Who Ate My Blueberries?
I had to laugh this week when I was visiting my step-father and he was showing me all of his plants. Sitting on the edge of the pot, there was the cutest fat little chipmunk, happily eating a ripe blueberry…
Photo Of The Week by Larry Hurley Terrace of 100 Fountains
When In Rome…sometimes you just need to get out of town for a day. We did that during a hot summer trip in July of 2005. Our goal was to see the water gardens of Villa d’Este, in the…
The Magic of Hummingbirds: Nature’s Pollinators in Your Backyard
Watching hummingbirds flit around my garden is a daily delight. But did you know these little wonders do more than just look pretty?
Photo Of The Week: Southern Magnolia and Bees
Because I am first and foremost a perennial guy, at least when it comes to gardening, I usually think of perennials when I am thinking about “bee-pleasing” plants. So when I passed by this Southern Magnolia that was for…
The Challenges of AI-Generated Plant Photos in Garden Centers
Lately I have been seeing a lot of unique and unusual plants on social media. The problem is, however, that they are FAKE. In recent years, the rise of AI-generated images has introduced a new challenge: Garden Center customers are bringing in…
Photo Of The Week: Rhubarb in Bloom
This photo was taken on May 15, 2024, in Middleton, Wisconsin about a block from my home. This beautiful flowering perennial with bold foliage is generally grown for food rather than beauty–it’s rhubarb.
Flight of the Pollinators
Sometimes sitting down with your grandchild to watch a special show that they say is just great, ends up being just that.
Leaf Fossil? Or Not
Leaf fossil?? No… I was walking in the woods in southeastern Wisconsin last week, and was passing a downed tree, and noticed this shelf or bracket fungus growing on the trunk, with leaf imprints. I guess the leaves must…
Photo Of The Week by Larry Hurley: Bird’s Nest Fern, Asplenium nidus
You might think this is one of the little people that inhabit Stephanie’s “Fairy Gardens,” but no, it’s me, peeking out from behind a very large Bird’s Nest Fern. Bird’s Nest Fern, Asplenium nidus, is commonly sold in the USA as a tropical…
Observing Bluebirds and Sparrows: A Backyard Story
Last week, while sitting outside with my husband, I saw bluebirds flying every which way. For weeks now, they have been staking out their nest boxes and fighting off the House Sparrows, or as some call them, English Sparrows. Either way, those sparrows are pretty mean.
Photos Of The Week~ Purple-leaf European Birch
In the spring of 2000 I planted a purple-leaf European Birch in my Bethesda back yard, within an existing stand of mature native oaks, tulip poplars and pignut hickory. This was not a wise choice as it would ultimately become…
Larry Hurley’s Photos of the Week: Native Americans Effigy Mounds
Over a thousand years ago, Native Americans built effigy mounds, and many of these are located in Wisconsin. These “Indian Mounds” as we called them when I was growing up here were large earthen mounds in the shapes of animals…