Public is Invited to Thursday, April 4, Wildflower Day at Charlestown

The public is invited to exprience nature's splendor during Wildflower Day at Charlestown retirement community. This free event will be held Thursday, April 4, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.  

The first week of April is usually when the first of 70 species of wildflowers -- among them weeping cherry, sweet gum, and red bud seedlings --  bloom on the 110-acre Catonsville campus.

Wildflower Day will be held inside the Cross Creek Lobby and along the the Nature Trail located in the woods following the stream behind it.

A Nature Trail committee of about three dozen outdoor enthusiasts has volunteered for the past 14 years to preserve and protect the wildflowers and 30 species of trees.

Markers placed along the Nature Trail on trees and near wildflowers identify the different species, and a collection of wildflowers is kept and catalogued by the committee.

The Nature Trail is divided into sections, and each committee member is assigned a section to maintain. Any heavy work like a downed tree or hauling mulch is done by Charlestown’s grounds department.

“We wood chip the entire trail once a year and, when necessary, fill in any ruts that occur after heavy rains,” said Patricia Watsic, grounds supervisor at Charlestown. “We also replace any of the wooden rails and markers along the trail when needed, do weekly inspections of the trail for any hazardous trees or limbs, and collect the trash from the receptacles along the trail,” she said.