This week my nephew and I share a fun summer surprise from a recent woodland walk. Learn all about wild leek, also known as wild ramps, a beautiful wildflower whose leaves carpet the forest floor in spring and whose flowers...
This week I share a lovely native wetland shrub with clusters of white flowers, meadowsweet. Look for this upright shrub in open, wet to moist soil sites and consider planting it in a rain garden, bioswale, or pond edge in...
This week I share a unique woodland orchid, downy rattlesnake plantain. Learn where you can find this beautiful plant and why collecting it from the wild is detrimental to population survival. Good luck finding this little gem on your next...
This week I discuss the life history of an invasive species threatening our forested lands, the European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). This spring has been particularly challenging with significant outbreaks, and I review both localized and landscape level control methods...
As promised, I continue to share the happenings of the monarch chrysalis reared in the store. It was a girl, and she was beautiful! I pick up where we left off with Monday with Martha #59, describing the amazing complexities...
This video describes in detail how best to sanitize your wild bird feeding stations. It's our responsibility as good environmental stewards to make sure our bird feeders and baths are cleaned regularly to reduce the risk of spreading avian and...
This week I'm providing info on two important, related topics: the mysterious bird disease being reported in neighboring states and how to keep your bird feeding and watering stations as safe as possible for our feathered and furry friends! This...
This week I discuss pupation, the chrysalis formation stage of the butterfly life cycle, and share footage of a monarch caterpillar transforming into its lovely jade green chrysalis. Although not all aspects of butterfly metamorphosis are completely understood, the process...
This week I discuss a pollinator supporting powerhouse, the ecologically and horticulturally intriguing New Jersey tea. Beautiful, fragrant, and drought tolerant, this short-statured native shrub provides significant wildlife habitat for pollinating insects, birds, and mammals! Special thanks to Rita Seston...
