WildThings Rescue Nursery

Trillium viridescens

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) with Trillium luteum...beneath the Magnolia tripetela

Happy little group of Cypripedium pubescens

evening glow as sun prepares to dip behind the tree-line

End of the day in the woodland gardens, here at WildThings Rescue Nursery.😍
(Plant IDs in ALT)
#nativeplants #Trillium #nativegarden #savethebees #woodland #wildflowers #gardeningforwildlife

Typical form of the rare treasure Trillium decumbens. Native to Georgia *So named for the prostrate stem that lies horizontally under the leaf litter

An unusual dark foliage form of Trillium decumbens. Also seems to have much more vigorous growth than the typical form. Gotta love those genetics!

This is an older group of Prairie Trillium (Trillium recurvatum) These are mature plants, but not going to bloom this year because they've become too congested. Will be lifting & diving these to give individual plants more room.

Another special treasure...Trillium decipiens. This Trillium is found in the South Eastern states. It was gifted to me from a friend years ago. First few years it was still on southern time, and always came up too soon, so was zapped by hard freeze every year. Finally it is on NY time and doesn't come up so early as to get damaged.

Many of our peeps look forward to Trillium Stroll in the gardens here.
I begin doing weekly updates as to the progression towards "Best Trillium Viewing" so people can time their visit.
And, It IS beginning now!
These are always the 1st Trillium to emerge.
#Trillium #Nativeplants #Shadegardening

Dutchman's Britches (Dicentra cucullaria) One of my favorite ephemerals

A particularly floriferous branch of Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) With pollinator!

A beautiful Trillium cuneatum showing perfect form

A little known native Honeysuckle... "Fly Honeysuckle" (Lonicera canadensis) More shrubby than vine and less aggressive nature.

Inside the greenhouse.
New blooms popping every day now!
Even a few pollinators that must have wintered over inside. ☺️
Most seedlings already getting moved into plug trays.
Even moving a few things outside onto nursery tables.
Happy Spring Y'all!
#nativeplants #pollinators #gardening #savethebees

Took a break from working in the greenhouse to do a bit of paddling on my favorite river.
There are 5 active Bald Eagle nests here.
Happy to see all the Bald Eagles healthy (no signs of Avian Flu)
watched 1 of last year's kids enjoying a freshly caught carp for breakfast. #Eagles #wildlife #kayaking

Hepatica acutiloba. Bloom color ranges from white, to pink, to blues

Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima) ECELLENT woody groundcover!

Buck-eye (Aesculus) at my favorite stage...just beginning to unfurl leaves

My Happy Place.
Greenhouse is coming back to life!
The smell of moist soil, leaves breaking out
and even some blooms!
When the human world has lost its mind,
Nature reminds us of hope & new beginnings.
#Nativeplants #pollinators #savethebees #butterflygardening #garden

Oh how I long for Spring again!
I NEED to feel the dirt again...see the nursery & gardens filled with fluttering life again...breath deeply of the fresh air again,
and remember what it felt like to be surrounded by beauty instead of horror. 😢
#nativeplants #pollinators #climatechange #resist

Thank You, Christa!

Thank You! And, No. I sow all my seeds in the fall as I collect them. I have put the heat on in the greenhouse & started going through the stored pots, dividing & bumping up what needs it.
But took a break from that today & decided o stand in front of the easel. ☺️

Thanks! Usually, I do soft pastel or graphite over winter...but decided to try improving with oils this year, (which is usually my nemesis-lol)

When you own a Native Plant nursery in Up-State NY,
Dec-Feb requires finding other passions, besides growing plants.
This is a huge canvas (3' X 3') in oils,
from a macro photo I took of lichen in spore...on a mossy boulder.
Probably won't finish it before nursery madness begins.
#nativeplants

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Blue Flag (Iris versicolor)

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum)

Cardinal Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis)

Rain Gardens!
Plants that are big drinkers solve many home landscape problems, (along with feeding hungry pollinators.)
I use them for gutter run-off near the foundation to eliminate basement water & low-lying marshy areas in the yard.
*IDs in ALT
#nativeplants #pollinators #raingardens #savethebees

Thank You! ☺️

Cherry Dagger Moth Caterpillar (Acronicta hasta) Larval host plants...Cherry, Birch, Oak, Willow, Apple

Common Hyppa Moth (Hyppa xylinoides)

Milkweed tiger/tussock Moth Caterpillars (Euchaetes egle Larval host...Milkweed species

Pandora Sphinx Moth Caterpillar (Eumorpha pandorus) on a Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) leaf, It's larval host plant

One of the most fun & interesting aspects of native gardening,
is finding & identifying all the cool little critters enjoying what you've planted for them.
All moths & butterflies have specific plants needed for their larval stage (caterpillar) Not just Monarchs.
Descriptions in ALT.
#nativeplants

Thanks, Barbara!
It is one of the choices for the NWF photo contest that I'll be entering. 😉

Photography break. VERY carefully placing each step as to not cause any damage

Fields of Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens)

Just hopped over a beaver dam with our kayaks & taking a lunch break amongst the Reindeer Lichen & lowbush blueberry

Pitcher Plants blooming), white waterlilies & Sundews

Native Gardens are great!
But seeing natives in the wild is extra special!
This is my favorite spot to Botanize by boat.
Peat Bogs, coniferous forests & marshes, all in one day.
A diverse cornucopia of treasures & not a trace of the human world to be seen/heard.
*Description in ALT
#nativeplants

Forgot to mention Mt Laurel in my "favorites".
Adks are for sure my favorite places to botanize.
Always have my camera on board the boat.
Have you ever paddled through miles of peat bog?
It's other worldly!

I am envious of your teaberry patch! lol
There are places in the Adks with acres (literally) of it carpeting the forest floor.

I have to travel to the Adks to see my favorite acid loving plants. ☺️
(Bunchberry, Hobblebush, Coptis, Teaberry, and ooooh my, the Reindeer Lichen!)
But since we are so alkaline here... makes for some huge Twinleaf colonies! 😍

These are pics from the extensive woodland gardens here at the nursery. But I have seen all of these in the wild (while hiking & kayaking) except for the Twinleaf...which is kind of picky about growing requirements. (ie) hates acidic soils

Dutchman's Breeches

Hepatica americana

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)

Who will be 1st to show their faces come April in up-state NY and provide nourishment for hungry pollinators?
(Not to mention soothing salve for our tattered souls)
1 Dicentra cucullaria
2 Hepatica americana
3 Claytonia virginica
4 Jeffersonia diphylla
#nativeplants #pollinators #savethebees #Garden

Same! With the additions of Mt Mints (Pycanthemum sp.) and Agastaches ☺️

A fun exercise in the gardens.
Find a comfortable spot to sit,
choose 1 plant species to observe,
and count how many different visitors that plant attracts!
Not only will this show you how productive that plant is,
but also a great way to see who's enjoying your efforts!
#nativeplants #pollinators

Making garden plans for spring?
Some Native Plants pack a big punch!
also known as "Keystone Plants" for their ability to support such high numbers of species!
1 Agastache nepetoides
2 Asclepias tuberosa
3 Aster oblongifolia
4 Solidago speciosa
#savethebees #nativeplants #pollinators #gardening

Plus...Moths have the coolest caterpillars! 😁

Lol...It is a big plant! 😄

Thank You for the warm welcome, Erin!🥰

Yes! Part of their "Control" is psychological.
Making us feel so hopeless and beaten down, that we won't offer any resistance.
I am tired of feeling helpless.
We need positivity and action.
We can all improve our own little piece of the planet in a peaceful, compassionate way.
PLANT NATIVES! ☺️

This is not what the gardens look like now. 🙃
Mid-April is typically when the ephemerals start in NY.
Most of these pics were taken mid-May last year.

Climate Change.
Extinction.
Gov't in denial.
It's become obvious that this administration isn't going to help.
but WE can make a difference!
Home Gardeners, creating islands of habitat and connective corridors with native plants, have a big impact on providing wildlife what they need to survive.

Today's topic is the importance of diversity.

Pollinator habitats aren’t just for monarchs! By planting a diverse mix of native flowers, grasses, and shrubs, you create a thriving ecosystem that supports bees, butterflies, birds, and other beneficial wildlife.