The tutor shares some observations about red elder trees. Yesterday I spent out in the field, passing through some places I either rarely go or have never been. Especially in such context, a casual botanist looks for new plants or …
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The tutor shares another neighborhood find. I’ve noticed, over the years, maple trees that have dark red, or purple, leaves. For some reason, I imagined I knew what kind they were, but had just forgotten. Today I noticed another one, …
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The tutor shares another yard find. I’ve noticed wall lettuce in the yard for at least ten years, but only recently identified it. In the right places, it grows fast. It’s a tall thin plant with leaves that hold the …
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The tutor shares another field find. Sunday, I took my sons (11 and 13) for a walk in the nearby woods. I had a couple of plants in mind to find, but found neither. However, I did identify a couple …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: black twinberry Read more »
The tutor shares another yard find. A couple years back I was weeding the front chip patch. Sometimes I have to do so; it’s not my idea. However, it clears the ground for fresh plants to emerge. Anyway, I noticed …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: American vetch Read more »
The tutor checks the front yard for a plant identification. I first noticed sheep sorrel about a year ago on a page of the field guide. While I didn’t recognize it, the guide reported that it definitely grows here and …
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The tutor describes another plant identification. Crossing a sunny field, I passed a five-petaled blue flower this morning that I can’t find in my guide. Searching images of “blue wild flowers” on the ‘net, however, I found the identical plant: …
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The tutor shares another tricky field identification. Weatherwise, it’s summer here. Plants are springing up everywhere. The plants growing outside of human influence particularly interest me. A plant I’ve noticed on the edge of a field is, I’ve concluded, hedge …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: hedge mustard Read more »
The tutor shares another patient discovery. Walking home from dropping the car at my wife’s work, I’ve noticed a plant growing along the path in the field. It has long thin leaves around the bottom, then a long thin stem …
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The tutor shares yet another field find. Commonly, thumbing through a field guide, I notice a species on a page and think, “I wonder if I’ll ever see that one.” So it was with western bitter-cress, of the mustard family. …
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