Latest From The Blog

We’re back to Paw paws and spicebushes. Since both trees are considered ”understory trees,” I think it is important to think about how important these plants are to our ecology. They are often overlooked. No one would select a 25 foot tree as the major shade tree in...

Along the creek where we often walk is a cluster of pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) and spicebush trees (Lindera benzoin). They are not native in the far north, but do well here in West Virginia. These understory trees are about 7 feet tall and take most of the...

This morning as I was walking with my dog through the abandoned parking lot near our house, I found a white flower that had a bladder inflated behind it. I have always called this flower a “Bouncing Betsy.” The plant identifier on my cell phone called Picture...

I was walking around my favorite abandoned parking lot the other day looking for flowers that might have survived the assault of lawn mowers and mulching activity, when I spotted a beautiful yellow flower with five petals. It was similar to the buttercups I see in...

This past week I was walking along the edge of a woodland, when I spotted a beautiful branch of sassafras flowers. It was such a pretty sight with the new leaves in the center, that at first I thought the new leaves were the flower. But, no, it was a circle of flowers...

It’s the time of year when our early plants bloom. It is also the time of year when invasive plants can get a head start on native plants and “take over” areas of newly exposed soil or vulnerable native habitats. What plants are you seeing as you take your walks? Here...

There are many little flowers that bloom early in the spring. That is a good thing for the early pollinators. But the flowers don’t bloom to provide pollen for the bees. They bloom early in order to get sunlight. Look up! Are the leaves on the trees? Not yet here in...

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...

My feeder has a new pair of tufted Titmice, small birds like chickadees with a crown of light gray feathers on their heads. Yesterday evening I heard a killdeer calling on my Merlin bird identifier. It has started calling in the early evening. These two birds will...

Yesterday I was poking around my garden here in West Virginia and found that the daffodils and tulips were already above ground by several inches. The little white snowdrops are blooming already in my daughter’s garden. How can they endure the nighttime temperatures...

This week’s blog isn’t actually about a walk in the woods or along a road. It is about my bird feeder birds. They are giving me lots of pleasure as winter passes the last corner. They seem to be the most lively entertainment from nature at this time (although my...

Spanish moss hangs from a lot of trees in the southeast part of the United States. But it isn’t really moss. It is an air plant, which means that it gets all its nourishment from the air and from rainfall. Where we are vacationing here in the St. Augustine area,...

On a warm day we spotted this beautiful White Peacock Butterfly on our walk along the Indian River in Florida. These butterflies range from as far south as Argentina to the Carolinas in the U.S. That is why I have never seen one in Wisconsin or West Virginia. The...

My family gathered in Florida for the holidays to enjoy the balmy weather. Our dogs tumbled all over each other as we walked together down the sidewalk between a busy residential street and the Indian River on the East coast of Florida. We found a fat caterpillar with...