Moving Day Approaches

We learned the hard way that arbutus plants are eaten by wild animals.  This past Winter, a rabbit ate all of the above ground growth of our single wild arbutus.  Plans are in place to provide protection if the plant replaces its leaves and stems.  We plan to use the old cage from our earlier transplanted arbutus to cover the plants soon to be moved.  Our existing patch needed a new larger cage.

Large flat stones were used as weed control and the dark patches free of pine needles mark their former locations.  Our new plan was to use stones to prevent a marauding woodchuck from simply pushing the cage aside.  The new wire cage would rest in a well.

The arbutus plants had grown near the edge of the older cage.  A very necessary white pine limits growing space on two sides.  With encouragement, new growth will spread into the open protected ground.  One must be able to bring his nose to the flowers.  The job could not be declared finished until the sniff test was successfully completed.  Two large flat stones provide similar access from the other side.

Final chinking to fill unsightly voids still needs attention.  The cage must be lifted up before it can be moved away from the precious plants.  Opposable  thumbs are required for that task.  We hope that these plants are fully protected.  The move of the new plants should take place in the next day or two.

Arbutus In Abundance

This land that belongs to friends is the source of our dug from the wild arbutus plants.  Perched atop a rocky East West ridge adjacent to the Susquehanna River, this area was cleared for their house decades ago.  Green grass grows on fill that was trucked in to support a lawn near the house.  The brown barren appearing ground is what forest growth created after the glaciers smeared this ridge with their muddy load.  The dark green patch in the foreground is arbutus.  Why it flourishes here is a mystery to me.  The soil is beyond poor and the area is kept mowed.

This view looks North down into the river valley.  A nearby road cut reveals the shale deposit that underlies this ridge.  Mixed hardwoods interspersed with pines are the native growth here.  Despite the steepness of the slope, these woods are regularly logged.
 

This huge patch of arbutus grows on exposed ground among moss, lichens and stones.  Compared with plants that grow in more favorable locations, these have much smaller leaves.  Despite their puny overall appearance, they are dense and covered with flowers.  This may be a desperate attempt to procreate since they exist in perilous conditions possibly near death.  Seed formation is rampant with new plants appearing everywhere.

Wild strawberries, moss and various lichens surround this impressive display of arbutus flowers.  Five small plants, each growing at some distance from others, have been marked for digging.  Three female and two male plants will be moved to a spot under a white pine tree.  We will wait a few more days before making the move to allow for natural pollination of the female flowers.  Confident that our digging method will result in plants that survive the move, we would like to move viable seed as well.  The move will happen soon and our method will be recorded here.