I first remember seeing mountain laurel as a child on a June visit to my aunt and uncle, at Mohonk Mountain House in the Catskills of New York. We visited at least half a dozen other times over the years to see laurels at peak bloom, alerted by my aunt to especially good seasons. Every… Continue reading Fastest Flower in the East
Month: May 2022
True Purpose of False Flowers
Last week I mentioned my fondness for true Solomon’s seal. My dad’s early explanation of the names for the true and false Solomon’s seal, suggesting the true was a better plant than the false, imprinted a prejudice that still lingers. This week I worked hard to overcome my bias as the false Solomon’s seal started… Continue reading True Purpose of False Flowers
True or False?
My dad would always bring along his trusty flower field guides when we headed north for the summer. Upstate New York is full of amazing flora, and we found everything from carnivorous plants in lonely bogs to alpine flowers on the highest Adirondack peaks. There were also many flowers we saw each year in the… Continue reading True or False?
April Showers Bring Mayapple Flowers
Thirty years ago, when living in central North Carolina, I went on a fascinating expedition with Stephen Hall. He had recently completed his PhD at the nearby University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. His studies focused on the movement and dietary patterns of box turtles. He described how he tracked their slow but purposeful… Continue reading April Showers Bring Mayapple Flowers