Join us for a slide show of New Jersey wildflowers on Thurs. 8/14. For details click on the ‘Meetings’ tab above.

Join us for our annual spring birding trip. This year we are going to bird at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Tinicum. For details on meeting time and carpooling see the Field Trips tab above.

Our April 10 will feature a film by Robert Hart. Some 40 years ago, Robert Hart had a vision of planting a small food producing forest, which could fulfill the needs of a healthy diet and at the same time create a beautiful and ecologically sound environment. His ides, based on tropical forest gardens, combined maximum productivity with minimum labor. Hart’s garden serves as a model of what can be achieved in any backyard. This film explores Hart’s practical and philosophical ideas , and goes on to look at two other projects inspired by the principles of forest gardening. On a windy plot in Cornwall, Ken Fern has set up a farm that could influence the human/plant relationship for generations to come. Fern grows 1,500 species of useful perennial plants. His goal is to create a garden that satisfies a variety of needs-above all,enjoyment. Meanwhile in a suburban setting, Mike and Julia Guerra have created a tiny garden that produces an inspiring bounty of food. Working as little as two hours a week, they produce for six months of the year by combining the techniques of permaculture design, forest gardening, and organic growing. For more details see the Meeting tab above. –Stephen Maciejewski

Humboldt Society Members and Friends,

Just a friendly reminder about this upcoming meeting this Thursday March 13th. Hope to see you there. Click the Meetings tab above for details.

I hope everyone went to The Philadelphia Flower Show this year. It was a great event. Many of our own members were involved with the Show and some even exhibited their plants in the competitive section of Horticultural Court.

There were also memorial plants from Pat DiSanto’s orchid collection, including one named for him. This brought joy and tears to his partner Ernie Masso, and other HS members who miss Pat’s enthusiasm.

Delton Lewis entered plants and won Third, Second and First Place Ribbons in the Orchid Classes.

Michael LoFurno and myself entered many plants in the Hort Court. Some say too many. Well, this major undertaking would not have been possible without the constant help on Anthonyy Giunta, Delton Lewis, Michael Thompson, Tony Niznik and Adam Levine.

There certainly was lots of eye candy at the Show. After 3 days of judging, PHS added up the points and did a grand total. Turns out that Michael came in 20th Place out of over 200+ exhibitors with many ribbons while I finished in Fourth place with over 200+ plant entries. Hope you enjoyed the Show. I will bring an article from South Philly Review about Michael Lofurno, myself and some of the plants we entered into the Show to the meeting.

Stephen Maciejewski

Sorry for the late notice for this trip but we just found out about this exciting opportunity and want to take advantage of it. Hope you can join us on Saturday, February 2, 2008.

Check out the Field Trips tab above for more details.

Cumberland County is again hosting the Winter Eagle Festival, including exhibitors, artists, vendors, lectures, presentations, and good food. Registration starts at the Mauricetown Fire Hall at 8:00 a.m. For all information on this festival, contact the Cumberland County Planning and Development Office at (856) 453-2177 or (866) 866-MORE. Don’t miss it!

The Natural Lands Trust has a write up about this Winter Eagle Festival. Check it out.

Again, please join us. For details see the Field Trips tab above.

A lot of us know a pair of brothers who, although not identical twins, can easily be mistaken for each other. One has a slightly larger stature and a slightly larger nose. In the bird world one such difficult duo can be found among the woodpeckers. The downy is the smaller, cuter, and much more common one of the two. The hairy is the bigger brother who is, well, a tad bit bigger with a thicker pecker bill.

Seeing them alone can lead to moments of questioning: could this one be the hairy? Most of the time the answer is no. If you want a good chance of seeing the pair together for a real comparison then join us on our Jan. field trip to Philadelphia’s Pennypack Park where we recently found the two hanging out with each other.

This will be a relatively short trip to a local site with lunch at a near by restaurant. Dress warmly for the weather.

For details on the click on the Field Trips tab above.

Our Jan. 2008 meeting will be a video presentation on the Gardens of South Africa. It promises to be a fascinating look at that unique part of the world. Please join us.

For details see the “Meetings” tab above.

On Dec. 30 we will meet at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia to view an exhibit on five American explorers. The presentation spans the period from 1760 to 2007. One of the featured explorers, Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, is the person who named an icefield in Greenland the Humboldt Glacier.

Please join us. Click the Field Trip tab above for details.

Hey! It’s time again for everyone’s favorite pot luck dinner and year-in-review slide show.

Join us for our Solstice Celebration. Bring a pot luck item and a good friend! Everyone is welcome as we enjoy good company and memories of our 2007 outings and meetings.

For more details see the Meetings tab above.

Join us for our Nov. 17 Field Trip to the POULTRY SHOW-A combo show presented by the Delmarva Poultry Fanciers Club and the Virginia Poultry Club in Harrington, Delaware at the State Fair Grounds.

For details see the Field Trip tab above.