Lais McCartney of Hancock County Purdue Extension will speak on native keystone trees and shrubs at an event this Saturday.
Submitted photo
GREENFIELD – Acknowledging trees as a treasure will be the root of an event coming up this weekend at the Hancock County Public Library.
“The Treasure of Trees” will be a nearly six-hour, free educational program, offering multiple speakers, lunch and information booths on how to pick, plant and prune trees.
It’s from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 12. The event is sponsored by the Hancock County Master Gardeners; the frequent Green Thumb Project brings free educational programming to the community, but this one is longer than most.
Lais McCartney, educator for Hancock County Purdue Extension, said while Green Thumb events in recent years have brought the community helpful information on plants and wildlife, there was a desire to dig a little deeper and bring in even more speakers. Since the Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District offered to provide lunch, they were able to bring the event into the afternoon.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for educational booths and browsing. McCartney will speak on Indiana’s keystone trees and shrubs, and the importance of native trees to the food web at 10 a.m.
“It’s the most critical trees that deport the most caterpillars for birds and other animals,” McCartney said of keystone species.
Examples are white and black oak; cottonwood, box elder; silver maple; crabapple; pitch pine; and willow.
“There are 10 to 12 trees and shrubs that will be your best bang for your buck to plant for your local wildlife,” she added.
Professional foresters Brian Gandy and Michael Bane will speak at 11 a.m. on resources available to help trees thrive. And arborist Andrew Sargent will teach “Right Tree, Right Place” at 1 p.m. on how to select, plant and tend a tree properly.
Quizzes and prizes will be given throughout the day.
Local arborist Joe Whitfield will host an informational booth on trees at the event, alongside his wife Elaine who specializes in wildflowers.
Whitfield works for Greenfield Parks and Recreation, and has enjoyed giving educational programs on native plants, trees and insects at Thornwood Nature Preserve the last few years.
Whitfield said Saturday’s event will be helpful to anyone with an interest in trees and wildlife; there’s always room to learn more, he said, even for experienced gardeners.
“There’s a lot of things that people just take for granted, and they don’t understand how everything is interconnected nature-wise,” he said.
Registration for the event is at hcplibrary.org under the “events” tab, or call 317-462-5141.
