I have a few of these members of the Dryopteridaceae family in my woodland garden, among sessile bellwort and framing some oak and rhododendron. The plants have only been there for a year, and I’ve only seen the sterile fronds of this fern. The fern is also called bead fern because the fertile fronds that […]
Archive for the ‘Flora’ Category
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Viola sagittata (arrowleaf violet)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 18, 2011 | 1 Comment »
While a large area of my yard is overgrown with Viola sororia, I noticed these distinctly different violets in the moss on the other side of the house. The plants are tiny, and grow as single individuals here and there. The flowers are of a much richer blue and the leaves are distinctly arrow-shaped. Scientific […]
From the non-native dossier: Cardamine hirsuta (hairy bittercress)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio, Recipe on May 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I have to admit I kind of like the sight of these little annual plants in early spring – they are one of the first to flower, and now in mid May they are already dispersing seed into the yard. This little plant is actually pretty much impossible to get rid of. You can pull […]
Where the bugs are
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Guest blogger, Interesting on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s been a cold spring. Last spring it was so hot that our Rhododendrons never bloomed (a friend told me the unopened blooms essentially fried in the sun). This spring there’s not quite enough sun; the leaves on the oak trees are still in winter mode, taking their time coming out of their protective buds. The insects must be […]
Dodecatheon meadia (shooting star)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This little plant is just spectacular, although it is fairly shortlived. By summer the flowers and rosetted leaves will be a faint memory. But this year the pictures live on! There are several different color schemes, ranging from white to pink to deep purple. The ones I acquired from the New England Wild Flower Society […]
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
These strawberry plants are pretty much everywhere in my yard, although they definitely prefer the more sunlit areas. They don’t need an introduction here, but if you’re someone that thinks of them as annoying weeds, consider this: The ecological value of wild strawberry to various insects, birds, and animals is high. The flowers attract long-tongued […]
Median strip
Posted in Flora, Invasive, Plant bio, Rants & Raves on May 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
There are miles and miles of highway on and off cape. Although those artificially created corridors are intended for human traffic, they are also occasionally used by wildlife and plantlife to get around. Granted, when it comes to wildlife it is more often a treshold, boundary and all too often, killing field. I put a […]
Erythronium americanum (eastern trout lily)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Recipe on May 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »
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 […]
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 […]