The poet that called the wood violet “shrinking violets” did not know how appropriate that name was for this little ground hugger. Yes, it is considered a modest flower in that it is small and close to the ground, but when its seed pods shrink, and they do, they go ballistic! The seed pods shrink to release their seeds, but in doing so, the seeds are propelled to a distance away from the parent plant, a reproductive strategy. No worries about when the children will leave home; they are literally thrown out! The interesting thing about these seed pods is that they are from underground flowers. Yes, I said underground. The photos above are of the seed pods of the underground flowers. They emerge from the ground on stems about two inches long and shoot seeds out to establish a new colony away from the parent! Violets have developed several…
February 2023 Meeting
February — GCMGA hosted Joe Lamp’l at our lunch time meeting on February 20, 2023. Joe talked about Ecological Gardening and sharing his insights into the impact gardeners have on their yards and communities via the choices they make and garden practices. Joe also shared his own organic gardening practices in both his vegetable garden and his yard with an ever-expanding palette of native plants. Related Images:
January 2023 Meeting
Our January 16th luncheon meeting kicked off a celebration of our 30-year anniversary. Then there was a presentation by our own members, Susan and Ivan Varlamoff. This program focused on experiences and photos they took of wildlife and landscapes in the Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti National Parks in Tanzania. They shared insights learned about the ecosystems as well as their experience meeting a Maasai chief and his family in their traditional dwelling. We had great soup and sides for our potluck in our new temporary location -at Rhodes Jordan Park Community Building. Related Images: