This week: The difference between moths and butterflies
Hello! This week I was listening to the latest podcast from The Field Guides and they cleared up a niggling question I’ve had: what’s the difference between...
This week: Plant flops
Hello! Lots of plants are tall. This is especially true of native perennials. Whether it’s 3 feet or 8 feet, plants that achieve great heights are prone to...
This week: Let violets grow wild
Hello! It’s never too early to look forward to the first flowers of spring, and one of the most common native bloomers is the violet (Viola spp.). While it...
This week: Mushrooms in the lawn
Hello! A reader recently asked why mushrooms were growing in her lawn and what she should do about them. I always have mushrooms magically appearing in my...
This week: Baptisia and Purple Dome Aster, a perfect pairing
Hello! Looking for a fantastic native plant combination that’s suitable for garden borders small and large? Look no further than Baptisia australis and New...
This week: Winterberry holly
This week: Winterberry holly Hello! Here in western Pennsylvania the leaves are mostly off the trees, which makes it the perfect time to notice Winterberry...
This week: Smooth Sumac
This week: Smooth Sumac Hello! Let’s talk about Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra), a ubiquitous native tree that turns a spectacular flaming red in the fall. Smooth...
This week: Bluestem grasses
Hello! Recently I visited Davidson Mesa in Louisville, Colorado, a public open space with trails winding through a native grassland prairie. The mesa’s...
This week: Guarding trees against antler rub
Hello, 'Tis the season for antler rub damage on trees, and sadly, my Sweetbay Magnolia has fallen victim. My loose understanding of why this happens is that...
This week: Water for birds
Hello, So you’ve attracted birds and butterflies to your garden with a fabulous array of native flowers and pollinator plants. What more can you do to make...
This week: Calico aster, native wildflower
Hello! In this week’s edition of “flower or weed?” we have Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum). I’ll admit that I weed this one out of my garden but...
This week: Perennial asters for fall blooms
Hello! What flower reliably blooms at the end of September and well into the fall? Native asters! The one that is currently blooming in my garden is...
This week: Choosing goldenrod for the garden
Hello! This week goldenrod came into full bloom in my garden. However, this particular goldenrod was unintentional—it’s a volunteer plant that popped up on...
This week: Say hello to Helenium!
Hello! Fall is quickly approaching here in western Pennsylvania. Nights are cooler and summer blooms are fading. Yet some flowers are still going strong!...
This week: All about native Baldcypress
Hello! I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite native trees, Taxodium distichum, the Common Baldcypress. This tree grows up and down the eastern...
This week: Blue Mistflower blooms
Hello, Do you have an out-of-the way soggy spot that only gets as little as a handful of hours of sun a day? There’s a plant for it: Conoclinium coelestinum,...
This week: Wild grape, a native edible
Hello! This week I’m kicking off an occasional series all about weeds. The common axiom—a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place—is often true! Perhaps we...
This week: Bee balm, beloved by bees and hummingbirds
Hello, Monarda, sometimes called Bee Balm or Bergamot, is a common native perennial that is a standout mid-summer pollinator plant. An added benefit? The red...
This week: Why bees pollinate
Hello, My Joe Pye Weed is blooming which means it is buzzing with pollinators. I’m not skilled at identifying insects, but I appear to have a lot of...
This week: Summer Azure butterfly pollinates
Hello! Today I was able to spot (and poorly photograph) the Summer Azure butterfly, scientific name Celastrina neglecta. Though it has a wingspan of just an...