In stinkhorn seasons, you’ll see a lot of wtf? identification requests on facebook. The answers are as weird as the questions. Continue reading “Stinkhorn”
Stinkhorn
Category: Nature
Osage Orange as Bug Repellant and Mammoth Snack
Osage orange fruit. Hedge apples. Monkey brains. Maclura pomifera. Yellow-green, squiggly, hairy spheres the size of grapefruits. If these are underfoot on a fall hike, I guarantee someone will mention the purported insect and/or spider repellent properties of an Osage orange. Rumor has it that a few of these bowling balls under one’s bed or kitchen sink will convince critters to stay outside. If this were true, I’d superglue a row of fruit along every baseboard of my house. Continue reading “Osage Orange as Bug Repellant and Mammoth Snack”
Ginkgo Leaf Surrender
Last night’s freeze made the ginkgo trees give it up, give it ALL up. I woke to bare branches and eddies of golden fans. Did it happen all at once? Did the tree heave a sneeze when the thermometer hit below 30 and then FFHOOOOM! eject every leaf?
Apparently, ginkgos are known for sudden synchronized leaf drop. I sure would love to see it happen. I need to compare it to the Pixar version that lives in my head. Continue reading “Ginkgo Leaf Surrender”
In Praise of the Messy Fall Yard
I’m a messy person. Always have been, always will be. I admire folks who keep a tidy house. But I take issue with tidy yards, because tidiness reduces habitat for countless creatures. Continue reading “In Praise of the Messy Fall Yard”
Lacebark Elm Snack
I kept seeing these suspiciously perfect trees at Vandy—flanking the Children’s Hospital, standing guard along West End—with fluted columns and urbane foliage. When I noticed they had elm seeds in October (most elms produce seeds in spring), I investigated. Continue reading “Lacebark Elm Snack”
Sidewalk Nature: Leaf Prints
November 4th.
Fall is falling fast and I need to grab on to it——to find an edge, a finger-hold——before it’s gone. Sometimes, grabbing just means paying attention.
Example? Random leaf prints on concrete. Nature’s monoprints are right there under my feet on the way to the car, to school, to nearly everywhere. Continue reading “Sidewalk Nature: Leaf Prints”
PawPaw path (not patch)
My neurologist and I despair of fixing my migraines, so today’s med check ended up a chat about pawpaw trees: how they reproduce, how hardly anyone beats the possums to the fruit, and where ordinary folk (not just nature nerds) can see them. Continue reading “PawPaw path (not patch)”
Aphid Lion
I love this weird bug: the aphid lion. It eats the teensy wooly aphids—they look like single snowflakes—that are drifting down from Hackberry trees everywhere. Continue reading “Aphid Lion”
Wild Persimmons on the Sidewalk
Native persimmon time again: fat little sacks of sweet pulp waiting to be baked into muffins. Mom and Izzy and I foraged in an office parking lot last night, under a tree I watch all year. I check for blooms, leaves, caterpillar tents, and any evidence that the property owners have lost patience with car-spattering, jelly-bomb season. Continue reading “Wild Persimmons on the Sidewalk”
Hackberry Emperor
Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis), foraging for salt and minerals. My finger is deliciously sweaty. Continue reading “Hackberry Emperor”
SIDEWALK NATURE 