Last Day of Summer
A beautiful sunset for the last day of summer. Yes, I know, technically the equinox isn’t for weeks yet, but August is summer. On September 1, the year turns to autumn. No doubt about it, on my calendar. September is cool breezes, a little too cool to go swimming. September is apples. September is asters, and the first chance of frost. September is school. So say goodbye to summer, this long weird summer of rain, heat, and cold. Welcome fall. Thanks to Diane Hale Smith for the photo!
Read MoreDon’t Bite Off More…
…than you can ingest. Thanks to Diane Hale Smith for another great bird shot!
Read MoreGood Mowing, Part 2
Last November I wrote a blog post about a meadow at the George Landis Arboretum in Esperance, NY. The meadow had just been mowed, and while you might assume from the title of my blog that I would be violently opposed to all mowing, that’s actually not the case. I can be a good sport about mowing. In fact, mowing in the right places, at the right time of year, can be an enormous help for wildlife, and for wildflowers. A mowed meadow looks sad and stubbly, but as with all good things, patience is required. Here’s what the meadow looks like today. A kaleidoscope of purple, gold and white:...
Read MoreChocolate in Bloom
Yes! The chocolate is in bloom! Now on view at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NY. What I can’t figure out is how anyone ever discovered the insanely fabulous taste of this plant. It’s a very easy plant to ignore. It blends in with the other trees in the tropical section of the Botanical Garden’s enormous conservatory. The little cacao tree is dwarfed by palm trees and giant ferns, totally upstaged by orchids and bird-of-paradise flowers. The leaves are nondescript, the flowers pretty but half an inch long. But come and worship at the foot of this homely little...
Read MoreRed Cage Fungus: Smelly Beauty
Pulling weeds. A very educational pursuit. I learn something new every time I do it. I was pulling some invasive bittersweet out of a pile of woodchips at the Pine Hollow Arboretum, when I noticed a hint of a sort of bad smell. Decomposing dead animal? Turned around to look, and the smell grew stronger. No sign of any corpses, though. Hm. Odor getting stronger the more I walk around. Did I step in something unfortunate? Check shoes. No. What is that smell? I search around, and finally notice what’s been under my feet all along–the tiny, fragile, odoriferous beauty of a stinkhorn...
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