a weed , was quick to reward me with clouds of butterflies each summer . As it towers ten to twelve feet tall now , the finches and other songbirds flock to its sturdy hollow stems and enjoy its seedheads each fall . The Golden Alexander that took over a hard to mow section on the hill brings me great joy each spring with its early spring blooms that welcome bees and butterflies .
Other helpers along my journey are the Friends of Black Hill , a group dedicated to working with the naturalists to bolster the outdoor programming for children and adults . The Friends ’ Naive Plant Sale each spring is a chance to source locally appropri-
ate native plants that will thrive with minimal maintenance . Blue woodland phlox ? Mayapples ? Both are now flourishing along the woodland trails in the Peace Park , contributing to the health of the Eastern woodland turtles that are nourished by the mayapples ’ fleshy fruit . The turtle ’ s digestive process helps spread the seed , in turn helping the mayapples thrive .
I still brake for blues . On a recent winter morning , a flash of blue caught my eye . Eastern bluebirds were feasting on downed branches of native red cedar that had spilled their nutritious berries — and yep , they ’ re blue — down the hillside . If you feed them , they will come .
Maura Daly began foraging as a youngster in the wilds of Bethesda . Her specialty : sassafras tea . Her outdoor adventures took her to New England and south Asia , where her appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life grew . An educator who teaches reading and writing , she ’ s often seen , pruners in hand , at Kunzang Palyul Choling Buddhist Temple and Peace Park , where she serves as volunteer coordinator . You can reach her at volunteer @ tara . org .
KPC ’ s Peace Park offers rustic trails , meditation gardens , and sacred stupas and statues . It is open to visitors — of all faiths — during daylight hours , 365 days a year . www . Tara . org
Resources to Help You Help the Birds and Butterflies
Learn how to sustain wildlife with native plants
• Douglas W . Tallamy , a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware , is the author of Bringing Nature Home : How You Can Sustain Wildlife With Native Plants , A Chickadee ’ s Guide to Gardening , and more .
• homegrownnationalpark . org
Beautify your backyard and be a good neighbor to wildlife
• National Wildlife Federation : gardenforwildlife . com
• Montgomery Parks Native Plant Sales : montgomeryparks . org
• Earth Sangha Native Plant Compendium : earthsangha . org
• Herring Run Nursery : herringrunnursery . bluewaterbaltimore . org
• Nature Forward : natureforward . org
• Maryland Native Plant Society : mdflora . org / gardening
• Chesapeake Natives : chesapeakenatives . org
Save money while benefiting the environment
• Montgomery Planning : - ReLeaf the Reserve - Reforest Montgomery
• Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection - Rainscapes — financial and technical assistance
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