Photos by Katie Riggan
Thousands of people the paths of Mt. Cuba's native wildflower gardens during the Wildflower Celebration. |
Thousands attend
wildflower event
Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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Mt. Cuba Greenhouse Supervisor Phil Oyerly teaches visitors about the native Kentucky lady slipper and large yellow lady slipper plants, which were brought out of the greenhouse early for the celebration.
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Tulips bloom on the gardens of the Mt. Cuba Center.
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One of Mt. Cuba's 40 docents, Ed Stevenson, explains different plant varieties to Ursula Lee of Hockessin.
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Visitors to Mt. Cuba Center near Greenville examine wildflowers on the banks of a pond. In its fourth year, the Wildflower Celebration is the only time the public can visit the center without a reservation or while attending a class
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John Gyer bags foam flowers to give away to the first 500 people attending the event.
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Shelby French of Kennett Square shows oak apple galls to Katie and Christopher Bobyak. The pests are found on oak trees, but do not harm the plants or humans.
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About a thousand people streamed into the Mt. Cuba Center by the second hour of the April 27 annual Wildflower Celebration. About 4,000 attended the event, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The only time the non-profit center is open to the public without an arranged tour, the annual event is dedicated to wildflowers and other native plants. The event included demonstrations and live music. The first 500 people to visit the center received a Tiarella Cordifolia or "foam flowers," a native wildflower whose "Brandywine" variety is grown at the Mt. Cuba Center.
The 650-acre Mt. Cuba Center, a former duPont estate, is dedicated to the study and preservation of plants native to the Appalachian Piedmont Region. Part of the goal for the weekend event was for "people to come and learn how to use native plants," according to the center's education director, Eileen Boyle.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, using native plants in landscaping and plantings improves the environment because they are adapted to local conditions. One established, native plants do not need pesticides, fertilizers or watering. Native plants also contribute to the biodiversity of an area because it attracts birds, butterflies and animals.
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