tmousecmouse.blogspot.com
Town Mouse and Country Mouse: May 2015
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Sunday, May 31, 2015. Coppicing deer grass rejuvenates it so fast! This deer grass had started to look permanently bleached, with a thick thatch. It was with trepidation (and a lot of effort! That five weeks ago, I took the shears to a huge deer grass ( Muhlenbergia rigens. Will it grow back? How long will it take? Which Ms. Town Mouse gave me, I forget - five years ago? It had outgrown her space. That thick thatch was, I fear, a cosy home for some mice! Also, I confess: it had started to outgrow my.
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: Stojanovich Family Park, Campbell CA: Natives and Local History
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Thursday, July 9, 2015. Stojanovich Family Park, Campbell CA: Natives and Local History. Well, so here's a little story. Mr Dusky Footed Wood Rat's "baby brother" (I'll call him Mr. Moose) lives far far away in Minnesota. But now and then his company sends him to Fremont, a town about 40 miles from us. On such occasions we generally find a place to meet and eat half way between. The fine restaurant we chose using the Internet turned out to be a small, busy, fast food place (with delicious Greek food!
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: July 2015
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Sunday, July 12, 2015. My very own discovery: Grassy Tarplant has two different seed distribution strategies! Well, I may not be the first to notice this but. it's always deeply satisfying to make your own discoveries, don't you find? What the heck are these little burr things? I was out in my garden gathering seeds of a nice-enough local wild native called grassy tarplant - or tarweed - or gumplant - choose your favorite common name. It's unequivocally called Madia gracilis. In the botanical world.
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: Wonder in an unexpected moment - western azalea (and phacelia and red twig dogwood)
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Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Wonder in an unexpected moment - western azalea (and phacelia and red twig dogwood). Note: this post is edited as I had misidentified red twig dogwood as ninebark - I won't do that again! My thanks to an astute commenter (see below.). So as I drive the creek-side road up towards our ridge-top road, I keep my eye open for seeding natives that might like to extend their reach by a mile or two to my restoration garden. I stopped to check and - POW! I took four flower heads that had mo...
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: June 2015
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Monday, June 29, 2015. Joyful June in Country Mouse Garden - with Clarkia rubicunda! Ruby Chalice Clarkia (locally wild). Please join me in a pictorial wander through my garden. As you will see Clarkia rubicunda is the plant of the month! I'll gather seed this year - should get about a pound - and will restrain them next year - hoping to sprinkle those lovely blossoms throughout the garden and not let them overwhelm the pool garden, where the deer and the rabbits can't roam! But - I'm not complaining!
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: July 2014
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Flowers in the High Country. The premise of my recent trip to the Pacific Northwest was that our group was to see a different ecosystem every day - and the trip leaders did not disappoint! Our second day was spent hiking along Hurricane Ridge. Here's what their website. Hurricane Ridge is the most easily accessed mountain area within Olympic National Park. In clear weather, fantastic views can be enjoyed throughout the year. It is the scalloped onion ( Allium crenulatum). After dr...
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: Kezar Triangle, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
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Thursday, August 13, 2015. Kezar Triangle, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Mr Wood Rat and I had occasion recently to cross Kezar Triangle on our way to eat a picnic lunch and watch the lawn bowlers in Golden Gate Park. We've crossed Kezar Triangle before, and enjoyed watching people play sports or exercise their dogs on the extensive green space. It was not otherwise very interesting, just a threadbare grassy field worn into rutted paths here and there that got soggy in the rain, bordered by three roads.
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: November 2014
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Tuesday, November 25, 2014. Maybe natives ARE better after all. While I prefer to plant California natives in my garden, I do, at times, wonder whether I'm getting carried away. Take Asclepias, the butterfly weed that is a primary food source for the Monarch butterfly. What could be wrong with planting a non-native butterfly weed? After all, the most favorite hangout of the monarchs along the California coast are the Eucalyptus trees. See the article for the details. Research is still ongoing, but I'...
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Town Mouse and Country Mouse: September 2014
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Wednesday, September 24, 2014. I had very much hoped to stay home for the rest of the year, but when I was sent to Bellevue, Washington, I decided to take the opportunity. And, imaging my delight when I found out that my hotel, on the wrong side of the freeway, was at the same time about a half mile from the Bellevue Botanical Garden. I especially enjoyed the herbaceous border, enchanting with different shades of green, and some fall bloomers. Just rocks on top of each other! Links to this post. All thin...