April 3, 2026 New Draft Policy for Native Plantings 2025 was a bit of a debacle for Blendon Township’s Manage Natural Landscape ordinances, and we are hoping for a much better outcome this year. … April 3, 2026 March 31, 2026 Spring is Springing Last summer and fall, we followed our tradition of planting as many free native plants as we could into the soil on our land. One … March 31, 2026 October 3, 2025 It’s Aster Time! For much of the spring and summer, I mow around these leggy, shrubby plants that look weedy and have no blooms. That’s because I know … October 3, 2025 September 7, 2025 Garden Tour and speaking opportunity! I was so excited that my natural habitat was chosen to be a stop on the Native Backyard Habitat Challenge garden tour! We had more … September 7, 2025 August 5, 2025 Advocating for native plants in yards At the start, I was only trying to defend my own plants from a nuisance citation and an impending “forced mowing” by my township, because … August 5, 2025 August 5, 2025 Tree frog sleeping in the corn I’m raising corn in the “Three Sisters” indigenous method, with the corn planted first in mounds, then pole beans that climb up the corn, then … August 5, 2025 July 21, 2025 Bugs, butterflies and birds Every time I am tempted to make things a little simpler for myself and mow an area that only has one or two native plants … July 21, 2025 June 29, 2025 Sleep, creep, leap The old adage with native plants is: The first year they sleep. (You don’t see much progress. Maybe they germinate and get a few leaves … June 29, 2025 June 12, 2025 First Hummingbird at a flower Something beautiful happened this morning! Background: A favorite passion of my late partner Daniel was backyard birdfeeding. He was always improving and squirrel-proofing the birdfeeders, … June 12, 2025 January 9, 2025 Snow on the Wildflowers The late boneset not only kept blooming through the August drought, and kept attracting bees in October, it was also an astonishing sight after the … January 9, 2025 August 8, 2024 Time to Let the Trees Grow Tall The front lawn at Cubbage Road was long a sterile expanse of green grass, mowed in perfect rows. Despite the full bird feeders at the … August 8, 2024 June 5, 2024 Uh-Oh: Nuisance Citation! Not everyone appreciates an experiment in seeing what will grow in the lawn, if left to its own devices. Although we have good relationships with … June 5, 2024 1 2 3 … 5 Next »
