6th Annual
Seed Harvest @ Little Rivers Wetland Project

INVITATION
SATURDAY October 19, 2013
1 pm - 4pm

We will plant the collected seed on local riverbanks to reduce erosion...all the way to Lake Erie!
 

Seed Gathering - Meet at the Big Red Barn at Little River Wetlands Project ...a.k.a. Eagle Marsh   

NOT AT FOX ISLAND - We all wanted to give the plants time to reproduce ~ since we have had this event for 4 years @ Fox Island

ADDRESS:
BIG RED BARN @ 6801 Engle Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46804 -

BRING CLIPPERS/sheers/scissors etc. for cutting!  NO RIPPING OUT ROOTS!
 

This nature preserve is opening up its “home” to Save Maumee Volunteers.  We will teach you to identify plants that are native to our riverbanks and have you pluck the seeds for plantings on our riverbanks….Remember, only pick the ones we tell you to and LEAVE THE ROOT BASE! For example, we don’t want that pretty purple flower (Purple Loose-Strife, Japanese Honeysuckle, Ribbon Grass, ect.) to invade our area!

A very informal, yet informational and helpful event! Currently Save Maumee is paying $540 for one acre's worth of seed! Help out your rivers...pick a few pounds!

Save Maumee has an approved DNR planting list for Indiana that we are very strict at enforcing. None of us want invasive plants to take root, and take over, but our rivers need foliage!  Remember, MOST of the forested corridor in Indiana have been removed....which is one of our water's natural filtration device.  Up to 80% of a streams water quality is inherited at the headwaters!

We will plant collected / dried seed on Save Maumee’s Annual Earth Day.  Some of the seed will be started in Top Notch Tree Service's Greenhouse.  It will be the same greenhouse you put up in July 2009, with approximately 85% salvage and recycled materials!

What kind of plants will we be plucking? ~ Whatever that is harvestible (NOT GREEN) on this list: Don't worry....we will show you what is what!

IMPORTANT TO KEEP SEEDS SEPARATED!  WE WILL HELP YOU LABEL!

 

SAND TOLERANT (below)

TREES
*Acer negundo (Boxelder)
*Acer saccharinum (Silver Maple)
*Celtis occidentalis (Hackberry)
*Fraxinus americana (White Ash)
*Ostrya virginiana (Hop Hornbeam)
*Cercis canadensis (Redbud)

Shrubs
*Staphylea trifolia (Bladdernut)
*Sambucus canadensis (Elderberry)
*Hamamelis virginiana (Witch-hazel)

Grasses
*Elymus virginicus (Virginia Wild Rye)
*Elymus riparius (Riverbank Wild Rye)
*Leersia virginica (White grass)
*Diarrhena americana (Beak grass)
*Hystrix patula (Bottlebrush Grass)

Forbs
*Verbesina alternifolia (Wingstem)
*Eupatorium rugosum (White snakeroot)
*Rudbeckia laciniata (Cut-leaf Coneflower)
*Aster lateriflorus (Side-flowering aster)

2011 Official Stats for Save Maumee, Fox Island Seed Harvest October 24th

In 2012 we have approval to pluck our seed at Little River Wetlands Project at Eagle Marsh to give Fox Island’s plant life a rest for a few years!

We also plucked seed from the 2 acres of land from Save Maumee/Top Notch Tree Service Greenhouse property so we had quite a diversity of seeds this year!

Trying to group them as to ideal planting. This is an ESTIMATE of prices and harvest weight!

River’s Edge

Monarda/Bergamot 2lbs – split between full sun & river’s edge. $352/lb = $704

Under Erosion Control Mats

Blend of many seeds…approximately 2lb mixture so approximately = $45
Big Blue Stem $12/lb
Indian Grass $8/lb
Canada Rye $14/lb
Annual Barley
Indian Grass $8/lb
Prairie Drop Seed $18/oz =  1 oz collected  - $18
Switchgrass $2/oz

 Full Shade

Grey Golden Rod $450/lb we collected 4lbs - $1,800
Fox Tail 3oz – avoid but only an annual – shade only but will establish root system for perennial plants.
Mugwort 3oz

Understory

New England Aster 2.25 lbs – $21/oz =  $739
Black Eyed Susan’s (wet shade & understory) 2lbs - $6/oz = $192
Grey Headed Coneflower –105/lb 7 oz – (4 oz full sun/3oz )  =   $200
plantain plantago major

 
Full Sun/Open Field

Iron Weed  $225/lb – we collected
Primerose  $5/oz we collected 1 lb  = $80
Milkweed 1.5lbs $108/lb - $148
Prairie Dock – 2oz collected – 18/oz = $36
Sweet Clover (to fix nitrogen)
Mountain Mint 1 lb $43/oz = $688

Woods Edge

Dogwood Berries – $36-50/lb
Yarrow – 1oz - $2/oz = $2
(some Grey Headed Cone Flower & Aster as well)
Ground Cherry – 100 seeds
Elymus Canadensis (shade)

Wet Area

Ohio Buckeye’s
Oak Tree Acorns (Oak Nuts) 20 lbs  - wet

WHERE TO PLANT?:

Echinacea 1oz
Penstemon (beardtongue) – 2 oz
Senna Hebecarpa 1oz
Joe Pye Weed – $36/oz 1 oz collected = $36

Here are some food/herbs we will plant that may not be native, but are a food source and non-invasive

Peppermint, not native
Spearmint, not native
Lemon Balm not native
Green Peppers not native
Hot Peppers not native
Tomatillias
Tomatoes 
Dill
Wild Onion
 

SOME Milkweed was harvested but most was green ~ Monarch Butterflies need this!

            Why? 

• Milkweed contains a chemical called cardenolides – a form of a steroid that is a cardiac arrester (stops the heart).  (Different species of Milkweed have different concentrations)  When a Monarch caterpillar eats the leaves from the Milkweed it ingests the cardenolides that makes them toxic to many vertebrate predators.  For example if a bird ate a Monarch butterfly of caterpillar it would throw up. (Birds know this)  Research has found that Monarchs have high levels of this steroid from having eaten Milkweed so they are much less susceptible to being predated by birds and mice!  Great way to keep the ‘bad guys’ away eh?…We will keep collecting it!

Please write your representatives and tell them you do not approve of past mistakes and want clean water for our future and would support efforts with your kind volunteer time.     

      Please email  Abigail King   if you have any questions or comments.

Please join Save Maumee on Earth Day to celebrate the cleansing of the riverbanks and and rally the community’s awareness about our 3 River’s condition in Fort Wayne. Educational information will be available.