Pause Before Cutting

Now that summer is officially here, everything is growing like crazy. This includes not only flowers and vegetables, but weeds as well. Although it is easy to be tempted to get out the  weed wacker at every opportunity (particularly since I just got a new ECHO cordless trimmer), using manual tools will cause less harm to unintended targets. It is breeding season and if you aren't careful, you may inadvertently disturb a nest or destroy foliage to which certain species rely. This is what almost happened yesterday, when I went to remove a milkweed plant next to our foundation. Fortunately, I looked first and noticed a small monarch caterpillar. It was only about an inch long and would have been easy to miss. To prevent moisture buildup around the sill, we keep plants away from the foundation, but this one will be allowed to stay.

Common milkweed

Small monarch caterpillar

As the temperature heats up, salads become a perfect meal and are easy to modify based upon what is in season and what you have available in your kitchen. This recipe, adapted from Good Housekeeping, is packed with protein and was a breeze to put together.

White Bean, Tuna and Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh green beans

1 15-oz can small white beans

1 5-oz can albacore tuna

3 hard boiled eggs

1-2 heads romaine lettuce

1 cup baby spinach   

1 Tablespoon pesto

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Fresh basil leaves

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half

Trim and cook the green beans until barely tender (3-4 minutes.) Rinse under cold water and set aside. Drain and rinse the white beans. Trim lettuce and tear into small pieces. Toss in a large bowl with the spinach. Add the beans, tomatoes and tuna. Make dressing by combine the pesto with the vinegar and oil. If too thick, add more oil and vinegar. Toss the dressing into the salad and top with egg slices and basil leaves.

 

Ferns Ferns Everywhere

Sensitive ferns

We returned from a two and a half week vacation the beginning of June. When we had left in May, Spring had barely started, but while we were away the plants really took off. The most noticeable growth was with the ferns. I love these feathery plants, but not want them taking over my perennial beds.

I recently purchased a pocket guide to ferns of the Northeast, Identifying Ferns the Easy Way by Lynn Levine.  The ferns in our yard provided me with a good opportunity to practice these identification techniques. The photo above shows a group of Sensitive Ferns (Onoclea sensibilis) in one of my planting beds. Their name is derived from the fact that they are sensitive to the first frost. The plants will turn brown later in the season. They prefer partial shade and wet soils, and the plants are often used as shelter by frogs and salamanders. This area where they are growing is not particularly wet, but it does receive some shade from a crabapple and white pine trees.  

Hay-scented ferns (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)

In another perennial bed, Hay-scented ferns have taken over. The Hay-scented ferns are great for adding to a bouquet of flowers. They grow individually and seem to grow anywhere. Here they enjoy partial shade under an oak and choke cherry tree. They are easy to pull up, so I am constantly thinning them over the summer. The book reads that Hay-scented ferns can interfere with the regeneration of hardwood forests and looking at the photo above, it is easy to see why. 

The Hay-scented fern can sometimes be confused with Lady fern, latin name Athyrium angustum (above.) There are a couple key differences. Instead of fronds growing individually, they grow in clusters. This cluster next to our foundation comes back every year. Another unique feature is that the stalk of the Lady fern it will be covered with dark long scales as in the photo below.

  

Ferns are a resilient and amazing plant in that they first appeared on earth 400 million years ago and have survived several mass extinctions. Ferns come in all shapes and sizes. While hiking in the White Mountains this past weekend, we observed this ferns on a large glacial erratic boulder. It was only about three inches long. I never cease to be awed by the variety and uniqueness of species in the natural world, and now, but learning a little more about them, I have an even greater appreciation of  ferns.