The violets are blooming here in West Virginia, reminding me that they are important plants for all the Fritillary butterflies all over the world. Violets are easy to plant and usually grow low enough to flower beneath the lawn mowers that cut off the leaves of most...
Finally spring has arrived! It’s time to start our gardens. There are so many important choices. Should we plant seeds in greenhouse containers first, or plant them directly into the garden soil? Should we plant seeds or purchase little plants from a nursery? And what...
With the trees still bare in most places, it’s a good time to notice last year’s birds’ nests. This tree is on a street in a 2005 housing development. This tree was probably planted when the new house was built. Notice that there are 3 small nests in the branches, 1...
The days are longer now, so it is much easier to walk in the evening. Have you noticed? The birds are more active and are probably migrating as I write this. The weather is better, too. So no excuses. To encourage you to move along this spring, I have designed two...
I had never heard of a hellebore before we moved south to West Virginia. They are originally a Eurasian flower from the family Ranunculaceae. Other more familiar flowers in that family are the buttercup (Ranunculus acris) and the Canadian anemone (Anemomone...
