Earth Day 2009
Carpets of Wildflowers, Canopy of Oaks Restoring native plants across the city
At Home with Native Plants Garden tour on Mother’s Day
The Camas Among Us A common spring flower invokes Kalapuya heritage
Students, Volunteers and the Land Seven years of restoration efforts with Walama
Livin’ Green, Even in Winter Nature, raw and processed
Just Say No to the Butterfly Bush
In the Nesting issue on March 26, I wrote that the butterfly bush was a good bush to attract butterflies. True, but it didn’t take too long for the corrections to roll in. Kyle Spinks of the Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec Department (they read the EW?) wrote to say that the butterfly bush is on the Oregon State Noxious Weed list. He added, “The primary reason is due to its ability to easily self-seed, especially in disturbed soils, such as along streams and roadways.” Other plants he suggested in its place:
Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium): Herb up to 7’ tall with numerous pinkish-lavender flowers per spike. Good in sunny sites, but may spread.
Meadow sidalcea (Sidalcea campestris): Herb up to 3’ tall with lavender flowers. Good in wetter meadows.
Douglas spirea (Spiraea douglasii): Shrub up to 7’ tall with dense pinkish flower spikes. Good in wetter to moderately dry sites.
Orange/trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa): Vine with clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers. Not aggressive and likes shade. Does well on an arbor.
Mockorange (Philadelphus lewisii): Shrub up to 10’ tall with single, large white flowers. Nice aroma and does well in partly shady upland sites.
He also suggested contacting the Xerces Society in Portland for more info. That nonprofit’s website is www.xerces.org and you can contact them at 503-232-6639. Thanks to Spinks and all who called! —Suzi Steffen
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519