Ron Shields tell us this cute little guy is the youngest Least Bittern he’s ever photographed. From a recent excursion to the Kearny Marsh. Adorable!

While pointing out Pokeweed during the Native Plant Walk on Sunday in DeKorte Park, Don Torino informed us that the perennial was the inspiration for the 1968 Tony Joe White tune, “Polk Salad Annie.” I looked it up on Youtube – great lyrics and a sound reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Elvis would later cover the song.
Check out the original and Elvis versions!

Sunday’s Native Plant Walk at DeKorte was very, very informative. Unfortunately the walk got cut from two hours to one because of the rain, but it’s amazing how much can be covered in that time frame.

We did not have to walk far, as every few feet there was a different type of native vegetation, from Spicebush and three varieties of Milkweed, to Mayapple and Inkberry. Alice Leurck took a number of photos, a sampling of which are below.

Our guide, BCAS President Don Torino, told us everything we needed to know about how and where to plant native vegetation in our own backyard gardens. He also pointed out non-native species that are not good for gardens. This is important because many people buy them for their aesthetics not realizing there are better, native plants that will attract birds, butterflies and pollinators.

Silky Dogwood

Inkberry Holly

Spicebush

Mayapple

Summersweet

Pokeweed