Month: November 2022

After five years since planting an assortment of milkweed seeds, they are ready this year to complete their life cycle. They were slow to germinate and then slow to settle in after transplanting the seedlings. Over the past week, the seed pods of my common milkweed slowly opened from a sliver to fully split. They… Continue reading Mystery of Milkweeds and Monarchs

My aunt, Ruth Smiley, spent over half a century helping shape the gardens and wild areas of Mohonk Mountain House in the Catskills of upstate New York. Though she spent much of her time on the formal gardens, she also enthusiastically explored the plant life of the surrounding woods and meadows. My family spent countless… Continue reading Rattlesnake Fern

Violets are one of the first flowers in my woods, a number of species emerging when it is still winter here. I have at least half a dozen species, flowering from late winter well into spring. Now all the forest violets are dormant, but for months now a small white violet has been flowering in… Continue reading Tenacious Violets

The American chestnut was once the dominant tree of forests in the eastern United States. There were around 4 billion trees, important to wildlife and also for lumber, preferred for its high-quality wood for everything from houses to railroad ties and telephone poles. They also provided seasonal chestnuts which were a treat for people. When… Continue reading Bringing Back Chestnut Trees