Hi River Roaders,

This is the one year anniversary of this blog, created to help members and friends stay connected to our spiritual home during the pandemic. We’re starting to see some limited socially-distanced activity return to our grounds, with an Easter Egg hunt last Saturday, regular Grounds Committee work sessions every Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and some live Sunday morning services (still on-line). Hopefully a sign of things to come!

This week (like most weeks), we’ll focus on what’s going on right now on our grounds.

We have an amazing stand of trout lily (Erythronium americanum) on the right side of the entrance between the lower and middle parking areas. Earlier this year I pulled the invasive vines from the area, and the trout lilies are really happy about that.

A close up of the flower.

It’s still bluebell time!

I think of fall as the time when most trees produce seeds, but our red maples (acer rubrum) are producing seeds right now. This is the tree right above our “Black Lives Matter” sign.

Our natural bird feeder. Here is a white-throated sparrow eating the flower from an American beech. You really don’t need bird feeders if you plant enough native plants!

Buds from what I believe is an Asian crab apple. We have many of these spread across our grounds. While they are not native, my understanding is that they provide many of the same ecosystem services (fruit, nectar for pollinators, host plant for insects) as the native crab apple. The flowers (and buds!) are really pretty.

Our stand of celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) in the lower parking lot.

Shad bush (amelanchier sp.) in bloom in our Memorial Garden. I can attest that the best time to fish for shad at Fletcher’s Boathouse is when the shad bush are blooming.

The robins love our springs! They seem to constantly be in the water.

Finally, a request. We had a load of wood chips delivered to the back of the church, and I need the help of able bodied individuals to load them into wheelbarrows and move them to our newly-expanded trails in the Conservation Area. I will direct and spread them on the trails. Please reach out to me or send an email to Grounds@rruuc.org if you can help. Same as Cross Fit only free!

I hope you can come take a walk on our grounds!

Joe