THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 27, 1996 TAG: 9603260177
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Operation Sunburst is shining across Virginia Beach these days. As you drive around the city, look for brilliant yellow daffodils blooming in public places, such as the median strip at the end of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway.
The daffodils you see are called Carltons. Carltons have proven to be one of the best daffodils for our area's soils and climate, particularly because they don't need a lot of water, said landscape architect B.H. ``Pat'' Bridges Jr.
Bridges, a founder of Operation Sunburst, suggests that you mark your calendar now with a reminder to plant some Carltons in October. He also recommends that you ask the nursery you deal with to be sure and have some Carltons in stock next fall.
A BEAUTIFUL SMALL HAWK CALLED A KESTREL, an opossum and a rabbit may be among the critters you'll meet up close during Owls Creek Week March 30 to April 7 at the Virginia Marine Science Museum. Weather permitting, the animals will be part of the inaugural run of rolling exhibit carts stationed along the museum's new Owls Creek Marsh Preserve trail.
Other activities include guided walks on the marsh trail, story times for children and special programs on topics like American Indians and their use of the marsh or outdoor education for teachers. Native plant expert Vicky Shufer will be out on the trail from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Sunday and on April 6. Teta Kain, a bird and butterfly expert from Gloucester, will give slide presentations on birds at 1 p.m. and butterflies at 2 p.m. April 4. All activities are free with admission to the museum.
THE SHADBUSH, which is so named because it blooms in early spring when the shad are running upstream to spawn, is about to open its clusters of little, fuzzy, white flowers. The wild shrub or small tree was the topic of a mini-program by Eileen Davis at the Virginia Beach Audubon Society meeting last week.
The shadbush is a native plant we often fail to appreciate, Davis said, but she has grown to love it. She has several growing in her yard and she has been picking the graceful branches and bringing them into the house to force the buds.
A shadbush is easy to recognize, she went on, because it is the first native white shrub or tree to bloom in this area. Found in wooded areas, it blooms earlier and is smaller than the dogwood and its blooms are not as bright white. ``Misty white,'' she calls the color.
BIRD MUSH is what Harry Luman calls his special recipe for the birds. The Kempsville resident sent me a round, yellowish ball of his mush in a net bag for me to test to see whether the birds in my yard liked it or not.
Something liked it - a lot. The next morning it was gone, literally. The only culprit I can think of is a raccoon.
Luman's recipe is a little like your grandmother's recipes, no precise measurements, but he swears by it. Here goes:
Put an aluminum pot in hot water in the sink. Add butter, maybe 1/3 of a stick cut up, or add the equivalent amount of bacon grease. Add twice as much peanut butter as butter. Add about 2 cups of corn meal. Add hot water, maybe 1/2 cup and stir mush to ``cook'' the cornmeal.
``Get a mesh bag, load it up and hang it on a tree,'' Luman said. ``Mockingbirds, blue jays, purple finches, they all love it, and will keep at it until it's gone.''
SPEAKING OF BUSHES AND BIRDS, a reader called to ask me to warn folks to be careful when they prune their shrubs. Check to make sure that no birds are nesting in the foliage before you start whacking away at it.
P.S. In addition to Owls Creek Week, there are other activities going on the Virginia Marine Science Museum. You can take a trip to the Dismal Swamp at 8 a.m. Saturday or hear the latest research on dolphins in Virginia at 5 p.m. that day. Call 437-6003 for more information on both programs.
ALTHOUGH SHADBUSH may not be on the list, there will be a lot of wildflowers and shrubs at the South Hampton Roads Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society native plant sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Francis Land House.
THE GATHERING OF THE GUILDS will also take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Francis Land House. Thirteen local guilds, from the Tidewater Quilters Guild to the Textile Design Association, will be demonstrating their crafts, sharing information and displaying their work. Call 431-4000 to find out more. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Carlton daffodils are blooming all over the city as part of
Operation Sunburst, founded by landscape architect B.H. Bridges Jr.
by CNB