Catchfly Commons

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…

Spring Wildflowers and our State Nature Preserves

Not only are most native plants pushing their way up, the spring ephemerals are starting to bloom! Every Friday from March through mid-May, ODNR publishes the Wildflower Bloom Report. The report is an open invitation to visit a state nature preserve and see some of these fleeting blooms in their forest homes. While the trees…

Look Down!

A couple of weeks ago we had 8-10” of snow. A concrete block on the concrete patio outside the kitchen window was covered with 10” of snow. Snow in the yard looked to be closer to 5”. The reason is that the ground had warmed up considerably before the snow fell and was holding its…

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…

A Photo Summary of Winter Sowing

An overview was given in a November blogpost which stated my intention to do winter sowing at the end of December or very early January. But here it is, the end of January. It’s possible that some of the seeds will not get the full length of cold they require because I got started so…

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…

The Desert Will Bloom

Many denominations within the Christian religious tradition observe the season of Advent. It includes the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to Christmas day. Hope, peace, love, and joy are central topics of reflection. The timing of Advent overlaps with Hanukkah (the festival of lights) in Judaism and the winter solstice (the shortest day of…