The Chestertown Environmental Committee is offering a FREE composting workshop this Saturday, May 20, 10 am to noon at Sumner Hall, 206 South Queen Street, Chestertown.
Why compost? It will enrich your soil with nutrients, resulting in a healthier, more productive garden, whether for consumption or pleasure. It increases the soils’ ability to absorb moisture – reducing runoff, it cuts down on trash in the landfill.
Learn all the dos and don’ts in this two hour workshop, hosted by the Chestertown Environmental Committee. Compost bins will be available at the event. For more information email Jenny at jennyelee09@gmail.com.
Last week, we asked you about lespedeza or silky bush clover (Lespedeza cuneata). Lespedeza is considered invasive because it is non-native and forms dense patches in meadows and forest edges outcompeting native plants. This invasive lespedeza tends to have white blooms with purple centers. There is a native species (Lespedeza virginica) with pink flowers that is helpful in providing cover and food for birds in the winter. Lespedeza is a nitrogen fixing legume (Fabaceae), so it is very effective at growing in nutrient-deficient or disturbed soils.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
Last week, we asked you about flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata)! Flowering spurge is a native perennial that readily self seeds in open woodlands, fields, and roadsides. It has delicate white blooms in the summer, creating a nice airy floral accent. Flowering spurge has been known to cause some skin irritation, so it’s best to admire from a distance (or with gloves). The flowers offer nectar to a variety of bees, wasps, and butterflies and the seeds are eaten by birds. Similar to flowering dogwood, flowering spurge has showy bracts rather than petals.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
Last week, we asked you about the variegated fritillary caterpillar (Euptoieta claudia)! This red, black, and white caterpillar will transform into a beautiful orange butterfly with patterns of black and brown. The variegated fritillary uses passionflower (in addition to mayapples and violets) as a host plant. If you find yourself at Emily’s Play Garden, watch for these butterflies and you may even see them laying their eggs on the leaves. Just remember that their genus name comes from the Greek word meaning “easily scared,” so be quiet and gentle while you observe.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
Last week, we asked you about the tussock moth (Halysidota sp.). Sycamore tussock moths (Halysidota harrisii) appear identical to banded tussock moths (Halysidota tessellaris) and without a close look at some anatomical features, we can’t be sure which species this is. The American sycamore appears to be a host plant for both species. There are many species of tussock moths whose hairs are used as a defense mechanism, some of which can sting or cause a rash. So, keep in mind that these “fuzzy wuzzy” caterpillars may look cuddly, but best to let them be.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
Last week, we asked you about spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe). Spotted knapweed is an invasive plant that tends to grow in disturbed and nutrient-deficient soils. Each plant can produce between 1,000 to 20,000 seeds each year, so it is important to prevent it from setting seed! Every summer, we control the knapweed by manual removal and mowing to allow the areas to seed in with the desirable native meadow species.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go