I visit Carolina Beach State Park I encounter wildlife. The first time there was a swarm of blackbirds. The next time, I watched a loon crouched down in (continued on page 28) Cape Fear’s Going Green

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fire in the ecosystem

Using Controlled Burns to Manage Forests

by Michelle Ly The longleaf pine holds a special place in North Carolina. The state’s toast hails the “land of the longleaf pine.” Longleaf pine once blanketed 90 million acres of coastal plain and sandhills from Virginia to Texas. Today about 3% of remains of its original range, including thousands of acres in and around Wilmington.

Just like a rainforest needs rain, our longleaf pine forests need fire. Without fire, longleaf pine forests won’t survive and thrive.

And, neither will all the plants and animals that live in the forest.

Longleaf pine forests are some of the most biodiverse in the world—a host of plants and animals make their homes there, including many endangered and rare species such as red-cockaded woodpeckers and Venus flytraps.

Fire has historically been used as a tool to manage southern forests and was a part of the natural ecosystem before Europeans arrived. Rather than living with fire and benefiting from the abundance of plants and animals that were a part of the landscape, (continued)

Carolina Beach State Park (continued) the beach grasses earlier in the day and then I was treated to two great horned owls right above my head at sunset. Subsequently, I’ve watched deer somehow not get stuck in the muck while passing through the swamp. How their slim legs and feet don’t sink seems impossible, yet there they are gracefully walking along. I’ve witnessed a snake swimming around in the water just below the flytrap viewing platform, right after a group of people left (would they have been afraid?). I’ve also seen a black racer whip across the trail into the woods. Nuthatches walk down tree trunks and peck at the bark. Egrets float by overhead. A red-headed woodpecker flies over to another treetop. Swallowtail butterflies zoom past. Dragonflies zigzag through the air. Tiny skinks disappear under leaves.

Lastly, native plants.

Everyone comes to Carolina Beach State Park to see the venus flytraps. I’m constantly surprised by how many people have never seen one before. They don’t know where to look or what they’re looking for. They are not expecting the plants to be so small.

This is so universal that I can’t help feeling sadness at how poorly educated we are about life in our world. People are thinking about media – they are thinking Little Shop of Horrors. They can’t imagine something carnivorous being so small (yet the biggest

photo by Sue Cag

Sundews of Carolina Beach State Park.

threat to humans is microscopic bacteria). I could probably stand on the viewing platform all day pointing out the little flytraps to visitors. They are hard to see, often hiding among grasses and other plants. You have to crouch down and look closely. A few times I didn’t see them and assumed they had been poached. I would guess that park staff might plant flytraps near the platform (they should) and that there are many more camouflaged nearby.

I would never go walking through the sensitive pocosin looking for more and hopefully no one else will either. If you really want a closer look, head up to the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden in Wilmington. Also, while you’re on the platform, do not miss the tiny sundews. They are little red plants with glistening dew drops that sparkle in the sun. And the obvious yellow pitcher plants of course.

Other important plants include the prolific doghobble and staggerbush that cover a lot of ground near the tunnel of short live oaks along the Swamp Trail. If you look closely among the longleaf pines, you might spot the small white flowers of tread softly or partridge berry. There are many more native plants to see if you keep a slow pace and keen eye. Whatever it is you’re looking for, you’ll find it here.

Sue Cag is a musician in the band Folkstar, avid traveler, writer, artist, and tree hugger.

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fire in the ecosystem Controlled Burns (continued) Europeans cut down the trees. They built communities where forest once stood, and they feared the effect that fire would have on them rather than understanding its importance. With agricultural, naval and logging industries growing, longleaf pine forests declined.

Today, there are many agencies working together in longleaf pine restoration.

The Nature Conservancy and its conservation partners burn thousands of acres of longleaf forest every year. Controlled burning is also known as prescribed fire.

Each fire has a prescription—a plan that details the number of acres to be burned and the ecological goal. These plans are highly detailed—taking into account topography, weather, and particular species. Burn bosses create these plans— dividing forest into units that can be safely burned in a short period of time. Crews are well-trained and must pass tough requirements, getting tested along the way to earn and keep their credentials. The burn boss, who leads the burn, has many years of experience. The crews must also be

photo by Margaret Fields

Drone photo of a controlled burn.

photo by Angie Carl

Fire across longleaf forest in the Gween Swamp.

Fall 2020

physically fit; every year they must pass a pack test—walking three miles in 45 minutes while carrying a 45-pound pack. The decision to burn is last-minute and weatherdependent. If the weather isn’t right, then a burn is a no-go.

In the past, most burns were done in the winter. Today burns are also extending into the growing season. The idea is to get as much fire on the ground as possible. And one burn isn’t enough.

Managing longleaf fire with controlled burning is a constant process—fire is returned to the forest in regular intervals stretching from three to five years. That takes commitment both in terms of time and money. Government agencies and non-government agencies like The Nature Conservancy devote a lot of resources to controlled burning in longleaf forests. Today that commitment is paying off for southeastern North Carolina.

Longleaf trees and all the critters

and plants that live there are thriving. This is good for the area’s economy because people love to visit a beautiful forest. Only a few weeks after a burn, you can see vegetation growing back, it’s incredible. It is also good for the safety of nearby human communities; regular burning removes fuel that could drive out-of-control wildfire.

If you would like to learn more about the role of controlled burning in longleaf pine forests, tune into this year’s virtual Fire in the Pines Festival! Each year Fire in the Pines Festival is held in Wilmington, NC to promote the positive benefits fire has in our longleaf pine forests. The virtual festival will be launching October 5-10. It will be available through Facebook and the Fire in the Pines website: fireinthepines. org.

Michelle Ly is a North Carolina native growing up in Waynesville, North Carolina and attending UNCW for her B.S. in Biology. After many travels, she’s returned to Wilmington to continue her love for conservation work. She loves staying active, dancing to music and planning her next adventure!

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your ecological house™

How To Be Unprepared “Welcome to the apocalypse: climate change + no planning + human incompetence = disaster.”

— Comment on a New York Times article about one of California’s recent power outages Usually, a short-term power outage is a mere inconvenience. But when an outage lasts several days, and affects millions of people and entire towns, the inconvenience becomes a serious disruption and possibly a disaster.

I got a first-hand report on that exact scenario from my stepson who manages an upscale grocery store near Santa Rosa, California, an hour north of San Francisco.

Beginning on October 9, California’s Pacific Gas and Electric company (PG&E) abruptly and intentionally turned off the power in much of the northern half of the state, leaving 800,000 homes and businesses in the dark. Depending on the area served, the blackout lasted between two days and a week.

Before I talked to my stepson, I’d given little thought as to how a power outage might affect a grocery store. When one store in his small chain of four lost its power, and thus all of its business for a couple of days, it also lost thousands of dollars’ worth of ice cream. It spent thousands and thousands more rescuing most of the rest of its frozen and refrigerated foods. Emergency measures included calling in off-duty workers and employees from other stores to load hastily-rented refrigerated tractor-trailer trucks. The trucks, of course, were kept running until the outage was over, then had to be unloaded as hundreds of empty shelves and bins were restocked.

Meanwhile, much of the public’s response to the outage verged on panic.

Virtually all of the region’s grocery outlets were sold out of ice (for home refrigeration) and batteries within hours after PG&E “announced” the outage. (I put “announced” in quotes because PG&E’s website crashed as millions of people tried to access it for information via their cell phones—then the cell system itself collapsed as the towers lost power.) After the initial purchasing surge the consumers, most of whom could not work at their blacked-out jobs, stayed home because their kids were home from blacked-out schools and it was unsafe to drive with most traffic lights out.

My stepson estimated that the blackouts, which lasted two or three days where he lived, cost his small grocery chain up to $250,000 in lost sales and increased operating costs. None of the losses were

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covered by insurance, because PG&E’s preemptive blackouts were not a “natural disaster.” My stepson lamented the blackouts’ effects on smaller businesses.

What did the blackouts preempt?

During the two previous falls, massive wildfires—including the Tubbs Fire (2017), which destroyed large swaths of California’s wine country and inflicted its greatest damage in the city of Santa Rosa, and the infamous Camp Fire (2018), which obliterated the town of Paradise—were found to have been sparked by longneglected, poorly maintained PG&E power lines. Resulting litigation forced the private utility into bankruptcy with at least $30 billion in liabilities.

So when early October’s weather reports indicated that high-wind conditions similar to those that ruptured PG&E transmission lines in previous dry autumns might develop, the company shut off much of Northern California’s power.

Company spokespersons claimed that the blackout was designed to prevent another fire. But many Californians believe that PG&E, which last year paid $11 million in bonuses to its executives while it continued to defer line maintenance, was simply trying to avoid further liability. (The bankruptcy was also “preemptive” in the sense that there were at least another $25 billion in outstanding claims being litigated.)

Whatever the case, dangerous wildfire conditions have become the new normal in California, and it’s now clear that dangerous preemptive blackouts are not a viable solution. Next, we’ll explore some ideas for adapting to climate change at our ecological house. © Philip S. Wenz, 2019 Philip S. (Skip) Wenz is the author of the E-book Your Ecological House, available at all major electronic book distributors.

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Write for our contributor guidelines. editor@ goinggreenpublications.com.

local food

Shopping for Food Safely in COVID Times

by Valerie Robertson For many of us, the pandemic has changed how we buy food. Our goals include not only getting safe, clean food but making sure nothing in the process of purchasing that food or bringing it into our homes, does anything to risk our families. We find ourselves wearing masks, diligently hand cleaning, and even wiping down food on the porch before bringing into the home..

I do shop some at larger stores; when I can, however, I like shopping at smaller

shops with less foot traffic inside or even driving to area farm stands to buy directly from the person who grew the lettuce.

Tidal Creek Co-op won my vote when they installed a real soap-and-water sink outside their door, so we can really wash our hands properly before entering.

sistance programs in New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick Counties. I recommend their website: https://www.capefearfoodcouncil.com.

Local farmers markets are doing a great job of keeping everyone as safe as possible. The Wilmington Farmers Market “at Tidal Creek” (it will move back to Tidal Creek once area constructions is finished) has been very creative. Initially setting up a drive-up market, in the parking lot of Wrightsville Beach Brewing Company, so you could drive past and buy out of your car. For now, they’ve moved to the parking lot of Sea Gate Baptist Church.

Feast Down East is resuming its CSA box program (you can buy just one week if you like). www.feastdowneast.org.

The Cape Fear Food Council is working to increase public awareness of food as-

photo by Valerie Robertson

The WIlmington Farmers Market signage details the requirements for keeping fellow shoppers safe.

Matt inspects legal crop under Industrial Hemp Pilot Program in North Carolina, 2018.

• • • •

Improve water quality Increase tree canopy Support urban agriculture Expand citizen awareness of financial incentives for stewardship projects

Paid for by Matt Collogan for Soil & Water Fall 2020

Cape Fear’s Going Green

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local seasonal food

Summer Recipes Summer Vegetable Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust Servings: 2 (10" pizza) Ingredients Crust • 1 cup mashed sweet potato (1 medium or 2 small sweet potatoes) • 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano sea salt • 1/2 tsp. sea salt • 1 tsp. baking powder • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar • 1/2 Tbsp. avocado oil + 1/2 Tbsp. avocado oil to coat pan

Toppings • 2 small green peppers, sliced – Humble Roots Farm, Wilmington, NC • 1 small red onion, sliced – Humble Roots Farm • 1 medium eggplant, sliced rounds – Black River Organic Farm – Ivanhoe, NC • 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half – Black River Organic Farm • 1 Tbsp. avocado oil • Sea salt and black pepper • Basil microgreens for garnish – Terra Vita Farm, Castle Hayne, NC

Pesto • 1 ½ cup fresh basil • 1/4 cup toasted almonds • 1 garlic clove • 1 tsp. salt • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation Chop sweet potatoes into chunks and boil in a pot with water for about 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain all the water and let cool. With a fork mash the sweet potato until smooth.

Measure out 1 cup mashed sweet potato.

Welcome to Going Green’s recipe page, where we bring you new ideas for how to enjoy local and seasonal foods.

For the purpose of this page, “local” will include North and South Carolina.

Original recipes and photos courtesy of Casey Nelson. She is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach specializing in plant-powered women’s health.

Connect at casey@caseynelson.com.

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Instructions for Crust Process the mashed sweet potato, flour, baking powder, apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. sea salt and 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil in a food processor until a smooth and sticky dough texture.

Preheat the oven to 400oF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Coat the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil.

Transfer the dough into the skillet and spread it out in an even layer up all the way up the sides of the pan.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until firm.

Instructions for Topping In a bowl combine all vegetables with 1 Tbsp. oil and a pinch of salt. Spread out 8 eggplant

rounds on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes. Flip the eggplant and add the rest of the vegetables except the tomatoes in a single layer. Continue roasting for another 8 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven.

Arrange the vegetables, including the tomatoes, on the crust. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the crust edges are slightly browned.

Instructions for Pesto In a food processor or blender, combine the basil, toasted almonds, garlic, oil and salt until it becomes a paste.

Remove the skillet from the oven and let cool a bit. Top with pesto and basil microgreens. Slice and serve.

local seasonal food

Summer Recipes Garden Fresh Stuffed Tomatoes Servings: 4 Ingredients

• 4 heirloom tomatoes, medium to large – Farmage, Castle Hayne, NC • 1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (canned, or cooked and cooled) • 2 small poblano peppers, chopped – Red Beard Farms, Willard, NC • 1 bell pepper, chopped – Humble Roots Farm, Wilmington, NC • 1 small red pepper, chopped • 1 cup cucumber, chopped • 1 small red onion, diced– Humble Roots Farm, Wilmington, NC • 1 long leaf of kale, chopped • 1/2 cup parsley; leave a little for garnish – Shelton Herb Farm, Leland, NC • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1 cup pine nuts, soaked 1 hour

• 1 small lemon, freshly squeezed • 1 Tbsp. olive oil – divided • 1 tsp. salt – divided

Preparation Soak pine nuts for an hour and strain.

Instructions Mix together soaked pine nuts, lemon, garlic, 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and 1/3 tsp. salt in food processor. Add a little water for a smoother texture.

Using a small sharp knife, cut the tops off the tomatoes and remove the insides with a spoon. Drain the tomatoes and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste.

In a mixing bowl mix together with a spoon the garbanzo beans, poblano pepper, bell pep-

per, small red pepper, cucumber, red onion, kale, parsley, and 1/2 Tbsp. oil. Salt to taste.

Stuff each tomato by alternating a large spoonful of the vegetable/garbanzo bean mixture and small spoonful of the pine nut filling until you almost reach the top of the tomato.

Combine a little of both fillings at the top for a nice presentation.

Garnish with parsley.

Peaches and Cream Raw Pie Servings: 6 Ingredients Crust • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts • 1/2 cup almonds • 1 cup medjool date, pitted • 1/4 cup shredded dried coconut, unsweetened • 1 Tbsp. coconut oil • 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Filling • 2 cans full fat coconut milk with no guar, refrigerated over night • 1/4 cup maple syrup • 1 tsp. vanilla extract • 1 lemon, fresh squeezed (or juiced)

Topping • 3 fresh ripe peaches, thinly sliced – Phillips Farm, Wadesboro, NC • Mint leaves for garnish – Shelton Herb Farm, Leland, NC

Preparation Refrigerate 2 cans of coconut milk for 8 hours or overnight.

Chill a stainless steel mixing bowl for 1 hour before preparing the recipe.

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Instructions In a food processor, first process the nuts until roughly chopped. Then add the dates, coconut, coconut oil and sea salt. Continue to process until the consistency is sticky but not too fine.

Transfer the mixture into the middle of a pie dish. Press down with fingers spreading the crust from the center of the dish all the way up to the sides making sure to create an even thickness. Place in the freezer to harden while preparing the filling.

Place each peach on a cutting board. With a sharp knife cut it into four sections, rotating the peach so that you are cutting around the pit. Lay each section flesh down on the cutting board and cut each section into thin slices.

Evenly place peach slices of the same size around the outer and inner parts of the pie filling to create a visually appealing design.

Garnish with mint.

Serve right away or place in fridge.

Remove cans of coconut milk from fridge without shaking them and open.

With a cold spoon, scrape only the coconut cream out of the top of the can, leaving the liquid behind.

Place the cream in the chilled mixing bowl. With either a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk until it begins to thicken adding in the syrup, vanilla and lemon juice.

Remove the pie crust from the freezer and pour the filling evenly into the crust and place in the fridge for an hour or more.

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local seasonal food

Winter Recipes Holiday Festive Filled Sweet Potato with Kale, Walnuts, and Pomegranate ~ Servings: 4

garlic and sauté for a minute or until fragrant.

Add the walnuts, beans, kale and arugula cook for 3–4 minutes or until greens are slightly wilted. Place in a medium-sized bowl and toss with pomegranate seeds.

In a mixing bowl add tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and cumin. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each

addition. After about 6 tablespoons, it should be smooth creamy tahini sauce.

When the sweet potatoes are cool, make a slit in the top. With a fork, open the split and lightly fluff the insides to make space for the toppings. Pile the walnuts, beans and greens mixture on top and drizzle with tahini lemon sauce.

Butternut Squash Ingredients • 4 medium sweet potatoes – Red Beard Farms (Castle Hayne, NC) • 1 cup kale – Red Beard Farms • 3/4 cup arugula – Humble Roots Farm (Wilmington, NC) • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts • 1 cup Great Northern beans • 1 tsp. ume plum vinegar • Seeds from 1 pomegranate • 1 tsp. avocado oil • 1/2 cup tahini • Juice from 1 large lemon • 2 garlic clove, minced • 1/2 tsp. sea salt • Pinch of ground cumin • 6 Tbsp. water

Instructions Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 400oF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Prick the outsides 5 to 7 times with a fork. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 45–60 minutes until tender. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool to handle.

While the sweet potatoes are baking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add avocado oil. Once hot, add a clove of chopped

Welcome to Going Green’s recipe page, where we bring you new ideas for how to enjoy local and seasonal foods.

For the purpose of this page, “local” will include North and South Carolina.

Original recipes and photos courtesy of Casey Nelson. She is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach specializing in plant-powered women’s health.

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Servings: 4 Ingredients

• 2 medium butternut squash • 3/4 cup quinoa • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth • 4 cups Brussels sprouts, quartered • 2 tsp. avocado oil • 2 cloves minced garlic • 2 Tbsp. fresh sage • 1 tsp. sea salt • 1 tsp. black pepper • 1 tsp. ume plum vinegar • 15 oz. can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained • 2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice + zest • 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425oF. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise with a sturdy knife, scoop out the seeds, then arrange the halves on a baking tray, cut sides up. Drizzle 1 teaspoon avocado oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 45–55 minutes until evenly tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375oF.

While the squash is baking, pour broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add quinoa and return to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 12 minutes until broth is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit with cover for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon avocado oil over medium heat. Saute quartered Brussels sprouts about 4 minutes then reduce the heat to medium low. Add the garlic, sage, ume plum vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Cook 30 additional seconds then stir in chickpeas, cooked quinoa, and cranberries.

When the squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh leaving a ¾ inch border and bottom. Save the additional flesh for another dish. Stuff the quinoa and Brussels sprout filling into the squash halves and drizzle the orange juice on top and then place the squash back in the oven. Bake at 375oF for another 10 until hot. Add grated orange zest.

local seasonal food

Winter Recipes Shiitake Mushroom Dressing Servings: 8 Ingredients

• 1 loaf vegan/gluten-free bread – Little Northern Bakehouse • 4 cups shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced – Terra Vita Farm (Wilmington, NC) • 3 Tbsp. vegan butter – Miyokos • 1 medium onion, diced • 3 stalks celery, diced • 1 cup chopped walnuts • 1 cup sliced almonds • 1 tsp. coconut aminos • 1/2 cup veggie broth • 1 ½ Tbsp. chopped fresh sage – Shelton Herb Farm (Leland, NC) • 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary – Shelton Herb Farm • 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme – Shelton Herb Farm • 1 tsp. avocado oil • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1/2 tsp. black pepper • 2 rosemary sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Cut the loaf of bread into small cubes.

Spread evenly onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle evenly 1 tsp. avocado oil on bread cubes and sprinkle ½ Tbsp. each of sage, rosemary and thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until dry and slightly toasted, stirring midway. Remove from oven. Once cool, transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet on the stove top, add onion and celery and saute for 7–8 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add the shiitaki mushrooms and 1 Tbsp. each of the rosemary, sage and thyme. Add coconut aminos, pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for about 8 minutes, until softened and fragrant.

Lightly grease an 8"x 11" casserole dish and set aside and preheat oven to 350oF.

Combine mixture from skillet including the melted butter, and the almonds and walnuts

Homemade Maple Pecan Pie

Filling Ingredients

Servings: 8 Crust Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup super-fine almond flour – Bob’s Red Mill • 1/2 cup finely ground tapioca flour (tapioca starch) – Bob’s Red Mill • 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract • 1/8 tsp. salt • 2 Tbsp. flaxmeal + 5 Tbsp. water = 2 flax eggs

• 2 1/2 cups whole pecans – Indian Springs Pecans (Goldsboro, NC) • 3/4 cup coconut sugar • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch • 3/4 cup unsweetened organic full-fat coconut milk – Native Forest Simple • 1/2 cup maple syrup • 2 Tbsp. vegan butter – Miyokos • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract • 1/8 tsp. sea salt

Instructions In a small bowl, prepare the flax egg as follows: Whisk together 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds and 5 Tbsp. water until well combined. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to thicken.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the almond flour, tapioca flour and salt together. Add maple syrup, vanilla extract and flax egg and mix first with a spatula and then with hands until it forms a ball of dough. If dough is too sticky, add 1 Tbsp. of almond flour at a time until desired consistency.

Lightly grease 9" pie dish. Preheat oven to 375oF.

Fall 2020

to the bowl of cubed bread. Mix thoroughly.

Add vegetable stock a little at a time and mix together, making sure the entire mixture gets moistened but not soggy.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.

Uncover the dressing and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Garnish with rosemary sprigs and serve.

Between 2 sheets of parchment paper roll the ball of dough out until it is the same width of the base of the pie dish. Remove the top of the parchment paper and invert the pie dish on top of the dough. Carefully flip the pie dish with the dough on top then peel off the other sheet of parchment paper. Firmly press dough into the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and place dish in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Cover with foil and bake for 12 minutes until the bottom looks dry. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and cornstarch until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pecans and toast in the pan for about 30 seconds while stirring. Pour in the maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut milk mixture, vanilla and salt.

Whisk until smooth. Cool the mixture slightly, about 5 minutes.

Remove pie crust from the oven pour the filling into the crust and bake about another 25 minutes until set. Place tin foil over the pie edges if they are cooking too fast. Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing and serving (preferably overnight).

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stormwater 101

New Hanover County Creates a Stormwater Utility

by Sue Hayes At its December 16, 2019 meeting the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners approved a new Stormwater Services program for the unincorporated areas of the county. This includes the areas outside of the City of Wilmington city limits with the exception of the beach communities. The utility will be administered by the New Hanover County Engineering Department.

Originally the new stormwater utility was to have gone into effect on July 1, 2020, with a stormwater fee being collected through the County’s tax bills, mailed in August. However, at its May 2020 meeting the Board of Commissioners modified the program and decided to delay the fee to property owners for one year due to the COVID-19 financial impacts.

Current City and County Requirements The City of Wilmington currently has a stormwater utility which maintains the ditches, pipes, and creeks within the city limits. It also has multiple constructed wetlands for treatment of some of the stormwater. This treatment helps filter the water and prevents many of the pollutants picked up by stormwater from proceeding

New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District The New Hanover Soil & Water Conservation District is a local unit of Government governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Its mission is to protect and enhance water quality throughout New Hanover County through land conservation, stormwater management, technical support to citizens and organizations, and conservation education and outreach activities.

To achieve this mission, NHSWCD has contract relationships with New Hanover County, the City of Wilmington, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Division of Soil and Water Conservation, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Learn more at https://soilwater.nhcgov.com or contact Dru Harrison, Director, NHSWCD at drharrison@nhc.gov.com.

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into the creeks and then into the Cape Fear River or the ocean.

The city also is active in citizen education programs and utilizes the Heal Our Waterways program to enable interested citizens to install Best Management Practices (BMPs) on their property. Some of these practices include rain gardens, swales and cisterns This program is financed by a stormwater fee, which is included in water bills.

The City of Wilmington, as well as the beach communities of Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, are required to obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. These permits are required by the Clean Water Act which prohibits any body from discharging “pollutants” through a “point source”* into a “water of the United States” unless they have an NPDES permit.

Stormwater, which is a “non-point source,” does not by itself require a NPDES permit.

Currently New Hanover homeowners, as well as neighboring Brunswick and Pender County homeowners, are responsible for maintaining the ditches that are on their property. Proper maintenance is important to accommodate the flow of stormwater and to prevent flooding, particularly in large events such as last years Hurricane Florence, but also in smaller rain events. When properly maintained these ditches allow the flow of stormwater toward coastal creeks, and eventually the Cape Fear River and the ocean.

Proposal The New Hanover County stormwater utility will allow the county to maintain the ditches and manage the flow of stormwater. It will be financed by a stormwater fee, similar to that charged residents of the city of Wilmington. This will be a part of the New Hanover County budget and * Point-source pollution is from a single identifable source of pollution, such as a pipe or ditch.

Non-point source pollution can come from many sources. Stormwater runoff, for example, can pick up fertilizer, pet waste and petroleum products as it travels downhill to a waterway.

Stormwater Flooding When human-made or natural debris is allowed to accumulate, it can create a dam in a channel or fill needed storage areas. Although a properly maintained channel can carry runoff from most small storms, a blocked or dammed channel can cause more frequent overbank flooding, unexpected erosion, and sedimentation.

Similarly, a lack of maintenance can result in detention or retention basins being filled with sediment or debris. If these basins are already full of sediment or debris, they cannot store water and flooding can result because the drainage system cannot do its job.

Things that you can do: Check your downspout—drain away from the house.

Protect our natural resources and protect yourself from flooding due to drain blockage by cleaning out ditches and culverts around your home. Keeping ditches clean is a year-round activity, but especially after a storm.

Remember only rain goes down the drain.

Report culvert blockage or drainage issue for NCDOT roads.

—source: Pender County Website www.pendercountync.gov/pcd/ drainage-system-maintenance/

go into effect with the FY 21/22 Budget on July 1, 2021. It will be collected through the county’s tax bills, and will apply only to the unincorporated areas of the county.

A series of public meetings was held in July, 2019 to gather input from landowners and developers regarding their concerns around this issue. Members of the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation Board attended these public meetings and expressed concern that, while supportive of the stormwater utility proposal, they would like to see the issue of water quality addressed as well as water quantity.

Bill Hart, Chair of the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District has stated: “If a countywide stormwater management program, as proposed, is to prevent further deterioration of the already impaired water bodies, and perhaps bring improvement, it should include both physical and biologi(continued on page 37)

stormwater 101 Stormwater Utility (continued) cal conveyance and treatment of stormwater, promoting use of the Low Impact Development Ordinance, paying greater attention to the beds of the creeks feeding the estuaries, and enacting ordinances and institutions that encourage skilled urban forest management.”

More information can be found on the New Hanover County website:

Neighboring Counties Brunswick County’s Stormwater Ordinance requires individual property owners to maintain all streams, creeks, ditches, swales, pipes, culverts, etc. that are on the private property. The county does not provide maintenance of drainage ways.

(Article VI, Division III, Section 3.4) —source: Brunswick County Website www. brunswickcountync.gov/engineering/ stormwater/ Pender County follows the North Carolina General Statute, which reads, in part: North Carolina General Statute – No polluting, obstructing waterways.If any person, firm, or corporation shall fell any tree, or put any obstruction, except for the purposes of utilizing water as a motive power, in any branch, creek, stream, or other natural passage for water, whereby the natural flow of water through such passage is lessened or retarded, or whereby the navigation of such stream may be impeded, delayed, or prevented, the person, firm, or corporation so offending shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

—source: Pender County Website www.pendercountync.gov/pcd/ drainage-system-maintenance/

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https://engineering.nhcgov.com/services/ stormwater/stormwater-utility-information or by contacting the New Hanover Engineering Department: Jim Iannucci, County Engineer at jiannucci@nhcgov. com, (910) 798-7142 or Phil Bevilacqua at pbevilacqua@nhcgov.com, (910) 798-7072.

You can also contact the New Hanover County Commissioners to express an opinion on the structure or functions of the stormwater utility.

Sue Hayes is Vice Chair of the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District.

Hurricane Debris New Hanover County Stormwater Services is currently working to remove debris and sedimentation from streams and waterways in the unincorporated areas of the county. This work is part of the Hurricane Florence cleanup and is funded by a 4.4 million dollar grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a branch of the US Department of Agriculture and the Division of Soil and Water, a branch of the NC Department of Agriculture.

“Hurricane Florence caused significant amount of trees and debris to fall into the county’s streams and creeks, preventing the water from flowing adequately and creating potentially hazardous flooding conditions when we have large rainfall events,” said Soil and Water Conservation District Director Dru Harrison.

Cape Fear’s Going Green

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transportation

Public Transportation—Protecting the Environment One Ride at a Time

by Vanessa Lacer

Our small daily choices matter, and collectively can have a large impact on the environment. Through our choice to skip the straw, we can save sea turtles. By purchasing recycled paper products, we participate in forest conservation. And, when we choose to travel by public transportation, we can prevent air pollution and reduce global carbon emissions.

But, how much impact can one person really make on the environment by choosing public transportation? As it turns out, the impact is significant. In many communities, the personal automobile is the single greatest environmental polluter and collectively, vehicle emissions are the largest source of carbon emissions in the United States today (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions). Choosing to take vehicles off the road by using public transportation instead of a personal vehicle, even occasionally, makes a big difference.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that for a U.S. household of one, with a personal vehicle, the national annual transportation carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities) adds up to 10,484

pounds, on average. For households with no vehicle, the average annual transportation carbon footprint equals 0 pounds.

Much can also be done at the community level to encourage greener transportation choices and reduce carbon emissions. In fact, it seems if offered the choice, communities rise to the challenge of environmental protection. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions reports that: “communities with strong public transportation can reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons yearly.” Public transportation service can allow communities to reduce the number of cars on the road, reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, community public transportation providers can amplify their already green service through choices that further reduce carbon emissions, such as the use of low-emissions vehicles.

Our local public transportation provider, Wave Transit, which serves Wilmington and New Hanover County with 1.3 million annual trips, is actively engaged in environmental sustainability efforts, and since creation in 2004 has included in its mission “… the conservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment.”

Wave Transit’s current, “Breathe Easy” initiative includes low emissions vehicles, sustainably built facilities, and other actions to minimize the carbon footprint of its operations such as geothermal heating and air conditioning.

photo contributed by Wave Transit

New businesses using compressed natural gas (CNG) are a cleaner alternative. Wave’s CNG buses produce 93% fewer harmful emissions than dieselpowered vehicles.

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Wave Transit’s ongoing transition from diesel powered vehicles to low-emissions compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles is already on track to produce

photo contributed by Wave Transit

Choosing to use public transportation, even occasionally, greatly reduces one’s personal carbon footprint.

Stay Safe and Stay Informed...

Like many other sectors, transportation has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Wave Transit has seen about a 50% reduction in ridership to-date, we remain committed to providing transportation services for our community and have undertaken safety measures to minimize risk and help protect both customers and employees. For service updates, to learn about our prevention efforts, and how stay safe while traveling on transit please visit: www.wavetransit.com.

significant environmental benefits. To-date about 40% of the fleet has been replaced with CNG vehicles, with an end goal of full transition to CNG. Exhaust emissions from CNG vehicles are 93% lower than the current EPA nitrous oxide limit of 0.2 g/ bhp-hr. Lower levels of emissions improve air quality for area residents and reduce Wave Transit’s carbon footprint.

Wave Transit can also boast environmental protection through its three sustainably built facilities: Forden Station (main transfer hub), an Operations and

Learn More...

Want to learn more about Wave Transit’s Breathe Easy initiative or get information about choosing public transportation for your travel needs? Visit www.wavetransit. com, email wavetransit@wavetransit.com, or call (910) 202-2045.

transportation Public Transportation (continued) Maintenance Center, and Padgett Station (downtown transfer hub). Forden Station was completed in 2011 and was built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) gold standard.

Engineers estimate that Forden Station is 45%– 50% more energy efficient than a traditionally built structure. The Operations and Maintenance facility was completed in 2015 to meet LEED silver standards. Both Forden Station and the Operations and Maintenance Center also feature geothermal heating and air conditioning. The third facility, Padgett Station, was completed on January 18, 2020, and meets LEED silver standards. Padgett Station was created through the adaptive reuse of a historic building. Adaptive reuse is a sustainable building practice that requires fewer building materials, and reduces construction waste.

Through our everyday choices we can play a role in environmental conservation or in worsening pollution. Choosing to ride or support public transportation is an easy way to make a real impact on the environment. Leaders, individuals,

Fall 2020

photo contributed by Wave Transit

Forden Station is 45% – 50% more energy efficient than a traditionally built structure.

and communities that choose public transportation are participating in an environmental protection action that can improve air quality and reduce

carbon emissions on a global scale…one ride at a time.

Vanessa Lacer is Mobility Manager for Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority–Wave Transit.

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green business Advertising in Going Green is an easy way to tell the community what your business has to offer.

Call (910)547-4390 for rates.

Chelsea Thornhill

Duke Certified Integrative Health Coach

Supporting you on your journey to health and vitality!

Complimentary 20 minute phone consultations.

Call 910.471.8946 or Email chelsea.thornhill@gmail.com for more information

New Mobile Market Manager for Feast Down East Clarisse Owens, Mobile Market Manager, is a native Michigander who loves all things food. While studying Environmental and Organizational Studies at the University of Michigan, she spent her free time tutoring high school and middle school students in southeast Michigan communities.

Before joining the Feast Down East team as the Mobile Market Manager, she was growing fruits and vegetables at an organic farm in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, and had previously worked on a biodynamic farm learning how to produce food in a sustainable and resource conscious way.

New to the area, she looks forward to exploring more of the natural beauty and energy around food systems that southeastern North Carolina has to offer. She’s open to any suggestions on good places to grab a coffee, read a book, or go for a run. To learn about Feast Downeast and its Mobile Market, visit www.feastdowneast.org.

New Published Author UNCW graduate Same Athey reports that her first author paper has been accepted for publication. Her manuscript entitled “Trophic Transfer of Microplastics in an Estuarine Food Chain and the Effects of a Sorbed Legacy Pollutant” has been accepted for publication in Limnology and Oceanography Letters.

Clean Energy Task Force Wilmington’s Mayor Saffo has created a Clean Energy Task Force to advise the Mayor and Council, conduct research, study best practices within North Carolina cities, counties, and nationally and make recommendations on matters related:

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Over 40 Years iN the WelCOmiNg BusiNess!

Put your business in front of newcomers and new businesses!

Welcome Service LLC personally welcomes newcomers and new businesses to New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender Counties.

Call Nancy Wilcox at 910-470-0286 nkwilcox58@gmail.com www.welcomeservicesllc.com 40

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• to adopt a clean energy policy, including a target for 2050; • to reduce the city’s reliance and use of fossil fuels in fleet and building operations; • to promote renewable energy and reduce harmful energy-related environmental impacts; • to create a socially equitable strategy that benefits all residents, especially low income; and • to provide strategies on how to engage Wilmington residents in support of a clean energy policy.

Learn more about the Clean Energy Task Force and how you can give input for policy adoption consideration, at https://www.wilmingtonnc.gov/departments/public-services/sustainability/ clean-energy-task-force or by contacting Dave Ingram, Wilmington Sustainability Manager, at david.ingram@wilmingtonnc. gov or (910)341-1602.

green business

CFSA’s SAC Registration Opens The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association has announced that registration for the 35th Sustainable Agriculture Conference (SAC) is open. Early bird pricing will run until mid-October. The conference will be November 4–8, 2020, as a four-day webinar.

They promise: 50 live-streamed workshops; featured speakers.

Learning for farmers, researchers, extension agents, homesteaders, gardeners, food policymakers, market managers, and more.

Interactive networking opportunities in themed breakout rooms and connecting in 1-on-1 or group chats with fellow attendees.

Attendees will be able to see product demos, a virtual exhibit hall, and ask-the-expert during session breaks.

Morning yoga, happy hours, and a virtual animal meet-andgreet for your littlest farmers.

PLUS: Attendees will have full access to the library of presentation recordings for a year! You no longer have to choose which session to attend. Attend as many workshops as you want and re-listen to your favorites.

Learn more at www.carolinafarmstewards.org or call (919)542-2402.

‘BeFriend a Tree’ Sale

Make a Difference! Plant a Tree!

More than 15 species available!

Support the Friends of the New Hanover County Arboretum Order online at friends-nhcarboretum.org

from September 20 – October 20, 2020

Fall 2020

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green news walls North Yam Festival Goes Green WallCarolina – continued Virtual October 17–24, 2020 Normally held in Tabor City each fall, the North Carolina Yam Festival will look a bit different this year. The festival is going virtual in 2020 to celebrate its 35th year with a full schedule of yam-themed celebrations during the month of October. This year’s festivities will include a virtual talent show, cooking contest, art show and poetry competition as well as nightly entertainment for viewers to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes.

The festival will also feature a storefront decorating contest with participating businesses in Tabor City.

For more information and festival updates, visit ncyamfestival. com or facebook.com/ncyamfestivalpageant or call (910)377-3248.

Bee Hotel Giveaway

Native Plant Society Seeks Co-Chair OurOne local of the NCbeNative Plant Society is looking space. ofchapter the tenants will the Wilmington-based software for a new co-chair, Michael is leaving Wilmington company Untappd,ascreator of Abicht the popular beerthe app. area. The mission of the North Carolina Native Plant Society is It’s Mott’s hope that, through the success of this green wall, to promote the enjoyment and conservation of North Carolina’s they will grow in popularity in our area. And that way, more native plants and their habitats through education, protection, building occupants will enjoy the health and aesthetic benefits of propagation, and advocacy. Our local SE Coastal chapter tradisystems like these in the near future. tionally organizes field trips and nature walks, presentations, and Although Steve has to once againadditional proclaimedevents himself to be workshops, butMott is open hosting that support retired, you may be able to reach him through his website, www. the Society’s mission. Learn more about the Society’s work at mottlandscaping.com. Recent photos of past events can be www.ncwildflower.org. seen at https://www.facebook.com/North-Carolina-Native-PlantSociety-Southeast-Coast-Chapter-328201637272425/. Students are encouraged to apply. Familiarity with using social media is a bonus. For more information, contact Charley Winterbauer at charley@ncwildflower.org or (910)616-6843.

City of Wilmington Parks & Recreation is “buzzing with excitement” to announce they’ll be giving away 30photo bee by hotels toRobertson city Valerie residents on September 26, 2020.

Each plant in the wall lives in its original pot, which is placed directly in its

Science Tutorial Sessions

Questions? call 341.0075. from the City of Wilmington Tree Commission for Outstanding Function Design at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Betty Cameron Women’s and Children’s Center (a rooftop garden that can be visited by patients and their families).

He explains his passion for teaching in this way, “I learned early on that I love to learn enough about a subject to grasp the fundamental workings in a way that I could share that understanding with others.” Whether teaching sustainability concepts to 3rd grade classes, demonstrating environmental science ideas to the public, exploring pre-calculus mathematics during individual tutorial sessions, or presenting physics and biology to a home-school study group, the underlying dialog process is similar. “Meet the student where they are, and expand their world” summarizes his practice. Bruce’s areas of expertise are in pre-calculus mathematics (including algebra), sciences (with an emphasis on environmental studies, biology and chemistry), as well as permaculture, environmental stewardship and sustainphoto by Valerie Robertson ability. With more than fourlift decades experience, A scissor was usedoftoeducational allow placement of the plants.

The liftNorth only reached 22Bruce feet, sohas Mott had toof place a almost all of it in eastern Carolina, a depth ladder on top of the platform shown at the top of via this local knowledge as well. Learn more by connecting with Bruce photo, in order to reach the last several feet of wall. email: brucek28409@gmail.com.

tray.Pre-registration The plants will grow towards the light, so maintenance of the wall will is required.

Quantities are very limited. include a monthly task of removing each pot by hand, turning it 180 degrees, Sign up andit back get all the details here: http://ow.ly/UyKJ50Bn4KN. and putting in place.

pomegranate books

What was it about this project that pulled Mott out of retirement for what was obviously going to involve a lot of time and effort?

“A good little bookstore…

For one thing, the sheer complexity of the project was enticis a laboratory for our coming together.” ing. It was new and different and challenging. “I had to learn an Ross Gay awful lot. I mean I’d done this kind of work forever, but still this “I love walking into a bookstore. is a new system I haven’t used... Also just the logistics of it, you It's like all my friends are sitting on know. Building something inside here is like building a shelves, ship in a waving their bottle. It was complex enough to be interesting. ” pages at me.”

Tahereh Mafi

Even more important, though, this project was an opportunity for him to prove that such a complicated project could be very successful. And he was concerned that if a green wall were attempted but were not a success, that might be the end of using green wall technology in Wilmington. But he was confident he could make it work. “If it’s successful and it gets some of the notoriety I think it’s going to get, you’ll see a lot of them, maybe a waterways and ocean not this big. This is a major undertaking in anybody’s book.” He friendly, free business believes that the success of his green wall plastic will encourage others. roasting organic, grown Mott plans to put together information on theshade newly comand small farm coffee lots pleted green wall, enough so that people will have documenta-

ZOLA

tion on how it was created. What he’d really like is to put together a class to teach what he’s learned to people who are eager to 4418 PARK AVE learn.

910.452.1107

Who will get to visit the wall every day? As floors of the building are finished, will be rented out as office bring this ad for a the free cookiebuilding with coffee bag purchase 42 www.goinggreenpublications.com Spring 2017

As a life-long learner and educator, Bruce Kenney is excited about his expanding role as a learning “coach,” through individual and small group learning sessions.

Herbs • Vegetables Natives Butterfly & Bee Plants 340 Goodman Road, Leland

910-253-5964

Year-Round • M-Sat 8-5 web page: LocalHarvest.org www.sheltonherbfarm.com www.sheltonherbfarmnc.com A Century Farm & Bird Friendly Business Cape Fear’s Going Green

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green building

First Net Zero Home Coming to Downtown Wilmington Lazzari Construction Inc. Building Net Zero Home Powered By Solar Downtown Wilmington is changing as modern architecture integrates and residents become more conscious of their carbon footprints. Eric and Donna Lazzari are doing their part to positively impact the environment by constructing downtown

Wilmington’s first net zero home. The home located on 4th Street features 30 solar panels installed by Cape Fear Solar Systems. To avoid losing power during grid outages, the Lazzaris have also chosen to have Cape Fear Solar install 2 Tesla Powerwalls.

Eric is the president of Lazzari Construction Inc. and the general contractor overseeing downtown Wilmington’s first net zero home, as well as Cape Fear Solar Systems’ new headquarters (also coming to downtown Wilmington). Lazzari construction builds two to five custom homes each year in the Wilmington area.

These homes feature energy efficient upgrades, high-end finishes and, often, solar by Cape Fear Solar Systems. Lazzari construction homes are often referred to by clients as their dream homes.

contributed photo

Construction has started on Wilmington’s first net zero home.

“This is the first home we have built entirely for ourselves and we have put a tremendous amount of thought into the design,” Eric Lazzari explained. The home will work for the Lazzaris now and well into their retirement by design as it features amenities such as a walk-in shower and tub. Every detail was carefully planned, even the home’s orientation to accommodate maximum production for their solar panels.

Carolinas’ Green Gala Oct. 29 Registration for the Green Gala is now open!

For nine years and counting, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Carolinas’ Green Gala has brought together sustainability advocates from across the Carolinas to toast the best of the best in local green building. This annual celebration and fundraiser offers networking, a silent auction and unique experiences.

Proceeds from this event support our education, advocacy and volunteer programs.

This year’s green gala will be held October 29, 2020 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The festivities will be online and will feature the announcement of the winners of their Sustainable Business Awards.

In addition, event attendees will vote to determine who will take home the prestigious People’s Choice Award. Sponsorship opportunities are now available.

For more information, please see https://www.carolinasgreengala.com or email Jessica Wilson.

Composting News New Hanover County is pleased to announce that its composting program won the Carolina Recycling Association (CRA) award for Outstanding Performance in Recycling and Waste Reduction at its annual conference on March 19, 2019. Watch the video at the following link to learn more: https://recycling.nhcgov. com/services/food-waste-composting/ .

Fall 2020

Cape Fear’s Going Green

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outdoor events Send us your green news!

Our readers always like to read news about green projects. editor@ goinggreenpublications.com.

Greenfield Park Tree Walk As his Eagle Scout Project, 15-year-old Benjamin James created a professionalcaliber audio tour of Greenfield Park, that people can following using their smartphones.

In the park, you will find 15 unique trees that James has picked out. Each tree is marked with a sign showing: the name of the tree, the scientific name of the tree, and a QR code that you can scan with your smart phone camera. When you scan the QR code, it will take you to a website that will allow you to listen to (or read) interesting facts about each tree.

Also on the audio tour website there are individual maps to help you find each additional tree along the walk. You will find the first tree on the tour, the Bald Cypress, just behind you next to the lake. James hopes you will enjoy Charlie Daniel’s song, “Carolina, I Remember You,” as you make your way over to the first tree.

Wild

Bird &

Garden

Sat., May 22: Painted Bunting Workshop 9:15-10:30 a.m.

Native Plant Sale 2:30–4:30

Imagine the Possibilities in Your Backyard May 22: Wild Bird &Sat., Garden

Hanover Center Painted Bunting 3501 Oleander Drive Workshop Wilmington NC 28403

910-343-6001 Native Plant

9:15-10:30 a.m.

www.wildbirdgardeninc.com Sale 2:30–4:30 Wild Bird Garden

Imagine the Possibilities in Your Backyard

James dedicates this tree walk in memory of Charlie Daniels, a native of Wilmington. Daniels passed during the creation of the tree walk after volunteering to record the welcome message.

The starting point for the tour is the bulletin board adjacent to the park’s restrooms. On the bulletin board you will find our ‘Tree Walk Welcome Sign’ with some additional information about the tour.

In case you have trouble finding any of the trees, James offers the GPS coordinates for each of the trees on the tour: 1-Tree Walk Welcome Sign, 34 12 50.250 -77 56 37.650

Healing Therapeutic Massage

Wild Bird & Garden

www.wildbirdgardeninc.com Wild Bird Garden

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3-Southern Magnolia, 34 12 49.87126 -77 56 37.01741 4-Red Mulberry, 34 12 48.58560 -77 56 33.16712 5-American Sweetgum, 34 12 47.71482 -77 56 31.66610 6-Eastern Red Cedar, 34 12 47.20688 -77 56 31.47960 7-Sweetbay Magnolia, 34 12 47.49883 -77 56 30.49671 8-American Elm, 34 12 48.05977 -77 56 29.10563 9-Longleaf Pine, 34 12 49.58927 -77 56 29.28450 10-Black Gum, 34 12 48.28650 -77 56 30.82194 11-Willow Oak, 34 12 50.99920 -77 56 31.77855 12-Loblolly Pine, 34 12 51.01293 -77 56 32.87718 13-Live Oak, 34 12 50.85265 -77 56 34.36688 14-American Sycamore, 34 12 51.27238 -77 56 34.78898 15-Water Oak, 34 12 50.86116 -77 56 36.27362 16-Red Maple, 34 12 52.02473 -77 56 36.69243 James is a member of Boy Scout Troop 274.

The tree walk is a wonderful gift to the community, both for those who wish to learn more about trees and as a field trip for families to enjoy being outdoors. You can find the tour at https://www.youraudiotour.com/tours/693/.

Advertising in Going Green is an easy way to tell the community what your business has to offer.

Hanover Center 3501 Oleander Drive Wilmington NC 28403

910-343-6001

2-Bald Cypress, 34 12 49.68417 -77 56 37.59055

by appointment 910.762.9073

Deborah Flora LMBT NC Lic 491

Call (910)547-4390 for rates.

outdoor events Halyburton Park Nature Center The Naure & Event Center at Halyburton Park, closed in recent months due to the pandemic, has reopened effective September 11, 2020. Halyburton Park has been offering virtual nature programs for children, and will continue to do so.

Visitors to the Nature Center are asked to follow these COVID-19 safety precautions while indoors: Face masks must be worn; no more than three people can be in the Nature Center room at a time; temperature checks and health screenings will be required prior to entering the building.

Halyburton Park’s nature trails provide a special opportunity to enjoy nature while practicing physical distancing. The park is located at 4099 S. 17th Street, Wilmington.Visit www.halyburtonpark.com or call (910)341-0075 for more information about programs.

Take a Child Outside Week (TACO) Connects Children with Nature Inspired by Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods, Take A Child Outside week (TACO) was founded to help connect children with nature. By celebrating opportunities for children to have free play outside, highlighting locations offering places to explore the outdoors, and providing simple activities anyone can do, the program hopes to increase the number of children experiencing the natural world. TACO week takes place September 24–30 every year, but many of the suggestions for children’s activities, listed on the TACO website, are accessible all year round.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, has the mission “to illuminate the natural world and inspire its conservation.” The Take a Child Outside initiative is one of the ways that they support this mission internationally.

The program has spread far beyond North Carolina. Local locations that have created special activities for TACO incude Battleship North Carolina, the North Carolina Acquarium at Ft. Fisher and Bald Head Island Conservancy. Suggestions include everyday nature activities for all ages and seasons, such as “Listen and Feel,” “Nature Bracelet,” and rainy day activities. For details, see takeachildoutside.org.

SQUIRRELS! Art Exhibit at Airlie Gardens Through November 30 Airlie Gardens will showcase SQUIRRELS! as its 8th Annual Art Exhibit, from August 22 through November 30, 2020. This exhibit features ten oversized, fiberglass squirrel sculptures placed throughout the grounds for guests to enjoy.

Each squirrel has been individually decorated by artists whose designs were selected based on creativity, use of materials and outdoor sustainability. An added feature of the exhibit is that kids can participate in a fun scavenger hunt to find all of the squirrels at the garden.

“We want visitors to have a great time searching for a new kind of squirrel at Airlie,” said New Hanover County Parks and Gardens Director Tara Duckworth. “Our artists have done a great job expressing their creativity through the squirrels, and now our guests will be able to enjoy the public art they have created because of the generosity of the Landfall Foundation and our major sponsors.”

SQUIRRELS! Art Exhibit is included in general garden admission and free for Airlie members. All general admission tickets to the gardens continue to be pre-purchased, online only. Airlie members may show their ID or membership card for entry upon arrival. photo by Nicole Herron/Airlie Gardens

Mutts Gone Nuts! by Evelyn Fischer is one of ten oversized squirrels on exhibit this fall at Airlie Gardens. Visit Airlie Gardens and see how many of them you can find.

Fall 2020

The public is encouraged to take photos and add #squirrelsartexhibit and #gonutsatairlie to their social media posts.

Learn more about the exhibit at airliegardens.org.

Cape Fear’s Going Green

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kid’s korner Home-Made Sweet Homes It’s easy to build a “Bee Condo” for native bees!

Many of the wild bees you may encounter in your backyard garden make their burrow homes in the soil. Some bees create hives in snags (a dead or dying standing tree, often with its branches broken off), or in holes in trees. The activity of native bees will encourage the reproduction of native plants in your yards and gardens. You can encourage native bees to nest near your wildflower gardens by providing man-made nesting blocks, or “Bee Condos.”

Materials You Will Need • A 4"x6" or 6"x6" dried pine or fir post (or you can try a weathered fence post or other scrap wood).

• Drill and drill bits of various diameters, ranging from 1/4 to 3/8 in.

• Paper straws, not plastic (available at some hardware stores, or through a scientific supply store), or small hollow sticks, with one end sealed.

• A warm location protected from rain and predators.

How to Make a Condo Cut the wooden posts into blocks 8–12 in. long.

Links to Native Plant and Gardening Related Activities for Kids of All Ages Gardening by Age Group

Drill holes of different sizes in a block of wood or logs to provide a home for native bees.

Drill holes into the wood blocks: using a variety of hole diameters from 1/4 in. to 3/8 in., drill holes 3–5 in. deep, and at least 3/4 in. apart.

Alternatively, a bundle of paper straws or hollow sticks, with one end sealed, will make an attractive bee home.

Bees prefer dark colored homes, so consider charring the front of your “Bee Condo” lightly with a torch.

Mount your “Bee Condo” on a post or attach to the side of a building. Place nesting blocks so that tunnels are horizontal. Make sure they are in a warm location with southern exposure and protected from rain. A good place could be under the eaves of a garage or shed.

https://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities-garden-age/

Pine Cone Bird Feeder https://onelittleproject.com/pinecone-bird-feeders/

Honey Bee Homes https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/kids/activities/beebox

Make a Plant Person https://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities-plant-people/

Preserving Wildflowers https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/kids/activities/ preservewildflowers

15 Fairy Garden Ideas https://www.familyhandyman.com/ list/15-breathtaking-diy-fairy-gardens/

Tips on Building a Terrarium https://www.familyhandyman.com/ list/12-tips-for-making-a-diy-terrarium/

Build a Butterfly Garden with Native Plants https://nababutterfly.com/start-butterfly-garden/

Making Seed Balls https://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities-seed-balls/

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Tie a bundle of hollow sticks to hang from a tree limb to provide a bee home.

You might be able to use something that grows in your own yard, such as a hollow elderberry shoot.

Thank you to the US Forest Service for permission to reprint their tips from the “learning” area of their website, https://www.fs.usda.gov.

Top Tip for Low- to No-Cost Garden Entertainment: Set out bowls of fresh water full for the birds to drink or bathe in!

kid’s korner

Pigs What Are Pigs?

Did You Know?

Pigs are mammals. This means that they have hair, give live birth, and produce milk for their babies. People are mammals, too! Pigs are very smart! They can open doors, learn their own names, and even become friends with other pigs, other animals and humans too! When they grow up, adult male pigs are called hogs and female pigs grow up to be sows.

Pigs are very amazing. On average a pig can live for 18–20 years. They love fruits and veggies, but some pigs are picky eaters. Not all pigs love all fruits and veggies and each pig is special, just like people. Pigs are not soft, but have coarse hair like a hairbrush. But, they still love being pet and they especially love belly rubs! Pigs can heal almost any part of their body and are the animal equivalent of Superman.

Can You Circle Some Other Names for Pigs?

Hog Swine Porcine Fat Dog Sir Oinker

Pigs in North Carolina One of the major ways for farmers to make money in North Carolina is through hog farming. There are more farmed hogs in North Carolina than there are people living in the state! That is a lot of pigs.

What else is farmed in North Carolina?

See how many things you can name that come from a farm.

Two-year-old Potbelly resuce, named Parsley.

True or False?

1) Pigs can make over 100 unique sounds.

2) Pigs are smarter than dogs.

3) Pigs normally do not like people.

4) Pigs can make great pets.

How Can You Help?

Pigs are very important for farmers and people. So, how can you help pigs?

1) If your parents buy pork products, ask whether the pigs were local and humanely treated.

2) If you want a pet pig, adopt—don’t shop. There are a lot of pigs in shelters in New Hanover County.

3) Look up what environments pigs like before getting one as a pet. Realize that pigs do best in pairs. They also need a lot of room to run and play.

4) If you want to help pigs but can’t adopt your own, look for local pig sanctuaries where you can volunteer. They receive less funding and volunteers than cat and dog sanctuaries.

1) True— Some can make over 126 sounds!.

2) True— Pigs are considered to be as smart as 3-year-old human children.

3) False— Pigs are very loving.

4) True— But they have to have enough room to play and enough activities to do. If not, they get bored and get into trouble.

Hog, Swine, and Procine are all pigs.

Answer Key

Three-month-old Banjo, a Kunekune piglet.

Kid’s Korner is brought to you by Shannon Bradburn, who also took the photographs.

Fall 2020

Cape Fear’s Going Green

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Cape Fear’s Going Green

Environmental Book Club!

Come join us 6–8pm at

Old Books on Front Street

249 No. Front Street • Wilmington

2020 Book Titles January 7 (our last “1st Tuesday”)

Underbug: An Obsessive Tale of Termites and Technology

Lisa Margonelli February 11

Mozart’s Starling

Lyanda Lynn Haupt and optional reading:

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference Greta Thunberg

March 10

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

Edited by Paul Hawken

April 14

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth James Lovelock

May 12

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

2020 Environmental Book Club Reading List The environmental book discussion group met this fall to select the titles the group will discuss throughout 2020. See the listing on this page for the titles of books they look forward to reading and discussing in the coming year.

The book list is also available on the calendar page of Cape Fear’s Going Green’s website (go to the calendar page of www. goinggreenpublications. com and click on any book club meeting in 2020 for a full list of titles). It also appears in the “Notes” section of the Going Green Facebook page.

The Environmental Book Club is organized by Cape Fear’s Going Green and hosted by Old Books on Front Street. Starting February 2020 the group

Jeff Speck

June 9

Surfacing

Kathleen Jamie

July 14

A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have

Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow

Joshua S. Goldstein & Staffan A. Qvist

August 11

Horizon

Barry Lopez

September 8

Desert Solitaire

Edward Abbey

October 13

The Geography of Risk: Epic Storms,

Rising Seas, and the Cost of America’s Coast

Gilbert M. Gaul

November 10

Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens

December 8

Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future

Edited by Melissa K. Nelson

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Sign up for the Going Green newsletter! We’ll send you updates to let you know when a new issue is published. Let us know by email if you’d also like to be on the email list for Environmental Book Club news. Email Publisher@GoingGreenPublications. com or sign up directly on our website: GoingGreenPublications.com.

Questions about Book Club? Call (910)547-4390.

2021 Book Titles January 12, 2021

The Overstory

Richard Powers

Also of interest, although we won’t have time to discuss it this year, the book on which the film “Dark Matters” is based::

Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against Dupont Robert Bilott

will meet the second Tuesday evening of the month inside the bookstore. Social time is at 5:30; discussion begins at 6:00 and runs approximately 90 minutes.

There’s no long-term commitment: you can come when the book being discussed is a title that interests you! “We do hope you’ll read the book before you come, as it enriches the conversation,” says club leader Valerie Robertson. “Our group welcomes new members and one-time visitors.”

Snacks, beer and wine are available for sale inside the bookstore, for you to enjoy during the gathering. Old Books On Front Street offers a discount on new copies of the book club selections. Call the store for details, or ask at the register. (910)762-6657.

Book Club during a Pandemic...

Our Book Club has adjusted its meetings to keep our readers and club members safe during the pandemic. This spring we enjoyed a couple of our book discussions via Zoom. Not all of our regular members choose to use Zoom, so we missed having them particpate. However, we were also able to include members who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to participate: a Wilmingtonian who was in Colorado; a friend who follows our book club from afar (Texas).

More recently we have held meetings in a garden, distanced, open to the first 10 people who RSVP. Call (910)547-4390 for the current month’s plan, or to be added to the Environmental Book Club mailing list.