Conservation Resources

Nature is Full of Surprises

5/26/2023

I live out in the boondocks surrounded by farm fields and woodlands. During the summer, I'm pretty well limited to walking our main road and some of the improvised trails/roads tractors cut out to get to the harder-to-reach fields.

However, when the autumn harvest is completed, there's no limit to where I can wander except for common sense and safety. When a trail camera picked up a black bear investigating where I had just passed, that was a definite sign for me to avoid that particular path. After that near miss, along with the several occasions I became temporarily disoriented (lost), I decided it was in my best interest to keep to the cleared swaths surrounding the fields. No problem. Those paths proved perfect for investigating the bordering woodlands without any bears, briars, or brambles attacking me.

A few months ago, as the weather began to warm, I envisioned spring bringing forth lots of vibrant blossoms and buzzing, flittering insects to greet me on my morning walk. Didn’t happen.
Yes, the understory underwent a bright and beautiful re-greening, but no big splashes of color painted the vegetation except for some yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) and twisted vines of briars sporting white blossoms. I refused to give up hope though.

Then, as I noticed some promising buds peering out from the greenery, my quiet time with Mother Nature came to an end.

The inevitable tractors made their presence known as they plowed and prepped the land for the coming growing season. That was okay. I could ignore the noise and dust. However, when the sprayers arrived, I had to make a quick exit. The choking, stinking, poisonous mist drove me away and kept me from returning for a week.

The saddening sight of curled-up brown leaves from the herbicide overspray broke my heart. I was afraid everything would wither away, but nature surprised me. A little further back in the woods, beyond the line of dying leaves, new growth continued to spring up. Magnificent Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) blossoms drew an audience of winged admirers. Since then, I've discovered several different oak trees, and a few days ago, an American Holly (Ilex opaca) peeked out from behind a wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) bush.

Today, I noticed blueberries! My "Picture This" app identified them as Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). I plan on taking a cutting to propagate my own. Blueberries are a breakfast staple for me. Along with a banana, they make my morning oatmeal eatable. Don't worry. Even though I'll be tempted, I'll leave the fruit on this plant for the wildlife to enjoy.

A few days ago, some Sawtooth blackberry (Rubus argutus) vines caught my eye, and I'll take some cutting from them too. I'll also try my hand at propagating the oaks and other native trees as well as a variety of native bushes. This will be another first for me. Wish me luck! I'll keep you informed on my progress.

Discovering, learning, and trying new things is so much fun. It’s wonderful! I can't tell you what joy I feel from these simple little blessings. I hope my enthusiasm spreads to all of you. Everyone needs to include native plants and bugs into their lives. Whether you have a yard, patio, or window box, it doesn't matter – plant something and watch the appreciative bugs take advantage of your kindness. It'll make you smile.

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Who Said Old Dogs Can’t Learn New Tricks?

5/19/2023

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Who Said Old Dogs Can’t Learn New Tricks? I’m a little more mature (i.e. older) than most folks starting on a new venture and am learning something new almost every day. And enjoying it!

I’ve always been a nature lover preferring the solitude of the great outdoors. Being an introvert and fairly shy, I’m not comfortable being around lots of other people, especially folks I don’t know. Small talk has always been difficult for me. However, conversing with a curious bumble bee or a newly discovered wildflower is not hard at all. A little one-sided maybe, but usually I can express my gratitude at meeting them with no trouble. Unfortunately, talking solely to insects and vegetation is frowned upon, so I’ve come up with the perfect compromise – talking/writing about the things this old dog is learning from the plants and bugs.

Last winter, I experimented with winter sowing. I planted a bunch of seeds gathered from volunteer native wildflowers I’d found along the roadside. After the plastic jugs were set up, I left them on my patio and let Mother Nature do her thing. The rain kept the potting soil moist, and since the plants were all indigenous to this area, the seeds were pre-programmed to remain outside and handle the local weather conditions.

The bottles and I waited patiently for spring. When the temperature finally began to rise, the seeds germinated and began to grow.

I was so surprised that it actually worked! Usually, my experiments don’t turn out as planned.

During the same time, I’d also covered a couple of plots in the yard with cardboard to smother out the grass and weeds. That also worked! I only had a few patches of stubborn grass and some scraggly weeds to pull up. After loosening up the top layer of soil with my handy little garden rake, all it took was digging the holes and separating the flowers into small chucks to plant.

Surprisingly, the plants survived their transition and are coming along very nicely. I have swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), bitter sneezeweed (Helenium amarum), blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), bearded beggarstick (Bidens aristosa), evening primrose (Oenothera glazioviana), and a couple of aster species I discovered last autumn.

Granted, there are a couple of non-native flowers mixed in. I have to confess, last year I was lazy and bought a packet of mixed wildflower seeds from the local dollar store just to see what would happen. Not much, I got about a dollar’s worth of flowers. The garden cosmos and marigolds proved to be bee magnets though, so I gathered some of those seeds and used them in my garden this year.

For my first attempt at winter sowing, I can’t complain about the results. A few species of bunch grasses and late-blooming plants haven’t germinated. Those bottles are still sitting in the shade just in case the seeds decide to wake up.

Now it’s your turn. Look over the easy-to-understand information about winter sowing and research the plants native to your region through the National Wildlife Federation, Xerces, Wild Ones, your state’s native plant society, or local groups and organizations.

Plan now and start collecting your bottles and seeds so you’ll be ready for next winter.

Happy Gardening, everyone!

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I Am So Confused!!

5/12/2023

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Daily Fleabane on left versus the Frost Aster on the right.

If you asked me ten years ago what native wildflowers grew around here, my response would be, “Duhhh, I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

I’ve lived on Norton Road for nearly thirty years. I’ve driven up and down this occasionally muddy, most of the time dusty path from my home to the main thoroughfare thousands of times. I’ve even walked it who knows how many times. But I never paid one bit of attention to the vegetation along the road; except to comment on it needing to be cut.

In the past several years, I’m made a complete 180-degree attitude adjustment in viewing my surrounding. Instead of only seeing the unkempt grass and weeds, I now see a whole new vista populated with gorgeous flowers, unusual plants and shrubs, and a host of flying, crawling, and burrowing creatures I never knew existed. It’s mind-boggling how these innocent-looking plants and bugs evolved and adapted to the local conditions and have thrived here for eons.

My transformation began while writing environmental conservation articles for magazines. The dedication and enthusiasm of the people I interviewed were contagious making me curious enough to research and learn more about the dwindling populations of pollinators and their disappearing habitat. That newfound knowledge blossomed into wanting to put words into action. I wanted to discover the local native flora I’d overlooked for so long and use it to turn our yard into a pollinator paradise.

Then reality set in. I knew nothing about gardening, except for growing a few veggies in the backyard. My parents and grandmother always enjoyed puttering around the yard and could get every plant they stuck in the ground to grow. Unfortunately, their green thumbs weren’t hereditary.

My attempts at landscaping never turned out as envisioned. Actually, our yard looked more like a disaster area whenever my projects turned belly up. However this time, I believed I could do it. I just had to start from scratch and absorb all the info I could from the experts.

All the theory I picked up in my research made sense and sounded straightforward. The problems started when I had to put words into action. My first step was to identify exactly what kind of wildflowers grow around here. Sounds simple, yet is much easier said than done.

So many of them look alike! My Seek and Picture This apps can tell them apart but me, no way. Instead, I stare at a wildflower thinking, Is this a fleabane or an aster? I forget the fine little details distinguishing one from the other.

The daisy fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) has a large, bright yellow, smooth center with a bunch of tiny, slender white petals while the frost aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) has longer, thicker white petals and the textured center is more of an orange-yellow. The stems and leaves are different too. Looking at them side-by-side, it’s easy to see which is which. The problem is that out there, I can’t do a side-by-side comparison.

Lyreleaf Sages (L) were one of my first finds earlier this spring. I didn't realize they had a look-alike in the Helmet Flower (R) until my "Picture Me" app noted the different name.

Look at these two flowers. One is a lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata) and the other is a helmet flower (Scutellaria integrifolia). Looking at the pictures side by side, I see the difference in the way the petals attach to the stem, but telling one from the other at first glance while in the field – forget it.

But does being able to name the flowers really matter in the long run? As a novice at this stuff, I don’t think so. The important thing for me right now is just doing it – actually “seeing” the native flowers for what they are and learning about the vital role they play in nature. For me, knowing that they are indigenous and beneficial to insects, birds, and other critters is all that matters. The names will come as I get more practice. For now, I’ll let the apps take care of remembering that stuff. What do you think?

One more thing that adds to my confusion. These two flowers do not look the same. However, they are both the same flower, lance-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolate). Go figure.

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“What is that crazy lady up to now?”

5/5/2023

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The farmers driving by in their pick-up trucks or sitting high up on a combine smile and wave as they pass by me, but I can read the thoughts behind their friendly gestures. I don’t blame them. They have no idea what I’m doing or why.

One day, I’ll have a trash bag overflowing with litter collected along my route. The next day, they’ll see me hunched over the overgrown grassy shoulder, camera in hand, searching for flowering weeds. Days later, they shake their heads as they watch me dig up a few plants or gather seeds.

When asked, I tell them I’m on a quest to make life better for the creatures we share this world with. I explain about the decline in native habitats and the insects that rely on them.

“I’m simply doing what I can to help restore the balance, and my work must be completed before the roadsides are bush-hogged, destroying the native flora.”

Even though these folks have spent most of their lives in the great outdoors, they’ve never paid that much attention to bees, butterflies, beetles, bats, and birds that rely on having a litter-free habitat with lots of flowering trees, shrubs, and plants to call home. I hope that with their newly acquired knowledge, the farmers will refrain from tossing out empty water bottles, cut back on pesticides, and have more respect for Mother Nature.

My intention with this blog is the same - to spread the word. No creature, whether it has two, four, six, eight, or no legs, should ever be homeless. Every living being deserves the basics of food, water, and shelter. By saving the native flowering plants, I can do a little something toward providing the food and shelter these creatures need.

Follow my adventure as I explore the countryside looking for weird and wonderful flowers, trees, and shrubs and the bugs, birds, and other critters that evolved with them. It's fascinating how such insignificant-looking plants can make such a big difference.

Through the Lens of a Nature Lover will share my journey as I discover, photograph, and learn about the plants no one ever notices.

I promise, you will not be bored.

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Greta Burroughs

Through the Lens of a Nature-Lover

No creature, whether it has two, four, six, eight, or no legs, should ever be homeless. Every living being deserves the basics of food, water, and shelter. By planting native plants, trees, and shrubs, I can do something toward providing the food and shelter these creatures need.

It's amazing how plants and insects evolved to interact with each other, and how one could always instinctively rely upon the other for survival.

That's what Mother Nature intended.

Unfortunately, humanity's carelessness and greed disrupted her master plan.

I'm on a quest to help restore Nature's balance by collecting seeds from, transplanting, or propagating the indigenous plants I find along the roadsides and fields before they are mown down or poisoned with pesticides.

Then, if my gardening skills don't fail me, my yard will eventually provide a year-round oasis of native flowers, trees, and shrubs that'll provide the food and shelter insects need to thrive and never be homeless again.

Through the Lens of a Nature-Lover will share my journey as I discover, photograph, and rescue the plants and bugs no one else notices.

Please join me in my quest to end homelessness. Thank you for caring.

Nature is Full of Surprises

Who Said Old Dogs Can’t Learn New Tricks?

I Am So Confused!!

“What is that crazy lady up to now?”

Greta Burroughs

Through the Lens of a Nature-Lover

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Nature is Full of Surprises

Who Said Old Dogs Can’t Learn New Tricks?

I Am So Confused!!

“What is that crazy lady up to now?”

Greta BurroughsThrough the Lens of a Nature-Lover​

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Categories

Greta Burroughs

Through the Lens of a Nature-Lover