What’s Growing on That Tree?
Although we’ve seen some sun breaking through the clouds this week, we are very much still in wet season here in Corvallis. All that rain makes this one of the best times of year to see the wide variety of fungi and lichens that make their home in western Oregon. Mushrooms can pop up almost everywhere, from bare ground to tree trunks to cracks in pavement, but for both lichens and mushrooms, a great place to look is along the damp trunks of trees. One particular star this month is the tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria), an unusually leafy lichen that is common along the boardwalk at Jackson-Frazier Wetland as well as most other forested spots in and around town. For some more commonly seen species, check out iNaturalist’s January fungi and lichen for Benton County.
Watch (and Plant) for Leafcutter Bees This Spring
It may be too cold for many flowers right now, but it’s never too early to plan for the spring, especially when it comes to supporting our native pollinators. As important as honeybees are for food pollination, Oregon is home to over 600 species of wild native bees. One especially interesting group are the leafcutter bees of the family Megachilidae. If you’ve ever seen an almost perfectly round chunk taken out of a flower petal or leaf, it was probably one of these bees. They take those carefully bitten circles to make nests for their young, wrapping each egg in its own little leafy cradle. Here in Oregon, one of the main native plants they use for this important harvest is the Farewell-to-Spring (Clarkia amoena). Clarkia is a reliable grower in poor soil with lots of sun, and adding it somewhere in your yard, garden, or in a pot is a great way to support these important pollinators. For more on leafcutter bees and Clarkia, check out this blog post published this week by Oregon State horticulture student Mallory Mead.
Friday: Understanding Anti-Vaccine Misinformation
When science, health and social media cross paths, misinformation often runs wild, and the study of the way false and misleading information spreads through the web has become an important part of both science communication and public health. This Friday, February 3, from 1 to 2 pm, the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families hosts Dr. Beth Hoffman, to talk about her work on this vital and timely issue. Dr. Hoffman is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, whose master’s thesis research on anti-vaccine sentiment on Facebook got national media attention in 2019. The talk is free and the public is welcome either in person or over Zoom. More details are available here.
Tuesday: Gardening with Native Plants
Planting Clarkia for leafcutter bees is only one example of the good you can do for our native wildlife by growing more Pacific Northwest native plants. Next Tuesday, February 7, at noon, Benton County Master Gardeners continue their winter “Gear Up for Gardening” lecture series with OSU College of Agriculture’s Joyce Eberhart. The talk is slated for the Corvallis Public Library. Eberhart’s talk is titled “Native Plants in Your Garden Through the Seasons” and will include tips and photos to help you mix some of these beautiful and ecologically important plants into your gardening plan. Details on the series are available here.
Wednesday: Blueberry Growing Tips
If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at growing your own blueberries, there’s one more talk this week to get you started. Master Gardener Jane Collier will be hosting a live webinar on blueberry planting, growing, and maintenance next Wednesday, February 8 from noon to 1 pm. Collier is a former U-Pick blueberry farmer, and will explain the whole process from preparing your soil to choosing varieties, to pruning and making your plants last for more growing seasons. For those unable to watch live, the recording will be available a few days later. The talk is free, but registration is required. Details and signup here.
By Ian Rose
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