Butterflies of Summer
It’s been a mixed bag around here bug-wise. The weather has been a roller coaster. The bumblebees have forgiven a great deal because I planted flowers they adore. The wasps are hunting. But you stopped for butterflies, right?
Conversations with Elms
This is my third season volunteering for the phenology project at The Morton Arboretum. I enter weekly observations on a group of elm trees about March through December, depending on bud break and seed drop. These observations are entered into a database and ultimately funneled into the National Phenology Network. This means I get to talk to elms on a regular basis.
Hello, sweeties!
The first day of spring has come and gone and despite a lot of brown (twigs, leaves, bark, grass, etc.), there are shining tiny moments of the earliest spring flowers.
Snowdrops for a New Year
2023 slid in quietly. The week has been mild, cloudy, and damp. A great deal of tea has been brewed and enjoyed. It feels more like spring than the middle of winter. So, snowdrops have popped up to say hello!
Bugs of Summer
It’s July and the garden is literally humming. As the milkweed flowering peters out, the echinacea has kicked in, bringing another round of bugs to the garden.
Tulip Time
Magical. Charming. Delightful. TULIPS! I can’t help but love them even if the bunnies and squirrels prey on mine. I plant a few every year with a handful of daffodils or alliums and hope for the best.
Late Winter Gifts
I know a lot of folks coax flowers into bloom for the holiday season. Our traditional poinsettias grace every table, window, and mantel. However, I find I need flowers in the latter half of winter more.
Warm Winter Wishes
Literally.
We’re flirting with 50s and looking at 60s and I’m longing for snow. I adore winter is all it’s snowy, icy glory. Climate change weather just keeps getting weirder.
Rewilding Chicago
Or at least bringing a bit of prairie to the urban landscape. I had a chance to visit Horner Park in the Irving Park neighborhood with a colleague. The new naturalistic planting along the Chicago River is thriving!
Trees, Rocks, and Water
Trees, rocks, and water. This is how we escape from the hectic every day. We recently took a week to explore southeast Missouri in and around the Mark Twain National Forest. It was a beautiful time of exploring, hiking, and getting away from it all (including Internet service).