Posts by Anita

Magnificent Clouds

Posted by on Jun 18, 2013 in photos, spring, Unmowed Blog | 0 comments

Magnificent Clouds

Five minutes before this picture: sun and blue skies. Five minutes after this picture: hailstones banging on the roof.

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Dame’s Rocket: Wandering Lady

Posted by on Jun 16, 2013 in edible, flowers, plant parts, spring, Unmowed Blog | 0 comments

Dame’s Rocket: Wandering Lady

She’s all over the place right now. Gorgeously attired in shades of white, rose-pink, lavender and purple. She wanders into gardens, meadows, landfills. She hitchhikes along roadways. She lines the pond, and the forest, and the parking lot at the mall. Dame’s Rocket is the name of this ubiquitous June beauty. The explanation for this odd name is complex. First of all, “rocket” is a very old name for the spicy, peppery-tasting plants in the mustard family (nothing to do with rockets of the twentieth century). Dame’s Rocket is one of many species in the Mustard family. (The yellow stuff we put...

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Celandine: Sweet Young Thing

Posted by on May 17, 2013 in flowers, spring, Unmowed Blog, winter | 0 comments

Celandine: Sweet Young Thing

One of the best things about writing a blog is that it gives you a reason to look at everything with new eyes.

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Bee Balm: A Good Bet

Posted by on May 11, 2013 in flowers, plant parts, seeds, Unmowed Blog, wildlife | 0 comments

Bee Balm: A Good Bet

I admit it. It’s an addiction. The first step is admitting it, right? Much as I love nature and wild things, I just can’t pass up a greenhouse. There’s something about all those plants, spread out in a wild crazy quilt of color. The sheer gorgeousness of the exotic blooms. This is Gade Farm on Route 20 in Guilderland. I park the car and walk inside, vowing not to buy one more plant. Usually, in twenty minutes I’m staggering back to my car loaded down with petunias or what-have-you. But this year I drifted away from the magenta and purple and scarlet of the annuals, and checked out the...

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Poison Ivy: The Furry Plant

Posted by on May 9, 2013 in adaptations, plant parts, Unmowed Blog | 5 comments

Poison Ivy: The Furry Plant

Poison Ivy: “Hairy vine, a danger sign.”

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