I love flowers and plants, but a close second is photographing Lake Michigan on my frequent walks. Hope you enjoy a few of my recent pictures………….
I love flowers and plants, but a close second is photographing Lake Michigan on my frequent walks. Hope you enjoy a few of my recent pictures………….
I try to amuse myself in winter so I don’t dwell on the cold conditions and the remote existence from gardening activities. Thought I would share some pictures from my winter “pun”-derland with you as we mark the days off the calendar until the arrival of spring!
I went for a run today. I was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt on Groundhog Day February 2 in Michigan. Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow today but it’s hard to believe we have 6 more weeks of winter ahead of us. Speaking of rodents, on my run it became obvious that the “dirty deeds” of the ground moles were evident to all without the cover of snow. Holey Moley……this looks like a job for Plantman! In addition I saw a sight we haven’t seen much of this winter to our lawns…..the dreaded Snowplow Disease!
Back in 2003 I was on the cover of the Grand Rapids Press when a draft version and rumblings of a new plant hardiness zone map were being discussed. The map was pulled from circulation which showed dramatic northward movement of hardiness zones. Some of this vacillation may have been over disagreements on the political hot button of global warming. In 2006 the Arbor Day Foundation issued a map showing climate zones had shifted. The USDA with their new map release confirms these trends today. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/# Plant hardiness zones represent the average extreme minimum temperatures at a location. They don’t reflect the coldest a location has gotten or will get, but rather the average lowest winter temperature. The updated map, the first update since 1990, moves from a static map to an interactive map allowing the user to zero in on their neighborhood....