This is the time of year when birds are quite busy raising their young. At our nursery there are at least eight species nesting on the grounds this year: house wrens, violet-green and tree swallows, catbirds, robins, rufous hummingbirds, house finches and Brewer’s blackbirds. Some are nesting in houses we’ve put up (wrens and swallows), […]
Fall planting, Fall flowers and Fall hours
Pacific nine bark (Physocarpus capitatus) with fall color in the nursery With the lowering of the sun’s angle, and the yellow school buses on the roads, we have signs that fall will soon be here. This is a great to time to plant natives, especially in the “golden” period from mid-September to late October. The soil […]
Serviceberry, or is it Saskatoon?
Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is one of the very first native shrubs to bloom each spring in our area. These medium to tall shrubs (8-18′ tall) can be mass of white flowers in April, prominently displayed on the hills around Peshastin and beyond. They are found throughout Washington, as well as from Alaska and across Canada, south […]
Can you identify these fruits?
These attractive fruits, loved by birds, grow on a woody plant common in most of Washington, and often planted in landscapes… Why, it’s… Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) The often bright red stems stand out in the winter, especially a winter like we’ve […]
Attracting MORE Insects with Native Plants: Part 3 – Bird Food and Biological Control
Syrphid fly (larvae are aphid predators) on marsh marigold (Caltha leptosepala) Native plants are the key to attract native fauna. Many of us want to see more of the larger, more colorful and charismatic representatives of local wildlife, like birds, butterflies and even native bees. The native flora we enjoy are also critical to […]