LandHealth Institute

Plant of the week - Little Bluestem

An ornamental bunchgrass featuring fine-textured foliage forming dense mounds 18-24 inches in height. A mid-prairie species, Little Bluestem gets its name from the bluish color of the stem bases in the spring. The slender blue-green stems can frequently reach over 5 feet by September, and they turn mahogany-red with white seed tufts in the fall. Color remains for most of the winter, making them an ideal native plant for all seasons. Perennial clumps can grow up to a foot in diameter.

Little Bluestem seeds are white and fuzzy at maturity, and are particularly important to small birds in winter. Related species include the Big Bluestem or Turkeyfoot (Andropogon gerardii), which features finger-like seed structures that can resemble a Turkey's foot.

Introducing a new series called ! Since the fishing program came to an end last week, we’re turning to all-things-birds in the fall. The first bird, brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century, is the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). They are now among the continent’s most numerous songbirds. Though they’re sometimes resented for their abundance and aggressiveness, they’re still dazzling birds when you get a good look. You can find many of these birds hanging out on top of our nursery!

We are in peak bird migration season! Each year, tens of millions of birds pass through Philadelphia along the Atlantic Flyway. Help protect our migrating birds by turning out any unnecessary lights.

We are keeping the ball rolling with trees as our . This week's native tree is the American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). This is one of the most common trees in the Philadelphia area and is familiar to most of us as the producer of those prickly gum balls that are so uncomfortable under foot! The leaves are star-shaped and sometimes confused with maple leaves, but careful examination shows the difference. The genus name Liquidambar refers to the fact that the tree produces a resinous sap.

This photo is of a Sweetgum in FDR park, conveniently marked with a little plaque. There are indeed plenty of native plants in the habitat the city plans to uproot for sports fields...

This week on our WonderWalk we returned to FDR park. We quickly realized that the city had started on their masterplan to turn FDR’s meadows into soccer fields by cutting down a massive amount of trees. To learn more about how you can help support FDRs trees and meadows visit .

For our final WonderWalk in August we will be at our native plant nursery on the west parkside. Click the link on our website to register!

This is officially the final week of ProFESS 2022! Yesterday, our watershed stewards presented their final projects at the LandHealth native plant nursery for graduation. We are so proud of these students!

To celebrate their successes, and to support future ProFESS students, please consider donating to LandHealth through the link in our bio.

The is a tree this week! Betula lenta is a species of birch native to eastern North America known commonly as Sweet birch. Sweet birch is named for the sweet sap used by Native Americans for syrup production. Birch is from the Old High German word birka and is related to the word “bright;” probably due to the pale bark of some birch species. Sweet birch is a source of birch oil, formerly a substitute for oil of wintergreen, and is used in aromatherapy.

During last week’s WonderWalk we journeyed into Haddington Woods...this week we're going back to FDR Park! Join us tomorrow at 5:30 and register through the link on our website.

The city’s newest majestic natural land resides in South Philly. Yet, perhaps, not for long. Two years ago, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation closed the 160-acre golf course in FDR Park, which was built upon tidal wetlands originally part of a vibrant estuary. Today, Nature has taken over, and transformed the golf course into verdant habitat wonderland, replete with amazing vistas, pocket wetlands, rich bird life and wildlife, and beautiful specimen trees from the Sesquicentennial. Unfortunately, plans are in place to cover much of this land with athletic fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a driving range. Come out for one of the most stimulating strolls in the city. Glimpse what Nature can do when left on its own - while you still can.

A new blog is posted! Our Mandela Washington Fellow has made it back home to Zimbabwe, but he has done so much for LandHealth during his four week stay. In this blog, Lenin describes his experiences with protecting nature in Philadelphia. Visit our website to read more!

The is a type of catfish. The brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. The brown bullhead is important as a clan symbol of the Ojibwe people. In their tradition, the bullhead or wawaazisii is one of six beings that came out of the sea to form the original clans.

This marks the last week of our fishing program…thank you to Jackson Quitel for expanding our fish knowledge this summer!

ProFESS is an initiative to empower high school students to become environmental scientists and stewards. LandHealth supports students in ProFESS to become change-makers,scientists, leaders, advocates, and stewards for a better tomorrow, through natural history, urban ecology, and watershed health.

Consider donating to celebrate our 8th graduating ProFESS group this month!

Asclepias tuberosa, the butterfly w**d, is the . It is a species of milkw**d native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is commonly known as butterfly w**d because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. Native Americans used the boiled roots to treat diarrhea and respiratory illnesses.

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