Baltimore orioles have been visiting our hummingbird feeder and splashing the sugar-water everywhere. I don’t mind. They’re fun to watch and don’t seem to scare off the hummingbirds—at least not often. Here’s one of the orioles, as seen through my kitchen window in the early evening. You can see the ceiling light’s reflection against the glass, just above the oriole’s head. … Read more
Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) looks a little like a giraffe tongue when it first emerges in the spring. Only pink. Read more …
Species tulips are different from the regular, large-blooming garden tulips cultivated over centuries by the Dutch and others. They’re called species tulips because each variety is, in fact, a separate species that also grows in the wild in their native habitats of Turkey, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. They’ve had minimal to no breeding to differentiate them from their wild ancestors. Read more …
There are at least two species of Jacob’s ladder: Polemonium reptans and Polemonium caeruleum. The first is native to the northeastern United States, while the latter is from Eurasia and should be limited to gardens in North America. I’m not great at telling the difference, but since this specimen is part of a native plant restoration at a local park, I’ll guess it’s Polemonium reptans.
I found some photos I forgot to post on Saturday. Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) aren’t actually from Siberia, but to the southwest of it in Russia, the Caucuses, and Turkey. I wonder what kind of squill we’d have today if the Dutch had gone wild for squill in the sixteenth century instead of tulips. Virgina bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are from Virginia—along with … Read more
I had fun lying on the ground and taking pictures of the mayapples and bloodroot today. Some of the bloodroot flowers are already open, but I didn’t think to take clear pictures of them. Too fascinated by the way they come up with the leaves wrapped in tight little bundles but fully formed along with the flower … Read more
Isn’t that mauve flower pretty? I love how it hides under the leaves, only to be seen by chipmunks and those willing to crouch on the ground to find it. And such a unique shape, like a globe that’s been peeled back in three sections at the top. It makes me think of origami. I’ve grown wild ginger (Asarum canadense) for a long … Read more
They must realize it’s spring.
