Recently, on a trip to Pennsylvania, I was honored to receive an invitation to tour the backyard garden of a lovely couple. They asked that I don't use their name, but the husband did say I could refer to him as "His Excellency." He had a very good sense of humor and had me laughing the whole time. The garden was amazing! I have never seen so …
Fun Nature Stuff - Things to Do and See
Try some of these fun, nature-based activities. You'll find gardens to visit, things to do outdoors, interesting facts about fungi and other unique things found in nature.
The Flowers of El Yunque
Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest in the Luquillo Mountains is a beauty - full of an amazing diversity of tropical plants. There are 150 fern species and 240 tree species in this tropical rainforest. Not surprisingly, I recognized some of the plants growing in the forest as those sold as houseplants in the continental U.S. It interests …
Food Plants for Butterflies and Caterpillars
If you like butterflies, than planting both plants that host the larvae and feed the butterflies are important. These are some of the flowering herbaceous plants (and one vine) suitable for planting in the southeast for the butterflies that we have here. Flowering plants that are host to larvae of the butterfly Flowering plants that provide …
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What flower will you plant? It’s National Plant a Flower Day
Had enough of winter? Why not plant a flower? If you’re looking forward to spring, this is the day for you. It’s still early in the season, so you may have to plant your flower indoors. But if you’re lucky, you might be able to plant something outside. Here are my suggestions for some plants to get in the ground - they're some of my favorites. …
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Winter Garden Project: Count Birds at Your Feeder This Winter to Help Track Bird Populations
Want something fun to do while your garden is sleeping this winter? How about signing up for Project Feeder Watch? If you live in North America, you can participate in collecting data that helps scientists determine changes in bird distribution and abundance. This is a great way to teach your kids about scientific data collection and bird …
Mississippi State University Dorman Hall Gardens
The folks at Dorman Hall have been working hard to create a beautiful teaching garden in a small space. I visited there this October and found a variety of garden types and some really cool plants. The gardens around Dorman Hall were established in 2008. A daylily garden, fern garden, butterfly garden, and vine garden were added in 2011. View …
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