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Annual ramble in the woods
My family has a long-standing tradition of taking leisurely walks in the woods during the week between Christmas…
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Apples part of culinary heritage
When I was a little kid growing up on a local farm, we had a very scraggly looking,…
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Ironweed: The pollinators’ friend
You probably saw it growing along the back roads in late summer/early fall. With its tall, dark red…
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Time to tuck your garden to sleep?
For years, we gardeners were told we should spend the last glorious days of fall cleaning up our…
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Asters: Late Summer Splendor
It’s been so hot and dry recently, I just haven’t had much interest in walking trails. Nevertheless, I…
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The classic Virginia garden
If you grew up in Virginia, chances are gardening is just an inherent part of who you are.…
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Honeyvine milkweed: a native with mixed reviews
I often hear people describe all native plants as good and all non-native species as invasive or bad,…
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The Canada Lily: a striking native
Brave the heat for a walk in a moist meadow or along the edge of a wooded area…
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The good and the bad in Mother Nature’s garden
Wa kid, I couldn’t wait for school to be over in mid-June so that I could spend time…
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Rose pogonia: an uncommon orchid in our area
Robert Frost wrote about a meadow saturated with them and hoped that the meadow wouldn’t be mowed while…
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New trails and a new plant
Several weeks ago, friends forced me out of my trail walking comfort zone and insisted that I try…
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Friend or thug — it’s all relative
I walked several trails at Powhatan State Park last week and just didn’t find much of interest. Some…
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Signs of Spring
Spring won’t officially be here for a few more days, but it’s definitely time to hit the trails.…