Celebrating the ordinary
Harry and I recently went to Natural Bridge State Resort Park near Slade, KY, one of our favorite places to hike. Our spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is blooming (read last year’s spicebush post), and I was pleased to find it scattered through the woods as well.
With all of our recent warm weather, plants are a good two weeks ahead of their usual schedules and there were plenty of signs of spring.
Six years ago when we re-landscaped our backyard it was a challenge to decide which native plants to include. Other folks have told me they’ve struggled with this too.
I’ve updated my website and added some resources. I hope they will help folks who are new to native plants or those who want to add some natives to their existing gardens. There are new images of butterflies and plants in the photo galleries, and I’ve added pages about native plants, butterflies, and the story of our backyard.
Finally, I’ve created a chart of twenty-five of my favorite backyard plants. Here’s a sample.
Continue reading “25 Kentucky native plants to attract birds and butterflies”
I’ve seen these mushrooms before and called them “little brown ruffles.” I was recently surprised to find them in the backyard and learned they are called Turkey Tail mushrooms (Trametes veriscolor).
Maxine Stone’s Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms and the Mushroom Expert were helpful in identifying them. The amusing name refers to the mushroom’s design and colors that resemble the tail of a strutting wild turkey.
It’s been cold this last week – daytime highs below freezing, nighttime lows in the teens, and we’ve had a little snow. However, a few of the backyard plants seem to take the cold in stride. This Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is still quite green.
This Leather Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) also seems to be doing fine. Continue reading “Three Tough Plants”
These December blooms on the native Trumpet Honeysuckle vine (Lonicera sempervirens) covered with heavy frost crystals remind me of a miniature Poinsettia.
