MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
New apps for field work
Not too many years ago, hiking meant carrying a heavy backpack filled with my favorite field guides – ...
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
The aftermath of finding a rare plant
A good part of last year was spent hiking with a list of plants that needed to be ...
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
Torrey’s mountain mint: A rare find
It’s been so hot and dry that I decided Oct. 4 would be my last major hike before ...
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
A tale of persistence and what grows in the swamp
While mucking about in a swampy area at Holliday Lake State Park last month, I stumbled upon an ...
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
Long-lobed arrowhead: An uncommon plant
In the early days of the commonwealth, the naming of rivers was arbitrary. Settlers along a particular waterway ...
Columns
The difference in buttonweed
It’s been so hot that my hikes have been reduced to half-hearted slogs up and down the back ...
Columns
Wood Betony: an interesting hemiparasite
There are some native plants that I just can’t keep straight in my head unless I see the ...
Columns
Slipper Orchids: Love and obsession
Wildflower people are both incredibly generous and seriously obsessive. This spring I’ve been the recipient of untold generosity. ...
Columns
The thrill of the find
In my ongoing rambles in the woods, I visit new places every year, but I also return to ...
Columns
Lyre-leaf sage: An assertive native
Walk across any unkempt lawn (mine!), waste area or woodland clearing this month and you’ll find basal rosettes ...
Columns
Coltsfoot: an early sign of spring
By late February, most of us are so desperate for early signs of spring that we’re overjoyed to ...
Columns
Naming plants
When people on my Facebook wildflower page talk about plants, there can be massive confusion. Many of them ...
Columns
Virginia Creeper: vibrant color to brighten a fall day
Visit that massive stone heap, Blenheim Palace, in October and you’ll find the walls near the main entrance ...
Columns
Blue Mushrooms and Hens for Dinner
When I was a kid, about a 1,000 years ago, mushrooms were an exotic food that came in ...
Columns
The Wild Onion Controversy
As many of you know, I manage a Virginia Wildflower Community Page on Facebook. It has just under ...
Columns
Dodder: An interesting parasite
Yesterday I was driving on the Powhite Parkway, getting ready to merge onto 288 S. when something bright ...
Columns
Thugs and potential thugs
I’ve been searching for wildflowers since I was about 12 years old. It’s what my dad and I ...
Columns
Species of roses
Roses are very old flowering plants. Fossil evidence shows that they’re around 35 million years old. The cultivation ...
Columns
The mystique of lady’s slippers
Virginia has quite a few species of native orchids. Some are showy, while others are almost drab by ...
Columns
Yellow confusion in Mother Nature’s garden
It all began with a series of posts on my Facebook wildflower community page. There was a flurry ...
Columns
A tale of two plants
Walk through just about any wooded area in Prince Edward or surrounding counties and you’re likely to find ...
Columns
Old friends rediscovered in new places
Nearly 10 years ago, I found some trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) at Holliday Lake on the Lakeshore Trail. ...
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
Consider the dandelion
Dandelions. Children are endlessly fascinated by them. They’re often the first flower that kids can identify, and probably ...
Columns
Native Plants for winter interest
It’s still cold in the woods, so February is the perfect time to take a leisurely stroll through ...
Columns
Thugs and potential thugs
Just like people, plants manage to slip into our country uninvited; they hitchhike in packing materials or grain, ...
Columns
In my father’s time
There is renewed interest in using natural, native materials for holiday decorations. It’s part of the nativist movement ...
Columns
Pokeweed is an amazing plant
It’s been immortalized in song, grown at Kew Gardens as an exotic, used to make ink, eaten as ...