Beautiful Israeli Spring Flower One of Israel’s most iconic wildflowers is the cyclamen or rakefet in Hebrew. It fills the landscape from the Golan Heights, the Galilee, Judea and Samaria south all the way to the northern Negev. Its bloom time is January through March and it grows with a distinctive flower in white, violet …
We all have heard about making lemonade when handed lemons by life. Sometimes an unusual gardening opportunity appears during our weird weather.
This summer I had a large clump of an unknown plant in one of my garden’s sunnier locations. I was reluctant to tamper with it in case it was actually something wonderful. All summer it kept growing until it was about three feet tall. Finally, around September it budded, then flower and it seemed that …
Conceptual Origin of Today’s Post The idea for this post came from Stephanie Coggins who closely studies Riverdale through a camera lens as she walks her newly adopted dog, Dickie. Dickie – Courtesy of Stephanie Coggins When I was in grade school we were already starting to wear woolens as the new school year began. …
Photosynthesis by formerly Terrestrial Plants The sea grasses are green because they create their own food through photosynthesis. The green pigment, chlorophyll is sequestered in the plant organelle caused chloroplasts. Therefore, adequate sunlight is important for them in the same way that it is important for terrestrial plants. As photosynthesizing plants, sea grasses are a …
Our Mysterious Ocean A Day at the Beach Despite having spent many a day on the beach at Coney Island in my younger years, I have never developed a love of the oceans; nevertheless, I have never been oblivious to its importance. Life began in the sea and the sea has nourished the biosphere from …
Gaining Control Over Poison Ivy Lately, there seems to be more interest in tackling the poison ivy problem. Previously nurseries sold various spray products containing amitrol. When sprayed on the poison ivy leaves – as well as other weeds – it traveled down to the roots and killed the entire plant. One of Many Poison Ivy …
Every Encounter is Personal OK, yes, it is a native plant. But does that make it either useful or benign?!! Hardly! I am talking about that beautiful but deadly vine – poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans. Actually the name Toxicodendron says it all; toxicos is Greek for poison and dendron means tree. Radicans is Latin for …
Still Reading Some Childhood Favorites One of my favorite books has been 1001 Nights – also known as the Arabian Nights – which I reread every now and again even as an adult. The cliff-hanging tales full of magic and fantasy, told by Scheherazade, were a device that, supposedly, kept her new husband tantalized. This …