Falcon Families that joined us on Saturday, April 17th, for our school's Beautification Day were gifted with a small River Birch sapling courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation. It's been a few weeks and our trees are growing !!! 

We brought home our trees and planted them in small pots with plenty of fresh soil. Adding a healthy dose of sunlight and fresh water, our River Birches are thriving. They've almost doubled in size.

River Birch trees are native to the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of North Carolina. River Birch is a fast grower, and will reach a height of 40 to 80 feet, with a canopy spread of 15 to 25 feet.

The River Birch can be identified in many ways. The leaves of the River Birch are diamond-shaped with double-serrated margins and they have a glossy green upper side and yellowish-green underside. In fall, all the foliage turns bright yellow. River birch tree bark is flaky and tends to peel and curl from the tree trunk. Throughout the spring and summer, these trees attract a variety of birds, providing food through the seeds, flower buds and even in their bark, where hiding insects are discovered by woodpeckers in the winter.

Thank you to National Wildlife Federation for donating 200 River Birch saplings to grow at home in our yards. These trees were a fun giveaway to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and get our students in the growing spirit. Visit NWF to learn more about the Trees for Wildlife program and learn how to connect kids with nature.  

If you have planted your NWF GHE River Birch sapling and would like to share your progress, please send us a photo and tell us what you did to connect with nature. Email our GHE PTA at greenhopeelementarypta@gmail.com