Edible Mushrooms: Common Brain Fungus (Helvella crispa)
Karen Also known as white saddle, and elfin saddle, this sac fungus (Ascomycetes) may be found growing singly or in troops in deciduous or coniferous woods on calcareous soil in most…
Plant Profile: Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)
Also known as Spanish bayonet, spoon-leaf yucca, needle-palm, and silk-grass, Adam’s needle is a clump-forming evergreen perennial and a member of the asparagus family, Asperagaceae, that also includes agave, lily…
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects: Fern-Leaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendula)
This clump-forming perennial is a native of central and southwestern Asia but has naturalized in parts of Europe and North America. As a member of the aster family (Asteraceae), it…
Plant Profile: Dwarf Morning Glory (Convolvulus tricolor aka C. minor)
Native to southern Europe and North Africa, this annual or tender perennial is a member of the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, that also includes sweet potato, water spinach, and dodder.…
Genus: Geums for the Garden
Often called avens, Geum is a genus of over 50 species of herbaceous perennials in the rose family, Roseaceae, that also include cherries, almonds, and lady’s mantle. Plants are valued…
Plant Profile: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
This deciudous flowering shrub is native to eastern North America from Maine to northern Florida and west to Ontaraio, Kansas, and Texas where it grows in moist areas of woods…
Book Review: It’s Winter
With her book, It’s Winter, author Linda Glaser shares her enjoyment of winter through the eyes of a young girl as she catches a snowflake on her tongue, sinks her…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, belongs to the rose family, Rosaceae, that includes almonds, peaches, plums, and cherries. It is a small deciduous tree, 26-29 feet tall, with a rounded crown,…
Plant Profile: New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana)
Also known as southwest and desert locust, this deciduous multi branched shrub or small tree is native to areas in southwestern US where it can be an understory tree or…
Weeds and Their Control: Chinese Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)
Also called Chinese bush clover, this semi-woody perennial is a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, that also lupines, mimosa, and alfalfa. It is native to China, Korea, Japan, Formosa,…