Volunteers for Trees
- The West TN Chapter of the TN Urban Forestry Council was founded in 2004 to promote the TUFC’s mission: “We inspire and empower people to grow healthy community and Urban Forests.”
Volunteer Opportunities
Woodland Invasive Removal: Memphis Botanic Garden 9:00 a.m to 12 noon: Friday November 6 and Friday December 3.
Register: the number of participants is limited https://serve.volunteerodyssey.com/event/199461
Collect White Oak Acorns in October
Collect White Oak (Quercus alba) Acorns for TN State Tree Nursery to Replenish Their Stock of White Oaks
The TN State Seedling Nursery sold out of White Oak Trees 2 hours after they officially opened (9.1.20).
Dates for collection: September 28--- October 31 🎃
Collection: Collect white oak (Quercus alba) acorns and place them in a burlap bag, an open woven onion bag, potato bag or other loosely woven breathable material. In a crunch, an open paper bag will work. Richard Beckwith, grower of native trees, says to place the acorns in an open plastic bag & place it in the refrigerator until you take it to MBG.
Label: On an index card or piece of paper the size of a regular card, write your name, the location of the tree ( latitude & longitude, address, closest intersecting streets, or general area of a park etc). Give your contact information in case there are questions about finding the true. Place this in the bag with your acorns.
Drop off: Your packaged acorns at the front desk of the Memphis Botanic Garden.
They will be stored in cardboard boxes in their cooler until they are taken to the TN Tree Nursery.
Ask the desk staff to notify Laurie Williams. If Laurie is not there on the day you deliver, request that Mary Helen Butler be notified.
White Oaks for Wildlife
Acorns: high carbohydrate food for:
birds: including the blue jay, red-headed woodpecker. northern bobwhite, crow, mallard, ring-neck pheasant, grouse and wild turkey mammals: squirrels, deer, turkey, mice, chipmunks, black bear, and raccoons
Main Acorn Dispersers for Natural planting: Squirrels and Blue Jays
According to Entomologist Doug Tallamy's Bringing Nature Home,
White Oak supports a "staggering 537 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars .These caterpillars are critical baby food for 95% of all our young songbirds... for the first month or two of their lives."
sponsors for October White Oak Collection
West Tn Chapter: TUFC, Memphis Botanic Garden, Memphis Tree Board
+ see e-mail UFA 2020 Volunteer Options for more ways to earn volunteer hours
+ Possible Tree Planting on the Hampline with WRC this Fall: date: TBA
This website is in the process of being updated: JC 10.20
October Tree
Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina
This 10- 15 ft under story tree/shrub is one of the first to offer vivid red-orange fall color.
Velvety red to deep maroon seed heads, that resemble the horns of a stag deer, persist on female sumac throughout the winter.
Adaptable:
Staghorn Sumac can grow in full sun, part shade and shade. It adapts to a wide variety of soils and can even grow in dry areas.
Wildlife Benefits
Staghorn Sumac Supports :
- Bees: provides: nesting sites & materials for native bees, its blooms attracts native and honey bees. it attracts beneficial insects that prey on pest insects.
- Butterflies/ Moths: as a larval host for the Red-banded Hairstreak and such moths as the Luna Moth, Showy Emerald , Ruddy Dagger Moth , Dark ), Sumac Paectes , and Spotted Datana, and provides nectar for 16 species
- Birds: Common Name: Ruffed Grouse. Ring-necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey. Bobwhite Quail, Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker. American Crow. Fish Crow. Starling, Eastern Phoebe, Warbling Vireo. White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo. Northern Cardinal. Catbird, Northern Mockingbird. Brown Thrasher, Hermit Thrush. Swainson's Thrush, Wood Thrush. Eastern Bluebird. American Robin, Scarlet Tanager, Carolina Chickadee. Pine Warbler, Purple Finch. Slate-colored Junco, White-throated Sparrow
- Mammals: browse for Cottontail Rabbit, White -tailed deer
For the Landscape
Often founds along the forest edge; A tree for bird loves, Staghorn Sumac is disease and drought resistant; will colonize, cut back to rejuvenate ; excellent fall color and red drupes offer good winter interest.