I almost missed these plants altogether. Another couple of weeks and they would have lost their flowers and the leaves would have been overgrown by neighboring plants. Eastern trout lilies are low-growing plants that form colonies of plants of different ages. The leaves have the characteristic mottling that give the plant its name – although […]
Archive for the ‘Interesting’ Category
Erythronium americanum (eastern trout lily)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Recipe on May 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I have this damp and dark corner of the yard that gets dappled sunlight only part of the day. Once the trees are leafing there is even less light to work with. I thought this would be a good spot for some mayapple. I planted 3 specimens from the New England Wild Flower Society store, […]
Dicentra eximia (wild bleeding heart)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I came upon Dicentra eximia by ways of its more showy non-native cousin (Dicentra spectabilis), which I have seen in various Cape Cod shade gardens. I have a few myself, as a matter of fact. Wild bleeding heart has smaller red to pink flowers, and leaves that are quite beautiful – the plant is also […]
Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
If you want hummingbirds in your yard and you don’t want to deal with a fussy plant, then wild columbine is right for you. I have these plants all over the yard, in all sorts of conditions – shade, partial shade, moist soil, dry soil, and they are thriving and flowering like there is no […]
On Black Garden Ants, and other assorted critters
Posted in Fauna, Guest blogger, Interesting on April 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In the wild kingdom that my kitchen has become with the onset of warm weather, I have come across more black ants than I seem to remember from last year, along with all kinds of spiders. The other day I caught a harvestman hitching a ride on my shoulder. Then I opened a cabinet to get […]
Mertensia virginica (virginia bluebells)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on April 25, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Synonym: virginia cowslip, lungwort oysterleaf While they are not yet in full bloom, Virginia bluebells are a notable presence in my woodland garden, and their leaves were one of the first to break through the soil a few short weeks ago. This member of the Boraginaceae family is a new addition to my woodland garden. […]
Noisy New Neighbors
Posted in Fauna, Guest blogger, Interesting on April 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Today I was walking down Route 6A when I heard what I thought were some loud birds. Getting closer to the sound I started to imagine that it was actually heavy machinery – this time of year there is a lot of repair work done on people’s summer homes in Barnstable. It turned out the […]
Spring news flash for April 4
Posted in Fauna, Interesting on April 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Pseudacris crucifer, or spring peeper is again out in full singing force at the kettle pond at the end of my street. Every year I look forward to this event, and everytime it takes me by surprise. It was no different last night when I heard them sing. Seemingly overnight we switch from the […]
Groundbreaking
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Interesting on April 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Spring keeps pushing ahead despite winter trying to keep a desperate and unwanted foothold. The ospreys have been back for a few days now, with birds arriving around March 23 on the Cape, and a nesting pair also returning to the museum of natural history platform in Brewster on March 29. I’m sure they would […]
Really ticked off about the trees
Posted in Guest blogger, Interesting, Rants & Raves on March 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
When I lived in the city, I had some sad looking trees on my street that often ended up covered with trash on the weekends (making them look that much more sad). One day a public utility truck backed up into one across the street from my apartment and left it there, broken and dying. […]