This showy plant is native to the Midwest, the mid-Atlantic states, New England and eastern Canada, but it is listed as threatened in several of those areas. Queen of the prairie (or meadowsweet) likes moist prairies and meadows, particularly along streams and rivers. It is normally considered an indicator species of high quality habitats, but […]
Archive for the ‘Flora’ Category
Filipendula rubra (meadowsweet)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on June 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Heuchera americana (coral bells)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on June 12, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
When you see Heuchera sp. (coral bells) in the plant center you usually find cultivars accentuating distinctive leaf features or larger flowering stems. Heuchera americana (coral bells or alumroot) pales somewhat by comparison, but it is still a worthwhile contribution to the woodland garden with its distinctive leaves and spires of greenish-white flowers. This native […]
Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Guest blogger, Rants & Raves, Tips on May 28, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Back in March of 2011 I wrote about the appearance of bobcats on Cape Cod, now we are actually seeing what some have predicted – the return of the black bear to Cape Cod. The black bear, according to Mass Wildlife, has not been seen on Cape Cod since the 1700s. I refer back to some […]
Geranium maculatum alba (spotted geranium (alba))
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on May 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I was very happy to see this fall addition bloom for the first time – I wasn’t quite sure which plants were going to deliver the traditional blue-purple flowers, and which ones were the alba variety. As it turned out they ended up in the right spot juxtaposed with the pink flowers of the creeping […]
From the non-native dossier: Stellaria media (common chickweed) and Cerastium fontanum (mouse ear chickweed)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio, Recipe on May 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
It makes sense to discuss these two plants in the same blog, as they are both very common, look very much alike, and can often be found next to one another… Both forms of chickweed have leaves that are elliptical in shape and alternate on the stem. Common chickweed leaves are hairless while the mouse […]
Pretty in pink
Posted in Flora, Interesting on May 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Dodecatheon meadia bio page
Delphinium tricorne (dwarf larkspur)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on May 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Dwarf larkspur is somewhat of an unexpected guest in my yard – just like some of those mail order brides may not be exactly what you expected, I acquired some mail order rootstock for what I thought was dutchman’s breeches. It turned out to be Delphinium tricorne instead, which calls the mid-Atlantic states and the […]
The April that was…
Posted in Flora, Interesting on May 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This April brought some surprises, which I have written about in separate posts, but the overall April 2012 themes were re-birth, continuity and establishment. A lot of the plants pictured have been in my yard for a year or two now, and they are slowly but surely becoming a defining presence in the woodland garden. […]
Iris cristata alba
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on May 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Just like the common sky blue version of Iris cristata, the white flower form (alba) is a low-growing (3†to 6†high) spreading plant. I got this plant from a local garden center (you’re probably familiar with Mahoney’s if you live in eastern Massachusetts) and barely 3 weeks out of the pot they have started […]
Uvularia grandiflora (large bellwort)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on April 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
When I planted large bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) last year, I had no idea what I was in for. I had acquired the plants, flowerless and sorry looking, at a discount at Mahoney’s and unlike Dickens I had no great expectations. It is now the middle of April and the plants have pushed through the soil […]