Synonym: Wild oats, Merrybells This member of the Liliaceae family does quite well in the woodland garden, as it likes areas with deep leaf mould and light to high shade. The leaves have been pushing up since early April, and the first flower showed today, on April 30. The lone flower did not even wait […]
Archive for April, 2011
Uvularia sessilifolia (sessile bellwort)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on April 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The fragility of it all
Posted in Flora, Rants & Raves on April 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Just yesterday there was the euphoria of seeing the twinleaf bloom in my yard, for the fist time. I only had a few minutes, as I had come home later than usual and the light was fleeting fast. The pictures could be taken tomorrow, I thought. Alas, it is not to be. The twinleaf is […]
Jeffersonia diphylla (twinleaf)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio, Tips on April 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Another pleasant surprise: My twinleaf is blooming! Not only was I sceptical about that particular prospect (after all, the plant had not bloomed in two years, maybe due to soil conditions), I was also thoroughly thrown by the speed. The plants had some leaves yesterday. 24 hours later, after a warmish spring day, a long […]
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 […]
Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on April 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This rather tall (3 to 5 feet) fern grows in symmetrical vase-like clumps. The ostrich fern likes it moist, and can be found natively on riverbanks and sandbars all over the northern hemisphere (North America, Northern Asia, and Northern Europe). Matteuccia struthiopteris has two kinds of fronds: The tall vertical fronds that resemble ostrich feathers […]
Asarum canadense (wild ginger)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio, Tips on April 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
When the wild ginger broke through the soil, a few weeks back, I was not quite sure what to make of it – the pale almost radiant green protrusions looked like folded handkerchiefs more than leaves, and only later did it dawn on me that this was Asarum canadense. The plant is found in the […]
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. […]
Thalictrum thalictroides (rue anemone)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on April 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This was totally unexpected: The little rue anemones are the first spring bloomers in my woodland garden. The wild bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) and wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) are just days away from showing color themselves, but this year they got suprised at the finish line by these little upstarts. Mind you, the flowers look […]
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 […]
Bird Up!
Posted in Fauna, Guest blogger, Rants & Raves on April 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Every day now there is a fashion show going on in my backyard. My admission price is supplying the models with plenty of food. These models definitely don’t like to starve. The stars of the show are the red-winged blackbirds with their shock of striking color hidden in each fold of wing. They top understated elegance when it comes to bird-style. You can’t […]