Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured below:

The answer to last week’s mystery is American sycamore seeds, Platanus occidentalis, pictured below:

American sycamore is native to the eastern United States and is the largest deciduous tree in North America. Found most commonly in bottomland or floodplain areas, sycamores thrive in wet environments near rivers, streams, or abundant groundwater.

Sycamore trees are monoecious. They have both male and female flowers on the same tree. This tree reaches reproductive maturity rather young, and flowers profusely, producing numerous light, aerodynamic fruit. The fruit are round balls, around 1″ in diameter, and hang on slender stems.

The seed head persists through Winter, and doesn’t drop the hairy-tufted seeds until January–April. The brush-like structure of the seeds helps them catch the wind and potentially travel long distances.

Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured below?

The answer to last week’s mystery is the tulip poplar, Liriodendron tulipfera, pictured below:

The tulip poplar is a large, native, deciduous tree that can grow 90–120′ tall. Its attractive tulip-like flowers give the tulip poplar its common name. Although not a member of the poplar genus, its characteristics are similar to poplar. It is actually a member of the magnolia family.

In the winter cone-like seed clusters sit upright on the branches. The seeds are called samaras, or helicopters. The individual, winged samaras can be scattered by the wind to distances equal to four or five times the height of a tree. Tulip poplar is a prolific seeder. A seed fall of 300,000 to 600,000/acre is not uncommon. Tulip poplar seeds retain their viability on the forest floor from 4–7 years.

Tulip poplars are a favorite nesting tree for birds, and they are an attractive species to butterflies and hummingbirds.

The tulip poplar leaf is the logo for Adkins Arboretum.

Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

Prepare for spring in the garden! Adkins Arboretum, offering the Chesapeake gardener the best selection of landscape-ready native plants, announces its 30th Annual Spring Native Plant Sale. All proceeds benefit the Arboretum’s rich variety of education programs that teach about the Delmarva’s native plants and their connection to a healthy Chesapeake Bay.

To ensure the best quality plants, sales will be conducted entirely online. Orders will be accepted through Thurs., March 27 at adkinsarboretum.org and will be fulfilled via timed, scheduled pickup in late April and early May.

New this year, there are two pickup locations to choose from: Adkins Arboretum and Delmarva Native Plants in Georgetown, Delaware. This partnership allows those in Delaware or east of the Arboretum to pick up their plants at Delmarva Native Plants’ future retail location. Upon completing your online order, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to schedule your pickup date, time and location.

Plants for sale include a large variety of native perennials, ferns, vines, grasses and flowering trees and shrubs for spring planting. Native flowers and trees provide food and habitat for wildlife and make colorful additions to home landscapes, whether in a perennial border, a woodland garden or a restoration project. Native honeysuckle entices hummingbirds, while tall spikes of purplish flowers grace blue wild indigo. Milkweed provides critical energy for monarch butterflies on their winter migration to Mexico, and native azaleas present a veritable rainbow of colorful blooms.

For information about special orders, special pickups, help with plant choices for restoration projects or pricing for nonprofits or commercial contracts, contact Leslie Cario at nativeplants@adkinsarboretum.org.

As always, Arboretum members receive a generous discount on plants that varies according to membership level. To join, renew your membership or give an Arboretum membership as a gift, visit adkinsarboretum.org or contact Kellen McCluskey at kmccluskey@adkinsarboretum.org.

For more information on plants, purchasing or pickup procedures, visit adkinsarboretum.org, send email to nativeplants@adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.