Posted October 24, 2022 by M.S. Coyne
Last week in the African Cemetery No. 2 was COLD and DRY.
Not quite dry enough to stop fog from developing, but it soon burned away as the sun rose higher.
There was not a lot of maintenance activity in the cemetery this week because the grass wasn’t growing. Most of the time was spent preparing for Tree Week. We moved one of our placards in Section D to better suit the new marker for the Julie Perry Family.
We used up some of our compost stocks to create a mulched area at the corner of the cemetery by 7th and Chestnut. This area doesn’t get much light because of three large trees, and the grass grows poorly. So, it’s being transformed into a shade garden area. Look for changes next year.
One special treat while watering he new plantings at the front gate was discovering some fossils in the limestone rocks Hoe ‘N Hope Garden Club used to edge the plantings at the gates. I’ve seen lots of fossils in limestone, but this was my first Trilobite. This particular rock is back where it belongs among the stones. See if you can find it the next time you visit.
We picked up five new native tree species this week from Oakland Tree Farms of Paris KY:
Washington Hawthorn
Primrose
Winterberry
Overcup Oak
Chestnut Oak
While working on the tree inventory we also found a ‘volunteer’ Osage Orange growing in Section B. The spikes by the leaf petioles are a dead giveaway for this species.
Tree Week Events (https://ufi.ca.uky.edu/treeweek) run from October 8-16. We’ll have walking tours available on October 9 th and 13 th (grab a sheet and see if you can find all 62 tree species in the cemetery or take the self-guided walking tour) from 5-7 and a special tree print making program on October 15 from 2-4. Bring the kids!
Remember that if you or your group would like to contribute a few hours of service maintaining African Cemetery No. 2, please contact Mark Coyne at mscoyn00@gmail.com to plan a visit.
As always, feel free to visit African Cemetery No. 2 any time.