Wednesday.s Woodland Walk

This is one of the many birdhouses scattered along our woodland path. I painted this birdhouse with my children about 10 years ago. It has had many occupants over the years, but the past couple of years I noticed during very bad rain storms, you can usually see a little face peering out! Our gray squirrels are quite inventive and have renovated many different items around the yard (many of them my birdhouses) into little safe havens! 

 

Goatsbeard (Bride's Feather's) - Arnucus dioicus

A wonderful 3-6' native woodland plant. Arnucus means goat beard in greek.  I love its airy white plumes of tiny white flowers that rise above many of the other woodland plants.

Orange Honeysuckle - Lonicera ciliosa

Vines are also an interesting part of a woodland setting. Many times here in the east you will find virginia creeper, boston ivy, escaped wisteria vines and many other vines, climbing up tree trunks, rocks, or along the ground.  Many of our trees were covered with wisteria vines when we bought our home.  Wisteria slowly strangles your trees to death, so we cut them all down and had to diligently keep an eye out for newcomers.  We also had virginia creeper, that too lovcs to climb up the trunks of the trees giving a beautiful vertical dimension to the woods, however, I like to keep them short enough to be able to keep it under control.  

 Along our back fence I planted orange honeysuckle vines for added privacy from our neighbors. They can grow up to 18' along the ground or scramble up fences and other vertical structures. They are so pretty with their beautiful yellow/orange trumpet shaped flowers. However, the berries on this plant can be mildly poisonous if eaten by people, so beware of planting this if you have small children.

Hummingbirds love these vines!

 

Yellow Foxglove - Digitalis grandiflora

  They really stand out in the woodland setting with their pretty pale yellow flower spikes and dark green leaves. 

Oakleaf Foamflower 

The native foamflower bloomed earlier in the spring, but this is a hybrid called the oakleaf foamflower, receiving that common name because of the shape of its oak-like leaves. It is blooming now during the late spring.

Thanks for joining me on my woodland walk. 

See you next week!