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Joyful Weeper

Hints of Gladness from a Golden Willow . My digital tree identifiers could not agree about this exuberant tree basking in the afternoon sun. One said hazelnut, another identified it as a Peking lilac, another said eastern leatherwood, but I’m going with golden willow, salix alba ‘Vitellina' - partly because it agrees with my most reliable source and partly because I kind of remember this tree from the summer. The golden willow has more of a ‘spreading habit’ than a ‘weepin

Dec 31, 20251 min read

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Joyful Weeper

Hints of Gladness from a Golden Willow . My digital tree identifiers could not agree about this exuberant tree basking in the afternoon sun. One said hazelnut, another identified it as a Peking lilac, another said eastern leatherwood, but I’m going with golden willow, salix alba ‘Vitellina' - partly because it agrees with my most reliable source and partly because I kind of remember this tree from the summer. The golden willow has more of a ‘spreading habit’ than a ‘weepin

Dec 31, 20251 min read

Decked out for Christmas

Siberian Crabapple Adds a Festive Touch. This is most certainly a crabapple but is it really the Siberian variety? With over 1,000 known varieties of crabapples, 120 of which are cold-hardy enough to thrive in Minnesota, it’s hard to know for sure. While my non-local friends consider any winter day in Minnesota to be Siberian, today’s fresh, invigorating conditions invite an outdoor stroll and reward the walker with spectacularly blue skies and trees decked for the holiday

Dec 26, 20251 min read

Builder With a Memory

Hornets Hold A Grudge. Walking my trail this afternoon, waiting for winter to come, I noticed this hornet’s nest high in a tree. It’s the home of a bald-faced hornet – one of 100,000 different species of wasps (also called yellow jackets). Easy to identify by its single large opening in the bottom, a hornet’s nest really is something to admire – from afar. Admire – because it's a stunning example of insect engineering. Worker hornets chew up wood fiber and mix it with saliva

Nov 25, 20251 min read

Seasonal Home Décor

Got Room for Another Houseplant? Ivy? Yes. Boston or English? Yes. Both of these creeping climbers are competing here – not just for more territory along the side of these homes, but for the honor of the most handsome ‘wallpaper’ in town. Boston Ivy wins for the most colorful display, English Ivy comes in first for massive leaf size. There’s room for both. So they agree to collaborate. “But, like ivy, we grow where there is room for us.” Miranda July Welcoming in the new

Oct 31, 20251 min read