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...
