Blog

Contact with nature in a learning environment gives students a breath of fresh air on campus By Katie Stannard It’s a simple and timeless concept: go outside.  During this pandemic, going outside offers restoration, recreation, respite. For University of...

Last year we reported on oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), a uniquely noxious invasive woody vine. Today we’re bringing it back for another look, with some ID tips and other details. Oriental bittersweet is found in many different habitats. To...

Dozens of our enews readers and Facebook followers responded to our call for photos of Things with Wings. Thank you for these amazing photos! They really capture the stunning diversity of insects and birds that fly around us, sometimes seen, sometimes...

By Katie StannardAfter some initial research, valerian might seem like a friendly herbal plant with an extensive history of traditional medicinal uses. And it is. And sometimes, it’s not. It’s all about location: when a plant roots outside of its native...

By Joseph MooneyOur final Things with Wings focuses on metamorphosis—basically Greek for “change shape.” Many insects undergo metamorphosis. There are two kinds of metamorphosis: complete and incomplete. Monarch butterflies, for example, completely...

Updated September 21, 2020:COVID continues to have an impact on our operations.The conservatory, gift shop, and display gardens at Matthaei—including the Gaffield Children’s Garden—are currently closed. Additionally, all in-person events and outreach...

By Katie Stannard Have you ever thought about weed removal as a strategy? Other than digging, swearing, consuming restorative beverages and repeating? A reader’s comment and our epic shared “weediest battle” post of August 12 inspired this back...

By Katie Stannard Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), also called false acacia or yellow locust, is one of the most difficult invasive trees to eradicate. Belonging to the Fabaceae or pea family, it is endemic to the southeastern United...

Is this a vision of your gardening past---or future? By Katie StannardThis gardening life is a heart-breaking business. You Must Promise Not To Tell A Single Other Living Soul What I'm About to Divulge. I must come clean about this. As soon as I started...

By Katie Stannard The chard is almost ready, the bell peppers are coming along, and everyone’s excited about the pickles and the watermelon. Knowing that seeds must be sown and plants must be planted in order to grow the crops and produce the produce,...