Nadia’s Backyard- Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex December 21, 2023
- Birds of a Feather? October 3, 2023
- The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard February 11, 2022
- Rerun: Men of Rice December 7, 2016
- Where the Words Live November 30, 2016
- Going Native October 16, 2016
- Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things June 17, 2015
- Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you April 27, 2015
- A Seagull Named Emma January 27, 2015
- The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II September 29, 2014
Tag Archives: Missouri
The Return of the Stinker
Hard to believe but stuff’s coming up! Not just the ubiquitous daffodils that pop up just in time to tease us about a yet-distant spring, but other stuff. Like Wild Leeks. Yeah, smelly old Allium tricoccum. What is this plant … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Gardening, Native Plants, Recipes
Tagged Cooking, Food, Gardening, Missouri, Native edibles, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Recipes
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Winter Rations
I’ve often thought of our Sweet Gum tree as more of a Bitter-Sweet Gum tree, mainly when I rake up piles of the spiky little balls it sheds with great joy and abandon. I think I am not alone in … Continue reading
Posted in Native Plants, Seasons, Wildlife
Tagged Birds, Missouri, Native Plants, Photography, Plants, Trees, Winter
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There Be Giants Here!
Found this in our backyard today, so new that it’s wings weren’t even fully expanded. A big surprise, considering the dearth of butterflies this season, at least here. We’ve never seen this one before, but I think we’ve seen its … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Wildlife
Tagged Butterflies, Giant Swallowtail, Insects, Missouri, nature, Zebra Swallowtails
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No Free Lunch: Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Have you got milkweeds around? If not, why not? Have you ever noticed how many insects they attract? Finally, have you ever noticed some of these insects dangling lifelessly from the milkweed’s flowers? Ever wonder why? (I hadn’t, until recently….) … Continue reading
Posted in Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Gardening, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants
Tagged Asclepias, Butterflies, Food, Gardening, Insects, Milkweeds, Missouri, Native edibles, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Plants, Pollinators, Pollinia, Reproduction, Wildflowers, Zebra Swallowtails
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A Bounty of Broom Moths
Have your Baptisia been looking a little ragged lately? Check for these little guys. We are certainly having an outbreak in our yard, maybe due to the weirdness of the spring this year (?). I expect the Indigos will survive, … Continue reading
Posted in Insect pests, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants
Tagged Baptisia, Gardening, Insects, Missouri, Moths, Native Plants, nature, Pests
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Ants in Your Plants? The Magic of Myrmecochory.
Let us again consider the Bloodroot, one of spring’s most lovely and ephemeral visitors. Having emerged in March, the little herd in our yard is just now finishing with its crop of seeds, and here they are. Almost, but not … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Insects, Native Plants, Seasons
Tagged Ants, Bloodroots, Insects, Missouri, Mutualism, Myrmecochory, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Plants, Reproduction, Sanguinaria canadensis, Seeds, Wildflowers
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Bloodroot Update (At Last)
I finally added the Bloodroot article to our Native Plants section here. These days our annual crop of Sanguinaria has long ago dropped its blossoms and has settled into respectable child-rearing mode. Looks like a good crop of seeds this … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Native Plants, Photography, Seasons
Tagged Gardening, Missouri, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Plants, Pollinators, Spring, Wildflowers
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An Eerie, Early Spring (but at least the Bloodroot’s up!)
Stuff is popping out all over, almost too fast to keep up with. So far we have over twenty Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) blossoms either open or coming up in our yard. I am now inspired to add this handsome citizen … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Native Plants, Seasons
Tagged Gardening, Medicinal, Medicinal Plants, Missouri, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Plants, Spring, Wildflowers
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The Upper Left-Hand Brick
NOTE: This posting has an error. The apple-like oak leaf gall is caused by a midge, not a wasp. The leaf gall of the wasp is an elongated gall along the veins of the leaf. I will update the … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Landscaping, Musings, Native Plants
Tagged Cicadas, Galls, Insects, Missouri, Musings, nature, Pin Oaks, Reproduction, Trees, Wasps, Writing
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February Flora!
February 23, and we have non-native crocuses blooming and native wild leeks peeking up in our backyard. Talk about your winter wonderland… Note: the leeks link has a couple recipes. It’s Nadia’s article in the newsletter of the Hawthorn Chapter … Continue reading
Posted in Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Gardening, Native Plants, Seasons
Tagged Crocuses, Gardening, Global Warming, Missouri, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Plants, Wild leeks, Winter
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