Lifestyles

The difference in buttonweed

It’s been so hot that my hikes have been reduced to half-hearted slogs up and down the back ...

Lifestyles

Wood Betony: an interesting hemiparasite

There are some native plants that I just can’t keep straight in my head unless I see the ...

Lifestyles

Slipper Orchids: Love and obsession

Wildflower people are both incredibly generous and seriously obsessive. This spring I’ve been the recipient of untold generosity. ...

Lifestyles

The thrill of the find

In my ongoing rambles in the woods, I visit new places every year, but I also return to ...

Lifestyles

Lyre-leaf sage: An assertive native

Walk across any unkempt lawn (mine!), waste area or woodland clearing this month and you’ll find basal rosettes ...

Lifestyles

Coltsfoot: an early sign of spring

By late February, most of us are so desperate for early signs of spring that we’re overjoyed to ...

Lifestyles

Naming plants

When people on my Facebook wildflower page talk about plants, there can be massive confusion. Many of them ...

Lifestyles

Virginia Creeper: vibrant color to brighten a fall day

Visit that massive stone heap, Blenheim Palace, in October and you’ll find the walls near the main entrance ...

Lifestyles

Blue Mushrooms and Hens for Dinner

When I was a kid, about a 1,000 years ago, mushrooms were an exotic food that came in ...

Lifestyles

The Wild Onion Controversy

As many of you know, I manage a Virginia Wildflower Community Page on Facebook. It has just under ...

Lifestyles

Dodder: An interesting parasite

Yesterday I was driving on the Powhite Parkway, getting ready to merge onto 288 S. when something bright ...

Lifestyles

Thugs and potential thugs

I’ve been searching for wildflowers since I was about 12 years old. It’s what my dad and I ...

Lifestyles

Species of roses

Roses are very old flowering plants. Fossil evidence shows that they’re around 35 million years old. The cultivation ...

Lifestyles

The mystique of lady’s slippers

Virginia has quite a few species of native orchids. Some are showy, while others are almost drab by ...

Lifestyles

Yellow confusion in Mother Nature’s garden

It all began with a series of posts on my Facebook wildflower community page. There was a flurry ...

Columns

A tale of two plants

Walk through just about any wooded area in Prince Edward or surrounding counties and you’re likely to find ...

Columns

Old friends rediscovered in new places

Nearly 10 years ago, I found some trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) at Holliday Lake on the Lakeshore Trail. ...

Columns

Consider the dandelion

Dandelions. Children are endlessly fascinated by them. They’re often the first flower that kids can identify, and probably ...

Columns

Native Plants for winter interest

It’s still cold in the woods, so February is the perfect time to take a leisurely stroll through ...

Columns

Thugs and potential thugs

Just like people, plants manage to slip into our country uninvited; they hitchhike in packing materials or grain, ...

Columns

In my father’s time

There is renewed interest in using natural, native materials for holiday decorations. It’s part of the nativist movement ...

Columns

Pokeweed is an amazing plant

It’s been immortalized in song, grown at Kew Gardens as an exotic, used to make ink, eaten as ...

Columns

Embracing creativity and diversity

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and very thoughtful young woman who wanted to have the ...

Columns

Quite a find — the scarlet cup

Several months ago, a friend went for her regular morning walk. As usual, she took photos of snails, ...

Columns

Black cohosh — 2017 Wildflower of the Year

As soon as the new year begins, I’m always anxious to learn what the Virginia Native Plant Society’s ...

Columns

Help! My Azaleas have yellow leaves

Several weeks ago, a friend emailed me a question about his azaleas. They’ve been planted in the same ...

Columns

Butterfly weed: 2017 Perennial of the Year

You probably know it as that bright patch of orange you see when you’re driving along back roads ...

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