We were down at Detweiller Park in Peoria, IL this weekend to watch a huge high school cross country meet. As we were standing around after watching our team race, we noticed a huge flock of birds up in the clear blue sky. First thoughts that were tossed out by people were Sandhill Cranes, Canadian … Continue reading Pelicans in Illinois?
Plant Breeding In Progress
I was out riding my bike earlier this week at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL, when I came across a few plants and trees with paper bags on them. Paperbark Hazelnut Corylus fargesii Shrubby St. Johnswort Hypernicum prolificum I assumed they were either doing pest control or trapping. But, because the Arboretum is … Continue reading Plant Breeding In Progress
rip pretty little ovenbird
The other morning, right after the kids left for school, I heard an odd, unexpected thud against the front door. I went to investigate, thinking one of the kids had heaved the newspaper up on the porch and hit the door by accident. But, much to my surprise laying on the front step was … Continue reading rip pretty little ovenbird
Tomato Season = Fruit Fly Season
As soon as the wonderful garden tomatoes started coming into the house, I knew this day would come. Every year I wait, ready with the towel to start swatting. Those darn fruit flies make me look like a lunatic in the kitchen. Standing by the sink, towel in hand, swatting at invisible specks on … Continue reading Tomato Season = Fruit Fly Season
Garden Swag
The other day I decided it was time to get the first of the ripe roma tomatoes packed up for winter. One of my boys came out with me to help, and needless to say he was impressed with the haul we got. So, in teen-age terms, we had some "garden swag". It was fun … Continue reading Garden Swag
Peek-A-Boo
Peek- A-Boo photos by Peggy
Sunday Feature: Holes in the Mountain Ash
**Today's post is from guest blogger, Peggy** For almost 10 yrs, the 2 mountain ashes in our yard has had a woodpecker, or something similar, making quite an interesting pattern of peck marks in it. Hard as we've tried, we've not been able to spy the culprit. The trees were quite small when the holes … Continue reading Sunday Feature: Holes in the Mountain Ash
Glowing Tomatoes
The tomatoes are ready for picking in bulk this weekend. I been picking as needed for eating; BLT's, tomato mozzarella salad, grilled burgers, greek salads, tomatoes au gratin, and the list goes on. Do you have a favorite fresh tomato recipe? But this weekend, I have the time to harvest them for winter storage. In … Continue reading Glowing Tomatoes
Yellow Cucumbers
While I've been getting a nice number of cucumbers this year, some of them have been oddly yellow and quite bland tasting. My first thought is that I left them on the vine too long, but these oddballs started out yellow, and stayed yellow. I found some interesting ideas as to why this might be … Continue reading Yellow Cucumbers
A Little Civic Duty
While being called for jury duty has nothing to do with gardening, it does call for a little planning ahead since everything will be a bit more hectic around the house. We are settling into one of the hottest weeks of the summer, following a pretty rain-free few weeks. So this weekend, I spent some … Continue reading A Little Civic Duty