I attended the tour of Wild Ones Fox Valley Chapter member Jim LaLuzerne's yard. He concluded by making this observation. Have You Lost Your Cogs and Wheels? “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” – Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac. But when all the … [Read more...]
Why Do Leaves Change Colors?
I love the fall season. I love to watch the change in color of the warm-season native plants -- forbs, grasses, trees, and shrubs. I've always known the change in color had something to do with the chlorophyll in the plants, but I thought it was about time I learned what happens to create the … [Read more...]
Dame’s Rocket
One of my new neighbors (from Texas) told me that they had seen white and pink flowers on the ditches and woodland fences. Could it be phlox (Phlox pilosa)? It could have been, but it's not. These plants are actually dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a non-native, very invasive member of the … [Read more...]
It’s Cinco de Mayo May 5th
Today is May 5th, and it is Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is a day many schools and communities celebrate here in the USA as well as in Mexico. Often mistaken as Mexico’s celebration of independence, it actually is intended to celebrate the Battle of Puebla. It has, however, become more of a fun … [Read more...]
Violets
With the overwhelming abundance of ephemerals, the spring violets are going "gangbusters!" The E-Mail The other day I got an e-mail from someone who wanted to know how to get rid of the wild violets in her lawn. How she “hated” them and tried to eradicate them from her lawn. How the violets just … [Read more...]
Ephemerals II
The trees are budding out. There have been dandelions, and creeping Charlie are everywhere. And we have off-again and on-again sunshine. My goodness! Where did the overwhelming abundance of ephemerals come from? I guess the warm weather has something to with that. It seems to me it is two weeks … [Read more...]
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