Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
The days in the Keys are blissfully the same. We awake at first light as the sun streams through our bedroom window. Initially it is a bit nippy with a touch of wind but the outside soon warms and we head out to the beach for our morning walk. Flocks of birds beat us to […]
Brisk temperatures seem to come later and later each year. Just last week when I was working outside, the acrid smell of skunk made its way up the hill, something you don’t expect mid-November when skunks are usually in torpor. And its deliverer, perhaps, decided to visit my house the other day as I so […]
The witch hazel at @annsplaceinc looks even more spectacular than normal as its background is mostly empty of greenery. Its feathery, mid-to-late Autumn butter yellow flowers stand out in their color and unusualness. Witch hazels are an unusual example of co-evolution as they are pollinated by the winter moth, which can raise its body temperature […]
We had an opportunity to visit a local prairie, a special and vanishing ecosystem. They differ from meadows in that they don’t favor the growth of trees and have many more wildflowers and grasses. We have see a few monarch butterflies making their migration toward Mexico, but it is late in the season given the […]
Dodging the rain in the Northeast, we find ourselves in hot and steamy Des Moines for the Iowa Quilt Show. One of Juana’s bucket list items is to attend this exhibition of hundreds of quilts, and the fact that our niece, Lucy, lives nearby makes it so much easier to make the journey. Entering the […]
This first weekend of Fall is apropos given its cold, rainy start. The heat comes on as we wake to remove the dawn’s chill now that temperatures in the low 50s put us to sleep each night. The clicking and gurgle of water in the radiators replaces the morning chirps of birds now that windows […]
This is the year of beach plums. Rather than having to fight off deer and other foragers for a slight handful of these tasty fruits, they are in obscene abundance. Every bush has clumps of these deep purple pitted fruits waiting for the taking. And take I do. Grabbing a bunch, like so many grapes […]
Last week I had the opportunity to walk a new property that will likely be donated to Ridgefield as open space. What makes this parcel special is that it is smack in the middle of undeveloped State land, which together would add up to over 40 acres of pristine forest that is adjacent to another […]
Shadblow serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) is one of my favorite native small trees. It is interesting to look at in all seasons. Lovely blooms in the Spring, vibrant Fall foliage and early Summer fruit that is loved by birds. But this year is unusual: the birds have not come to eat the fruit. Typically, I carefully […]
Whenever I find an amphibian, like a frog, toad, or salamander, on the grounds I care for it pleases me. It means that I am being a good steward as the lack of these creatures often means there is something wrong with the environment. Happy hopping little ones! 🐸