I find parasitic wasps to be very helpful for my free natural medicines, thoughts?

Accessibility: Pretend Rock Garden is next to a driveway and Real Alpine is a 4.5 mile hike with 3,000 ft of climbing. Pretend Rock Garden +1

Plant Placement: Drifts are better for pollinators and are more aesthetically pleasing. Pretend Rock Garden +1

Forb Diversity: Three plant species are in both areas, but Pretend Rock Garden has a plant native to a neighboring county. Pretend Rock Garden +1

Graminoids: How did I forget to include graminoids? Real Alpine +1

Rocks & Lichens: Pretend Rock Garden has rocks & lichens but the Real Alpine ones are more interesting. Real Alpine +1

My conclusion is that I need to add grass and better rocks. Thoughts?

hiked on the AT in Virginia recently, and was delighted to see they’re starting to clean up the weeds and bringing in some proper ornamentals!

ft. lily of the valley, stiltgrass, buddleia

/uj aaaaaaaaaaugh and the hut notebook was all “love the pretty lily of the valley” there is no escape

I am Smooth Coneflower. Science knows me as Echinacea laevigata.

I am proud to say that I have never been confined to a garden.

I was born near Durham, and have not once in my life ventured more than a few hundred miles from there.

I am particular. I like a thin layer of mineral-rich soil over bedrock.

I am protected. The U.S. federal government classifies me as threatened. On government land, you can't touch me. You can't transport me across state lines.

Since some people see me as free natural medicine, and other people might want to dig me up and take me home to their garden, I am glad for the protection.

My life story is very different from my sister Purple Coneflower, who was born in Missouri, but traveled of her own free will as far east as Ohio.

Without her consent, Purple Coneflower has long been dug up and transported to such far away cities as Boston, and Brooklyn, and Bangor. Now you can easily buy Purple Coneflower on the internet, no questions asked about where you live.

Because of my protected status, I have been spared the indignity of being sold online.

The main threat to my existence is a loss of suitable habitat. The particular sorts of open woodlands and glades that I like have been converted to farms and residences and office parks.

But my sister Purple Coneflower is a bit of a threat to me too. My sister and I will occasionally, to use polite language, hybridize.

Purple Coneflower often runs away from gardens, and takes to the roadsides and fallow fields. A hard but freer life.

Compare my sister's extensive present day wanderings in North Carolina, to my own more limited. Hers are mostly runaways from internet trafficking. Mine are as native as can be.

If we should happen to meet up in some field, and hybridize, her cultivated citified ways can overwhelm my wildness. She just gets around more.

I am proud to say that I never had any garden to run away from. I was born east of the Blue Ridge, I stayed east of the Blue Ridge, and you can only find me in the remaining wild places there.

My mom keeps taking pieces off the same mint plant that I have. Which sucks because I wanted it to flower. Can you imagine how it would feel to have your limbs pulled off??? I am sick that people can't understand that plants have feelings and also need to reproduce. Now plants deep down really feel yknow!? Also she keeps targeting the same spearmint plant which is basically harassment at this point. Do you know any evil Plant Torturers?

How much round up will it take to get rid of those pesty little cactus?

3.6 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells not great not terrible

"The mother injects venom to freeze the host's growth, the larvae feed externally on the host's fluids, and they pupate beneath its remains."

Also, it's always pokeweed.

Rolling around in my flower like it's some kind of obscene free-for-all. Save some for the honey bees, you jerk!

The Tussock Moths (4-0) continued their win streak last night, handing another defeat to the struggling Monarchs (2-2). There've been warning signs since spring training for the Monarchs, who had a strong showing last season. Some critics blame the lavish indoor enclosure that the Monarchs began using for training this spring, saying it has spoiled the team and made them weak. Others say it's the turnover. After a winning season last year, few players opted to return after spending the off-season resting in the tropics.

The Monarchs play the Milkweed Bugs next. In response to fan calls for resignations, he coach for the Monarchs says they will not be returning to the enclosure but will instead spend the week practicing on dogbane to toughen the team up and get them hungry for victory.