That is what I wanted to do last night… As I drove by the kettle pond at the end of my street I heard Pseudacris crucifer (spring peeper) in full orchestral mode. Last year they first started singing April 3, so they have a healthy head start, along with other animals and plants. But who would […]
Archive for the ‘Interesting’ Category
singalong
Posted in Interesting on March 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
some ideas for 2012
Posted in Interesting on January 12, 2012 | 2 Comments »
The year has barely jumped the gate, but I already have tons of ideas that will add luster to my garden. Additionally, there are some things I want to do with the blog as well. They say that penning things down is a necessary first step toward implementation, so here it goes. Spring tasks for […]
pathways and plans
Posted in Interesting, Rants & Raves on January 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I decided to clear out some of the brambles out back of my property, as well as re-use the wood of the fallen black locust. this particular area is usually populated by pokeweed, jewelweed, catbrier and goldenrod. I intend to open the space up a bit, by adding walkways that will eventually meander to the […]
Winter Brings A Little Too Much Contemplation
Posted in Fauna, Guest blogger, Interesting on December 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Just a week or so after my last post where I had the outlandish idea that someday we may find out that paper wasps are able to differentiate human faces as well as pheromones, New Scientist came out with a story that these wasps indeed can recognize their own faces. “Despite having a brain less […]
Carolina winter?
Posted in Interesting, Rants & Raves on December 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Here we are, December 20, encroaching on the shortest day of the year and winter solstice – something we can reliably expect to happen (at least until this time next year when the Mayan calendar ceases). What’s less expected is that we’ve barely seen any winter weather. Granted, today and yesterday were cold. But we’ve […]
Sparse Serenity
Posted in Guest blogger, Interesting on November 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Cape Cod in October and November is not quite as colorful as other parts of Massachusetts; the particular native and non-native trees in our yard don’t put on the show that other species famously do. Hurricane Irene and the recent Nor’easter also put a damper on what is typically a leafy green/brown/yellow fall, as much of the trees […]
For the Birds: Woodpeckers In My Cape Cod Backyard
Posted in Fauna, Guest blogger, Interesting, Rants & Raves on September 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
For two years I have watched what I believe to be the same group of woodpeckers interact at the suet feeder in my Cape Cod backyard. One species, the “downy woodpecker”, tends to feed most often at the suet feeder. You can tell a downy woodpecker’s gender by its coloration – the males have a red spot on their heads […]
Polypodium vulgare (common polypody)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on September 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Polypodium vulgare is a cosmopolitan fern found in North America, central and northern Europe, and eastern Asia. The plant is quite hardy in sub-zero temperatures. It prefers acidic, well-drained and sandy soils and should do well in a Cape Cod woodland garden. The fern is edible and is used as a spice in cooking. You […]
Chelone glabra (white turtlehead)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on September 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This time of year, with frost not too far off, it is nice to see some color in the garden, still. Orange coneflower, new york aster, and the goldenrods are providing much delight. And if you consider white to be a color (sorry, spectrum purists), you’ll enjoy Chelone glabra as well. White turtlehead is a […]
Hummingbirds on Cape Cod
Posted in Fauna, Guest blogger, Interesting on September 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Until recently, I had no idea that there were hummingbirds in Massachusetts. But a hummingbird feeder and native plants Cardinal Flower and Bee Balm in my yard have attracted a pair of hummingbirds who hung out all summer long. These little guys (actually the ones I have seen in my yard are both female, unlike some other birds they don’t […]