Welcome!
Enjoy your visit to our website. If you have questions, please use our contact form below. A member will generally respond to you within 3 - 4 days.
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From our members gardens:
Marty B. is a friend of members of the N. C. Unit and she purchased a Passiflora incarnata, purple passionflower or Maypop, from our our last Herb Sale. She said "It is massive and has been a huge draw for bumblebees!! Just wanted to update you on it's progress...it is just about my favorite plant in my garden."
Note too that bumblebees are still active ( though the "shiny butt" makes me think this is a carpenter bee). This time of year they get a little slower and it is easier to get good photographs. Thanks to our friend Marty B.!
Note too that bumblebees are still active ( though the "shiny butt" makes me think this is a carpenter bee). This time of year they get a little slower and it is easier to get good photographs. Thanks to our friend Marty B.!
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POLLINATORS ARE STILL ACTIVE!!!
Once again, Elaine C. shares photos from her gardens. Both butterflies are seeking nectar from Lantana flowers.
The one on the left is a Monarch, the one to the right is a Painted Lady.
Once again, Elaine C. shares photos from her gardens. Both butterflies are seeking nectar from Lantana flowers.
The one on the left is a Monarch, the one to the right is a Painted Lady.
Sue H. spotted this bumblebee on her blue Salvias today (10-02-2021). Plenty of pollinators still around to observe as they seek the last of the nectar.
Below: bumblebee on Symphyotrichum cordifolium, Common Blue Aster, in Kathy S.'s yard.
Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, in full Fall beauty with purple berries and chartreuse leaves. Not edible, and even the birds consume it as a last resort, but attractive and had a history of medicinal uses. Kathy S.
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A Testament to the Persistence of Plants: Molly sent this photo of an old birdhouse (used by birds in the past) that had been knocked off her deck by a squirrel. The roof was damaged in the incident. Molly retrieved the birdhouse but did not get around to repairing the roof. One day she noticed that a plant had sprouted from inside. As it grew, she saw that it is a sunflower (Helianthus species)! She assumes that a "previous resident" had left a sunflower seed behind and the missing roof let water and sunshine in, and off took the seed. Not only sprouting and growing, but producing a flower! Thanks for sharing Molly! 
A rare find....fruit on pawpaw trees. The trees, Asimina triloba, are abundant in our area, but finding the fruit is a treat. Ordinarily, as soon as the fruit is mature and ready to eat, it is discovered and devoured by wildlife: raccoons, opossum, and anything that can reach them. This was spotted in a colony of the trees at Bur-Mil Park, and was the only tree with fruit remaining -- the branch must have been too small to support the weight of animals, and too high for deer to reach. Kathy S.
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NOTICING THE LITTLE THINGS AROUND OUR GARDENS...
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Dryopteris ludoviciana, Southern Wood Fern
Fronds still unfurling! Each frond will grow to 3’- 4’ tall in dappled or deep shade. They spread slowly, making an attractive bright lime green filler plant. Does well in our hot, humid summers but does like at least moderately moist soil.
Fronds still unfurling! Each frond will grow to 3’- 4’ tall in dappled or deep shade. They spread slowly, making an attractive bright lime green filler plant. Does well in our hot, humid summers but does like at least moderately moist soil.
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Tiny buds on Partridgeberry.
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Mitchella repens, Partidgeberry
A tea with a slight wintergreen flavor was made from the leaves and berries by Native American women for use during childbirth. The berries are edible but rather bland and on the dry side.
The four-petaled flowers, when fully open are about ¼” across and the leaves range from ¼” to 1 inch. The flowers grow in pairs, with the ovaries of the two blending into one, resulting in one scarlet red berry in Fall and Winter. The stems creep slowly across moderately moist shady areas, reaching only about 3 inches tall.
Roots easily from cuttings.
A tea with a slight wintergreen flavor was made from the leaves and berries by Native American women for use during childbirth. The berries are edible but rather bland and on the dry side.
The four-petaled flowers, when fully open are about ¼” across and the leaves range from ¼” to 1 inch. The flowers grow in pairs, with the ovaries of the two blending into one, resulting in one scarlet red berry in Fall and Winter. The stems creep slowly across moderately moist shady areas, reaching only about 3 inches tall.
Roots easily from cuttings.
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