Here’s another good choice for winter tree identification:  River Birch.

 

You can see that it has fabulous exfoliating bark.  I’ve read that they don’t have to be planted near water;  you can actually grow them here in the mountains.  I’ve seen a couple in our neighborhood.  

 

These are in Meeks Park.  There are quite a few of them.

 

I hope you see some in your travels.

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

 

 

This is a great time of year for Tree Identification.  

 

You can’t always go by the leaves;  bark, silhouettes, and other characteristics help to identify trees in winter.

 

This is an American Beech.  Look at the bark, and you can see that it looks a little like camouflage fabric.  The other cool identifier is that in our cold hardiness zone, they don’t drop their leaves, even though they are deciduous trees.  They hold on to their leaves until the new leaf buds push them off in the spring.  

 

So when you’re out for a walk or drive, notice the trees in the woods with brown leaves and camo bark:  American Beech.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

Not all the trees have dropped their leaves.  Here is a gorgeous Holly tree with lots of green leaves and berries.  It’s my favorite holly tree;  and I get to see it every time we walk the loop.  

 

This time of year it is extra pretty, and it makes me smile every time.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

Remember those beautiful Hickory trees?  It was just a couple weeks ago that they were golden against the blue sky.  Well, the sky is still blue, but the leaves are on the ground.

 

Looks like winter will soon be upon us.  Another beautiful season in the mountains.  

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

 

 

 

 

This is my parsley.  It is about 16 inches across.  I had a few Black Swallowtail caterpillars nearby on my carrots, but they didn’t get into the parsley.  So we still have parsley, just no carrot leaves.  

 

That’s ok.  Everybody has to eat something.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Fall isn’t completely over here.  Most of the Maple trees, Dogwoods, Sycamores, and Gingkos have dropped their leaves, but the Oaks are still hanging onto theirs.  You can see a few on the mountainsides.  The reddest ones are Red Oaks, and the browner ones are Chestnut and White Oaks.  I love them all.

 

I hope your Fall is still beautiful, wherever you are.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The choices are kale, kale, and kale.  Let’s cook kale.  

 

There is green kale, purple kale, blue kale, and dinosaur kale.  

 

We love it all.  Good thing, too, because there’s a lot of it.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Can you believe the color on this cabbage?  I planted 5 of them in the garden, and they are simply gorgeous right now.  They aren’t making little cabbage heads yet, but the leaves sure are pretty.  Could be our lack of rain.  

 

Doesn’t matter;  I love seeing them in the garden.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I was hoping to use these broccoli florets in a casserole, but they are a little too opened up for that.  Maybe I will just put them in a vase.  I love them both ways.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is one of several Salad Burnet plants that I planted back in February.  I sowed the seeds along with my kale, cabbage,  and lettuce seeds.  And they all went out into the garden in March.  

 

Salad Burnet isn’t one of those greens you can buy in the grocery store.  You have to grow it yourself.  But it is easy to grow from seeds;  you can even grow it in a pot on your patio.  

 

And it is delicious.  It tastes (and smells) a little like cucumbers.  I love brushing against it in the garden.  

 

As you can see, they still look great!  Guess they don’t mind the cold either.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!