A New Place, a New Garden

Oak saplings at MWRD Dear Readers, Over the past few months, I have heard from a number of folks asking when I would start posting again. This has been heartening: an interested (small) reading public! Soon, I’d say and then do, not much. The truth is, since last I posted, almost two years ago, my life has changed a great deal in ways both dramatic and subtle. It’s taken awhile to adapt. In early 2023, my husband and I decided to leave our old, loved house with its 35-year-old native plant garden, and move into a hundred-year-old two-flat with our grown daughter and her dog. We felt happy to be upholding that fine old Chicago tradition of multi-generational two-flat living. However, like anyone else who has left long-term, settled life in one place, we discovered that the phrase “we moved,” doesn’t even begin to do justice to the upheaval involved. And then there’s the starting over/settling in process requiring new adjustments and forming new habits of life, for much longer than you m...

Garlic Mustard Update

Today in the woods I discovered several garlic mustard plants with the telltale holes in the leaves that indicate insect munchers, and several others that appeared to have some sort of fungal disease. Perhaps some sort of shift is beginning, so they'll eventually settle into the ecosystem?

Comments

Diana Studer said…
When I was carefully ripping out Paterson's Curse, I found a tiny caterpillar. Now what, do I leave a few?
Hmmm. What is Paterson's Curse? I'll have to go look that up.

I was just interested to see these signs on the garlic mustard because so far, biologists haven't found any biological controls that would keep it in check. I did leave those particular plants and will probably go back in a couple of days and look at them again.
Anonymous said…
The whole garlic mustard issue is very interesting. If enough people start loving garlic mustard pesto,that could help. Re: Asian carp: noticed an article about a Chicago chef who is serving a ceviche made of that fish, and his customers liked it. :et's hope lots of chefs will follow that lead.
Good job on awareness raising.
M.