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…
Tag: Native Plants
Milkweed Bugs
Are Your Milkweeds Going to Seed?Do you want to Harvest the Seed?If not, don’t worry about it! If so, Protect the Seed! The Milkweed Bug Oncopeltus fasciatus. You will see that orange-red and black six-legged critter on your milkweeds this time of year. They are herbivores but highly specialized. Like the pickiest eater you know, they only eat one type of food, milkweeds. You will never see them on your tomatoes, squash, or roses, so do not fear the milkweed bug! They do not bite or sting and will never chase you down. They are used as research insects because they are so docile and easy to manipulate. Their only “natural” predator is a gardener with a hose. Since they have no other natural predators, you’ll notice they’ve never learned to escape quickly so you can pick them off. There is no need for chemical assault, not to mention the…
June 2022 Meeting
JUNE — A nature advocate and wildlife photographer and a Hall County Master Gardener, Karin Hicks spoke on “Creating a Hedgerow for Wildlife.” She shared her adventures with creating a hedge row that met the standards of her HOA. Using a variety of plants with natives being the backbone, she created layers of plants to support wildlife and create privacy. Due to the mixed nature of a hedgerow loosing one plant won’t create a gap tooth look that happens if one plants a uniform hedge using one type of plant such as Leyland Cyprus or Boxwoods. Karin shared her plant list which is a good starting point. Use sites such as NWF.ORG plant list function, GNPS.ORG for plant descriptions, and Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org, to read about plant needs and native status. For more information on hedge rows check out: What is a Hedgerow and Why You Should…