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
Category Archives: Landscaping
The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard
Here at the front end of February, our yards, back and front, are looking a mite shopworn and forlorn, dressed in sodden grays and browns, rather than the riot of colors they show in spring, summer, and into even late … Continue reading
Going Native
Our yard—front and back—is a curious place, located at a cultural and environmental crossroads. Depending on one’s point of view, our yard is a treasure, an eyesore, an oasis of biological diversity, a blight on the neighborhood, something to be … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Musings, Native Plants, Society, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged Birds, Gardening, Insects, Landscapes, Missouri, Musings, Native Plants, nature, Plants, Pollinators, Wildflowers, Wildlife, Yard work
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Columbine Time (Aquilegia canadensis)
When the spring columbines began popping up and blossoming in our backyard, we know it’s time to keep our eyes open for the arrival of the hummingbirds. Sure enough, after several days of gorgeous blooms, we have now spotted at … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Native Plants, Photography, Seasons
Tagged Aquilegia canadensis, Columbines, Gardening, Hummingbirds, Native Plants, Photography, Pollinators, Spring, Wildflowers
4 Comments
Butterflies and Beer: Get Ready for Spicebush Season
Spicebush is leafing out! Normally it would be blooming by now, like this: But it seems that the hard winter and long spring have slowed it down like everything else, since ours aren’t blooming just yet. At any rate, you … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Gardening, Landscaping, Native Plants, Seasons
Tagged Butterflies, Cooking, Food, Gardening, Insects, Lindera benzoin, Native edibles, Native Plants, nature, Photography, Spicebush, Spring
2 Comments
Pawpaws, Mastodons and Zebras
Snowed in today and dreaming of warmer times. A good time, it seems to me, to play more catch-up on the backlog of articles on the native plants we have in our yard. This time it’s Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)! What … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Edible Native Plants, Foraging, Fruit, Gardening, Landscaping, Photography, Recipes
Tagged Art, Butterflies, Cooking, Evolution, Food, Gardening, Insects, Missouri, Native edibles, Native Plants, Photography, Plants, Recipes, Trees, Zebra Swallowtails
2 Comments
Looking Ahead: Plant Your Peas
I know it’s unseasonal, but it’s way past time to start catching up on our Native Plants pages. The latest entry is here. It’s in our yard. It should be in yours!
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Native Plants
Tagged Gardening, Insects, Landscapes, Missouri, Native Plants, Partridge Pea, Photography, Pollinators, Wildflowers
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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
2 Comments
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
2 Comments
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
2 Comments
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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