The Tiny Hands Project

The fallen blossoms of crossvine
(Bignonia capreolata)

I’m seeing a lot of a certain pair of tiny hands lately. We’ve been ‘quaranteaming’ our 2-year-old grandson during the pandemic shutdown, and those little hands are into everything at our house. 

Since we’ve had such beautiful weather, I’ve had many opportunities to get him outside and get those hands into nature. He doesn’t always want to have his picture taken, but he’s been tolerant of holding things for me to take a photo.

This is a collection of those photos (all phone photos, of course). 

In between photos, we are throwing sweetgum balls into the stream, pebbles into the neighbors’ pond, pine cones into a water-filled wheelbarrow, and watering plants like crazy. He loves water. My friend gave him a 5-piece set of the frog life-cycle: egg cluster, 3 stages of tadpoles, and a fully grown ‘daddy’ frog. Those frogs jump in and out of watering cans, pans of water, and bowls of suds. We found one tiny real frog among the pots, but it was too fast to hold onto.

Mushrooms

Different pine cones (to him, it's 'big' and 'small')

Iris virginica is a big plant!

Tulip-tree flower (Liriodendron)

We’re gradually learning to appreciate bugs and understand they have a job to do. Small tasks around the yard—potting up small plants, pulling weeds, watering thirsty pots—they are all opportunities to help as far as he’s concerned and he has jumped in with both hands on everything. He loves to help.

Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

Adding fresh food for monarchs

A snail!

Helping to sort plants

I don’t know when this will end, but it is a time that we are definitely treasuring. Of course I am grateful to have such a yard (and a garden) where staying in place can be a joy, but really that was part of my master plan about using Georgia's native plants in the landscape. Nature lives here, and every moment sharing it with him is just one of my rewards.

A path walked many times, from back yard to front yard

Understanding Botanical Latin

Eurybia divaricata

Known as botanical Latin or scientific Latin, it is the tongue-twisting nomenclature rooted (literally) in a language which technically does not exist. According to Wikipedia, it is a language based on New Latin and used specifically for description of organisms. For those looking to identify a plant in a serious way, it is essential—it is how you know what you really have (unlike common names which can be shared by multiple plants and which can have meanings that are not always obvious, such a plant called ‘pineland-ginseng’ which is not related to the other plant with the common name ginseng at all).

I interchangeably refer to the official name of a plant as either the scientific name or the Latin name. It is the name given by taxonomists to plants (as well as all organisms, you may know humans as Homo sapiens). Sometimes the name given never changes; sometimes the names are replaced with new (determined to be more accurate) names but they always keep the old name as a synonym. For example, the New World plants known as Aster are now reclassified into several new genera (‘genera’ is the plural of genus—they were actually split into more than one new genus). What was Aster divaricatus is now Eurybia divaricata. A surprising number of nurseries still call it that.

Botanical Latin is composed of two parts: the genus name which is a noun and is always capitalized (Quercus for oak);  and the species epithet which is an adjective, is not capitalized, and often provides some descriptive information (such as alba, indicating white: Quercus alba). Then the whole thing is italicized. Occasionally, the species name may be hyphenated but remains a single adjective: Athyrium filix-femina for lady fern. Varieties and subspecies may add extra terms beyond the species epithet: Chrysogonum virginianum var. brevistolon for the short-stolon variety of green & gold; or Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis for American elderberry.

Chrysogonum virginianum var. brevistolon is my favorite!

Let’s talk a minute about the species epithet. It is selected for a number of reasons: it might describe color (alba/white, rubra/red), origin or habitat (georgianum/of Georgia, occidentalis/western), form or habit (maculata/spotted, hirta/hairy, altissima/tall, arborea/tree-like). Occasionally, plants are named to honor someone and the name doesn’t offer any descriptive clue at all (michauxii, porteri, loriae).

The spelling of the species name can vary quite a bit and I believe that might be rooted more in an attempt to match Latin characteristics (male/female). As a fun exercise, I found every spelling of the epithet “of Virginia” that I could (Georgia doesn’t have as many but here’s a blog I did about it):

Claytonia virginica 

Chionanthus virginicus 

Diospyros virginiana 

Veratrum virginicum 

Botrychium virginianum 

Cirsium virginense 

Saxifraga virginiensis

Penstemon smallii, named for Mr. Small

Here is another aspect to spelling to consider. Often the ending of the species name will match the ending of the genus name: Helianthus angustifolius, but sometimes it doesn’t: Prunus angustifolia. It's a pain to have to look it up everytime when memorization fails you.

If I’m struggling to remember the spelling (the aforementioned Chickasaw plum makes me pause almost every time), I use a little trick that I created: I remember another species in the same genus—in this case I think of black cherry, Prunus serotina—and then apply the same ending (the ‘a’ in this case). So far that hasn't failed me but I'm sure there's an exception out there somewhere to trip me up.

I hope this was interesting and maybe even helpful. Here are a couple of resources that I found helpful. Now go out there and memorize the Latin name of your favorite plant.

https://awaytogarden.com/decoding-botanical-latin/

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/latin-plant-names.htm

Scary Spiderwort? Trade up your Tradescantia

Smooth spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Reaction to mention of the native perennial spiderwort (Tradescantia sp.) can be extreme: “Save me from that horrible thug!” Similar to explaining about goldenrod (Solidago sp.), it can be some work to convince people that one aggressive member of the genus shouldn’t put you off from using the good ones.

There are a number of native spiderwort species, most of which seem to be native to Texas, and six are found in Georgia: hairystem spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis), hairyflower spiderwort (T. hirsutiflora), smooth spiderwort or bluejacket (T. ohiensis), longleaf spiderwort (T. roseolens), zigzag spiderwort (T. subaspera), and Virginia spiderwort (T. virginiana).

Smooth spiderwort (T. ohiensis) is the one that most people describe as aggressive. Tall, robust, and vividly-blue, you can distinguish it from its relatives by noticing the lack of hairs on the bloom buds (hence the common name ‘smooth’). There might be one or two hairs, but it should be largely hairless. The Virginia Native Plant Society also says: “The smooth spiderwort can be distinguished by non-hairy pedicels and sepals (except for a tuft of hairs at the apex) and its generally glaucous-waxy leaf surfaces.” The foliage might be partially evergreen in Georgia; mine even turns a bit purple some years in winter. I have it in two places and one of them is being covered up by a more aggressive plant—cutleaf coneflower (Rubeckia laciniata).

Smooth spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Tradescantia ohiensis

Two of the species are actually named for their hairiness: hairystem and hairyflower. You might think that could be confusing, but they actually have very different natural ranges. Hairystem (T. hirsuticaulis) is one of my favorites and has a variety of different flower shades. Its natural range follows the line of granite outcrops in Georgia. It is perfectly at home in the garden with good drainage. Hairyflower spiderwort (T. hirsutiflora) is naturally found in south Georgia so the only place you’d confuse them would be in a garden that has both.

My favorite color Tradescantia hirsuticaulis

3 different colors of T. hirsuticaulis at Nearly Native Nursery

Tradescantia subaspera (with a little
zigzag in the stem)

Longleaf spiderwort (T. roseolens) is another unique to south Georgia species (and rare); we’d be more likely to see it in Florida. North Georgia has its own species in zigzag spiderwort (T. subaspera), with a few appearances in the upper Coastal Plain (and strangely the panhandle of Florida). The crookedness of its stem is a characteristic for it. I have found it easily during the spring while hiking at Amicalola Falls State Park.

Virginia spiderwort (T. virginiana) has a rather small natural range in Georgia (largely NW Georgia) but has been used in gardens quite a bit. Like the similar smooth spiderwort, it has been passed along from gardener to gardener for many years. Tall like the smooth one, it is distinguished by the small hairs found on the bloom buds.

Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)

A white form of Tradescantia virginiana

There are few Tradescantia relatives (Commelinaceae family) that you might come across as well. Callisia graminea, formerly Cuthbertia graminea and Tradescantia rosea var. graminea, is a small plant called grassleaf roseling that is native to south Georgia. Murdannia nudiflora (dewflower) and Murdannia keisak are non-native weedy plants, the latter infesting wetlands, which you might find. A nearby horse field has the tiny Murdannia nudiflora in the shade by the fence and the flower quite resembles a tiny spiderwort bloom. Dayflowers (Commelina sp.)—both native and not—are also similar but a brighter blue in color.

Thank you for all the support over the years. I didn’t realize it until afterwards, but last week was my 500^th blog here. Georgia is a fabulously botanically diverse state and our native flora can beautify and enrich residential and professional gardens throughout the state. Our native plants are what make Georgia be GEORGIA. I hope that the information in this blog helps you to better appreciate and use Georgia’s native plants.

It’s The Little Things

The shelter-in-place orders/recommendations keep me largely at home these days. Instead of traveling away on field trips to see Georgia’s beautiful flora, I stay at home and wonder about the tiny flowers so long overlooked. Some of these tiny things are in my yard while others are ones that I have found on walks through the area.

Wild slender basil (Clinopodium gracile)

Take a walk with me through a week’s worth of tiny flowers and the journey of discovering them. I’ll start with a small pinkish one that got some discussion last year, might have been identified—I can’t remember now—but which popped up in my neighbor’s yard again this year.

It was clear that it was a member of the mint family (once you got out the hand lens or your reading glasses to see!).  Someone in a Facebook plant group identified it as Clinopodium gracile, slender wild basil. It is a non-native perennial that is very low-growing.

A white-flowering plant on the side of the road was the next puzzle. It looked very much like it would be in the Apiaceae family and my first thought went to Osmorhiza  (sweet root or sweet Cecily). However, I could not get it to match up (neither the flowers nor the foliage matched). I posted a photo on Facebook and my friend Jane provided the name: hairy-fruit chervil (Chaerophyllum tainturieri), a native annual plant (and yes, in the Apiaceae family so I got that part right!).

Chervil (Chaerophyllum tainturieri)

Developing fruits on chervil

On the same roadside, cheek-by-jowl with the chervil, was another tiny, white-flowering annual which I already knew: beaked corn salad (Valerianella radiata). I recognize it by the almost square look to each set of 4 (sometimes 5) tiny flowers (best perceived if you step back a bit, hence the photo below). I can only imagine the critters that feast off the abundance of tiny seeds that these two annuals produce.

Beaked corn salad (Valerianella radiata) with
yellow Medicago lupulina (non-native black medic)

So, with Osmorhiza on my mind, it was a complete surprise to find a small cluster of white flowers on the edge of the stream in my wooded area. Could it be? Yes, it is! Based on range, it would appear to be the species Osmorhiza longistylis. I love to find new things on my property.

Sweet root (Osmorhiza longistylis)

Osmorhiza longistylis

Back to the weedy roadside, a super tiny purple flower had me puzzled. Up close (and I mean with a hand lens!), the flower was very much like a buttonweed (Diodia) or a bluet (Houstonia). An email to my friend Richard brought a quick answer: field madder (Sherardia arvensis), a non-native annual in the Rubiaceae family—which explains the resemblance to the buttonweed and bluet since they are in the same family.

Field madder (Sherardia arvensis) can be prolific!

A favorite native annual is also just now starting to bloom in lawns. More foliage than flowers, this tiny geranium (Geranium carolinianum) has small, pale lavender flowers. Like its bigger cousins, this flower is often called cranesbill because of the appearance of the seed capsule.

Carolina geranium (Geranium carolinianum)

Be safe, folks, and be curious! Several years ago I wrote about other small flowers you might find growing in your lawn in spring. You can read that blog here.

Noontime at the Oasis

Why go at midnight when you can’t even see the plants? Besides, the Oasis is closed at midnight. I’m talking about the Native Oasis Botanical Garden in Fayetteville, GA, of course. It is part of the grounds of Nearly Native Nursery there. I went recently about mid-day and thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the blooms this time of year.

My favorite: hairy spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis) in a sea
of green & gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)

Even during this pandemic, responsibly-distanced people are welcome to visit during business hours (9-6, Wednesday through Saturday). The owners have created charming areas to showcase both sun and shade plants. As a permanent garden, they are able to illustrate how fully grown, in-ground plants will look and perform. Here are just a few of the beautiful things in bloom that day.

They are still selling plants too!

The garden and the nursery flow together like an old friend's house

Two pygmy fringe trees (Chionanthus pygmaeus)

A magnificent spread of Solomon's plume (Maianthemum racemosum)

Their blooming collection of baptisia starts with Baptisia alba 

The lesser known Baptisia bracteata was gorgeous in bloom

Baptisia spaerocarpa coming up through a chair, with old seedpods

Looks like poison ivy but it's wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliata),
host plant for giant swallowtail; with a coral honeysuckle bloom

I think they are the hairy spiderwort capital of Georgia;
all colors can be found and they pop up like 'weeds'

This buckeye (Aesculus) was gorgeous!

The native smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)
was in bloom

Points to those of you who got the reference to Maria Muldaur's 1974 hit 'Midnight at the Oasis.'

More from the Quarantined Home Front

An overwintered pipevine emerged yesterday

I’m not keeping track of what day it is, but we’re still here, hunkered down against the spread of the coronavirus. With this being the busiest plant season of the year, the count of cancelled activities is downright depressing: plant sales, meetings, workshops, field trips, and even simple visits with friends at their gardens! I know a lot of us are grateful to have our gardens—and even a chance to tackle some of the tasks we’ve set aside in busier times.

I've been thoroughly enjoying the new blooms each week. Spring really is magical for the amount of floral goodness that gets pumped out over 4-6 weeks. The azaleas were the show-stopper for me this past week—the fragrant blooms of both the Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescens) and the Florida azalea (R. austrinum) were much appreciated every day. The bright blooms of what I think is a natural cross between R. canescens and R. flammeum fooled my husband into thinking our dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor, located just behind the azalea) had some special flowers!

Rhododendron canescens

Rhododendron austrinum 'Earl's Gold'

A natural hybrid of R. canescens and R. flammeum (Sabal minor behind it)

I probably spent most of my time this week very close to the ground, exploring lawn flowers and weeds. In recognition that people are spending more time outside, several Facebook pages have been posting regular pictures of natural things (birds, plants, insects) that are visible now. My contributions have been roadside flowers and lawn weeds (including the dreadful Youngia japonica that I mentioned 3 weeks ago). I sure hope that this moment in history brings a lasting affection for being outside on a more regular basis.

Potentilla canadensis on left; non-native  Duchesnea indica on right

Native Krigia virginica (dwarfdandelion) with regular dandelion for comparison

Bigseed forget-me-not (Myosotis macrosperma)

Oxalis violacea (woodsorrel)

Froggy Out The Window

Hyla cinerea (back yard)

The green tree frog is our state amphibian in Georgia – Hyla cinerea. That doesn’t necessarily make it common so I was thrilled to find one in the backyard last fall. We do have gray tree frogs fairly regularly but not these green ones. I have seen 3 more this spring and two of them are hanging around this week. 

One is visible out my back window and the other is visible from the front window. It appears the one in the back has laid eggs in a deep saucer full of water that was nearby (thanks, rain). Since then she has been hunkered down in a pot, tucked under old leaves. I’ll be watching those eggs to see if anything develops.

I hope these are frog eggs!

The front frog stayed in a tall azalea for several days. I found another deep saucer and put some rain water in it and set it nearby. That evening, I found her hanging out in the water like it was a hot tub. I can’t tell if she laid any eggs so perhaps she didn’t.

Hyla cinerea - front yard

During this time of relative isolation, it sure is nice to have an extra bit of nature to share our digs. I like to think that not using pesticides plus our usage of native plants contributed to making them feel at home. I love our yard!

The eyelids of the frog reflecting the porch lights

Front yard frog takes a dip