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Archive for September, 2011

I just added the pink turtlehead to my yard, in a spot where a tree stood just a few weeks ago. The area gets some morning and late afternoon sun. The soil is moist and rich, so Chelone lyonii should do well. The plants also like a good composted leaf mulch, and I will add […]

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For two years I have watched what I believe to be the same group of woodpeckers interact at the suet feeder in my Cape Cod backyard. One species, the “downy woodpecker”, tends to feed most often at the suet feeder. You can tell a downy woodpecker’s gender by its coloration – the males have a red spot on their heads […]

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Polypodium vulgare is a cosmopolitan fern found in North America, central and northern Europe, and eastern Asia. The plant is quite hardy in sub-zero temperatures. It prefers acidic, well-drained and sandy soils and should do well in a Cape Cod woodland garden. The fern is edible and is used as a spice in cooking. You […]

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I simply love these plants. They are hardy, have dozens of flowers, and they provide color until late fall. Orange coneflower prefers sun, and if you can provide that you will enjoy these golden daisies with chocolate centers. In my garden, they have been in bloom since July and they are still going strong. The […]

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This time of year, with frost not too far off, it is nice to see some color in the garden, still. Orange coneflower, new york aster, and the goldenrods are providing much delight. And if you consider white to be a color (sorry, spectrum purists), you’ll enjoy Chelone glabra as well. White turtlehead is a […]

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Until recently, I had no idea that there were hummingbirds in Massachusetts. But a hummingbird feeder and native plants Cardinal Flower and Bee Balm in my yard have attracted a pair of hummingbirds who hung out all summer long. These little guys (actually the ones I have seen in my yard are both female, unlike some other birds they don’t […]

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I have to admit, I was one of the people the blog post below rants about. I simply did not care about nature for most of my life. Places without lots of people seemed “boring”. But two circumstances changed that for me. When deciding where to travel I used to only consider cities – places where I […]

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Last rant of summer

Hey son, look at these minnows. Honey, check out the beachplum. I’ve overheard statements like this all summer long, and everytime I feel like interjecting myself to make the correction – they are not minnows, which are a fresh water fish, but mummichog. And those aren’t beachplum, they are Rosa rugosa. Nitpicking, maybe, but it […]

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Deadly patience

This nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) is patiently awaiting dinner on the petals of a blackeyed susan. Woodland garden, August 2011

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Pseudacris crucifer (spring peeper) waiting for prey on a flower in the woodland garden. August 2011.

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