As spring begins to overtake winter, the first little green leaves are often Tartarian honeysuckle followed by autumn olive, two invasives. Then splashes of yellow can be seen along forest edges. This is not forsythia but spice bush flowers, a native shrub. Those flowers are very small, but in aggregate they make the woods very... Read More
Recently I walked through an area where it appears a lot of deer travel. There was deer poop everywhere, little mountains of poop. Its pellets remind me of rabbit poop, but unlike rabbit scat, deer scat clumps. I began to wonder about its use as fertilizer. After all, cow, horse, rabbit and chicken manure are... Read More
Today was my lucky day. First a red squirrel chased a grey squirrel until the latter dashed into a brush heap. Then the red squirrel hid in a nearby brush heap. Later as I drove to Nurture Nature Center, I could hardly believe my eyes but a mink, member of the weasel family, crossed the... Read More
Have you noticed lots of weeds 2-3 feet high with white flowers or rays around yellow centers? They seem to be growing everywhere this year – in vacant lots, along roadsides, in gardens. Eastern daisy fleabane (Erigeron annus) is prolific this year. I have decided that some of it looks well in my garden, but... Read More
Salsify – isn’t that what old timers call the oyster plant because it tastes slightly like oysters? I found a stiff plant with a yellow flower that I identified as western salsify. Same plant? Not quite. Western salsify (trogopogon dubius Scop) sports a yellow flower while the salsify vegetable (T. pomfolius) has purple flowers. Actually... Read More
Recently I had to remove some turf to extend a garden of shrubs. I’m hoping the shrubs will act as a snow fence in the years to come so I don’t get snow drifts blocking my drive. Peeling back turf revealed lots of things: tiny roots from the removed grass, lots of varied-sized stones and... Read More
Several days ago a neighbor took me on a tour of her gardens. As we approached the upper side of the gardens, I looked at the stone row that outlined an old woods road, once a short cut between two roads. And then I saw it – a large tawny cat lying on the stone... Read More
Late winter is the time to prune many fruit-bearing trees and vines. I took my loppers and a step ladder to prune my cherry trees, removing crossed twigs and branches to clear out the central area and provide more air circulation. It was then I noticed a gummy substance leaking from a long “rip” on... Read More
Who goes there? I love to unravel mysteries and footprints in the snow are a challenge. My walk in the snow before it all melted revealed lots of animal activity. Aside from a domestic cat, there were fox, squirrel and deer footprints as well a new set of prints found in multiple places. It was of... Read More
