Fullerton Arboretum Nature Guide Newsletter October 2014 In the Cement with Bement It's the month for witches, goblins, creepy crawlers and scary fun. Unfortunately, the Haunted Garden has been cancelled this year. New ideas are being discussed for next year. Jack and Carol Reynolds from the Victorian Society came to our September NG meeting and told us about the Heritage House. They gave us some great information that we can use for our tours. I've been asked about the Heritage House but because I knew very little, I didn't say much. Jack and Carol helped change that. Thank you! Another fieldtrip is planned for October 13th to Los Angeles Arboretum at 10 A.M. Carpooling will be from Fullerton at 9 A.M. No extra charge for the guide. The next fieldtrip is January 14th to Descanso Gardens. Our NG Penny inspired this Plant of the Month. She took the pictures and wrote the description. See you on the Path! Plant of the Month Nick's common name (what your Green side up editor calls it) Medusa's Hair Folotsia grandiflora is a leafless vine from Madagascar which can be found twining around one of its neighbors in the arboretum s Madagascar Spiny Forest exhibit (near the vegetable garden) and growing on a chain link fence at the southernmost part of the arboretum. The genus Folotsia is endemic to Madagascar and is in the same family as the milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) which the Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on. You may be able to see the resemblance to milkweed in this close-up of Folotsia grandiflora flowers taken last December. Like the milkweeds, the Folotsia has a milky sap but so far as I know the genus is not a host plant to any butterfly.
Quote of the Month Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly, 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. Mary Howitt continued next page
Dates to Remember October 13th Fieldtrip to Los Angeles Arboretum 10 A.M. - carpooling from the parking lot at 9 A.M. http://www.arboretum.org/ October 21st NG Meeting - Oak Hall 1 P.M. November 18th NG Meeting - Oak Hall 1 P.M. December 12th - 13th Victorian Christmas
Awards At our meeting, NG's Cindy Caliser received the 110% award and Kappy Hurst received Rookie of the Year award. Not pictured is Carol Silva who also received 110% award at the Volunteer Breakfast Plant ID from Penny Desert Broom (Sisyndite spartea) from southern Africa can be found growing on the east side of the desert garden. Yellow flowers are followed by beautiful fruits covered with silvery hairs. It is drought tolerant and reseeds readily, making it a poor choice for California gardens which are next to wild lands.
NG Facts from Kathy There are really so-called vampire bats, but they are not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds. The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal its size, with a span averaging 32 years. Bats are not blind. Most bats can see as well as humans. Bats have a unique sonar system that is literally thousands of times more efficient than any similar system built humans. Bats do not carry rabies, however, they are capable of catching the disease just like any other mammal. Less than 1/2 of 1% of bats actually contract the disease. Bats are the only mammal that can fly. Bats make up the second largest order of mammals called Chiroptera, the first being Rodentia. Thailand s Bumblebee Bat is the smallest mammal in the world. Frog-eating bats can tell the difference between poisonous and edible frogs by the males mating calls. In West Africa, Woolly Bats live in the webs of colonial spiders. There are more than 1,100 species of bats worldwide. Bats can eat up to 25% of its weight in one meal - This would equal around 32 pounds of food for a 130 pound person. Although we did not see any bats on the Nature Guide Get No Sleepover, we suspect they visit the arboretum, especially around mid-night. If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you. If there is something you would like to add to the Newsletter (a plant, a bug, an animal, a photo or anything of interest found within the Arboretum) please submit it along with a description and where it can be found to: NGNews@live.com. Please submit your article by the third Tuesday of the month. You may also like to visit www.bugsafari.blogspot.com and www.stevekayephoto.com. Cindy and Steve are regular contributors to the Newsletter.