Take a closer look at Queen Anne’s Lace. Have you ever noticed that the flowers on the outside edges are larger than the others? What about all the ants and other insects that explore the flowers? Have you ever looked closely at the seed head?
Category: Plants
A Closer Look at Ragweed
As I am patiently waiting for summer’s grand finale of asters, goldenrods and tickseed-sunflowers, I can’t help but notice the large patches of ragweed growing alongside them. Yes, ragweed season is almost here. Have you ever looked at ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)? Many people think the showy yellow flowers filling the roadsides in the late summer… Continue reading A Closer Look at Ragweed
A Guide to Yellow Summer Flowers
Have you seen any large, yellow, daisy-like flowers along the trails this month? If you look carefully, you might notice that there are several different plants in bloom right now. It’s hard to keep track of all of them, so I’ve put together this list of their key characteristics. I hope you find it helpful!… Continue reading A Guide to Yellow Summer Flowers
A Second Bloom in Autumn
Some spring flowers have a second bloom in autumn. This week, I found Carolina jessamine and green and gold blooming at Church Street Park. What a nice surprise!
A Springtime Walk in Carpenter Park
I took a walk around Carpenter Park in Cary this week. It didn’t seem like much was happening. There were a few turtles and a duck in the pond. There were a some eastern redbuds blooming at the front of the park, and some large white hydrangeas in full bloom in the back corner. Otherwise,… Continue reading A Springtime Walk in Carpenter Park
A Trip to the Coast
Everywhere we go, we can’t help but be curious about the nature that surrounds us. We recently spent a few days at the beach here in North Carolina. While the star of the show was the Atlantic Ocean, we did take note of the plants and animals that crossed our path. Sea oats are a… Continue reading A Trip to the Coast
Bluets!
Walking in the winter is very quiet. I often spend my walks admiring the bare trees against the bright blue sky, or watching the birds that spend their winters in North Carolina. I’m always looking for flowers, though. Waiting for those first signs of spring. Today I found the first bluets of the season! Bluets… Continue reading Bluets!
Cherry or Plum?
You can’t help but notice the beautiful flowering trees this time of year. I stopped to take some pictures of the plum blossoms this week and had a number of people comment on the beautiful cherry blossoms I was photographing. Wait a minute. Was I looking at a plum tree or a cherry tree? I’m… Continue reading Cherry or Plum?
Consider Native Plants for Your Garden This Year
Are you getting ready to plant your garden? The average last spring freeze date for the Triangle area is April 8. The NC State Extension has data for the first and last frost dates for each county in North Carolina on their website here. When choosing plants for your garden, you might consider the effect… Continue reading Consider Native Plants for Your Garden This Year
Consumption Weed
I’ve had a couple of people ask me this week about the tall bushes with white feathers that seem to be everywhere right now. These bushes are consumption weed (Baccharis halimifolia). It goes by many other names including groundsel tree, silverling and sea myrtle. The feather-like flowers are the female flowers (shown above). The male… Continue reading Consumption Weed