Vernal Purple Invader
Wisteria sinensis
Wisteria sinensis
Neon Sea Grape Venation
Coccoloba uvifera
Coccoloba uvifera
Coccoloba uvifera
For a sea grape jelly recipe and more, click here.
Snake Plants Occupy Coquina Beach
Sansevieria trifasciata
Sabal Roots on Rattlesnake Island
Sabal palmetto
Don’t they look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book?
Reclamation
Taraxacum officinale
Kalanchoe daigremontiana
Portulaca oleracea
Succulents and dandelions reclaim sandy soil from a tired, cracking tennis court. In the words of author Richard Powers, “There’s always as much belowground as above.”
Nantahala National Forest Pollinator Party
Kudzu Bloom
Pueraria lobata
Pueraria lobata
Antigua Black Pineapple Farm
Pineapple Farm in Saint Mary Parish, Antigua
Ananas comosus
Flamboyant Tree
Delonix regia
Antigua locals call this tree “chuk chuk” due to the sound the seed pod makes when used as a rhythmic musical instrument.
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Click here for buttonbush photos taken over 1,700 miles away from the one featured above.
West Indian Fuzzy Chiton
Acanthopleura granulata
The West Indian fuzzy chiton attaches itself to limestone cliffs throughout the Caribbean while munching on algae.
Limestone Cliff in Dickenson Bay
Beach Morning Glory
Ipomea pes-caprae
Summer Storm Over Ormond Beach
Pink Invader
Albizia julibrissin
Chance Encounter Under the Overpass
Odocoileus virginianus
Amidst kudzu and trumpet creeper, a doe stands sentry high above the North Oconee Greenway on a Sunday afternoon.
Curry and Eggs
Murraya koenigii (and Halyomorpha halys)
A curious array of stink bug eggs is almost tossed into a pan of shimmering olive oil. Once apparent, they’re returned to the potted plant. Hopefully the compassionate act doesn’t end in the decimation of beloved leaves.
Click here for the vegan pozole recipe these tiny orbs almost joined.
Barometer Earthstar
Astraeus hygrometricus
In the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, a chance encounter with this earthstar over a year ago required balance. Literally.
Astraeus hygrometricus
The High Shoals Creek Falls Trail was closed, but a fallen tree offered intrepid hikers views of the waterfall. A mud-caked log was the only route across the creek after a tree chopped the footbridge in half.
The curious alien spore sac rested on a rock next to the platform/overlook.
Hairy White Oldfield Aster
Symphyotrichum pilosum
Strange Fruit in Montgomery
A weekend road trip and bike ride around Montgomery triggers an unrelenting lump in the throat.
Revisiting the House Without Us
Six years after visiting North Carolina’s Outer Banks for the first time, I returned this summer. Kudzu continues to slowly swallow this house on Highway 64 in Jamesville. View photos from that initial road trip here.
Pedagogy of the Plants 