Tag Archive | Nature
Have You Ever Seen a Grackle Fish?
During a recent trip to a restaurant on King’s Bay in Crystal River, Florida, I walked out on the dock where boat-tailed grackles were having their dinner too. I watched them strike the water to snatch small baitfish from the water and perch on the posts and railings of the dock where these birds and […]
The Plant That Escaped the Garden
Native to Europe, north Africa and areas in Asia, the lesser celandine was introduced into the American garden landscape in the 1900’s for its beautiful shiny yellow flowers and glossy green kidney shaped leaves. The plant adapted so well to our gardens that it escaped into nearby native woodlands where it formed thick mats of […]
The Golden Wildflower
Throughout the eastern U.S. and in some places in the mid-west, the golden ragwort paints fields and sunlit woodland openings with splashes of golden yellow daisy-like blossoms. Sometimes it is confused with dandelions and hawkweeds by novices, but upon closer examination its 8 to 13 yellow petals, heart shaped basil leaves and clusters of blossoms […]
The Non-Native Beauty
In my daughter’s Maryland spring backyard, I discovered a dainty blue wildflower growing in the shade cast by trees and in the shadow of a wooden fence that borders her property. With scalloped leaves and four petaled flowers, the slender speedwell thrives in the moist soils here. A non-native, this plant traveled from Europe to […]
The Undesirable Wildflower
It is spring in the U.S and millions of acres of manicured lawns are greening up yet much to the disdain of homeowners billions of yellow dandelions litter the green landscape. People spend millions of dollars and countless hours attempting to rid their lawns of these intrusive “weeds”. However, this wildflower was not aways an […]
naturechirp 