Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
The birds are always active looking for a snack regardless of size. Flying high are pelicans, anhingas and ospreys looking for yummy seafood and making a quick and decisive dive to capture a morsel. Closer to the ground are sanderlings that scamper in a pack pecking the sand looking for sustenance. Their quick and coordinated […]
Reaching for what I think is a blue plastic bag in the shoreline wrack, Juana yells, “Stop!” She spots what I don’t, which are a mass of stinging tentacles. It’s not a bag. It’s a Portuguese Man-of-War—a nasty, stinging jellyfish. These seemingly benign floaters come in on the tide and wind resting on the shoreline […]
While one may think that coconuts are the only things to forage in the Keys, there are lots of other options. The other day Juana and I stumbled upon some desert purslane nestled next to some wind-blown palm fronts and a stone-like sponge. Differing slightly by shape and taste, this wild succulent is just like […]
A lone hawk sits motionless on a Japanese maple branch hoping that an inattentive bird will feast at the feeder below. After a few minutes there are no takers and it flies away still looking for an afternoon meal.
The birds have pretty much picked clean all the berries and seed heads in the yard leaving bare branches and stalks in their wake. With the early warming rays of the sun, they flock to the feeders in the front and back of our house. Ground feeders like doves, pidgins, and juncos avoid the traffic […]
January has arrived (sort of). The temperatures are falling and nightly fires in the wood stove have become common. The kindling has nearly run out as has the wood bin in the garage. I enlist Juana to help me in both areas. About 10 trips with the log carrier gets the bin filled. It looks […]
An early Spring is rarely imagined and less often realized at the turn of the year. Yet today with the temperature cresting in the low 60s that is exactly what we have. I remove my bike from the shed and with an extra layer of clothing head off for the Titicus Reservoir, which supplies NYC […]
Winter is still a few days away and the back yard is poised to accept its seasonal role. Nearly all of the leaves of the deciduous trees have abandoned their prior homes, settling down and providing a blanket for the soil. The first significant snow of the season covers the ground creating a clean, clear […]
Crisp and clear nights show off the lights we have positioned around the house. Last year, for the first time, I put Christmas lights on the greenhouse and was pleasantly surprised on its festive appearance during the night. The microgreens and rosemary bushes within its space sit transfixed by the reflective light penetrating its insides. […]
Now that we have reached December, the beds have been cleaned, the bulbs planted, the flowers have faded, and the garden is desolate. Even the long persistent yellow flowers of witch hazel are gone following the examples of all other deciduous shrubs and trees. Seed heads of our coneflowers stand alone, waiting to be eaten […]