Adkins Arboretum Happy Mystery Saturday
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Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville
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You can lose yourself in Kellen McCluskey’s large-scale photographs of bees, blossoms, birds and trees. In her show The Secret Life of Adkins, on view in the Visitor’s Center at Adkins Arboretum through June 29, this Centreville artist captures stunningly intimate views of the Arboretum through all the seasons of the year. There will be a reception to meet the artist on Saturday, May 11 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The reception also marks the launch of My Covert Home, a new book featuring McCluskey’s photographs and a collection of 14 poems by environmental artist and writer Mary McCoy. A gentle and meditative study, this collaborative project explores the forest’s beauty and ecology.
McCluskey has been shooting photographs at the Arboretum ever since she joined its staff in 2015. Although she has held several positions over the years, she currently serves in Development and is the Arboretum’s first Staff Photographer, a role she relishes because it gives her the unique opportunity to take photographs in nature at all times of day and in every season.
“My interest in nature photography has been a long, slow burn,” she said. “I had access to a ‘Brownie’ camera when I was young and loved taking pictures of my surroundings.”
McCluskey has developed a knack for zeroing in on the beauty of the moment, however fleeting. The large scale, rich color and drama of her photographs swiftly draw you into the enticing realization that there are worlds within worlds to be discovered. Thousands of tiny redbud blossoms dance across a blue April sky, a bee feasts on the golden yellow nectar of a brilliant pink aster in September and frosty winter light shines through the orange of the crinkled beech leaves surrounding a perky white-breasted nuthatch.
“Color! I love color,” McCluskey explained, “and I’m always on the hunt for anything that deviates from leaf green or bark brown.”
For more than 25 years, she has been taking photos of the natural world with a digital camera using available light without artificial enhancements or specialized equipment. While her photographs are featured in the Arboretum’s brochures, calendars and weekly newsletter emails, this first solo exhibition of her work offers a chance to see how her skills, sensitivity and knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Adkins landscape have coalesced to create a breathtaking portrait of the richness and bounty of the natural world.
Fascinated with the vibrant seasonal changes she finds in that landscape, McCluskey titled each image with both the subject and the date it was photographed. A shy owl stares from just beyond some branches where tiny green buds are sprouting in “April 20: Barred owl (Strix varia),” while “October 14: Morning dew on spiderweb” reveals the stunning intricacy of a spiderweb where dewdrops are strung like pearls, and in “November 1: Sunny Little bluestem grasses (Schizachyrium scoparium),” airborne seeds catch the light so that they resemble a flurry of snow or perhaps bright sunshine sparkling on the water.
There’s magic in McCluskey’s photos, as there is in all of nature, and The Secret Life of Adkins is a show that stirs a sense of wonder and curiosity about what’s to be discovered when you slow down and really look. No one who hasn’t been spending most of her days at the Arboretum could have such an intimate knowledge of its varied landscapes and the cycles of its seasons, but this show is an invitation to take the time to search them out for yourself.
This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through June 29 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410-634-2847, ext. 100, or [email protected] for gallery hours.
A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
Adkins Arboretum recently received funding from the Rural Maryland Council (RMC) to purchase an energy-efficient six-passenger golf cart and the equipment to secure and maintain it. The cart will provide all with exceptional experiences in nature and increase mobility for all visitors.
The cart will ensure no one is left behind. Guests with mobility issues can travel with their companions instead of waiting and can reach areas beyond their ability. Providing everyone with exceptional experiences is central to the Arboretum’s mission. The Arboretum’s previous three-passenger golf cart could carry one or two passengers at a time, forcing anxious program participants to wait their turn for access in the wake of increased visitorship that has doubled since the pandemic.
Providing golf cart transportation for visitors with mobility issues allows equal access to the Arboretum’s paths, programs and events and ensures all the benefits and joy nature offers. Offering comfortable, safe access to nature for those with mobility issues will significantly increase the visitorship and the quality of the experience at the Arboretum. Those with limited access to nature can now engage more fully with nature and reap the benefits and joy of being in nature as others do. A friend of the Arboretum donated to install seat belts on all six seats.
Founded in 1994, the Rural Maryland Council (RMC) serves as the state’s federally designated rural development council and functions as a voice for Rural Maryland – advocating, educating, and helping “A Collective Voice for Rural Maryland” rural communities and businesses across the state to flourish and to gain equity to its suburban and urban counterparts. The Council administers the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) and the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) grant programs. Additionally, the Council conducts research activities to understand rural challenges and outreach to engage rural residents in developing solutions to these challenges and convenes groups to identify solutions through consensus and coalition building.
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HOA members are invited to participate in an eight-part speaker series hosted by Adkins Arboretum. The series was developed as part of the Naturally Better Landscaping project in partnership with ShoreRivers with funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. All programs are free for HOA members, $10 for Arboretum members and $15 for the general public. Advance registration is required.
The series will kick off on June 2 with an introductory presentation at Chesapeake College’s Eastern Shore Higher Education Center. Subsequent presentations will be held at Adkins Arboretum and explore topics including the impact and history of lawns, native meadow installation and maintenance, designing for seasonal color and supporting wildlife with native plants.
The Naturally Better Landscaping project strives to educate and empower local homeowner associations to adopt environmentally-friendly landscaping practices. Currently, eight homeowners associations in Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties are taking part. The project is supported by Queen Anne’s County officials and was prompted by the passage of Maryland House Bill 322, which prohibits HOA governing bodies from restricting homeowners who employ landscaping techniques that benefit the environment.
By using native plants in conjunction with other environmentally friendly techniques such as leaving the leaves, reducing turf, and finding alternatives to toxic fertilizers and pesticides, homeowners can help support wildlife and keep our waterways clean. Land, water and wildlife are inextricably linked, and the choices homeowners make play an important role in safeguarding our environment.
To learn more about the speaker series and to register, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 100.
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The answer to last week’s mystery is serviceberry, Amelanchier canadensis, pictured below..
There are twenty different species of serviceberry, a deciduous-leaved shrub and small tree in the rose family. They are largely restricted to wet sites, particularly on the Atlantic coastal plain.Serviceberries bloom early in Spring, and in June they produce edible, dark purple berries. These berries are an important food source for pollinators, many different species of birds, and small mammals.Folklore suggests that serviceberries get their name from funeral services. This is because by the time the ground thaws enough for burials, serviceberry flowersare in bloom.In the Appalachians, it is said that after the snows melt and the roads are passable, preachers would begin the hike up into the mountains to perform services around the same time the beautiful, showy white serviceberry flowers were bursting to life against the drab forest backdrop, sometime in late April.Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
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The answer to last week’s mystery is red oak flowers, pictured below.Red oaks flower early in spring, from February to May, depending on latitude. Oaks have both male and female flowers on the same tree. The female flowersare very small and found scattered on the branch tips. Male flowers dangle down in a catkin-like form.Cross-pollination of the florets is by wind during mid-to late Spring. Afterwards, the catkins fall to the ground, while the florets slowly develop into acorns.The oak’s acorns are an important source of food for birds because of their small size. Many mammals eat the acorns as well.Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
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A full day of outdoor fun is planned for Adkins Arboretum’s Earth Day Adkins event on Sat., April 20. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, April 21, noon to 4 p.m.
The whole family is invited for a native plant sale, tree giveaways (while supplies last), dip netting in the wetland and hands-on nature activities with local environmental organizations, including ShoreRivers, Tuckahoe State Park, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Talbot Master Gardeners, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, Anne Arundel County Rec and Parks, Bartlett Tree Experts and Pickering Creek Audubon Center.
Refreshments from local food trucks will be available for purchase. Bring your spare seeds to participate in our seed swap, engage in living history with Native American historian Drew Shuptar-Rayvis and take a selfie with Mother Earth! There will also be live entertainment all day by Fine Times, Choptank Little/Big Band, The Naturalists, the Parsons Family and Improv Easton.
Thanks to the generosity of the Arboretum’s sponsors, Earth Day Adkins admission is just $5 per person when purchased in advance at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 100. Children ages 3 and under are admitted free of charge. Only 400 admissions will be sold, so early registration is advised. Admission increases to $10 on the day of the event. For more details, visit adkinsarboretum.org.
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With a 150-year history as a private estate, Stoneleigh became a public garden in 2018. On Sat., April 6, join its director, Ethan Kaufmann, at Adkins Arboretum for a talk, Wild and Wonderful: How Nature Plants are Transforming a Formal Garden. He will discuss the unexpected plants, expressive design philosophy and unconventional practices that are driving Stoneleigh’s exciting transformation. The talk is from 1 to 2 p.m. and is open to the public.
Kauffman developed his love of the natural world by exploring the Susquehanna River hills in southeastern Pennsylvania. He cultivated his horticultural perspective over two decades of gardening in the Deep South, including as director of Moore Farms Botanical Garden, where he led the transition from a private pleasure garden to a public botanical garden. He enjoys creating an experience at Stoneleigh that inspires others to garden for beauty, biodiversity and the health of the planet.
Following the talk, the public is invited on a bus trip to Stoneleigh and Chanticleer on Fri., May 10. Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative and exciting public garden in America—a study of textures and forms where foliage trumps flowers, gardeners lead the design and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. It is a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home. Stoneleigh has soaring trees, expansive vistas and dynamic displays of native plants. It is a celebration of the natural world and celebrates the beauty of native plants and the importance of biodiversity.
The bus departs from Aurora Park Drive in Easton at 8 a.m. and will make stops at the Route 50/404 and Route 301/291 Park and Rides. Registration is required and more information is available at adkinsarboretum.org.
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The fossil record shows that the eastern painted turtle existed 15 million years ago! It is the most wide spread turtle in North America.
The eastern painted turtle has a smooth and flattened carapace, colored olive to black, with a border of red crescents or bars. They have bright yellow spots on either side of their head, and yellow stripes through their eyes and along their jawline.
Painted turtles can be found in slow moving, shallow water with vegetation, such as ponds, marshes, lakes, pools, and ditches. They love basking on warm rocks.
At night, painted turtles drop to the bottom of a body of water, or perch on an underwater object to sleep. In winter, they hibernate by burying themselves, either on the bottom of a body of water, or near water in the shore-bank. During hibernation, the turtle does not breathe, although if surroundings allow, they may get some oxygen through their skin.
Being hit by vehicles is a significant source of mortality to this species. Painted turtles crossing roads are often pregnant females searching for nesting sites.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.