Shepard Lane Garden

There is a tall 'weed' that was growing behind our other plants in the main garden.   I noticed the other evening that the weed had yellow flowers blooming that I had not seen there before.  The plant itself was almost six feet tall and resembled the 'headknocker' weeds that grow here.  However, those plants do not have flowers like this.   I took a piece off of one and brought it inside to put in a vase.  It sat all day with the flowers closed, although some parts of it had changed overnight.  Tonight, well after sunset, the snippet of flower was blooming with a larger flower than I had seen, even when I removed it from the plant.  It occurred to me that perhaps the plant was blooming at night? So, what was this weed? It is not a weed.  It is a native evening primrose.  Of course it is blooming at night! I have one other primrose in the pole garden, a low-growing pink one. Now, I'll have to watch for the pods which will develop the seeds.

Do onions self-pollinate?  Yes, they do. This is a dried onion flower, with tiny pods full of black seeds.  Onions are biennials, which means they take two full years to grow.  The first year they grow a 'green onion' stem and a tiny onion bulb under the soil.  When they first sprout they can look only like a tiny green 'hair' sticking above the soil.  That hair will get thicker and thicker as it stores energy in the onion bulb underground.  The second year, if they are left to their own devices, they could send up a tall stalk with a flower, like the one seen below.  Alliums are also in the onion family, and are grown specifically for their flowers.  While alliums come in many colors, this plant shown was a 'seedling onion set' that had been stolen by the birds, and moved to another part of the garden.  When it sent up this pretty white flower among the hosta plants - I knew I was dealing with something different.  By June the 10th, the tiny white bulb I had s

Catsear, Cat's Ear or Flatweed?  Or you could call it a false dandelion.  I mistakenly called it a coreopsis for a while, until I saw the seeds.  The actual Latin name for this plant is Hypochaeris radicata, It is listed as an invasive weed in the Northwest of the United States.  It doesn't surprise me to find it here - we have things that are 'supposedly' growing all over.  And there is always the chance it could be just a slightly different variety that no one pays much attention to here.  After all, very few people go examining their roadside weeds with such detail.  It grows freely in the meadow between the road and the neighbor's property.  I can remember seeing it in that particular area for the past ten years - but not in very many other places around the county.  I've seen numerous bugs and small butterflies attracted to it. It is such a bright lemon yellow it would be hard to miss it! At first sight you might be whizzing by the road and see this small

Stay curious, investigate, and learn along the way There is a world right outside your door and mine.  It isn't something everyone takes time to stop and notice.  Some of it you make, like your own garden.  Some of it is wild, like the roadside and the forest nearby - or even the cracks in the sidewalk or things that have blown into a pot occupying the corner of your yard.  Citizen Science Does your mind fill up with questions about plants, seeds and wild things? It's all fascinating.  You can dive into this - even without a degree or a job in an extension office or lab.  Plant a seed, watch insects and birds, marvel in Nature.  Give me a wild bird I haven't seen before, or a plant that keeps popping up, and even if it is a weed, I'm out there with my camera and/or notebook, collecting bits and pieces until I solve the mystery.  And now, I'll share them here with you. This treasury is the place where I'm ready to share all of this.  It's a way of life -  doi