Hey there,
Aren’t these lovely…lighting bugs?
Have a great week!
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One of Nature’s Mysteries to Solve
Hey there!
Here’s a little plant coming up around the neighborhood.
It’s so plain I’m showing close-ups of the leaves and stem as well.
Give me a guess in the comments and I’ll check back for your answers.
~~~
No guesses today? This is a fairly common native plant that most of you humans probably recognize after it’s all grown up–and got it’s roots–or should we say taproot!–in your garden!
Any guesses now?
It’s Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, sprout in spring, monster by summer, sometimes growing to 8 feet tall. And it will return year after year because it’s almost impossible to get that taproot out after it’s grown for a season.
And don’t forget the possibility of reseeding–lots of berries in the fall, that are actually poisonous. They are eaten by a few birds–catbird, cardinal, mockingbird–but for the rest of us, these berries are a no-no.
Some humans advocate removing pokeweed from populated areas like our suburban yards. If you look for the smooth-edged leaves and red stems, it’s easy to spot pokeweed and remove the entire root when the plants are small.
Yep, when it’s small.
Summer is coming!
Yes, the days are longer, longer and the summer coneflowers are doing their best to bloom!
Motionless Monday
Hey there!
This is the kind of wildlife statue we squirrels want to see more of!
Have a great week!
No Mystery Today!
Hey, sorry, I know! But here’s a poison ivy and a Virginia creeper for you to ponder the difference between.
Both vines, both native. Remember, leaves of three let it be!
If you need more practice, here’s a link to our poison ivy-Virginia creeper quiz. Get the answers by clicking on the next post at the bottom of that page…back then we put our answers in separate posts–*facepaw*. You can also search those individual posts in the search box to learn more about each plant.
Lazing
So sunny days…do you feel like doing much?
Have you planted your monarch flowers yet?
Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa, is a stunning choice of a milkweed species! It’s native and perennial–it comes back every year.
Thirsty Thursday
Folks,
We squirrels are leaping from dry branch to dry branch that we are finally out of the rain! Time to enjoy the sun!
But watch out for those streams that are filled to the brim!
Motionless Monday
Hey there!
We have noticed a high portion of wildlife statues in folks’ yards tend to be rabbits. Higher than squirrel statues at any rate.
How about it readers? Do you have a rabbit wildlife statue or a squirrel wildlife statue in your yard?
One of Nature’s Mysteries to Solve
Hey there,
While you were out hiking yesterday, did you come across anything as common as these?
By chance do you know the specific type? (I know, all those little flowers look alike, but Miz Flora would be pleased if anyone knows!)
Check in for your answers later!
~~~
Two of our readers agreed these are violets. Yay! Though they’re are thirty-some species of violets in the Eastern U. S., Miz Flora was hoping someone might figure out that they are Canada Violets.
It is near-to-impossible from photos. Canada violet has white petals with a yellow throat, and the backs of the petals are tinged with violet. Only three of the local violets are white or cream-colored, and none of the others have purple backs. You might check your white violets, but Miz Flora recommends you check more than one blossom and perhaps several times as they are blooming.
