They're back! Japanese butterbur (Petasites japonicus) are blooming on my property.

Fire-roasted chestnuts bring in the best visitors C:

Went to a mushroom festival

Mount Vernon, Washington

June 2021

Portland Japanese Garden

Admiring the dragonfly

Some ferns decided to take up residence on the raccoon in the Memorial Garden this winter, giving him a beautiful winter coat.

summertime overgrowth

Seattle, Washington

Colorful Reflections at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, November 26, 2023. Portland Oregon.

If you've ever come out to the Pacific Northwest, especially west of the Cascades, you may have noticed that many roadsides and open lots are absolutely choked with blackberry thickets. Yes, the berries and leaves are edible, as with other Rubus species. But Himalayan blackberry--which is actually from Armenia--is an exceptionally aggressive invasive species here. And, as with many other invasive species, it was intentionally brought here with zero thought as to what ecological impact it would have.

Luther Burbank had this idea to breed vegetables and fruits that had superior flavor and which would be able to survive being shipped over rail across the country. Unfortunately, he was also a eugenicist who decided that the same principles of breeding for the "best qualities" should also be applied to our own species--and he wasn't alone in his opinion at the turn of the century.

It's definitely for the best that he never got around to putting that particular odious idea into practice. But it makes me feel just a little more satisfied when I'm able to successfully oust one of his pernicious blackberry canes from the ground--symbolic of good riddance to bad rubbish.

"Scent of Memory"

My Backyard Morels Morchella importuna Western Washington, April 26 2023 Photos Mary Howerton

Isn't it great to see fruit trees in bloom? Here's my big old Asian pear tree.

some more from Sebright Gardens in october because i’m simply in love

May 2023

Seattle, Washington

A fall day in Seattle