Have you ever thought about how relaxing and liberating it feels to pull out plant roots? Specifically, English Privet’s roots? On Saturday, September 22nd, I woke up at 8am to go volunteer at the Arboretum through my Society of Women in Engineering Club. I didn’t really know what I was signing up for and I have never done gardening before. At first, I thought we were going to plant more plants in the Botanic Gardens. However, when I got to the arboretum and met with other girls from my club we were greeted by Michael Toolan. Michael Toolan works at the arboretum as the natural areas program assistant and holds various volunteering sessions throughout the year.
After being greeted by Michael, we had to get gardening gloves and tools. He took all of us to the Marilyn Quigley Gerhold Wildflower Trail at the Arboretum. When we got there, Mike told us the story of the trail. The trail was established in 2014 by a gift from Henry Gerhold in memory of his late wife Marilyn Quigley Gerhold. The reason why this trail was so important to him was because since Henry and Marilyn started dating they would walk by the trail and it would be covered in wildflowers. When Marilyn passed away, Henry Gerhold wanted to keep her memory alive by donating money to the PennState arboretum.
After hearing the story, Michael explained a little bit more about why were pulling out English Privets. English Privets are an invasive species, which means that it is capable of taking over the space other plants are using, displacing native species completely. English Privets adapts easily to different environments, and that is why it’s abundant here at the PennState arboretum.
Finally, my friends and I started to pull out the Privets. At first I thought that I was going to get tired and bored really fast, but I was wrong. First of all, the weather was very nice; it wasn’t hot, but it wasn’t too cold either. It was like the perfect day for gardening. Secondly, once I started to pull out the roots of the Privets I felt happy and relaxed. Knowing that I was helping maintain the trail made me feel accomplished and at peace. The sound the roots made when they were being pulled out was like hearing a crackling fire. Also, taking a break from technology (specially my phone) was unwinding.
This is an experience I recommend to everyone. Taking a break from civilization and technology to give back to the community and be surrounded by nature is a great way to relax. Taking a walk through the trails by yourself or with some friends and forgetting about college life for a few minutes will help you be less stressed. Being surrounded by nature will make you happy and relaxed.
You can also volunteer at the arboretum this fall and next spring. There are sessions almost every Saturday from 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm. In the fall, you will be pulling out English Privets and in the spring you would help plant wildflowers where the Privets once where. For more information you can contact Michael Toolan by email at mjt5194@psu.edu.
It’s so funny how I just found this post and I had gone with you to the Arboretum volunteer service event! I totally agree that it was nice to be able to escape from the hustle and bustle of college life and work that can be stressful. I definitely agree that attending this event helped me to relax and not worry about what was to come in the following week. I had never been up to the Arboretum before then, and would highly suggest that others go to check it out. It is beautiful and well maintained and quite peaceful. Even if you walk through for a just few minutes or stay a while to study or relax, it is worth it!
Your passion blog is so original, I love how you seem to be enjoying it and just sharing whats really on your mind. SWE is such a great club and I love that you all volunteered at the arboretum, I love heading up there when I need to unplug for a bit. It’s also so great that you encourage others to volunteer as well, the arboretum is such a special and beautiful place but part of the reason it is maintained so well is thanks to volunteers. I’m interested to see where your blog will go next!