April Showers

Hi River Roaders,

There is something special about the saturated greens and shadow-less light of a drizzly April day that draws my attention to the textures of the plants around me. 

Our new front pathway is almost done.  All that is remaining is a short stone pathway to connect to Whittier, adding edging on the steps, and installation of some landscaping. 

I’ve always admired the single eastern hemlock tree (Tsuga canadensis) in our memorial garden. Rare in Montgomery County and threatened by the wooly adelgid and climate change, somehow this wonderful tree is hanging in there. 

“Sedges have edges, rushes are round, and grasses have joints…” goes a naturalist’s mnemonic. There are at least two species of sedge here (top and right) and one nice rush (left middle). We planted about 40 soft rush (Juncus effuses) along our spring creek last year to stabilize the banks and hopefully out-compete the invasive ivy and creeping euonymus.

The first flowering from one of the 30 native shrubs we planted earlier this year! This is one of two chokeberries (Aronia arbutifoloia) we planted. 

The young fronds of a Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides).

The prayer flags made by our Religious Education students always make me happy.

Have a great week.

Joe