The Art of Ecology
Building visual connections between people and nature.
Tag: Flowers
Tell the Time With Garden Blooms!
In past posts, I’ve talked about how pollinators are attracted to certain flowers, and even how flowers have adapted their coloration or structure to better suit pollinators. Did you know that humans, way back in the 1700s, thought about using that sort of botanical and ecological knowledge to OUR advantage? In 1751, Carl Linnaeus (the …
Classic Blue – Pantone Color of the Year
Sky, Water, Butterfly wings, Bird Plumage, and flowers…. What do these all have in common? They can be “Classic Blue”, the Pantone Color of the Year! This color was chosen after lots of careful thought, study, and trend analysis, by Pantone color specialists because: “A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is …
Create your Spring Garden Early with Bulbs!
As we get further into fall, the gardener inside of me gets sad. I miss spending time out among my flowers. The fall rains are providing the water they need, and the birds are busy picking the old flowers clean of their seeds. The wind is blowing the leaves over the plants – prepping the …
Colors of the Rainbow as Seen in the Garden
Flowers have so many beautiful colors, but other than just to make us humans happy, why are flower colors so diverse? Pollinators have the important job of transferring genetics from one flower to another to allow for fertilization and ultimately growth of future generations of flowers and plants. In order to attract the most effective …
Pollination – Amazing Plant & Animal Relationships
Last month, I had a wonderful opportunity to learn more about pollinators, like the honeybee, at the nationally recognized botanical garden – Longwood Gardens! This professional development opportunity allowed me to not only learn about these amazing plant & animal relationships, but to witness first hand active pollination in the outdoor gardens and photograph some …
Orchids – the Mischievous Flower
Flowers rely on pollinators like bees, beetles, birds, moths, butterflies, bats, and other creatures to spread pollen from one flower to the next in order to create seeds. Flowers have adapted their color, shape, or aroma to attract the type of pollinator that would best suit them – for example, hummingbirds like red tube flowers. …
Living Coral – Pantone Color of the Year and Nature
Living Coral – the Color of the Year! We can expect to see more of this color in our lives and on our news feeds. Pantone has selected this color because “Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment. In reaction to the onslaught of …
Keep your garden happy all year long by overwintering!
If you’re a gardener, you understand how much time and effort you put into your plants and hate seeing it go to waste come winter! Fortunately, there are ways to keep your beauties alive, even if they’re not winter hardy! The best way to keep your tender garden plants alive is to bring them inside. …
Work With Nature – Not Against It!
There was a quote written on the whiteboard of one of the places I worked at saying “Gardening is man wrestling with nature.” This seems rather counter-intuitive though, to me. If we are gardening, aren’t we trying to add more nature to the nature that’s already in place? Shouldn’t we work with it not against …
Butterflies: How to Add Extra Color to Your Garden
Gardening season is upon us! I for one absolutely love having as much color surrounding me as possible, so naturally, I plant a variety of vividly colored flowering plants, but why stop there? Why not garden for vividly colored wildlife as well? Butterflies, even the caterpillars, are vital parts of the ecosystem and making your …
