Outdoors
The Joyful Botanist: Robin’s Plantain
Among the earliest flowering members of the Aster Family (Asteraceae) is the robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellus). Around Cullowhee, the robin’s plantain begins blooming in early April at lower elevations and can be seen blooming at higher elevations into June.
Up Moses Creek: The Last Trail
When I told Becky on New Year’s Day that this was going to be my last trail, she laughed, “You said that three trails back.” She was thinking of the Spring Creek, Sourwood, Open Woods, Deer Point and other trails I’ve built over the years in the woods around our house. Becky likes walking the trails as much as I do.
The Joyful Botanist: Up Moses Creek
I really enjoy and am honored by the fact that I share this column space with Burt Kornegay who writes the fun and informative column. I like sharing this space because I enjoy reading his writing, and because he is a friend and a big influence on me and my work leading plant walks.
The Joyful Botanist: Something Spicy
Many of the first signs of springtime are subtle. There are little shifts in the breeze as the sun begins to feel a bit warmer and remains in the sky a little bit longer each day. Birdsong increases morning and evening, and other flying beings begin buzzing around looking to forage some pollen and nectar.
Up Moses Creek: ‘The sun is not so central as a man.’ — Henry Thoreau
Just as the morning sun shoots out beams that light up the mountains, so our eyes shoot out beams, too, rays of comprehension that light up what they fall on with human significance and warmth.
The Joyful Botanist: Viola Blues
When seeking beautiful native wildflowers, I often travel and hike long distances to a special spot to see a rare beauty. Other times, it’s as easy as walking into the front yard.
The Joyful Botanist: Dog days of winter
While winter walks in the woods can sometimes seem devoid of botanical interest, especially for someone as flower-focused as I tend to be, there are plenty of evergreen plants, shrubs and trees to entice me onto a trail in the dormant season while I await the return of wildflowers.
Up Moses Creek: Bones of Contention
Watching birds is a year-round pleasure for Becky and me — daily to see their beauty and vitality, their aerial acrobatics, their antics and doings that reveal their native smarts. And to make sure there are birds to watch we bait the yard.
The Joyful Botanist: Back into the briar patch
I got stuck thinking about plants in the genus Smilax after writing about them last time out. It is such a great genus of plants, and as I discussed in my last column, most people only see them as a nuisance. I think they might be one rank below yellow jackets (Vespula spp.) and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) as the most despised organisms in the woods.
