Creating habitat for wildlife is truly rewarding.

Great golden digger wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus), enjoying Narrowleaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium). #ecoregion59 #nativeplants #hymenoptera

“Smart birds” - my husband, after I showed him a photo of the recently-built robins’ nest in our [non-native] rose bush. No eggs yet, but it shouldn’t be long. #ecoregion59 #nesting

Like-minded ecology hobbyists, I’d like recs on where I can go to learn more about #bryology in #ecoregion59. It seems that, once established, these guys fare pretty well in extreme weather conditions & support mycorrhizal relationships. I want to incorporate more into the #nativehabitat I steward!

Wild! These are in Chelmsford.

Sidenote: I found this little pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule) poking out from a crack in asphalt along the side of a dead end street.

The rabbits in our back yard have pruned most of our bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) down to twigs, so I was thrilled to spot these pink-tipped blossoms. #nativeplants, #wildflowers, #ecoregion59, #zone6a Also, May the Fourth be with you all!

I was overjoyed to spot wild Houstonia caerulea (azure bluet) pop up in the woods behind our house! #nativeplants #wildflowers #ecoregion59 #zone6a

I generally try to abide by ahimsa principles, though, in the case of invasive plants, I always choose violence #nativeplants #invasivespecies #garlicmustard #ecoregion59 #zone6a

I have the same walk! Here is a photo for context

@parks.boston.gov Permission to evict this Garlic Mustard from its current home near City Hall? This highly invasive biennial looks like it’s ready to set seed soon, and I do not want that to happen!

Happy Earth Day! May the majesty of nature be appreciated and protected for generations to come 🌎🌍

Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells), several weeks further along in their development #nativeplants #springephemerals #ecoregion59 #zone6a #phenology

I’d be lying if I said I don’t experience envy toward Bluesky friends in warmer climate zones, but it is nice to see my Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are waking up. #nativeplants #springephemerals #ecoregion59 #zone6a

At some point, I will need to sacrifice some of these babies so that their siblings (?) can thrive. I struggle so much with thinning seedlings. #wintersowing #lupinusperennis

TIL iNaturalist LLMs recognize scat! My husband and 12-year-old stepson cannot believe how excited I am about turds. #inaturalist #scatchat

Does iNat do turds? My dog was sniffing this this morning. Assume it’s carnivore or omnivore.

Year 3 of my native plant obsession. So far, I’ve failed, miserably, to cultivate Lupinus perennis (RIP ~10 plugs and a few gallon starts). I direct winter-sowed these in December. Fingers crossed this is the year 🤞 #ecoregion59 #nativeplants #homegrownnationalpark #lupinusperennis

Not today. Ruining the day of Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard). Highly invasive in North America (MA, Zone 6b).

Snow melting, equinox approaching, and my Pycnanthemum muticum (mountain mint) has officially entered its “creep” era (year two, for the non–Doug Tallamy stans). Ecoregion 59/Zone 6a. #nativeplants

What a lovely Pyr! One of ours is a Pyrenees/Bluetick Coonhound mutt; a delightful amalgam of Pyrenean obstinance and the incessant vocalizations of a hound 🤣