Tag Archives: foraging
Nutria
I’ve heard them called muskrats on steroids. They’re the kudzu of the animal world, an uncontrollable pest introduced from South America. These semi-aquatic rodents can grow to 30 pounds. In the process they eat a lot of vegetation. Many introduced … Continue reading
Dog fennel
Everyone has seen those lacy fern-like spikes with the tiny daisy-like flowers in the summer. This time of year what’s left of the flowers turns white and they can be quite attractive if they are not invading our flowerbeds. This … Continue reading
Chocolate Vine
Woody climbing vines get a bad name for their invasiveness and ability to cover desirable landscaping. They do have their niche though. Chocolate vine is an aggressive climber and can provide a dense screen in just a few years. It … Continue reading
Rosemary – A shrub of many uses
There is probably not a more versatile plant in our landscape than rosemary. It makes a great hedge, tolerates salt spray, dry sandy soils, smells great, has medicinal properties and is a tasty spice. This fragrant shrub lends itself to … Continue reading
Chaste Tree
In northern climates lilac makes a beautiful large shrub to small tree. It has showy cone-like fragrant inflorescences in spring. Lilac struggles in our climate but we have a great alternative in Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus). Also called chaste tree it … Continue reading
Goldenrod
When I was a kid my father told me that once the goldenrod bloomed summer was over. I always associated goldenrod with the start of school. In general this is true, but the genus Solidago has over a hundred species … Continue reading
More blue for our future?
Right now it’s not one of the more common roadside plants in eastern Carolina. That might change in the next few years. If you take a drive north or west for any distance you’ll begin to see more of it. … Continue reading
Rose Mallow
Check out the sunny wet areas along our roadsides and you can’t miss them. This early July heat is speeding their maturity, but they look like they are hanging tough. Huge white or pink blooms now adorn our landscape. Individual … Continue reading
Dayflower
Walk around the edges of your yard and you might see it. Dayflower is that grass-like weed with the little blue flowers. It finds its way into our flowerbeds and goes unnoticed, hiding itself under the cover of larger plants … Continue reading
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