Diane

Tree Detective

I had never heard of a Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) before a recent class I took. The reason the tree stood out to me was its acorns which looked little winter hats with fuzz around the rim. Since these trees seem to grow in climates somewhat colder than where I live this seemed sort ofContinue reading “Tree Detective”

Found Treasures in Old Book

Last week at the Herbarium I was browsing through the books and came across this old book that appears to be a textbook from 1855 Here are some pages with diagrams Now here are the surprises! Some pressed plants circa 1878, perhaps from the Cleveland Ohio area as per the dates and places on theContinue reading “Found Treasures in Old Book”

Compound Leaves: An Attempt to Explain with Examples

It is daunting when you are learning to identify plants to decipher between a simple and compound leaf. At times, compound leaves are also referred to as Divided leaves. For this article, I will stick to the term Compound Leaves/Leaf. The suggestion usually made is to look for a bud at the base of theContinue reading “Compound Leaves: An Attempt to Explain with Examples”

One Place, Five Different Map Memories

Before I show the five diagrams below, I must give some background information. In the mid 1950s, my parents were given the opportunity to rent a house for the summer in a small lake community for a total of $5. At the end of the summer, they had the option to purchase the property. ItContinue reading “One Place, Five Different Map Memories”

Local (?) History

Last week we went for a walk on a local greenway that features statues of prominent citizens from the area. While we did not get to see all the statues, the ones we did see were informative and impressive. The one I am choosing to feature here is because, though it is a local figure,Continue reading “Local (?) History”

Another, More Accurate View of Yesterday’s Post

Yesterday I posted an image of my new desk and some of the things on top of it. Today, I am giving you more of a true to life action shot. So here we are, all set up and working. Cat on the mat, cup o’ tea, weeds to study, field guides, etc. And….the realContinue reading “Another, More Accurate View of Yesterday’s Post”

Not the Still Life I Set Out to Write About

This post was originally going to be called Still Life with Weeds and it was going to talk about the weeds in the jar. But after looking at some of the things on my desk I decided to change course. So we will talk about the jar of weeds in my next post. First, theContinue reading “Not the Still Life I Set Out to Write About”

Wildflower ‘Weeds’: Take a Second Look

At a quick glance, these two common lawn plants are mistaken for one another because they are considered “weeds” and, therefore, not appreciated. Even nature enthusiasts are often tricked by these two closely related plants because they often grow in patches among one another. So let’s take a close look at them, but not inContinue reading “Wildflower ‘Weeds’: Take a Second Look”

Wrap up of the Grocery List Project

Thank you Rick Wright for this wonderful image! A BIG thank you for everyone who participated in this project for not only letting us peek into your shopping cart but for helping to bring attention to food insecurity. Below are answers to a question I put out last week. That question was: Did you changeContinue reading “Wrap up of the Grocery List Project”

Stock Tip!

Well, now that I got your attention, I will now disappoint you with information on soup stock. One ingredient I love having around is vegetable and chicken stock. I have no way of composting anything at this time and I wondered if there was anyway to use the ends of the four vegetables I amContinue reading “Stock Tip!”