April 2013 is long gone, but only now have I found some time to look back at the pictures I took. Often a flower catches your eye, and off you go taking the shot, or a few. The intention was to write about the plant that very moment, but there is always something else that […]
Archive for May, 2013
Spring highlights – a review
Posted in Flora, Interesting on May 28, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Trollius laxus (american globeflower)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on May 28, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
The american globeflowers in my garden ceased blooming a week or two ago, but just now I’ve had a chance to put pen to paper. I find the distribution of this plant quite curious – there is a distinct western population, and a population in a few eastern states (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, […]
What a sight for sore eyes
Posted in Flora, Interesting on May 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
The strip of land next to the driveway is one of my favorite spots. In what amounts to a 80 square foot area, I’ve managed to grow some 50 native plants, and most of them seem to get along well. Sure, some are more aggressive than others, but I figure with a bit of human […]
Prosartes languinosa (yellow fairybells)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on May 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Yellow fairybells is another interesting native neighbor (meaning it does not occur naturally in Massachusetts – it is found in Appalachia, Arkansas and the province of Ontario). This member of the Lily family displays strongly veined light green leaves – it is somewhat similar to Uvularia grandiflora from afar. The little yellow flowers are beautiful, […]
Athyrium angustum (northern lady fern)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
I have to admit, I am not quite sure whether this is now truly considered a distinct species, or a sub species from Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern). Whatever the case, I added the “forma rubellum” to my yard. This fern can be grown quite easily on rich woodland soils, although it does not like wet […]
phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on May 9, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
While Phlox divaricata is not native to Cape Cod, or even Massachusetts, this “native neighbor” is just too beautiful a plant to leave out of our woodland garden. Wild blue phlox, or woodland phlox as it is often called, is found from Hudson Bay all the way down to Texas and Florida. For some reason […]
Prosartes maculata (nodding mandarin)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on May 9, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Nodding mandarin is another interesting native neighbor (meaning it does not occur naturally in Massachusetts – it is found in a few eastern states from Michigan down to Georgia). This member of the Lily family displays strongly veined light green leaves – it is somewhat similar to Uvularia grandiflora from afar. The flowers are beautiful, […]
The Cape Cod Zoo (in my backyard)
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Guest blogger on May 9, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
It is an incredible testament to nature these past few weeks that the group of wasps living outside my kitchen window has returned to the exact same spot they have nested at ever since we moved to this house. Last fall we waited until the last of the plants and insects were done thriving and got our house […]
Wild encounter on the beach
Posted in Fauna, Interesting on May 9, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Last weekend I took a stroll along my favorite fishing beach to see whether the striped bass had come in yet (affirmative, but I did not get any keepers). On the way there I returned to the waves a couple of live male horseshoe crabs, some 20 spider crabs, and a mantis shrimp. This was […]