Kress Farm Garden Preserve ~ Dig This! Phone ~ (636) 789-2996

Address ~ 5137 Glade Chapel Rd; Hillsboro, Missouri 63050

Newsletter— December 2018

Kress Farm Members and Master Gardeners of Jefferson County

MARK YOUR 2018 AND 2019 CALENDARS…

Sunday, December 9, 12 noon ~ Annual Kress Farm Christmas Party. In place of our monthly meeting and guest speaker, we will have our annual Christmas Party. Members and Master Gardeners are invited, and we ask that each attendee bring a covered dish and a $10 gift (maximum) for our “rob your neighbor” gift ex-change. The gift exchange turns into a lot of fun (there has been an occasional “gag” gift in the exchange). There is also lots of good food and laughs and there is no “work” involved. See page 6 for the flyer. Please call 636-789-2996 if you have questions.

Come and celebrate the season!

News from the Farm…

Do you need holiday gift ideas? There are ways to benefit Kress and check something off of your gift list. See page 3 for our creative ideas.

Kress Farm Club House gets a new look! It’s been over 15 years since the meeting room in the Club House had been painted. At the Nov. 17 workday, many hands helped prepare the room, paint, paint some more, and clean up. The meeting room and restrooms have a bright new look. In addition to the much needed coat of paint, our light fixtures were fitted with LED bulbs and new energy efficient and room darkening blinds have been ordered for the windows. Thanks to all who helped with this long overdue project.

We are in need of donations of old terry cloth bath towels and hand towels at Kress. We will also be potting seeds we have saved so we will be needing translucent white milk jugs And, finally, we could use some peony cages for some of our large native plants.

Fall Festival Wrap-Up!

The Fall Festival is on the books!

We didn’t really have a lot of help

from Mother Nature, but every-

one who attended had a good

time. There was something for all

ages and the entertainment and

food were excellent.

Thanks to all who participated

and helped out!

Work has been underway at Kress Farm to

spiff up the Club House..

Dig This! — December 2018 Page 2

Possum haw ~ Ilex decidua is a Missouri native, decid-

uous holly that is commonly called possum haw. It oc-

curs on limestone glades and bluffs, along streams in

wet woods, and in lowland valleys, sloughs and

swamps. An upright shrub with a spreading, rounded

crown which typically grows 7-15' tall in cultivation (to

30' in the wild). Obovate, narrow, glossy, dark green

leaves (2-3" long) turn a dull purplish green to yellow in

autumn. The whitish flowers of both male and female

plants are relatively inconspicuous. Pollinated female

flowers give way to orange-red berries which ripen in

September and persist throughout the winter until mid

-March when new growth begins. Birds, deer and a va-

riety of small mammals (including opossums as the

common name suggests) are attracted to the fruit.

Native of the month – Possum haw—ilex decidua

Read more about Possum haw at https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/

field-guide/possum-haw-deciduous-holly

Dig This! — December 2018 Page 3

Need Holiday Gift Giving Ideas?

1. A Kress Farm Membership makes a great gift

for Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary or a spe-

cial Thank you. Simply complete the member-

ship & gift form and mail with a check made

payable to Kress Farm Garden Preserve. We’ll

provide you with a card you can give to the

recipient announcing your gift.

2. Donate a picnic table for our pavilion in honor

of or in memory of a loved one. For a $100

donation, we’ll put a plaque on a newly con-

structed picnic table that will be placed in our

pavilion. Mail us a check made payable to

Kress Farm Garden Preserve and put “picnic

table” in the memo section. Hurry… availabil-

ity is limited.

3. Donate a Bluebird House for our expanded

bluebird trail. For a $50 donation, we’ll put a

plaque on a new bluebird house that will be

placed on our bluebird trail in March 2019.

Mail us a check made payable to Kress Farm

Garden Preserve and put “bluebird” in the

memo section.

Pollinators need a 'messy' winter garden As the days get longer and the temperatures head toward freezing, many people put their gardens to bed by

clear-cutting all herbaceous material, blowing away every loose leaf and twig and, for those with a patrician

garden aesthetic, spreading a nice blanket of manure over each bed.

While such perfection holds great appeal to humans looking out into the garden from the warmth of their

homes, pollinators view such a garden less favorably. Doug Tallamy's seminal book on backyard ecology,

"Bringing Nature Home" (Timber Press, $19.95), implores gardeners to think about how their landscapes are

viewed by the bugs and birds that rely on plants for survival.

Three-quarters of the world's flowering plants and one-third of our food supplies depend on pollination and

pollinators need plants year-round. The succession of flowers throughout the seasons provide nectar, eggs

laid on host plants ensure reproductive survival, and plants and debris left in the garden serve as a safe plac-

es for pollinators to overwinter. By planting a variety of native flowers and leaving them to stand in our win-

ter gardens, we greatly add to the diversity and abundance of pollinators.

Do these pollinators a favor and procrastinate on cleaning your flower beds until April. Here are a few of the

creatures who would love your "messy" winter garden:

Butterflies and moths

Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), comma (Polygonia c-album) and question mark (Polygonia interroga-

tionis) butterflies nestle under a piece of bark or dried leaf until spring. These species produce an anti-

freezing agent which stops ice crystals forming in their blood if temperatures are below 0 degrees. The aptly

named winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is active between November and February and the December

moth (Poecilocampa populi) is out even on very cold days in November and December.

Other species overwinter as a chrysalis. These include cabbage white (Pieris rapaei), sulphurs (Phoebis spp.)

and members of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). Cercropia moths (Hyalophora cecropia) hibernate in

chrysalis form and Hawk moths (Sphingidae) spend the winter in cocoons underground.

Some spend the winter as caterpillars: red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis), meadow fritillary (Boloria bel-

lona) and viceroy (Limenitis archippus), which hibernate among vegetation, in seed pods, silken nests and

rolled-up leaves. The caterpillars of some species resume feeding during mild spells. Wait until spring to en-

joy repeat visits of migrating monarchs (Danaus plexippus), painted ladies (Vanessa cardui) and red admirals

(Vanessa atalanta).

Bees

There are over 3,500 species of native bees. Some hide in the hollow stems of bee balm or ornamental grass.

Some burrow into the ground. Many don't live in colonies and pollinate more efficiently than honeybees.

They are often overlooked because they do not swarm and are not aggressive.

Continued on Page 5

Dig This! — December 2018 Page 4

Dig This! — December 2018 Page 5

Spotlight on Kress Farm Board of Directors

Kress Farm Garden Preserve is governed by a board of ten di-rectors that includes four officers. This month, JoAnn Burke is highlighted. JoAnn is our Board Chairperson and is charged with day-to-day management and long range planning, as well as formulating policies and activities of Kress Farm. She is also responsible for “steering the ship” and setting the agenda of the Executive Committee meetings. Her vast experience allows her to make appropriate and sound judgements. JoAnn displays the confidence needed to face the toughest leadership chal-lenges. JoAnn is always fair, cheerful and follows businesslike procedures to accomplish the objectives of Kress Farm. Meet Board Chair, JoAnn Burke.

Pollinators need a “messy” winter garden, continued from Page 4

Varieties of solitary bees include red mason bees (Osmia bicornis), which build their nests in dry hollow

stems, walls or holes in wood. They readily use manmade "bee-hotels." Larvae pupate in late summer and

young adults spend autumn and winter in an unanimated state known as diapause inside nest cells. Leaf

cutter bees (Megachile willughbiella) and wool carder bees (Anthidium manicatum) are also cavity nesters.

Wasps are pollinators, too.

Flies

Hoverflies either hide in the soil as larvae or hibernate as adults in the nooks and crannies of old trees or oth-

er sheltered places. Hoverflies that overwinter as adults are the ones you see flying around on the first warm

days of spring, searching for aphid-infested plants to lay their eggs on. The larvae of most hoverflies are vora-

cious consumers of these garden pests.

Beetles, ants, and midges

There are more than 400 species of ladybug beetles in North America. They feast on aphids and can eat a

dozen a day. The native species only winter outside, under rocks, in hollow logs and under leaves. It's the al-

ien species that get into our homes to overwinter and become pests. Ants and midges are other useful polli-

nators.

From Pittsburg Post-Gazette

October 19, 2018 8:00 AM

Dianne Machesney

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dianne Machesney is a Penn State Master Gardener. This volunteer program supports

the outreach mission of Penn State Extension and provides research-based information

on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship. Infor-

mation: alleghenymg@psu.edu or 412-482-3476.

Dig This! — December 2018 Page 6