The times of our lives Honeybees and wild pollinators too, no longer have the same number or variety of flowers available to them because we humans have tried to “neaten” our environments. We have, for example, planted huge expanses of crops without weedy, flower-filled borders or fencerows. We maintain large green lawns free of any […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (May 2009)"
The serviceberry (Amelanchiergenus) is a favorite of both native landscapers and bird lovers. It’s a four-season winner with a froth of delicate white blossoms in early spring, luscious blueberries by June, apricot to reddish bronze fall color, and silver-gray bark for winter interest. Continue reading "Beyond the Bird Feeder: Serviceberry"
“I know that Dame’s rocket is technically an invasive exotic, but I love this plant. Despite being labeled an exotic, they have also long been a staple of American gardens – an heirloom species from the nineteenth century. So, while not native, they’re traditional.” – Found on an Internet gardening site. This comment illustrates a […] Continue reading "Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis Matronalis)"
Discovered in 1996 by Sara F. Wright, which she named after the Glomales order of fungi, Glomalin is causing a complete reexamination of what makes up soil organic matter. It is increasingly being included in studies of carbon storage and soil quality. Continue reading "A Mystery Explored: Glomales"
Natural landscaping advocates rejoice when they see homeowners reducing the size of their lawns. This isn’t always good news, though. Back in my conventional landscaping days, I got rid of lawn in places where turf grass didn’t grow well. And what did I plant instead? Groundcovers – the kinds readily available at garden centers and […] Continue reading "Covering The Ground With Invasives"
Getting to know about mycorrhizae is one of the most important things that a native plant person can accomplish. It is almost entirely because of this relationship that our native plants don’t need to be artificially fertilized or watered after they are established. Continue reading "A Mystery Explored: Mycorrhizae and Plants"
Nature Lovers Livid Over Missing Words Robert Bateman, Canadian environmental artist, naturalist, lecturer, and self-admitted old-fogey is reported to be horrified. David Suzuki, zoologist and Canadian environmental activist says he is mystified. Both are responding to revelations of an editorial decision on the part of the Oxford University Press. The Oxford Junior Dictionary, intended for […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Jan 2009)"
Last summer, we stopped to camp in a state park just north of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It had been a long day’s drive, so we were ready to stretch our legs and see a bit of the natural world in an ecoregion different from our own. In one way, though, we felt right at […] Continue reading "Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)"
Most of us believe we know certain things about plants. One of those indisputable facts is that the roots of plants are the organs that take up water and nutrients from the soil. We’re not entirely sure where we came by this wisdom, but there it is. Continue reading "A Mystery Explored: Thinking About Mycorrhizae"
The Northeast is renowned for its fall color – the reds and golds of maples, the yellows of clethra and spicebush, the ruby glow of blueberry and chokeberry bushes. And, since its introduction to the United States, from Asia in the 1860s, the gaudy red of burning bush (Euonymus alata), also known as winged euonymus, […] Continue reading "Burning Bush (Euonymus alata)"