Saturday morning and the P.I.G.

How did you spend your Saturday morning? Mine was spent walking in a creek and stacking rocks...I love how much cooler it is down by the creek, at least 5 degrees cooler. The water is chilly and that first initial step into the water can take your breath away, but you soon get use to it and enjoy how it lowers your body temperature on a hot summer day.

I discovered another new flower, not a native to our area but pretty all the same. It's called a Commelina communis or an Asiatic Dayflower. I researched this one on the internet and found out what it was called all by myself, lol

This lacy leafed bush (which towers 15' in my woods) is called a Northern Spicebush and it's leaves are aromatic, they smell like fruit loops when you crush them. Another specimen discovered with the help of the P.I.G.....lol....plant identification group.

 I love the plant identification group as they help so much in my walks in the woods. 

How rude!

OK, so this year my little woodland garden has been attracting a lot more attention ever since the apartment complex installed the fountain in it. And, for the most part, it has been an enjoyable experience seeing people come back to look at everything, and they ohhhh and ahhhh quite nicely for my pleasure, lol I get a lot of enjoyment watching people coming to look at all my hard work.

 But this lady really pissed me off, not only because she almost trampled my zinnia seedlings but she also IGNORED me when I yelled down to her to STOP....seiously, I YELLED! She did stop inches away from stepping on them, but never once turned her head around to say...opps..sorry...or anything! (There isn't a picture of her almost walking through the seedlings cause I was too busy yelling!) Then she proceeded to walk right through the border so she could get a closer look at my bench planter I am working on.

Again, no pictures of her walking through the plants as I had given up trying to stop her and just stood there exasperated and pissed. I did get some pictures of her coming out as I was hoping she would at least look up and feel guilty that I was taking pictures of her as she rudely walked through my plants, but as you can see, she never once made eye contact with me!

I know, I know...it's a public place, it's not my personal property, but wasn't it rude to walk through the plants? I have a nice circle in the inside all mulched, that they can stand on, and mostly, people don't even do that. This was the first person who just walked through everything like she owned the place. And yes, she didn't actually harm anything, but she would have if I hadn't been there to stop her had she walked on the seedlings. However, it just pisses me off anyway...

grrrrr.....

Appreciating Face Book

Some people say Face Book is worthless and they wouldn't be on there if their life depended on it. And there can be a lot of disturbing drama and mundane postings...BUT, there are also awesome groups that are filled with helpful people. Recently I joined a Plant Identification group (If you want to join, you must be a friend of mine from FB so I can add you to the closed group, just let me know.) and they have helped me to identify several plants. ( I searched online myself trying to figure what they were called to no avail...there are just too many out there to narrow down the searches when you don't know what you are looking for!!

A couple of posts ago I mentioned finally learning what this little guy is....

Speckled Clintonia, Blackbead Lily

Then the other day they helped me to discover the name of my Iris...which really was nice...inheriting plants means I don't know exactly what is growing. I mean I knew it was a Iris but has such un-Iris like leaves...now, I know it is a native and considered semi aquatic, which is why it does so well in my mesic soil.

Blue Flag Iris

Then this little wild beauty (although this picture shows it in it's declining stages, so not the best picture) that is seen growing everywhere around here, yet no one knew it's name, (I know, cause I asked a LOT of locals) but the group did :) Have I mentioned how I love this group?

Golden Ragwort

And today, I learned that this little guy will bear me some edible fruit, and even though it is not a native to the area, grows right well along the edges of forests....have I mentioned I live right by the woods? Not sure I'll get a chance to taste the fruit since I have an abundance of wildlife, but hey, as long as someone is happy!

Japanese Wineberry

I am having so much fun in woodland garden, it took 4 years of clearing brush, vines and weeds out of it, but the results are starting to show. Little plants are coming alive and popping out all over the place. I'm afraid to pull anything up because it might be a native or something useful. I'm having to relearn my plants since this isn't my usual flower garden I have grown up with and while some native plants aren't as showy, they are still beautiful...now that I am learning to appreciate them.

Creek Fairy house

I admit, I am not too proud to go into the junk yards and find my treasures...I actually get excited that I can take something destined for trash and turn it into something. We have an area in the development I live in where people can dump big items for pick up, and it happens to be in the same area as the communal mulch" that I had been using for my flower beds. I had been eyeing some broken planters where the bases had come apart from the urns, but had no idea what to use them for until the other day I found this really big feeder and thought it would make a great fairy house along the creek using one of those bases to hold it up.

 OK, so my first thought was IN the creek...I very happily gathered moss and rocks around it and sat back in my chair admiring my work....and started thinking....sometimes we have heavy rains... and the creek turns into a small river....surely that would wash away my fairy house. And by now I am calling it the "creek fairy house"....just so you know. lol

So I moved it,,, and the moss...and the rocks to the side of the bank and now was much more pleased that it wouldn't wash away now if we had a big storm.

I then get back up to my balcony and to my dismay I realize that I cannot see the creek fairy house from there....oh man....I feel another move coming on. But I made sure to "eye" the area where it would go so I could sit on my balcony and enjoy it. Last move? I hope so!! I also moved it a little further up the hill, just in case we get a flood, lol Now, I think a little welcome sign for the creek fairy house and maybe some wind chimes could complete my little nook by the creek.

So excited! Mystery plant solved!

Well, ONE mystery plant solved, and it just happened that I simply lucked out after weeks of searching woodland plants, native plants, etc!! But who cares, I now know what this darn thing is! lol I mean, I have been trying ( halfheartedly I admit ) to figure out what this plant is for the past 3 years! This is the first year that I actually got a picture of it blooming! I was so excited, yes.....little things do easily amuse me!

 Speckled Clintonia, Blackbead Lily

But, now after reading about them, I think I need to go move the couple that I relocated ( I relocate plants just to see if they do better ) back into a shadier zone, and maybe amend the soil when I do.

Still don't have a clue...

I have been working a section next to a creek that I call my wooded garden. It's very shady but I absolutely love this area ( excluding the poison ivy that also loves my woodland garden! ) The creek makes just enough noise to be heard and it attracts a lot of wildlife. Still hoping to see a bear one day, but none so far. 

I am also trying to incorporate native plants into it. but currently I have mystery plants and they are just starting to bud out.

This one has since opened up and it looks like this:

This one really does nothing more that what you see....lol I would love to know what it is though.

This one can be either a tall shrub or a short tree? lol I was really hoping it was a mountain laurel, but not too confident in that assumption!

Took a picture of it again today and not much going on....

So any guesses?