On the ground In cyberspace News from elsewhere The Fletcher Wildlife Garden is a project of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. It is located on 6 ha of land just south of the Arboretum in Ottawa, Canada. Check our Blog often for photos and notes on what's happening at the FWG. And, for a longer-term view, read our Progress reports	What's up at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden May 2010 Plant sale The number one item on our agenda right now is our annual native plant sale coming up this Saturday, 5 June, 9:30 to 12:30. Be sure to stop by and pick up some columbines, asters, goldenrods (for pollinators), or monarda (to bring hummingbirds into your yard). See list of plants for sale. Things we already knew but here's why: Apparently the sound of birds is universally reassuring to humans. The reason is because if birds are tweeting and singing, that means there's no danger. Learned from a TED talk by Julian Treasure
On the ground	Beaver moves in A young beaver spent the winter in our pond, although it has now moved on seeking a more permanent home. This intriguing animal helped us out by taking down some trees that were in the way of tree swallow boxes and by raising the water level of our pond. Beaver are great wetland ecologists! They create and maintain habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and plant life, all of which add to the amazing biodiversity of our planet. Read more...
	Help needed in the Butterfly Meadow Diane has great plans for the Butterfly Meadow this year. She and a great group of volunteer meet on Wednesday evenings, 6 to 8 p.m., to plant, dig, weed, and water. Please help if you can. More...
	Swallowwort strategy Swallowwort is back - with a vengance! This year we have a strategy for controlling it and we're going to need your help. Watch for dates and times and please consider sparing a few hours to help cut, dig, weed this very invasive plant at the FWG. More...
In cyberspace	Pollinator Resource Center The Xerces Society recently launched a new web site that contains "all you need to complete a pollinator conservation project... Select your region from the map to access plant lists, details of creating and managing nest sites, pesticide protection guides, and practical guidance on planning and implementing habitat projects on farmlands, gardens, golf courses, parks, and wildlands." Have a look and see how YOU can plant a pollinator patch or garden. Pollinator Conservation Resource Center
	Algonquin students plan FWG Interpretive Centre Last summer, a group of Algonquin students chose the FWG for a major design project and met with Friday morning volunteers several times to find out what our "dream centre" would look like. Over the winter, they incorporated our ideas and many innovative ones of their own into architectural images of a beautiful and functional interpretive centre. Anyone interested in fundraising? More...
News from elsewhere	Friends of the Farm events The Central Experimental Farm is a great place to visit. Get to know it better by taking a Friends-of-the-Farm-organized tour of the lilac, peony, rose, and iris collections. The Friends are also planning a trip to the Montréal botanical garden in July. More...