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
I was walking by the river near my house today and was delighted to see one of my favorite prairie plants blooming along the banks: Monarda fistulosa, also known as bee balm or wild bergamot. This charming flower is native to most of North America — and if you don’t have it in your neck of the woods, you might have one … Read more
It’s almost the end of June and I haven’t written about juneberries, my favorite foraging fruit next to blackcaps. Juneberries are small, round berries that look like tiny purple crabapples, but that are soft like a blueberry. They grow on shrubs or small trees. Where I live they are often called serviceberries or amelanchier (after their Latin genus name Amelanchier), probably because they don’t really … Read more
Last year, I was taking a walk around my neighborhood when I noticed a few landscaping stones in a ditch by the side of the parking lot. By landscaping stones, I mean those huge, 20-40 pound pieces of limestone that have been cut flat on the bottom and top so they can be used to build garden walls, bench supports, and so … Read more
If I had to pick a favorite wild berry, the black raspberry would probably be the winner. Also known as blackcaps or Rubis occidentalis, they grow wild throughout much of the eastern and midwestern United States, but can be cultivated anywhere in USDA zones 4 through 8. If you have a some near you, brave the brambles and try a few. … Read more
I went cherry picking today with my friend Dekalb — not at an orchard, but at a parking lot that’s been home to these trees for the past few decades. The trees actually predate the parking lot, or so we have been told by the parking lot owners, who are happy to have us pick the cherries without remuneration since it … Read more
I ran out of cherries to pick on Wednesday — at least, the sweeter ones. The tree with the more bitter cherries still had plenty, but I decided that it might be best not to pick them, as I then would feel obliged to juice them, and that could very well mean a most unpleasant drink. With no cherries to … Read more