Following are the last four of my posts on the Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens blog.
A Propagation Primer
Propagation has been on my mind lately. We recently moved into a house with a very bare yard and although I brought all of my plants from our apartment balcony, they hardly make a dent in the yard. I recently visited the local native plant sale and despite spending a hundred dollars, the plants are also not going to make much of an impact. I recently wrote aboutmethods for collecting native plants, which is a great way to acquire hard to find plants, but propagating from your own collection (or friends, family and neighbors) is another easy way to get yourself some more plants.
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Pritchard Wetlands – A Pictorial Essay
A little known park in Seattle, Pritchard Wetlands is a treasure trove of Pacific Northwest native plants and wildlife. It may sound familiar, I included it in my recent post 5 Great Parks:: Seattle Edition. Situated along Lake Washington, the wetlands area of the park was historically part of the lake and underwater until the construction of the Ballard Locks in 1917. After the construction, the water level fell about nine feet and the area which is now wetlands was then above the water level. However, it wasn’t until the 1990′s that a renovation of the site turned it into the wetlands we have today.
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Mothers Unite! (No children required)
Mother: One who watches moths.
This week is National Moth Week and although it’s nearly over, you still have time to get out and see some moths. Moths are one of nature’s most interesting insects, and incredibly numerous. Think a moth is drab and boring? Do a quick search for plume moths, or a Rosy Maple Moth. Personally, I love the subtle beauty of the shapes and patterns of moths. They have more natural, understated beauty like Ingrid Bergman while butterflies are flashier and brighter like Marilyn Monroe. While butterflies get the vast majority of the glory, moths outnumber them 14-1. There are 11,000 species in North America and over 142,000 in the world. They often fly at night making them seem less numerous. Unlike other night prowlers like bats, moths are easy to find and watch in your own yard. It can be as simple as leaving your porch light on during the night, or going high tech with special lights and traps.
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Bringing the Outside Inside
I would venture a guess that most of you reading this article have found some way to bring your love of nature inside. Whether it’s flowers on the curtains, paintings of birds on the walls or a set of dishes displaying bees, I’m betting all of us have brought our gardens and favorite wildlife inside. I’m going to share my main indoor nature passion, but I want to hear what everyone else has done. Do you collect something? DIY home décor? Beetles depicted on everything? Do tell in the comments!
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