Irene hit Cape Cod on Sunday August 28. It was mainly a wind event, taking with it branches and leaves of the white oak and black locust trees. The latter (Robinia pseudoacacia) were decimated, in fact. The trees look like bare pencils with some remnants of the compound leaves. One specimen – my favorite because […]
Archive for August, 2011
Irene
Posted in Interesting, Rants & Raves on August 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on August 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This perennial native to pretty much all of North America thrives in dry, rocky and low-quality soils, and there is plenty of that on the cape. This member of the mint family forms clumps that can grow 2 to 4 feet tall. It blooms with beautiful lavender flowers that closely resemble the flowers of a […]
Coreopsis rosea (pink threadleaf coreopsis)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on August 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This species of coreopsis likes well-drained soil and full sun. It is the only coreopsis with pink flowers (most others are yellow). It is native to 8 states on the East Coast, including Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia. It is endangered or of special concern in most of these places. I have several cultivated coreopsis species, […]
Milkweed critters
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Interesting on August 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The sole reason for adding milkweed to my yard was to attract, and feed, butterflies. The orange flowered butterfly weed has been visited by scores of bees, flies and butterflies, and now that the bloom is waning it is evident that the plant has benefited as well – large seed pods are developing on the […]
Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This plant is a perennial in the Mint family, native to the eastern United States. At first, I thought the name to be quite deceptive – Physostegia virginiana can be quite agressive under the right circumstances. It spreads rapidly by the roots or stolons, when left unchecked. Luckily those roots are just below the surface […]
Interlude in red
Posted in Flora on August 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Helianthus divaricatus (woodland sunflower)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This perennial native to eastern North America prefers dry open woodlands, and does well in Cape Cod soil. The plant reproduces by seed, but it can form dense colonies from its rhizomatous root system. It can actually be fairly agressive and crowd out other plants. I can be somewhat messy – I’ve had to stalk […]
Nothing familiar about it… Enallagma civile (familiar bluet damselfly)
Posted in Fauna, Interesting on August 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Despite the fact that the nearest pond is at least a mile or so away, I get many damselflies in my yard. Water is important because damselflies mate over water, either in flight or perched on reeds or other plants. After the mating ritual, the female damselfly lays her eggs on submerged vegetation. The eggs […]
Rudbeckia triloba (browneyed susan)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I just added this plant to the edge of my woodland garden. Browneyed susan is a biennial, so I am hoping that it will self-seed in that particular area. That may be wishful thinking on my part, because the plant would do better with a bit more direct sunlight. However, other folks have had no […]
Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Rants & Raves on August 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This vine is native to eastern North America and can be found in roadside hedges here and there on Cape Cod. The highway beautification crews up in the Boston area use this vine to cover the sound barriers along Route 93. It is often planted for its attractive, reddish orange, and sometimes yellow flowers. It […]