#nativeplants
Repairing and renovating the exterior of our home for the first time. So color has to be chosen for everything: siding, windows, window casings, gutters, fascia, soffits, corbels, decorative trim ... you get the idea.
One of several color studies I did today, using — left to right —chokeberries, winterberries, and cranberries from my own garden.
https://flic.kr/p/2pjSZ5M
#Photography #ColorPhotography #NativePlants #ColorPalette #NativeShrubs #NativeBerries
Has anyone every tried Turk's Cap fruit?
I grow them bc the flowers are butterfly magnets, but apparently a lot of the plant is edible. The leaves are supposed to taste like spinach, the flowers like honeysuckle, and the fruit like sweet apples.
I've never been brave enough to try it. The beautyberries taught me to be wary of plants other people describe as "actually edible" lol.
#ClimateDiary #ClimateChangeGardening
Addressed all the envelopes for the native plant food security project and will be packing seeds this week. Will ship everything off on Monday.
The pawpaw and persimmon are partially cold-stratified already but since it’s winter, they should go back in the fridge as packed until spring. Boehmeria and physalis, follow directions on pack.
(Sorry, a month late.)
With FOMOGRAPHY being set in Australia, it gave me a good opportunity to appreciate the diverse (and sometimes downright weird) flora we have here.
Like, what even is this thing?
#flora #australia #nativeplants #photography #aliens
We most often think of caterpillar host plants as being some type of flowering herbaceous plant, but the most important host plants in eastern NA are several genera of trees and shrubs. This video covers the top ten groups of host plant trees and shrubs and gives a brief overview of each. East US https://www.allforgardening.com/694869/we-most-often-think-of-caterpillar-host-plants-as-being-some-type-of-flowering-herbaceous-plant-but-the-most-important-host-plants-in-eastern-na-are-several-genera-of-trees-and-shrubs-this-video-cov/
First step toward lawn replacement https://www.allforgardening.com/694348/first-step-toward-lawn-replacement-2/
@botanyone This is a long but great article on yet another invasive species threatening our native forests in the #PNW Pacific Northwest. I’ve been trying to kill a holly stump in my garden for years now but it just keeps reappearing like the villain in a slasher movie. “The holly and the ivy” may evoke fond holiday memories in Britain, but here they’re just shudders of horror. #NativePlants #InvasiveSpecies
Winter sow … jug gardening https://www.allforgardening.com/693207/winter-sow-jug-gardening/
Drawing done with a photo I had taken at work! Mertensia Virginica! https://www.allforgardening.com/692361/drawing-done-with-a-photo-i-had-taken-at-work-mertensia-virginica/
Winter sowing setup this year https://www.allforgardening.com/692253/winter-sowing-setup-this-year/
Homeowner ordered to cut native plants in yard down: ‘I was in tears’ https://www.allforgardening.com/692151/homeowner-ordered-to-cut-native-plants-in-yard-down-i-was-in-tears-2/
Variegated Camellia ‘Pachoseon’ https://www.allforgardening.com/691690/variegated-camellia-pachoseon/
This Year’s Seed Collection https://www.allforgardening.com/691292/this-years-seed-collection/
Update on the cardboard sheet mulching setup before wood chips delivery https://www.allforgardening.com/691087/update-on-the-cardboard-sheet-mulching-setup-before-wood-chips-delivery/
Once again it’s time for #ArtAdventCalendar thanks to @jayispainting - hooray! 😀 A couple of years ago I created an art series in which I painted 1 color/day of something from nature I saw in/from my yard: plants, animals, birds, arthropods, reptiles & skies. Here’s my Tucson Color Journal ~ December.
#SciArt #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #nature #arthropod #bird #birds #BirdsOfMastodon
On #RecordRidge near the town of #Rossland, #BritishColumbia, the perfect conditions exist for a very particular #plant called the #MountainHollyFern to grow.
Unfortunately for the Record Ridge #ferns, the high #magnesium content of the rocks in the area have attracted the #MiningIndustry’s attention. Junior #mining company #WestHighYield (WHY) Resources has been exploring the site since 2006..
#Nature #Cascadia #PNW #BCinterior #ecology #environmental #NativePlants
FAST GROWING VEGETABLES IN POTS https://www.allforgardening.com/690628/fast-growing-vegetables-in-pots/
"It was a hard year, but I'm glad I tried all of it."
Following the 4 dam removals on the Klamath river, and restoration plan closely. Local tribes collected a phenomenal 19 BILLION local ca native plant seeds from 98 species to revegetate the project. Our local tribes do stuff in a well thought out, big way, reintroduction of endangered species like condors, reintroduction of cultural fire, instrumental in getting the dams removed, + collecting 19 billion native seeds to reveg the project. Continual source of inspiration.
#KlamathRiver #DamRemoval #WatershedRestoration #NativePlants
#Yurok #Karuk #Hupa #SeedGathering
Following the 4 dam removals on the Klamath river, and restoration plan closely. Local tribes collected a phenomenal 19 BILLION local ca native plant seeds from 98 species to revegetate the project. Our local tribes do stuff in well thought out, big ways, reintroduction of endangered species like condors, reintroduction of cultural fire, instrumental in getting the dams removed, + collecting 19 billion native seeds to reveg the project. Continual source of inspiration.
#KlamathRiver #DamRemoval #WatershedRestoration #NativePlants
#Yurok #Karuk #Hupa #SeedGathering
Ideas for a Northern California(Sacramento) zone 9B native evergreen. https://www.allforgardening.com/690444/ideas-for-a-northern-californiasacramento-zone-9b-native-evergreen/
Winter Creeper War: cold, itchy, undeterred. https://www.allforgardening.com/690348/winter-creeper-war-cold-itchy-undeterred/
Wonderful talk from Wild Ones this afternoon on Resilient Landscaping with Native Plants; particularly relevant after this year’s crazy heat and drought.
Reports from all over the area are clear: native plants, especially local ecotypes, not only survived but even thrived. They’re working on much longer timescales than we are and this wasn’t their first rodeo. Planting these local ecotypes from local seeds is incredibly important!
Is it possible to grow rhizobia for native legumes? https://www.allforgardening.com/689443/is-it-possible-to-grow-rhizobia-for-native-legumes/
Minneapolis MN: looking for local friends clubs or volunteer opportunities https://www.allforgardening.com/689343/minneapolis-mn-looking-for-local-friends-clubs-or-volunteer-opportunities/
What native North American plants could i plant near this drain pipe/depression https://www.allforgardening.com/689243/what-native-north-american-plants-could-i-plant-near-this-drain-pipe-depression/
Advice/inspiration for managing 3.5 acre meadow, zone 5 in the northeast! https://www.allforgardening.com/688708/advice-inspiration-for-managing-3-5-acre-meadow-zone-5-in-the-northeast/
Before rushing off for a very busy fun time last weekend, we managed to plant out a few more Australian natives.
#NativePlants #Wildlife #Pollinators #BloomScrolling #Gardening #NSW #Australia
![Lemon Myrtle [Backhousia citriodora]
One of the most popular Australian native herbs, Lemon Myrtle’s tangy leaves can be used in teas, syrups, glazes, cakes, biscuits, dressings, sauces, ice creams, dips and any protein dish. As a dried and crushed herb, it takes fresh seafood to the next level. This subtropical rainforest tree also attracts bees & insects. The essential oil distilled from its refreshing lemony scented leaves has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
From the centre of a clump of elongated glossy green oval leaves, a cluster of white fluffy flowers with pale yellow centres presents itself like a bouquet.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/669/394/820/small/e023732a8b95f4c2.jpg)
![Native Daisy [Brachyscome multifida ‘Mauve Mystery’]
This easy-care Australian native daisy is grown for its dainty green foliage and masses of mauve and white flowers produced throughout the year. It’s also tough enough to withstand children’s play areas. Whether grown as a clumping perennial or ground cover, its flowers attract pollinators, especially butterflies.
A pale golden butterfly rests on the petals of a pastel mauve daisy, seen in a group of other mauve and white daisies with bright yellow centres amongst soft green foliage.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/770/161/645/small/06866abc4d3c06c4.jpg)
![Bower Vine [Bignoniaceae - Pandorea jasminoides]
A subtropical Australian native evergreen climbing shrub (a distant relation to Jacaranda) with beautiful bell-shaped blossoms gathered in bunches. They range in colour from white (‘Lady Di’) to pale rosy pink with a flower throat in deep cerise pink. A hardy, vigorous growing perennial vine in coastal environments, but avoid planting above pipes due to its penetrating root system. We are growing it in a large tub.
This plant attracts bees and other pollinators, while its fruits open to release many seeds. Thus, it’s named after ‘Pandora’, which for us means seeds of hope, rather than the conventional connotations of Ancient History.
A cluster of soft white trumpet-shaped flowers with deep pink throats seen against a leafy green background.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/907/722/293/small/e964c0654d5b5c29.jpeg)
![Scented Gum [Eucalyptus olivacea - Summer Scentsation]
A hardy compact flowering gum tree with silver-grey foliage and fluffy yellow flowers, which produces a spectacular summer display from Christmas to early autumn. Their blossoms are rich in nectar and together with their alluring fragrance, attract native wildlife, including wild birds and pollinators. The flowers are also useful as a long-lasting cut flower for the home.
Large frothy yellow flowers peak out from between grey-green eucalyptus leaves like pom-poms.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/991/205/561/small/7512a97d51d59ae2.jpg)
I love it when letting the random seedlings in the yard grow turns out to be native flowers. https://www.allforgardening.com/688526/i-love-it-when-letting-the-random-seedlings-in-the-yard-grow-turns-out-to-be-native-flowers/
#trees #tree #iowa #nativeplants
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is native to North America, but not to Iowa. It’s a tree that (amazingly to me) grows very well (see thread) far north and west of its native range.
Yellow leaves in Phlox subulata Southeast PA zone 7A. Should I be concerned? https://www.allforgardening.com/688118/yellow-leaves-in-phlox-subulata-southeast-pa-zone-7a-should-i-be-concerned/
A new tool in our toolbox for buckthorn control: Critical period cutting https://www.allforgardening.com/687693/a-new-tool-in-our-toolbox-for-buckthorn-control-critical-period-cutting/
Late November and the Calendula is Going Strong https://www.allforgardening.com/687593/late-november-and-the-calendula-is-going-strong/
We are being lulled into a false sense of security by this ridiculously pleasant weather. #ElNino is going to come roaring along around Jan 12 with its atmospheric rivers and kick our butts. But I'm not complaining -- the California Wildrose produced a late cluster of blooms today 🤯.
In *this* house:
- We plant #NativePlants
- Leave the leaves
- Cats live inside
- No mow
- Boxes for bats
- Amnesty for spiders
- Feed the birds
- No poison; not ever
- Hotels for bees
#Thanksgiving, to me, is in part about recognizing that North America is a bountiful land that has provided nutritious, delicious food for millions of humans for thousands of years.
It did not need to be turned into a clone of Eurasia to become livable. We have delicious, native foods here. #NativePlants provide the vitamins, minerals and energy we need; native animals have meat for those who eat it.
One small step in decolonisation is to #EatNativePlants.
#Gardening and #NativePlants are two good hashtags to follow!
I quit Facebook years ago because I didn't have the discipline to refrain from arguing politics with high school acquaintances I hadn't seen or spoken with IRL for 20+ years. Twitter was pretty much the same, only with strangers. When I created this account, I wanted to engage only about #music, #vinyl #RecordCollecting, and #VintageAudio. Recently, I have been getting back into #gardening, #NativePlants, #birds, and creating a wildlife-friendly yard. I'm really enjoying this new direction.
Super cool story on yet another Miyawaki forest in Cambridge, this one in someone's yard. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/22/metro/cambridge-resident-wanted-bigger-things-her-urban-front-yard-neighbors-helped-plant-miyawaki-forest-there/?event=event12 #biodiversity #nativeplants
I turned this into a graphic, with an online resource to find native plant nurseries near you!
The link to the resource is https://www.sambutler.us/native-plant-seed-nursery-directory, also contained in the QR code.
#ForDonar #NativePlants #Wildlife #Ecology #Culture #Holidays #Christmas #Celebration #Nature #Tradition #Celebration #Solstice #Harvest #Reforestation #Rewilding #Seeds #Seedlings #Trees #biology #birders #birdwatching #plants #gardening #Environment #Local #Soil #Erosion #Science #Community #Memes #History #Thanksgiving #PSA #Change #Message #Broadcast #BlackFriday #NewYear #NativeTrees #Climate #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #LowTech #Critters #MoreThanHuman #Restoration #media #comics #GraphicDesign #Art #Paradigm
The Front Garden last week.
https://flic.kr/p/2pg3mHM
#Gardening #NativePlants #HabitatGardening #HabitatGardens #UrbanGardening #UrbanGardens #Pollinators
It's not even 2024 and I want these already. https://www.thebuffaloseedcompany.com/shop/native-kansas-plants/10?page=1&limit=60&sort_by=name&sort_order=asc
Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba) seed heads on the walk to the park.
Do you know the story of Christmas trees?
A Christian missionary went to a tree that people worshipped as sacred, cut it down, and told them to worship a fir tree instead.
Now, billions of people cut down trees every year, just to throw them away after a month.
Don’t cut down a Christmas tree. Plant a native tree instead, and worship that. We’ll need them.
---------------------
^ I want to turn this into a simple illustrated meme / one-page comic. Anybody know someone with art / graphics / meme chops, who could be up to turning this into an image we could distribute?
It's about Donar's Oak, andthe colonial tradition right in our living rooms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donar%27s_Oak)
#Art #Illustration #Meme #GraphicDesign #comics #memes #history #culture #colonization #decolonization #Christmas #ChristmasTrees #BlackFriday #Thanksgiving #Christianity #NativePlants #Trees #Collaboration #Artist #media #PSA #change
Do you suffer from asphalt?
Try Preparation H(orticulture).
https://www.aap.com.au/news/how-urban-agriculture-is-growing-across-australia/
#UrbanAg #UrbanPermaculture #SchoolGardens #food #gardening #permaculture #Australia #NativePlants #rewilding
#HartsTongue #ferns are loaded with #SeedSpores😍
Hart's tongue is an #evergreen fern in the family #Aspleniaceae & it's native to the Northern Hemisphere.
#gardeners #seeds #plants #botanical #Wsanec #Lekwungen #NativePlants #SeedFern #Botany #Horticulture #green #Saanich #VictoriaBC #BotanicalPhotos #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #BritishColumbia #PNW #Canada
@levampyre The house came with a yard. Thought some #NativePlants would lessen the work. Got hooked and now spend much of the year outside. 😆 #gardening
Harakeke (aka Phormium, or NZ Flax) are flowering right now. That mix of oranges and reds looks super cool when you get up close.
Harakeke is one of those iconic NZ plants, providing nectar for birds and pollen for insects alike (or, like the starling I saw this morning with its head smeared in pollen, makeup for birds as well...)
#BloomScrolling #MacroPhotography #Flowers #Harakeke #Plants #Florespondence #NativePlants #Aotearoa #NewZealand
California Native Plant Society's Bristlecone chapter is to be commended for focusing on priorities -- LADWP water issues, and mining in the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley --- in its latest newsletter.
On a recent Perpetual Journal page I celebrated tiny things: a 1.5” owl pellet; 1/2” seed head & < 1/8” seeds! You can read more about my art & tiny things on my blog post of today:
https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/p/a-small-seed-head-and-very-small
#SciArt #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #PerpetualJournal #Substack #blog #blogging #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #nature #seedpod #Fall #wildflower #bird #birds #birding #BirdsOfMastodon #owl
SF Bay Area Native Plant Extravaganza coming up Nov 18 10am - 4pm. https://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/native-plant-extravaganzas-2023
A couple of years ago I created an art series in which I painted 1 color/day of something from nature I saw in/from my yard: trees, wildflowers, cacti, animals, birds, arthropods, reptiles & skies. Here’s my Tucson Color Journal ~ November.
#SciArt #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #nature #insect #arthropod #butterfly #moth #larva #color #bird #birds #BirdsOfMastodon
Planted 20 silver buffaloberry bushes in our east hedgerow area in with the persimmon trees. #NativePlants #EdibleForest
At first glance this plant of subalpine wetlands looks rather unassuming but a closer look reveals small but stunning flowers: Alpine Mitrewort (Pectiantia pentandra).
#TravelThursday In a recent blog post I shared my art of Fall foliage both here in Tucson & in Denali Nat’l Park, Alaska.
https://paulaborchardt.substack.com/p/fall-foliage
#SciArt #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #ColoredPencil #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #PerpetualJournal #Substack #blog #blogging #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #Ocotillo #Fall #FallFoliage #Autumn #Alaska #Denali #DenaliNationalPark #NationalPark #tundra
My new mantra, @ my local New Life Nursery
Our native Vine Maples really turn brilliant red. Fall colors from early October.
#pnw #washingtonState #maple #vineMaple #trees #fall #fallColors #leaves #nativePlants
A Lovely Madrone tree and a Toyon bush on the side of Mount Diablo, California.
Gaultheria procumbens, wintergreen
Been looking for this plant for a while and ended up stumbling across it at Lowe’s. Tastes like certs candy, sweet and minty. 😊
#gardening #jardin #plantas #fruit #rewilding #permaculture #GrowYourOwn #NativePlants @plants #FallColors
We do indeed have Fall foliage here in Tucson! Here’s my latest Perpetual Journal entry showing a range of colors of leaves on a single Ocotillo, along with last year’s PJ entry from this same week, of colorful local Anaheim chiles.
#SciArt #art #illustration #watercolor #painting #sketchbook #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #PerpetualJournal #Tucson #SonoranDesert #NativePlants #biodiversity #environment #ecosystem #ecology #nature #Ocotillo #Fall #Autumn #chile #FarmersMarket
Float-testing the buckeye seeds for viability. My new idea to defeat The F**king Deer is to plant so many of anything that they cannot kill them all.
A bit late for #FlyDay. Anyway, please enjoy this lovely syrphid fly, a striking dark brown/black with bright yellow stripes nectaring on a bright purple/blue aster with a yellow center.
#Flies #Diptera #Syrphidae #Syrphus #NativePlants #Pollinators #HabitatGardening #UrbanHabitat #UrbanNature #MacroPhotography
Native plants can be less showy than cultivated / imported types. But their subtlety has grown on me over the years.
Here are some NZ natives - 3 from our garden, 1 from nearby.
* Clianthus (aka Kaka Beak)
* Sophora (Kowhai)
* Hebe Diosmifolia
* Koru from a tree fern
#BloomScrolling #Koru #NativePlants #Aotearoa #Kowhai #Hebe #KakaBeak #Florespondence #Plants #Nature #NaturePhotography #Flowers #Ferns #NewZealand
#November is planting month for my #torreypine nursery! I put my first three trees into the ground today, and scouted a great fourth location near my house here in City Heights. I’ve got sixteen more trees to plant around my neighborhood, then in December, it will be time to stratify and plant more seeds for next year! #guerrillagardening #nativeplants #sandiego
Listening to this episode of Native Plants, Healthy Planet on #PawPaws. What a great discussion and a great project.
https://www.projectpawpaw.com/
https://www.nativeplantshealthyplanet.com/e/meet-project-pawpaw/
Today, while I was spreading my neighbor's oak leaves in my gardens (great mulch and wildlife habitat), a very tattered California Sister #butterfly landed, for a moment, right on a sunny patch of leaves at my feet. Sisters require oaks for their caterpillar offspring. I made this pic of a CA Sister in late Sept. #NevadaCountyCA #Igardenforwildlife #leavetheleaves #gardening #nativeplants https://xerces.org/leave-the-leaves
#FoodSecurity
Went #hiking today and went to my favorite American persimmon tree and it’s dying! 😭 The bark is falling off, the main trunk is broken near the top, and the fruits are really tiny! It might just be old judging by the size of its trunk.
The other wild tree had loads so I finished collecting seeds for the food security project. But I will need to ask if ppl still want the Diospyros seeds.
#rewilding #NativePlants #permaculture #gardening #ClimateDiary #climatechangegardening
I planted more than 35 species of #NativePlants this fall. I know it's hard to grow plants from seed, but I have hope for new seedlings in the Spring, or next spring, or the one after that. I feel like a genetic engineer, bringing biodiversity to our backyard.
Really missing my redbud tree (Cercis canadensis) this fall. It had such beautiful peach colored leaves.
It fell over after successive tropical storms this fall. Arborist said it was near the end of its lifespan anyway. I searched all over for volunteer seedlings but couldn’t find any. 😔
#NativePlants #trees #FallColors #fall #cooking #plants #plantas #gardening #arbol @plants #TropicalStorm #rewilding
I'm a gardener. This guy is a **GARDENER**.
Polistes fuscatus, dark paper wasp on Passiflora incarnata, maypop
Maypops are starting to turn bright yellow for the fall. 🍂
#InsektenSamstag #insects #insectos #NativePlants #GrowYourOwn #rewilding @plants #fallcolors #fall #Autumn #autumnleaves #wasp #gardening #jardin #plants #plantas #jardineria
If you want to grow plants easily and cheaply by winter sowing, my YouTube video on preparing plastic bottles might be helpful. You can end up with hundreds of plants, especially if you grow plants that are native to your area.
I usually start a few around Christmas, but sow most seeds in January and February.
#NativePlants #Gardening #PlantPropagation
https://youtu.be/ulsM4lmbLsk?si=0-cuHtm6PGRDLRtt
“Typically, in a home landscape, the same twenty or so species are used repeatedly.”
But there's another way. Our Fall Environmental Fellow
Paula @levihncoon explains a better way to grow your #Texas backyard ... with Paula's gorgeous #photography, too: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-native-plant-tips/
#nature #gardening #NativePlants #summer #ClimateChange #environment
In the technically-not-a-recession UK, #GardenDesign has taken an understandable hit, because gardens are considered a *luxury*. A damning indictment but hey, that’s the economic lemons.
Luckily, I am still making #garden lemonade. If you’re fortunate enough to have a garden design budget, please see my portfolio.
I have nearly 10 years of #ForestGarden design experience, with an ornamental emphasis on #WildlifeGardening, #NativePlants & #WildFlowers
Whitest Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) in flower, in mid-October.
People say "how pretty" and "what lovely weather we're having".
The earth is dying at our hands and I really don't know how else to say that.
#ClimateDiary #ClimateEmergency #NativePlants #WildFlowers #BloomScrolling
Photos from my Toronto garden. Oct 11, 2023.
-Lance leaved coreopsis. I love how one last wee little bloom is having its last hurrah.
-Spotted bee balm, which is a monarda that doesn't get mildew. Insects love this plant. Beside it is Black eyed Susan, and below is some Hoary vervain.
-Purple coneflower. A lot of my blooms got sick this year (aster yellows, mites), but these ones look good (phew).
-Great blue lobelia. Winter sown and planted in late July.
Not unlike Virginia creeper, staghorn sumac is one of the first plants/trees in my location to develop fall colors.
(09/30/23)
#trees #NativePlants #fall #fall2023 #autumn #AutumnLeaves #AutumWatch #nature #NaturePhotography #MastoArt #photography #AltText
Harvested the Passiflora lutea today. This is for the food security + rewilding project.
There are around two seeds in every berry and I collected enough already for everyone who wanted them. They don’t taste very good: sweetish pen ink with hints of dish soap. They stain a blueish purple. The flowers are edible though and can be used as a garnish.
#gardening #permaculture #bloomscrolling #ClimateChangeGardening #rewilding #climatechange #ClimateDiary @plants #NativePlants
Phlox paniculata, fall phlox. Such a good friend to pollinators late in the year. #NA0410 #NativePlants
Some updates.
We sold our business in June of 2023 and so we are officially retired.
We moved to a new (to us) home in Smyrna (also in June).
So far enjoying retirement, although the first month or two was unusually busy settling into our new home and dealing with business transition to the new owners.
Current project is turning our back yard into a garden focused on #NativePlants.
@monkeyflower also, side note, I've got Mimulus ringens (Allegheny monkeyflower) in my backyard. It's one of our lovely #NativePlants here in #NA0410
One of the things I’m interested in is gardening with native plants. So, I love following the #NativePlants hashtag on the fediverse. I get to see people using native plants in their gardens, talking about interesting species, and showing great gardening photos.
However, the native plant gardening community is pretty big. And the social web is a world-wide social network. So someone posting about native plants in Israel or UK or Australia isn’t going to be posting about the same plants as I am. There are some shared practices and shared pain we all have to go through, but a lot of the specifics depend on where your garden is.
So, it would be neat to have a way to focus our posts about native plants on a specific area. One obvious choice is our political region — say, the state, city or country that your garden is in. So tagging #QuebecNativePlants or #UKNativePlants, or #NativePlants #UK.
There are a couple of problems with this. First, plants and animals often cluster into ecological areas. So, desert plants and animals live in the desert; swamp plants and animals live in the wetlands. If you’re trying to match your garden to the local ecosystem, planting desert plants in the wetlands isn’t going to work!
Many countries, states, and even cities encompass multiple ecological areas. So, “Quebec native plants” could mean plants native to the St. Laurent River lowlands, to the Appalachian mountains, or to the Alpine tundra of the far north. And the ecological areas extend past the borders of any region or country; my region has more in common with the ecology of Vermont and the Adirondacks than it does with that of the Atlantic coast.
So, I think it would be nice to tag our photos and posts with information about our local ecological area, and not worry so much about political borders.
The good news is that there are ecologists who have carefully studied the extent and boundaries of ecological areas worldwide. Even better news is that they often agree pretty well about the rough boundaries of these areas.
The bad news is that they don’t always use the exact same names for the regions. And, of course, the names are language dependent; we’ve got different names in English and French here in Quebec for the same ecoregions.
My garden is at the border (“ecotone“) of the WWF’s New England and Acadian forests ecoregion and the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests ecoregion. But the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) calls the same places “Northern Appalachians and Atlantic Maritime Highlands” and “Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands”.
There are also codes to be used. The CEC calls these areas 5.3.1 and 8.1.1, in their dotted-number format. But the WWF calls them NA0410 and NA0226.
I think the right thing to do is use the WWF names and/or the WWF codes. They have worldwide coverage, unlike the CEC or EPA or ECCC ones. They are kind of long to write out, though!
I really like the fediverse’s hashtag culture, and I think this is something we can work out with practice. At worst, we’ll put multiple tags on the same post, so more people can find it. It’s not really that bad!
The pollinators are loving our New England asters (Symphotrichum novae-angliae) and Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). It really makes me glad we planted them here!
#NativePlants #Ecotone #StLawrenceLowlands #NortheasternHighlands #BloomScrolling #florespondence
#NA0410
#NA0226
This smooth aster (Symphotrichum laeve) has such a beautiful pale purple. It reminds me a lot of Cichorium intybus, common chicory.
#NativePlants #Ecotone #StLawrenceLowlands #Appalachians #BloomScrolling #Florespondence