… Foraging for edible mushrooms is a treasure hunt that always yields a reward. You never know what …
Type: Blog
… poisoning. So I always tell people to “know thy neighbor’s yards” if they are doing urban foraging . Next time you see mushrooms sprouting in your yard, neighborhood, or local park, …
Type: Blog
Midwinter Centuries ago, certain plants became part of midwinter celebrations because their evidence of life in the bleak midwinter was a promise of spring to come: holly, ivy, berries, pine trees. Plants from your own landscape can bring an echo of last year's garden and a promise of next year's to your holiday decor. It's easy to embellish a purchased evergreen wreath with garden treasures …
Type: Plant Info
… garden, I have a suggestion for you: make a salad. You may be familiar with the concept of foraging for weeds. I first became interested in the subject in college, when I realized that …
Type: Blog
… get themselves flying early in spring before it's warm enough for many other pollinators to go foraging for resources to start the new colonies. The spring ephemerals provide this important …
Type: Blog
… such as bumblebees, sweat bees, or mason bees can pollinate in only one visit, and much prefer foraging in blueberries than the honey bee—which would need three or more visits to get the same …
Type: Plant Info
Why Care about Fungi? The Chicago area is host to more than a thousand species of mushrooms and mushroom like fungi—beneficial, symbiotic organisms, critical to the survival of our forests and grasslands. Some are edible, while others are toxic to humans. Yet, like native plants and animals, fungi are threatened by land use change, pollution, and climate change. Meet a Major Multitasker First, …
Type: Plant Info
In the classic, snow-filled landscape of deep winter, there are many images of great beauty — some of them overlooked by nature lovers and gardeners alike, simply because “it's just too cold to go outside.” Perhaps that's true when the windchill dips to threatening levels or the snow blows sideways; but when the air is clear and calm, and the sun gleams off the snow, it's time to take pleasure in …
Type: Walks
… remains blue while the flowers' reddish-purple tones intensify. The tiny seeds are prized by foraging songbirds and other wildlife that find the sheltering clumps a welcome cold-weather …
Type: Plant Info
Why composting doesn’t have to be hard anymore If I spot a few weeds in the shade garden, I yank them before they flower and hide their remains under the hostas where they serve as mulch as they break down. It’s my easy (lazy) way of recycling organic material into the soil. I take shortcuts when I’m composting, too. We have two large compost piles way in the back of our 1-acre garden. The …
Type: Blog
