This summer we have frequently seen common wood-nymph butterflies in the landscape. Until I was able to get a positive identification, I wondered if they might be Carolina satyr butterflies (which turns out to be a wood-nymph cousin). Unfortunately, the frequent sightings have not yielded many photos because they are constantly moving (unless of course…
Author: Randy Litchfield
Thanks for a Great Day!!
Thanks to everyone who came out to our open garden yesterday. We had over 170 visitors! We so enjoyed meeting people and exchanging interests, insights, and experiences with native plants! Thanks to Columbus Wild Ones, North Central Ohio Pollinator Pathway, Delaware County Master Gardener Volunteers, Leaves for Wildlife, Natives in Harmony, and Scioto Gardens for…
Dazzling Night Lights: Fireflies
We are starting to see a good number of fireflies in the yard now. It is so enchanting to see the lights in the night flicker and dance! We also frequently see them during the day. Even without the lights, I feel a friendly vibe from their meandering. We like to think that their presence…
A Tangled Tale: Vines
There is a group of plants that is often neglected… vines. These plants can fulfill several functions in a landscape design as well as provide ecological function. There are a number of native vines that can be used in place of invasive or potentially invasive vine species. Vines need to be used wisely because even…
Time to Get Buzzing!
The emergence of spring wildflowers is getting a lot of attention now, but insects are getting active too. I’ve seen several butterflies and moths flitting around (unfortunately I was not able to get IDs). When we see spring beauties (Claytonia virginica), we also notice bees on them. Likely these are spring beauty mining bees (Andrena…
It’s Spring! Oh No… Weeds and Invasives!
Like everyone else, we’re excited about the coming of spring! Terri recently posted about the early shoots of perennials and the season of spring wildflowers emerging. Bluebirds and other birds are busy and spring peepers are raising their voices. Seeing everything greening up feels so good! Then we see them… weeds and invasive plants! Early…
Things Seem Early This Year – Phenology
People routinely speculate about whether plants are leafing out and blooming earlier or later than usual. When leaves and blooms emerge varies a lot relative to our human calendar. However, plants and insects mark time differently than we do. To understand this, we need to consider “phenology” and “growing degree days” (GDD). Phenology The USA…
Witch-hazel: What Are We Doing Here?
Our witch-hazel has been in bloom for a couple of weeks (late January and early February). The fact that it is blooming now is a clue that it is Hamamelis vernalis rather than Hamamelis virginiana, which blooms in the fall. Witch-hazels are nifty plants. Extracts from witch-hazels are mildly astringent and their forked-branches have been…
Open Garden July 13th, 10 am to 4 pm
Terri and Randy Litchfield invite you to visit Catchfly Commons, their home garden hosting roughly 275 native species on a 1.3 acre property and featured in Ohio Magazine in March/April 2023. 707 Bunty Station Road, Delaware, OH 43015watch for parking signs Add to Calendar | Directions This is also the public July event for the Columbus…
Happy New Year (belatedly) from Catchfly Commons!
It is a bit late to post a reflection on 2023, but here goes! Last year was a very good one for us! Here are some highlights… Public Engagement In March, the garden was featured in Ohio Magazine (“How to Plant a Native Ohio Garden”). Terri did a couple of presentations. One was “Gardening for…
Catchfly Commons 