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”

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”

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”

The Potato ~ Tomato Adventure

For three years I worked on a small commercial farm in North Carolina. The main thing we farmed in the summer were tomatoes. I do not recall how many rows we planted but the rows were between 50 to 100 yards long. Let’s put it this way, there were more than one row! In addition,Continue reading “The Potato ~ Tomato Adventure”

Almost a Normal Week, kind of sort of

Like most people, I have lost track of how long we have been living an altered life style. But last week I had what almost resembled what I would have considered a normal week at one point.  So I will recap it here as a reminder that, with adjustments and care, we can sort ofContinue reading “Almost a Normal Week, kind of sort of”

Observation is better than your smart phone

When I used to walk around my old neighborhood looking for sidewalk weeds, one that I came upon often was Carolina Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense) and Eastern Black Nightshade (Solanum ptycanthum). These plants, though pretty, are considered nasty weeds by many gardeners and home owners. Adding aid to that general consensus are the facts thatContinue reading “Observation is better than your smart phone”