Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
With the first day of autumn comes the changing of the seasonal pictures in our kitchen. A quartet of heads, each representing a different season, gets readjusted. These whimsical portraits were created by Italian master, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who is well known for his use of fruits and vegetables to create distinctive images. Old man autumn […]
After I finish watering the gardens, I grab the compost bucket to feed the pile. Walking by Juana’s kitchen herb patch, I notice on my left the nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) leaves holding droplets of water that look like tiny, shimmering jewels. Only a few can manage this balancing act. Upon closer inspection, they appear more […]
“Turn around slowly,” I whisper to Juana. “There is a hawk under the swing set.” Sitting in the grass between the swing and a nearby bench is a magnificent red-shouldered hawk (we think). It sits quietly unmoving though it has its eye on me as I try to move closer to get a better shot. […]
The volunteer Joe Pye weeds (Eutochium purpureum) that are popping up in the herbaceous borders at Ann’s Place are one of my favorite squatters in these gardens. I’m not sure where they came from but a single volunteer a few years ago located next to a bench has now a large family surrounding it. It […]
An early morning walk on the beach brings us to foraging seabirds including terns, seagulls and piping plovers. They are spending most of their time in the rack, full of seaweed, bait fish, bivalves and tiny trapped crabs. The plovers dart in and out of the waves trying with their beaks to grab a buried […]
We are spending a lovely holiday weekend at the beach on Long Island. The weather is perfect with bright sun and light, warm breezes. We decide to take an early morning walk with a foraging prey in mind: beach plums. Early September is beach plum season here and we hope to beat the birds and […]
“Do you see the size of that bee?!” exclaims the attendant at the transfer station in town. “Is that a killer hornet?!” Turning my head toward the back of the pickup holding my garbage cans, I see a huge bee at least 1.5 inches long. “I’m closing my window,” says the bearded employee, shutting it […]
It is impossible to capture everything in a blog about what you see on a trip like this. Here are a few vignettes of special sights. Classic covered bridge: This well-kept covered bridge is located in Uhlerstown leading us off the D&L to the D&R trail on the other side of the river in New […]
On our travels along the D&L Trail I found many familiar flowers. Here are my faves in reverse order. 9. Blueweed (Echium vulgre): If this wasn’t so invasive, it would be much higher on my list. Its delicate bell shaped flowers host many a pollinator. It is scattered along the trail. 8. Queen Anne’s Lace […]
“Paddle right,” I shout. “Now left! Watch out for the rock on the right! Pull hard to the left. Keep the raft straight. Everyone paddle hard! We are heading for a boulder!” Ted and I take the day off from pedaling and spend it paddling down the Lehigh RIver in a rubber raft with a […]