Garden Nights Returns

After a long day at work or a stressful day in life there is something to be said about a garden on a southern, summer night. With much anticipation, Garden Nights returned on June 3...the weather had called for rain all day but it turned out to be one gorgeous opening night! Garden Nights will take place every Thursday in June, July and August from 5 - 9 p.m. With our new exhibit, Come Sit A Spell, Garden Nights has tied in special southern themed festivities to be planned to coincide with the exhibit. Last night we kicked off with music from Carmen Giardino Sax and a K.Leigh Cuisine tasting and demonstration about summer vegetable risotto and a discussion on local dairy. Below is a peek into what all we have in store:

• Come Sit A Spell Awards Ceremony
• K.Leigh Cuisine tasting and demonstrations
• Appearances from the Gaston School of the Arts
• Botanical Illustration and Floral Painting Continuing Education Class
• Photography for Advanced and Beginning Photographers Continuing Education Classes
• Re-Purposed Planter Workshop
• Book Discussion
  

Visit our DSBG event calendar to see what special southern fun we'll have planned each Garden Nights. Also new this year carriage rides will be available, for an additional fee and weather permitting, from Southern Breezes Carriages. Food and drinks will available for purchase from Something Classic Catering and live music will be provided every Thursday.

Stop by Thursday afternoon and "sit a spell"...unwind while strolling through the gardens & fountains, take a break and sit and relax on our exhibit pieces, enjoy great eats and music! We'll try to make time slow down for you just a bit!

Presenting Sponsor Watson Insurance

A 'Moon' Bird

Each week we eagerly start the bluebird monitoring at 8:30 in the morning, usually a Tuesday, to find the latest happenings in the boxes along the trail. It is a delight to be at the garden enjoying the beauty of the surroundings as well as seeing the bluebirds and hearing their lilting calls. Folks driving by and on their way to work give us a friendly wave when they see us peeking in boxes. We're part of the scenery and that's confirmation that all is well.

That is, we hope all is well but we are having a few surprises from time to time. Sometimes a box that had five eggs in it the week before might have only one egg remaining. Or the chicks that were newborn have disappeared. Or the nest has been completely abandoned. We conclude that predators are the culprits. It's sad but it's also the way of nature and every animal has to have a meal now and then. A couple of boxes that are near the ponds have been vandalized. Snakes are suspect but one box has claw marks on it which suggests a raccoon. We make notes of all these happenings in our notebook.

The biggest surprise has been a tree swallow that refuses to leave the box when we try to check on it. That mother bird is steadfast. She does not budge. We even used a flashlight in an effort to confirm her identity and all she did was show us her backside. Imagine that! Being 'mooned' by a bird! Tree swallows are known to use bluebird boxes and, in fact, sometimes are regarded as pests. However, this is the first year that one of our boxes has been used. Maybe in the next week or two, we'll be able to peek at what's going on inside that box. Mama has to leave sometime in order to gather insects for the chicks. If we're lucky, she'll be gone when we come along.

As to the "blues" themselves, everything is on course for this time of the season. Chicks have fledged and second nestings have begun. Life continues and it gives us many surprises along the way. That's the way it should be.

Summer Garden Adventures for Kids

Gardens provide ideal settings for safe, active summer fun for kids, and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is no exception. Garden Adventure Camp begins June 21st, offering half-day, week-long sessions through July 30th. The camps are designed to provide engaging, hands-on activities that will foster a love of plants, gardening, and the environment for children ages 4-12.

What will they do? Register your child for Garden Adventure Camp, and they'll spend their time at the Garden:

1. Digging, planting, and watering plants in the Garden.
2. Exploring the Woodland Trail.
3. Catching insects in the meadow.
4. Playing in the Willow Maze.
5. Eating great snacks (that come from plants!) each day.
6. Building a bamboo teepee or other fun garden projects.
7. Solving a mystery in Nature Detective camp.
8. Creating their own planters to take home.
9. Discovering their favorite flower in a hike through the Garden, and then...
10. Cooling off at the Tunnel Fountain.
11. Riding the Garden Tram.
12. Finding beneficial dragonflies and ladybugs in Critter Cavaliers Camp.
13. Planting a plant of their own, and then checking and watering it each day.
14. Creating nature art projects in Artists in the Garden camp.
15. Tasting products made from tropical plants in the Orchid Conservatory.
16. Discovering the tracks of Garden critters that enjoy the Garden at night.
17. Observing garden life in action as pollinators go about their work.
18. Experiencing the wonder of nature through plant-based adventures.
19. Making new friends at the Garden.
20. Cultivating a love of plants, gardening, and nature that will last a lifetime!

The list could go on, but you get the idea-- Garden Adventure Camp is a whole lot of fun! Specific activities in each session will vary depending on the theme, but all sessions are designed to include time outdoors exploring the Garden balanced with indoor projects, hands-on time to dig and plant and water, planters that kids create and take home, and healthy plant-based snacks. Garden Adventure Camp is ideal for parents looking to provide some structure for their child's (or grandchild's) summer and ensure that it's exciting and special. In addition to the regular sessions for ages 4-7 and 8-12, special one-day mini-camps are also available for younger 3-year-old campers who will attend with a parent or other caregiver. Your child will be so busy having fun that they won't even realize they're learning, thus keeping their minds engaged through informal science experiences that will resonate long after camp is over.

For more information about Garden Adventure Camp sessions, dates, and registration information, go to the Garden's website at www.dsbg.org. Discounts are offered for Garden members and for multiple session registrations. Questions? Call 704-829-1252 for more information or to register your child today. We'll see you-- and your child-- at Camp this summer.

Happy Gardening!

Cindy