Celandine is native to Europe and Western Asia, but it has been present in North America for almost 400 years, as it hitched a ride with the earliest European settlers. Back in those days the plant was used as a yellow dye (if you break a stem you will see the yellow sap), and it […]
Archive for the ‘Interesting’ Category
From the non-native dossier: Chelidonium majus (celandine)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio on May 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
A moment in a bug’s life
Posted in Fauna, Interesting on May 23, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I don’t know much about wasps, and had to do some research to find out I was dealing with a paper wasp. The one in the picture is the European paper wasp (Polistes dominulus), and it is trying to make a home on my dwelling. This wasp is not something the cape old timers would […]
Actaea pachypoda (white baneberry)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
White baneberry is in full flowering mode right now. However, the fruit is the interesting part of this plant: Actaea pachypoda is also known as doll’s eyes, and the fruit looks like a collection of those mounted on a red colored frame. White baneberry is a definite shade plant, and likes sufficient moisture. However, drainage […]
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I have a few of these members of the Dryopteridaceae family in my woodland garden, among sessile bellwort and framing some oak and rhododendron. The plants have only been there for a year, and I’ve only seen the sterile fronds of this fern. The fern is also called bead fern because the fertile fronds that […]
Viola sagittata (arrowleaf violet)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 18, 2011 | 1 Comment »
While a large area of my yard is overgrown with Viola sororia, I noticed these distinctly different violets in the moss on the other side of the house. The plants are tiny, and grow as single individuals here and there. The flowers are of a much richer blue and the leaves are distinctly arrow-shaped. Scientific […]
From the non-native dossier: Cardamine hirsuta (hairy bittercress)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio, Recipe on May 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I have to admit I kind of like the sight of these little annual plants in early spring – they are one of the first to flower, and now in mid May they are already dispersing seed into the yard. This little plant is actually pretty much impossible to get rid of. You can pull […]
Where the bugs are
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Guest blogger, Interesting on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s been a cold spring. Last spring it was so hot that our Rhododendrons never bloomed (a friend told me the unopened blooms essentially fried in the sun). This spring there’s not quite enough sun; the leaves on the oak trees are still in winter mode, taking their time coming out of their protective buds. The insects must be […]
Dodecatheon meadia (shooting star)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This little plant is just spectacular, although it is fairly shortlived. By summer the flowers and rosetted leaves will be a faint memory. But this year the pictures live on! There are several different color schemes, ranging from white to pink to deep purple. The ones I acquired from the New England Wild Flower Society […]
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
These strawberry plants are pretty much everywhere in my yard, although they definitely prefer the more sunlit areas. They don’t need an introduction here, but if you’re someone that thinks of them as annoying weeds, consider this: The ecological value of wild strawberry to various insects, birds, and animals is high. The flowers attract long-tongued […]
Blossoming
Posted in Interesting on May 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Trees all over Cape Cod are blooming. The trees in the yard are just following procedure… The white flowers are still looking respectable, but it won’t be long before rain and wind will take their toll. The caterpillars of the wintermoth have not taken huge chunks out of the leaves yet, but I’ve found them […]