Joining the Ash Graveyard. A brittle White Ash (Fraxinus americana) that shattered in the wind shattered again as it hit the trail. I cleared the debris from the tail, in #BoxboroughMA, in Beaver Brook Meadow / Steele Farm, but there is some chainsaw work needed.

Hey #BoxboroughMA, Beaver Brook Meadow / Steele Farm has tree lines completely given over to Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). It spreads from the highway (I495) and destroys advancing forest and edges faster than overpopulated deer, then works that edge back. #invasivespecies #parks

Check out who voted yes to strip searching immigrant children (H.R. 4371). The pedophile party all voted yes, of course, but 7 Democrats joined them, including representatives from CA, ME, NC, NY, TX, and WA. Traitors. #immigrantsrights #humanrights #pedophiles www.govtrack.us/congress/vot...

Marcescence: The leaves that intend to #fall have fallen. Some trees, like White and Red oak, retain leaves throughout the winter, especially when they are young. Is it to protect buds from frost or deer? To shelter the soil? It seems that we have more to learn. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

We got our first Aronia berries this year. I learned that each Common Milkweed seed pod comes from one of the 120-200 flowers in an inflorescence. Our lonely northern mallow species, Hibiscus moscheutos proliferated, as did H. sawflies, Elderberry sawflies, and birds. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

Our house will be listed today. I'm going to miss the gardens that I poured my heart and soul into for the past three years. I will definitely consider who will keep the birds and the bees safe and fed when considering offers. #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #actonMA #houseforsale

This group is taking real action to end corruption in our political system. They are a nonprofit getting anti-corruption measures around campaign finance and lobbying on ballots state-by-state. Please check out their website, sign the petition for ballot measures and share.

Witchhazel is blooming! Hamamelis virginiana is easy to miss. Look up and you might look right past these arching understory trees, but look closely and you may be rewarded with our latest bloom of the fall. #nativeplants #forests #newengland #ecoregion59 #bloomscrolling #flowers #trees

Oaks are in full fall regalia, here in Acton, MA. They took their time, then changed fast over this rainy Tuesday-Wednesday. They are just in time to join the maples and birches before the maples go bare. Look at the colors on these three saplings! #quercus #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #fall

First frost here in Middlesex Cty, MA. This is probably the end of the Touch-me-nots and Tomatoes. The Calendula may pull through. Our lovely sugar maple will probably drop its bright orange leaves quickly now. #nativeplants #fall #firstfrost #ecoregiin59 #frost

Wouldn't it be cool to scroll your local ecosystem - seasonal #nativeplants info? I started #ecoregion59 with @jp0610.bsky.social so you can see at least our perspectives on the Northeastern Coastal Zone. Find your ecoregion: bplant.org/ecoregion_lo... Ecoregion 59: archive.epa.gov/esd/archive-...

It's Aster season! American asters (genus Symphyotrichum) are diverse and ubiquitous. Take a closer look and I bet you'll find some new-to-you species you've been walking by. My favorite Disney quote: "Look harder" -Rafiki #nativeplants #bloomscrolling #fallflowers #ecoregion59

After the Trump regime’s invasion of an apartment building in Chicago earlier this week, all Americans should brush up on their 4th Amendment rights.

Some Purplestem Asters volunteered? I probably dropped seed uphill, and they wound up right by the road. I'll move them somewhere with moist soil where they won't block the view of incoming traffic, but I couldn't bring myself to move them in the growing season. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

In the lower courts, should I say 'the people's courts?' the Republican-appointed judges as well as the Democrat-appointed ones are upholding limits on executive power and protecting the constitution. Our supreme court is, however, supremely corrupt.

What could be more wonderful than a tiny capsule that is ready to create life if left in the right place? I love seeds. Here are some that I'm particularly excited about. My favorite right now is American Hog-peanut, partially because I love a native legume. #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #seedsaving

If we want to prevent the precipitous slide into authoritarianism that degrades all the values that made this country great, we need to flip seats in this midterm election. If we want to make the United States decent again, we need to win overwhelming. secure.actblue.com/donate/erra-...

Sharp-toothed Nodding-aster (Oclemena acuminata), can be one whorl of leaves, and an inflorescence. Images and descriptions typically show it taller, with leaves spread along a stem. gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/ocle... #nativeplants #ecoregion59.

This is a true champion of democracy and freedom, fighting for the rights and the freedoms of the downtrodden, pushing through pain and abuse to do what is right. A real hero.

Yarrow is a great filler for a garden bed, a native host and nectar plant. But did you know that many Roman soldiers carried it to stop their bleeding? Instant stopped a welling cut on my finger just now. It is antibacterial and speeds wound healing. #yarrow #herbalism #nativeplants #gardening

Put your Pawpaws on the North side of your garden beds, with taller plants. Young pawpaws need shade. A fully-grown pawpaw produces best in full sun. This accomplishes both, and lets them grow without relocation and damage to their big taproot. #nativeplants #foodforest #ecoregion59

Goldenrods are powerhouse plants. First, edible shoots for humans and deer in the spring. Next, a host for more species of caterpillar than any other North American genus of herbs. Then, as an incredible pollinator plant, as you see here. Finally for the finches who feast on seeds. #nativeplants

Angel-winged Katydid (genus Microcentrum, sp?) on our Common Evening Primrose. I was thrilled and curious, and the poor thing tolerated my many photographs, then flew over and landed on my shirt. Whoops! #nativeplants #insects #ecoregion59

This Calico Paint Caterpillar would like to remind you that Solidago (goldenrods) are powerhouse herbs for lepidopterans, hosting more butterfly and moth caterpillars than any other. The bumblebees, Halictid bees and an array of wasps visit every day for nectar now. Birds will feast on seeds soon.

Closed Bottle Gentians (Gentiana clausa) have slits at the top. Only bumblebees are strong enough to break in to get the good stuff. Please don't pick/dig them. This population in a popular park is down to one last individual, hiding under the alders. #nativeplants #conservation #ecoregion59

Here's our habitat at night. It's usually dark, but we use the light when we're out and about. Nighttime lights interrupt plant, bird, and mammal cycles, as well as insects from hymenopterans (bees, wasps, ants) to lepidopterans (butterflies, moths). onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Our Eccinacea is still lovely, and starting to fade. The Joe Pye is mid-bloom. The Sunchokes are just starting and are promising a riotous bloom this year. While they are native-adjacent and host plants, Eccinacea and Sunchokes are not New England natives. #nativeplants #ecogarden #bloomscrolling

Common Evening Primrose and the Primrose Moth. We have this herb (Oenothera biennis) in abundance. The hummingbirds, bumblebees, and Japanese Beetles are wild about it. Goldfinches hunt beetles on the sturdy stems, then feast on seeds into the winter. #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #bloomscrolling

Hibiscus moscheutos, our local ecotype in MA, is my favorite species I have grown in our wildlife habitat. A superlative host, with its own specialist beetles, lepidopterans, and even a bee. We were lucky enough to host Hibiscus Sawflies earlier in the season. #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #habitat

Seeds from around three gallons of each berry: Black Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), Fox Grapes (Vitus labrusca <2 gallons>) and Aronia Berries (Aronia melanocarpa). I was surprised at how many seeds Elderberries have, and how few Aronia have. #nativeplants #seedsaving #ecoregion59

Vitis labrusca, Fox Grapes, are the wild species we bred to make the Concord grape. There are big, juicy wild ones in Acton, MA, two towns over from Concord. Concord grapes are the second best grape for making jelly, after their sour wild relatives. #nativeplants #wildfood #foraging #ecoregion59

Got a garden bed that won't produce? This plot produced a few sad tomatoes and some culinary herbs last year, but I planted it over with annual nitrogen-fixing natives. Woolly Beans for me, Partridge Peas for the bees, and Milkweed (perennial) for all. #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #ecogarden

Sumac seeds and sumac powder for replacing invasive species and making zataar thyme and sumacaid. These are from Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typha), which is getting to be overripe for processing (in MA). It's Smooth Sumac (R. glabra) season now! #nativeplants #ecoregion59 #foraging #Rhus #Sumac #wildfood

Did you know that Field Thistles (Cirsium discolor) are a great place to take a nap? Any Eastern Bumblebee would tell you so. #nativeplants #insects #thistles #bumblebee #ecoregion59

Wild-type Hibiscus moscheutos are beginning to bloom in MA. This is our first flower of the year. The (southern?) cultivars have been blooming for weeks, and I noticed that they emerged a few weeks before our local wild-type. #nativeplants #bloomscrolling #ecoregion59 #wildflowers #grownative

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Pay attention to your Pawpaws, Philly People!!! If you don't move the seeds around, no one will. An ecological anachronism, with fruits and seeds designed to be swallowed by giant sloths. The seedlings are all right under the parents. Pawpaw Patch Hiking Trail, Philly, PA #nativeplants #gobirds

American Chestnut in Cherry Springs State Park in PA. This is the biggest one I have seen. There are plenty repeatedly resprouting from the base in the woods near me (MA) but they never seem to get much thicker than my wrist before the blight gets them. #nativeplants #acf #chestnuts

Mullein is a harmful invasive species. It changes the soil chemistry in pine barrens and dry meadows that are increasingly rare due to fire suppression, so it destroys the habitat of our most threatened native species. #foraging #ecosystems #ecoregion59 #herbalism #plantmedicine #ecology

I will be adding at least one Typha offering to my seed list, and it will be available by fall. Apologies, but making a website is going to take me a while.

Black Cherries (Prunus serotonia) are ripening in Middlesex Cty, MA. They are pretty tasty! #nativeplants #wildfood #foraging #ecoregion59

'Angel Hill' was one of my favorite names my wife and I made up for the places we walk all the time with our dogs. Beech angels have become goblins, and will soon be dead. BLD and BBD made the lovely pale leaves shrivel and the sooth graceful trunks blister. #BLD #BBD #nativeplants #ecoregion59

When you're ready to tell me which one is a blueberry or huckleberry, and which one is burning bush, you're ready to catch an infestation early. If not, make sure the Euonymus alatus has visible wings before declaring it invasive and pulling. #nativeplants #ecogardening #ecoregion59 #tendthewild

I wasn't sure this Hibiscus moscheutos (aka Swamp Rosemallow) was going to manage to push it's way up through the Yarrow, but it looks like it is gearing up to bloom profusely, and soon. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

The morning after a friend's wedding in CT, my lovely wife planned a walk in a conservation area. We took the smallest of our three dogs, and had a lovely time. I finished with a belly full of invasive wineberries, a pocket full of BSW pods, and some jealousy for the Butterfly Milkweed population.

Highbush Blueberries are ripening in MA. Find them in moist open woodlands and edges. Know the leaf shape and the difference between a buckthorn or dogwood when harvesting, or just don't play it fast and loose with berry shape: they will have a crown where the flower was. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

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