Posted by wilde on May 24th, 2007 — Posted in Vegetable
Deerberry occurs as a small shrub in the undergrowth of the oak-white pine-hickory forests of the Northeastern United States. In Pennsylvania this colony of deerberry is predominately 2-3 feet tall, but one shrub has grown to about 6 feet in height.
Deerberry blooming in the woods of Pennsylvania.
Foliage consists of alternating leaves that grow to larger sizes nearer the distal end of the branches. Oval, pointed leaves measure 1-3 inches long.
Leaves of the deerberry shrub are entire, alternating, oval, pointed and pale on the underside.
Deerberry flowers hang from racemes that have smaller leaves and bracts.
Hanging blossoms of Deerberry, Vaccinium stamineum, have flower stems longer than the blossoms. The light green, cup-shaped calyx contains five white petals that flare out to the side.
Stamens protrude beyond the edge of the deerberry flower bell, which alludes to the species name.
Deerberries are inedible, so perhaps the value of this shrub is in providing habitat for wildlife. It grows in shady areas and, apparently, is not browsed by deer.
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Posted by wilde on May 24th, 2007 — Posted in Vegetable
I have three members of the Rose family to share with you today.
In another month we should be picking raspberries all down the lane. Great arcs of white blossoms show where I need to cut back the poison ivy and dead branches for easy access. The fruit-producing stem will be lopped off in the fall to encourage new growth for next year’s crop.
A handful of raspberries will be produced at each node where you see five to eleven blossoms.
Not all the flowers bloom at the same time. Some petals are falling away while other blooms have yet to open, which is excellent for harvesting. Some fruits will ripen before others, so there is the possibility of several harvests. Hopefully, the birds and the bear will save us some.
Raspberry, Rubus sp., flowers in different stages of development.
Wild roses, Rosa multiflora, are in the bud stage now, but it won’t be long before they beautify the lane with delicate, white blooms and a sweet scent.
Flower buds of wild roses are still small and packed inside the green sepals.
More white blooms were found on the Common Chokecherry, Prunus virginiana. The shrubs to small trees occur in disturbed areas, particularly roadsides and edges of fields. Small flowers occur in clusters three to six inches long with each individual blossom having five rounded petals, a cup-shaped calyx and numerous stamens.
Common Chokecherry flowers occur in elongated clusters.
Notice the bag worm, or tent caterpillar, nest in the background. If you inspect the lower portion of the photo above, you will see yellow-green midribs of the leaves that the caterpillars have consumed. Lucky for the birds who eat the cherries that the bag worms don’t eat the flowers!
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Posted by wilde on May 18th, 2007 — Posted in Vegetable
Driving along a Pennsylvanian country road during the months of May or June, you are likely to see some patches of tall white, pink or violet flowers, called Dame’s Rocket or Dame’s Violet.
White and violet patches of Dame’s Rocket give a splash of color to the Pennsylvanian roadside.
The flowers of Dame’s Rocket, Hesperis matronalis, cluster at the top of one to three feet tall stems. Blooms with four petals that eventually give rise to erect seedpods indicate this garden escape is a member of the mustard family. Phlox spp. are similar in appearance although the flowers have five petals and you would most likely find phlox blooming in a wooded area.
Violet and white blooms of Dame’s Violet have four petals.
The white blossoms may have a tinge of pink or purple and some flowers are variegated. The stamens and style are retained mostly in the flower tube.
Dame’s Rocket blooming in white.
A few small flower clusters project from the leaf axils. Finely toothed leaves attach directly to the hairy, stiff stem.
Violet flowers of a roadside beauty.
Dame’s Rocket will catch your attention with its bright colors and great patches of many flowers.
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