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?
Category: Plants
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
Cranefly Orchids
Ever since I saw these leaves with purple bottoms years ago, I have been on the hunt to see cranefly orchid flowers in person! You’ll see their leaves in the woods in the winter or early spring. They are eye catching when they are upside down, displaying their purple color. But by the time summer… Continue reading Cranefly Orchids
Crossvine
What a stunning display of crossvine! This native vine usually grows up high in the trees where it can get a lot of sunlight, but this one is at eye level. You can find it on the Hatcher Creek Greenway today.
Daisy or Chamomile?
The fields are full of beautiful white, daisy-like flowers right now. You might think they are all the same, but look carefully! There are two different flowers out there: ox-eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) and chamomile (Anthemis). Both flowers are daisy-shaped. They both have many white petals and a bright yellow center. They both grow in… Continue reading Daisy or Chamomile?
Discovering Something New in the Ordinary Routine
I always get so excited when I find a new flower. I kind of expect to see new plants when I visit a new garden or a park. It’s especially exciting, though, when I see a different flower on the trail that I walk on almost every day. This week, I was lucky enough to… Continue reading Discovering Something New in the Ordinary Routine
Field Report- April 13, 2024
The first two weeks of April have been full of activity! Everywhere you look, something new is blooming. Here’s a list of what I’ve seen: Trees and Shrubs: Flowers: Can you believe how much has changed in less than two weeks? What are you seeing?
Field Report- April 2, 2024
Annual blue eyed grass was seen for the first time today. The wild azaleas are also starting to bloom!
Field Report- April 23, 2025
Are you keeping up with all of the changes outside? Here’s a list of new plants blooming in the last two weeks: