Life Up Close in the Garden

The winter garden looks so quiet, even dead, to the casual observer. Gardeners know that it is a time of rest for many plants – their roots are quietly growing under the soil and dormant buds wait for the warmth and longer days of spring before unfolding. 

Scalloped edge of a catnip leaf dotted with moisture

Here in north Georgia, there is still plenty of life in the garden despite appearances. Winter birds flit from bush to tree and down to the ground in search of seeds and bugs. I wrote last week about leaving seed heads and leaves in place for birds to find what hides there.

And what does hide there? Now I can see! I got a Dino-Lite Digital Microscope for Christmas and it lets me see AND take pictures of things close up. The first living plant that I grabbed for inspection was a piece of catnip that was growing on a pot on the porch. I was amazed to find that a group of ultra-tiny bugs was making that leaf their home. Under the close lens of the microscope, they bustled to and fro among the tiny hairs on the leaf. I never would have known they were there … yet there they were living out a life all their own.

Aphid - antennae flat but he was waving them around

Next I grabbed a piece of evergreen sedum (Sedum ternatum) to examine and found another colony of bugs – different from the first ones even; luckily for my picture-taking abilities, these bugs hardly moved at all. This one seemed distinctive enough to identify and a friend suggested it was an aphid. I looked up pictures on the web and indeed it perfectly matched to pictures of aphids.

Beetle on goldenrod seedhead

After examining two green plants, I decided to look at a plant with seeds so that I could see what the seeds looked like. I cut a piece of goldenrod (Solidago erecta) and was surprised to find a tiny beetle rapidly crawling around each of the fluffy seedheads. After several attempts, I finally snagged a decent picture of it.

Of course it is also nice to see the beautiful structure of the seeds. In this picture with the bug you can only see the fluffy part that carries the seed to the ground and then detaches.

The back of the oak leaf is very fuzzy; now you can see WHY

Next I decided to look at leaves that were dead but still attached to the twig on the tree. I looked at a chalk maple (Acer leucoderme) and southern red oak (Quercus falcata). Neither had any active bugs on them, but the texture of the leaves was fascinating close up. I even found a tiny little spider web draped across part of the oak leaf.

The maple leaf, up close

Can you see the tiny spider's threads? Is she there to catch a tiny bug?

If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, here’s one:  Resolve to learn more about the many bugs (most of them beneficial) that inhabit our gardens and how you can live peacefully with them and appreciate the many services that they perform in our shared ecosystem. See life up close in the garden … and realize how important every bit of it is.

A farewell note to my friend Murrel Creekmore who passed away on December 22, 2012. At 79 years old, he was a superb plantsman. In our 12 year friendship, he taught me much and there were days I could hardly keep up with him in the woods.  You will be missed, Murrel.

Puffs of Winter

Winter is a time of rest for many things. In Georgia, especially in the northern half of the state, many plants go dormant and rest quietly - especially above ground. Left alone, seed heads and dead leaves cling to limbs and stems to remind us of what was there before.

Solidago erecta

Now is a good time for us to rest as well - relax and leave the garden be. Seed heads left standing provide food for overwintering birds, both the year-round residents and the those that stop to winter here.

Stems and leaves left in the garden are fine hiding places for small bugs. Bugs that become bird food when they are discovered by clever birds. Recently I saw several different birds searching through leaf litter on the ground for bugs: a brown thrasher, a male cardinal, a Carolina wren, and some type of warbler. I remember very well seeing a flock of cedar waxwings last winter land in a maple that still had old leaves clinging to the twigs. They quickly searched every leaf for bugs and then took off again.

So take a break from garden chores and let nature have her way with your leavings. Spend your time appreciating what the winter garden has to offer: silhouettes of deciduous trees against the sky, puffy seed heads, a tumbled jumble of crisp leaves on the ground. Another blogger captured it perfectly in her post about the garden as muse. Such artistic shapes that nature creates for us to enjoy!

Now that your eyes are not distracted by pretty flowers, hear the birds call to one another. Here is a good video of cardinal bird songs; cardinals have such a variety of sounds.

Without the leaves on the shrubs, you have a better opportunity to watch them flit in and out looking for bugs and the last few berries. The duller colors in the landscape make their colors seem all the brighter.

Spring will be here soon enough. Enjoy the unique look of winter before the puffs blow away.

Deciduous Conifers

The mention of “conifer” invokes a picture of evergreen trees like pines, firs and spruces. Those trees are conifers, their “fruits” are cones, and they do hold onto their “leaves” (that is, needles) all winter. There are other conifers, however, that don’t fit that profile. Junipers, for example, have fruits that appear to be blue berries but in fact are cones with fused scales. Other conifers have leaves that change color and fall off every winter. Those trees are known as deciduous conifers. Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one of two that are native to Georgia.

Fall foliage of Taxodium distichum

Other native deciduous conifers in North America are the larches (Larix spp.) which grow more north of Georgia, the pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) which is also native to Georgia, and several non-native trees such as the dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) and the Chinese swamp cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis).

 
I recently came upon a group of bald cypress trees (Taxodium distichum) that were turning brown and shedding their needles. They also happened to have some fruit still attached so I stopped to gather some and take some pictures.

Taxodium distichum

As the cones ripen, the scales separate, revealing wrinkled brown seeds inside. 

As we reached up to pick some of the ripe cones, they shattered in our hands. We found one unripe cone; you can see the scales are still tight compared to the broken one.





 
For comparison's sake, I stopped by a church that I knew had a dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) planted there. I knew the two trees looked similar so I wanted to find the differences. The two differences that I noticed immediately: the cones and seeds were very different, and the foliage on the dawn redwood disintegrated in our hands.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Look at those tiny, papery seeds next to the cones! Once the seeds are released, the cones do retain their shape and would make nice decorations.

Dawn redwood upper; bald cypress lower

Here is a picture of the foliage of both trees side by side. You can see that the individual needles are falling off the frond of the dawn redwood (upper in the picture). The foliage of the bald cypress (lower) is also softer to the touch.

Ripe cones of bald cypress

Bald cypress is a wonderful tree for the landscape. It is very tolerant of wet areas and so is one to consider if you are dealing with poor drainage. And the next time someone tells you that conifers are evergreen, you can tell them "Not always!"

Ideas for Winter Reading: Beginner's List

At any moment in time someone is discovering the beauty and importance of native plants. Books that are old favorites to some become new treasures for those just learning. 

Here are some of my favorite books for plant identification, inspiration and reference material. What are some of your favorites?




Plant identification:

A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-Central North America (A Peterson Field Guide) by Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny; Houghton Mifflin, Revise, 1998; ISBN 0395911729

Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia
by Lloyd H. Snyder Jr. and James G. Bruce; University of Georgia Press, 1986; ISBN 0-8203-0847-1

Grasses: An Identification Guide
by Lauren Brown; Houghton Mifflin Co., Reprin, 1979; ISBN 0395628814

Native Trees of the Southeast: An Identification Guide
by L. Katherine Kirkman, Donald J. Leopold and Claude L. Brown; Timber Press, 2007; ISBN 0881928283

Newcombs Wildflower Guide
by Lawrence Newcomb; Little, Brown, and Company, 1977; ISBN 0-316-60442-9

Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary
by James G. Harris, Melinda Woolf Harris, 2001; ISBN 978-0964022164

Woody Plants of the Southastern United States: A Winter Guide
by Ron Lance; The University of Georgia Press, 2004; ISBN:0820325244

Inspiration:

Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
by Douglas W. Tallamy; Timber Press, 2007; ISBN: 978-0-88192-854-9

Landscaping with Nature
by Jeff Cox; Rodale Press, 1991; ISBN 0-87857-911-7

The Landscaping Revolution: Garden with Mother Nature Not Against Her
by Andy Wasowski with Sally Wasowski; Contemporary Books, 2003; ISBN 007141312X

Reference:

American Azaleas

by L. Clarence Towe; Timber Press, 2004; ISBN 0-88192-645-0

Armitage's Native Plants for North American Gardens

by Allan M. Armitage; Timber Press, 2006; ISBN 0-88192-760-0

Native Ferns, Moss, & Grasses
by William Cullina; Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008; ISBN: 978-0-618-53118-9

Native Trees for North American Landscapes

by Guy Sternberg with Jim Wilson; Timber Press, 2004; ISBN 0-88192-607-8

Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants by William Cullina; Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002; ISBN 0618098585

Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web
by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis; Timber Press, 2006; ISBN 0-88192-777-5

The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists: The Best Plants for All Your Needs, Wants, and Whims
by Lois Trigg Chaplin; Taylor Publishing, 1994; ISBN 0878338446

Viburnums: Flowering Shrubs for Every Season

by Michael Dirr; Timber Press, 2007; ISBN: 978-0881928532