Now, if you take the time to walk to Gudger Beach, this is what you might see, the blooming of the Marshmallows (Althaea officinalis). The plant, not unlike a hibiscus, rose of sharon, or hollyhock is the grandmother of today’s sweet marshmallows.
Neighbors are invited to join us this Sunday, 10/28, between 9:00 and 11:30 a.m. to help plant a native garden in the Wardour Reserve. You’re welcome to come for a brief shift or stay the whole time, and kids can help plant too. We’ll be planting rain or shine. (Forgive me if I hope for rain–it will be helpful in getting our plants established!) If you have gloves or shovels, please bring those with you.
Description:
Conservation landscapes use native plants with deep roots to slow down and absorb rainwater and runoff, which are major sources of pollutants to the Chesapeake Bay. We’ll be planting a conservation landscape in an area of the Wardour Reserve that is saturated with storm water from a culvert during heavy rain. The plantings will help slow down and absorb this storm water before it reaches Gudger Beach, where the neighborhood is working on a plan to restore the tidal marsh. Capturing some of this water upstream will help keep the marsh water clean and healthy. Slowing down the water will also protect the beautiful path and landscaping that our neighbors along the Reserve created a couple of years ago. The plantings will include low ground cover, shrubs, and flowering perennials that will provide year-round color for us and nesting sites and food for native birds and pollinators.
Congratulations to our neighbor Ginger Woolridge. Her new book Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States, co-written with Tony Dove, made the New York Times book review today for recommended summer reading. See p. 32 of the print version, or find it here on the online version under “The Great Outdoors.”
To all Wardour Residents: This is a work in progress shared with us by a past president of the WIA. Any further information, especially from the lawyers concerning the gray areas, will be welcome.
The community known as Wardour currently comprises about one hundred homes and about one hundred acres on two “Wardour” plats and five additional homes on a third “Wardour” plat. What we have in common, in addition to the name, are the prior and independent rights of the owners on the first two plats to use most of the properties on the three plats to which the Wardour Improvement Association (“the WIA”, “the Association”) now holds the deeds.[1] Wardour boundaries (and the voting rights of owners and of tenants) are defined in our Constitution, and uses of the Association properties are defined primarily in our Declaration.[2] (Other matters are left to the Bylaws and Standing Orders.)
The Compass Rose Theater is looking for housing for visiting actors. Barbara Aiken has this message for us about the opportunity to host an actor:
Our talented neighbor Christy Trapp will be performing at the Rams Head later this month. Bring the whole family–all ages are welcome.
For tickets and more information, go to: http://www.ramsheadonstage.com/event/1565031-christy-trapp-all-ages-annapolis.
Recently you may have heard test announcements being broadcast over a public address system. NSA Annapolis has installed a new system in the North Severn area and offers this information about what the system is for and whom you can contact if you are bothered by the noise:
Walk down the road, down to the water via the Reserve, and you might run into this turtle. She was basking on the stones, perhaps going to her nest. She does not look like a box turtle, big, but not colorful at all.
Our neighbor Doug Lamartin has volunteered to be the contact person for issues related to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Mosquito Control Section. The Wardour neighborhood will be sprayed on Monday nights, beginning at the earliest on 5 June. You may file to have your property exempted by filling out the form below and returning it to the Department of Agriculture. Please read the 3 documents below carefully to learn about when spraying will happen, what products are used, keeping kids and pets safe, and how to be exempted if you choose. And please spread the word to neighbors who don’t use the Internet.