Spring is early, as expected, so I wasn’t surprised to find leaves unfurling in Schenley Park last week.  Here are a few highlights from my walks in the past nine days.

Above, coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) began blooming on March 7 and was still flowering when I passed by on March 24.

Below, Yellow buckeyes (Aesculus flava) are one of the first trees to leaf out in Schenley Park.  These leaves picked up fluff from other trees whose flower parts had blown away, perhaps a wind dispersal strategy.  The buckeye makes flowers that attract bees.

Purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) began blooming March 10 and will continue for many weeks. Its flower has a spotted lip that says, “Land here, little insect.”

The weather’s been mild so get outdoors soon. Don’t miss our early Spring.

Happy Easter!

(photos by Kate St. John)

This month in Schenley Park I noticed lots of yellow hulls on the ground. Somewhat like pistachios, they were smaller and brighter with a ridge inside instead of on the edge.

Here’s what I saw when I looked down.

The hulls came from somewhere so I looked up to find the source:  Oriental bittersweet.

Each berry was encased in a three-part pod that burst open to reveal the fruit.  You can see three faint lines on the berries where the ridges made impressions.

And there above me, quietly eating the berries, was a big flock of robins knocking more yellow hulls to the ground.

Keep looking up.  🙂

(photos by Kate St. John)

13 December 2015

Here’s a plant that’s quite visible in my neighborhood this month even though the growing season has ended. I don’t know what it is but I suspect it’s an alien and possibly invasive because it shows off a number of imported/invasive features.

• Imported: Its leaves are very green, suggesting it’s winter light trigger expects a more northern location.
• Imported: It’s still producing flowers in December, another indication that it believes winter hasn’t arrived.
• Invasive: It grows in waste places, especially in disturbed soil at the edge of sidewalks.
• Invasive: It can become very dense and take over the area where it’s growing.

Here’s a look at the arrangement of the stems.  Notice that they’re hairy.

And here’s the flower.  I forced this one open.

One more look at a dense mat of it.

Do you know the name of this plant?  My guess is that it’s from Asia, perhaps Japan.

If you know the answer, please leave a comment!

LATER: Wow! You’re quick!  Fran, Carolyn and Doris have already identified it as common mallow (Malva neglecta) or cheeseweed.  Read the comments to find out why it has this unusual name. By the way, it’s edible.

Here are two resources for more information: University of California’s Integrated Pest Management recommendation for this plant and Pennsylvania Street Gardens plant profile.

(photos by Kate St. John)