March 18, 2024

IAVOM: Simple Early Season Treasures

Spring is happening early in my part of the world. Flowers began blooming in February, and many plants are breaking the soil surface preparing for the growing season ahead. With the exception of the Snowdrops, I rarely pick these early season flowers--for some reason I don't want to disturb them. ;-)

Hellebores

Because of this reluctance, I only picked a few, and I share a very simple vase/bowl.

Two of the Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis) varieties have been in my garden for many years, and their cultivar was not listed. The one in the middle is Helleborus x hybridus 'Sandy Shores.' Also included are a few Crocuses (C. vernus) and some Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno'). The Crocuses were closed when I picked them in the morning, and they opened a bit more later.

Snowdrops

I also combined a tiny bouquet of 'Flore Pleno' with some Barrenwort foliage (Epimedium x warleyense) remaining from the previous season.

We'll have several days in the week ahead with temperatures below normal, while March, until now, has been unseasonably warm. I hope the blooms/plants outdoors will be OK.

I'm joining in with Cathy's In a Vase on Monday meme. Head on over to see the other amazing entries!

March 10, 2024

Nevada Highlights: Plant Treasures at Springs Preserve Botanical Garden

Display

We're recently back from a trip to Nevada, where we enjoyed both exploring natural areas and sightseeing in urban Las Vegas. One highlight was a visit to the Botanical Garden at Springs Preserve. As always, I could have spent many more hours exploring the plant collections, but our brief visit was educational and fun.

Opal Flower 'Quadricolor'

One plant that really caught my eye, was the four-colored Opal Flower (Lachenalia aloides var. quadricolor). I think I've seen this plant before; perhaps during travels to other warm climates, or on another blogger's post. In any case, it's certainly colorful and fascinating. It's native to southern Africa.

Signage

The botanical garden has an amazing collection of cacti and desert succulents, both around the various trails and in its Cactus Alley display. A few examples:

California Barrel Cactus

California Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus)

Thistle Cholla

Thistle Cholla (Cylindropuntia tunicata)

Argentine Giant

Argentine Giant (Echinopsis candicans)

Silver Torch

Silver Torch (Cleistocactus strausii)

Cottontop Cactus

Cottontop Cactus (Echinocactus polycephalus var. polycephalus)

Pincushion Cactus

Pincushion Cactus (Mammillaria pseudoperbella)

Parry's Agave

Parry's Agave (Agave parryi var. parryi)

Rainwater Collection

Springs Preserve's water system is designed to be self-sustaining--collecting gray water for treatment and recycling for plant irrigation.

Resting Area

The Palm Garden offers shade and a welcoming resting spot.

Pansies and Kale

During our visit, the botanical garden also had sweet displays of common garden plants, including potted Pansies (Viola spp.) and Kale (Brassica oleracea).

Daffodils

Daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)

Snapdragons

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)

Other interesting plants of note:

Upright Myrtle Spurge

Upright Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia rigida), popular with the bees, ants, and other pollinators.

Peach Blossom

Peach blossoms (Prunus persica), with their lovely, delicate beauty.

Texas Virgin's Bower

Texas Virgin's Bower (Clematis drummondii), native to the Southwestern U.S.

Spring Bouquet Viburnum

'Spring Bouquet' Viburnum (V. tinus), delicate and fresh, and also popular with the pollinators.

Desert Bluebells

And Desert Bluebells (Phacelia campanularia): Who can resist that bright, true blue?

It was a lovely afternoon visit. If I'm ever in the Las Vegas area again, I'll make sure to stop by this fabulous botanical garden for more exploration.

February 27, 2024

Celebrating the Butterflies of 2023

Friends in the south are beginning to share butterfly photos on social media, so I'm dreaming about what's to come and remembering sightings from last year.

Here's a review of 2023 butterfly sightings--in my garden, and during hikes and butterfly surveys. I generally report counts and species I see to wisconsinbutterflies.org. There were many more of some of these species...and others not included here. I didn't include them all because the post would get too expansive and some of the photos weren't very good.

It was a pretty good year, although with fewer monarchs than in the past; probably because of the drought.

tiger swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

monarch
Monarch

common buckeye
Common Buckeye

summer spring azure
'Summer' Spring Azure

tiger swallowtail 2
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
black form female

great spangled
Great Spangled Fritillary

clouded sulphur
Clouded Sulphur

silver-spotted skipper
Silver-Spotted Skipper

red admiral
Red Admiral

cabbage white
Cabbage White

pearl crescent
Pearl Crescent

black swallowtail
Black Swallowtail

monarch 2
Monarch

aphrodite fritillary
Aphrodite Fritillary

viceroy
Viceroy

Here's to happy, healthy butterfly viewing in the months ahead!