Red Orange Yellow Day
It’s the last day of January. The dead of winter. Long ago, I had a terrific boss who insisted that every year the staff celebrate Red Orange Yellow Day. I’m not sure if he made it up, or if there really is such a thing. The celebration was always held in January, a month famous for gray skies, dirt-speckled snow, and cold toes. I guess the idea was to brighten everyone up through the mid-winter blues, and it certainly brightened the office, as every on the staff wore the requisite colors and shared a pot-luck lunch of salsa, ziti, orange juice, rainbow sherbet, lemon meringue...
Read MoreCelandine: A Cozy Microhabitat
This little green plant is thriving, as so many weeds do, in the crack between brick and blacktop. Somehow a seed got in there, and found enough soil and moisture to sustain life. The dainty scalloped leaves are a non-native wildflower called celandine, a member of the poppy family. In summer it has a pretty yellow, buttercup-like flower. It also has a vivid blaze-orange sap that is quite toxic, but is a tried and true folk remedy for warts. Just dab it on. (It worked for me, but be cautious, the sap is quite caustic and could irritate the skin.) The amazing thing is how this little plant...
Read MoreTogether in the Storm
Thanks to Wells Horton for another amazing photograph. http://wells-horton.smugmug.com/ Who says trees all look alike?
Read MoreMoss: City Green
I’ve lived within spitting distance of Albany NY for most of my life—and yet it’s a place I never go. Oh, I might go to the outskirts, the mall or the movie theater, but I rarely venture into the city itself. So the other day I decided to be a tourist and explore a bit. There are some beautiful old brownstones, and interesting shops and restaurants (a terrific Jamaican restaurant well named the Hot Spot). But as usual, I was on the lookout for plants. However, the prospects were dim for greenery—we’ve had over a foot of snow and the day I picked for my stroll was about 10 degrees with a wind...
Read MoreFun at the Mall
This holiday season, I tried to keep out of the big box stores. Shop small, shop local was my mantra. And I mostly succeeded. But once in a while I would find myself, for one reason or another (usually involving the dire needs of high-school students for electronic devices) in the mega-parking lot of a mega-mall. But holiday shopping is not my favorite pastime, and before I know it, I find myself wandering away from the stores towards the interesting part of the mall: the unmowed area that fringes the lot. On one side of the fence: stores, cars and blacktop. On the other side, the good...
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