Native Connections

10/12/2026

All hands on deck for New England Aster harvest. Our little patch of Heart-Leaved Aster is still blooming and the bees are happy about that!

09/29/2026

09/02/2026

In between labor intensive tasks, we harvest Bottlebrush (Elymus hystrix) in the shady tree lines of our fields. Luckily this grass holds onto its seeds so we can spread out the harvest time over a month or so.

Its latin name "hystrix" like a couple other plants refers to it's spikiness like porcupines though it definitely doesn't cause nearly the trouble quills do. Once you learn to identify this one, you'll see it in many shady, dry habitats.

08/25/2026

We used to plant our smaller plots by hand into pre punched landscape fabric. This year we are experimenting with a new planting rig and hopefully more environmentally friendly landscape fabric. We will see how it works out over the next couple years.

07/16/2026

We think yarrow makes a great lawn substitute! This patch volunteered in our front lawn and handles our infrequent mowing very well. It adds a different shaggy texture to our slow growing fescue blend and provides occasional flowers in between mowing.

07/13/2026

Lots of wildlife right outside our front door the past week!

07/02/2026

Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) is approaching the end of its bloom period. The deep purple flowers don't bloom all at once and therefore don't have ripened seed all at once. This makes it harder to judge a good harvest time. But the seeds are one of my favorites! I think they look like tiny fossils.

06/22/2026

Wrapping up Lupine harvest! The cooler rainy days definitely slowed them down a bit but it made for pleasant picking.

06/04/2026

Sedge seed heads are out! These are just a few from our little raingarden. They are similar to grasses, but have a triangular stem and an interesting array of spikey seed heads.

There are sedge species for many different ecosystems; the next natural area you venture through, keep an eye out for these guys.

06/03/2026

The Portage Library has learning opportunities inside and outside the building! Come check out their Monarch Waystation and efforts to surround the building with pollinator habitat.