The Shady Ladies are back! After many months of Zoom meetings, we are now meeting in person again. Our May meeting was fantastic. Club member Natalie Olsen was a most gracious hostess. Her 1920s Tudor residence in the historic Gump neighborhood was a warm and welcoming meeting location and her property boasts more than forty different species of trees and shrubs. It was a wonderful reunion after so many months apart and there were plenty of hugs and smiles all around. We were also delighted to welcome several potential new members. Members submitted an array of stunning horticulture entries for the May meeting as well as some top notch designs. (The chosen design for May was “Together Again” Standard Grouped Mass Design.)
Dr. Marty Olsen gave an informative presentation about his award winning bluebird trail. Dr. Olsen was inspired to create his bluebird trail after success with a single nesting box. He also hoped to enhance the songbird habitat for native songbird species while introducing others to the principles of conservation. He now maintains 5 boxes on a 1.2 mile loop in his neighborhood. He has even designed and built some of his own bluebird nesting boxes! Dr. Olsen explained how he monitors and maintains the boxes, some of which have multiple broods in a season. After his presentation, he led a walking tour to visit some of his nesting boxes. It really was a great way to start the new club year. Hope to see you in June!
