A solitary balloon drifting over forest where very very few people ever go. This seriously spooked me, as there is no reason for anyone to be there, let alone with a balloon. For context, this is 7km into a river valley you can only reach by #hiking or #cycling, or potentially another 5km from the workers at a dam. (old photo) #weird#pnw#forest#scary
#YellowRattle is used proactively to create & restore wildflower meadows, where it aids #biodiversity by suppressing dominant grasses & recycling of #soil nutrients. This improves chances of other species of wildflowers becoming established.
First #IndianPlums spotted.
The #berries eaten in small quantities - fresh, cooked or dried. Some #BritishColumbia#FirstNations made a purgative tonic out of the bark. Their crushed leaves smell like cucumbers.
Good soil-binding qualities on moist sites. Possible #BioEngineering species (Washington State Department of Ecology, 1993).
Some of the #footpath#NatureTrails we walked on today 😊 It was sure nice to see no other humans in the park. We enjoyed a lot of nature delights, loved all the birds calling & singing, saw a squirrel & muskrat in creek areas & had a lovely time together ❤️
We have a viola refuge in our garden. It is next to the south side of our woodshed. The ground is covered with rocks we picked out of the garden and tossed over here. This spot gets zero care from us and is hot with sun radiating off the woodshed wall. The viola have self-seeded and are claiming this spot for their own. #BloomScrolling#PNW
On Memorial Day, I took a day off from the garden to visit one of the most famous spots in the Cascade range (Washington State) for plant geeks. It's called Perry Creek, about 90 minutes NE of Seattle. A unique coincidence of topography and weather patterns allows about 250 species of native plants to thrive in a small valley. It has a special protected status under the National Forest Service. A meandering plant photo thread.
1/n #nativeplants #bloomScrolling #gardening #PNW #hiking
Perry Creek plant safari cont'd. Now for some plants I can't identify....Photo 1 & 2: this is obviously a fern but as it's barely unfurling I can't tell which. Lovely nonetheless. Lady fern perhaps? Photos 3 & 4: This flower is a real stumper. Notice the variegated foliage. At first I thought it was foam flower but that little yellow flower is not right for that. Anyone recognize it?
11/n #nativeplants#bloomScrolling#gardening#PNW#hiking
Switching to - showing y'all this wonderful volunteer #buttercrunch#lettuce plant that decided to grow out of rocks in our front yard! What a lovely #edible surprise 😊
I grew up in the #Seattle area. We may have a La Niña year during which it rains, and rains, and rains - for months. Sometimes La Niña goes 2 years in the PNW and the California transplants give up and leave us.
It's proven to be #DroughtResistant, once established. One of very few #plants proven to be resistant to air pollution too. I highly recommend this for #ClimateAction#gardening. It's a gorgeous plant too.
Large #edible#perennial that needs full sun & no shade. As it's namesake, tolerant of high sodium soil & wind resistant - it depends on winds to pollinate hermaphroditic flowers. I recommend this easy to grow #plant, for coastal food gardens.