Category: Northeast Natives

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a fern

OK, so that’s not how it goes, but I consider it an improvement.

There’s just something about ferns that speaks to me: their quiet grace and elegance, and their ability to thrive in the dark, hidden places where most plants could never survive.

I find the delicate fronds of the marginal wood fern particularly alluring, and it feels nice to run my fingers through them.

This evergreen fern grows in wooded areas along the Northeast Corridor, which is more forested than I initially thought.

Hey, I’m here for the small surprises.

It’s been another bleak and exhausting year—that seems to be the only kind we like to produce anymore.

It still helps to find joy in the small gifts of nature, which we, the destructive demons who roam and pillage the earth, have done absolutely nothing to deserve.

The beautiful yellow flowers of fall are one such gift, a welcome reminder of hope and optimism, even as the cold, dark days of winter begin breathing down our necks.

I find the flowers of purple-headed sneezeweed particularly graceful, and their presence at the moment brings me great delight.

Happy autumn!

I appreciate a plant that straddles different worlds.

I recently found this lovely woodland sunflower growing on the edge of a suburban forest.

The base of the plant is tucked beneath the trees, while the super-long stems dangle their bright yellow flowers in the open sun.

Clever!

The delightful flowers of this hardy shrub are a sign of new life to come—or at least, that’s how I’m looking at it.

The thorns remind me that there will always be prickles, but the future is still beautiful and full of promise.

Brighter days are on the way.

I initially thought these were ferns, but they’re really clever impostors. Canadian lousewort, or wood betony, is found all over the East Coast in a wide range of habitats, although the ones shown here seemed quite happy in their cozy forest home.

Unlike ferns, lousewort produces flowers, which are apparently quite popular with pollinators. I heartily approve.