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Author Archives: Andrea Jones
Pets
For a whole bunch of different reasons, we do not have housepets. Actually, in the case of cats, there’s one very good reason, which is that Doug is highly allergic, even though he likes cats and they universally adore him. … Continue reading
This Fall Interval
In this interval, we hauled the hay, stacked the wood, stowed the cushions from the outdoor furniture. We transported the flowerpots that spent the summer adorning the decks around the house down the hill to the greenhouse. If the plants … Continue reading
Posted in change of seasons, color, fall, gardening, spring, summer, winter
9 Comments
On Tomatoes
Revolting. If you had asked me when I was a kid what I thought of tomatoes, that’s probably the word I would have offered—or “gross” maybe, or “disgusting” when I was a little older. Actually, you probably wouldn’t have had … Continue reading
Posted in cooking and recipes, fall, gardening, summer
Tagged cooking with tomatoes, gazpacho, high altitude gardening, José Andrés, romesco sauce, tomatoes
7 Comments
Vacation Reflections
Well, vacations—both the planned of July and the unplanned of August—are over: time to get back to writing work. What better way to get back into the routine than to reflect on the break? About not writing in August, there’s … Continue reading
Posted in observation, trees and plants, wildflowers, writing
Tagged 2019 wildflower season, Colorado wildflowers, field guides, nature writing
8 Comments
Sunny Flowers
If you’ve been following this series of blog posts featuring the wildflowers blooming in our part of Colorado this July, you may have noticed a relative dearth of the classic and recognizable form commonly referred to as sunflowers. The local … Continue reading
Posted in summer, trees and plants, wildflowers
Tagged Asteraceae, Colorado wildflowers, composite flowers, sunflowers
6 Comments
Penstemons
Thirty days ago, I was inspired to blog the bloom by a prolific little flower I called “the little purple penstemon that blooms earlier than most of the penstemons” (kindly identified as P. virens by Susan J. Tweit in the comments … Continue reading
Pioneers
Not all of our wildflowers insist on living “wild.” Pioneer plants are the first to colonize disturbed ground, including construction sites and burn areas. They help recover disturbed soil by stabilizing against erosion and shading tender seedlings. What makes them … Continue reading
Posted in summer, trees and plants, wildflowers
Tagged Achillea millefolium, Colorado wildfloers, curly-cup gumweed, Grindelia squarrosa, yarrow
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Astragulus
Friends, the month of July is running out of days faster than I am running out of flowers to post. Here, then, is a sampling of the flowers from the Astragulus genus. By sharing them as a group, I’m able … Continue reading
Posted in summer, trees and plants, wildflowers
Tagged astragulus, Colorado wildflowers, locoweed, milkvetch
2 Comments
Weedy Looking Not-Weeds
The conventional definition of a weed is a plant s growing where it’s not wanted. By that subjective measure, any of the twenty-six wildflowers featured on this blog over the past few weeks might qualify as a weed if it’s … Continue reading
Posted in summer, trees and plants, wildflowers
Tagged Colorado wildflowers, evening star, Mentelizia, prickly poppy, scorpionweed, weeds
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Yellowdot Saxifrage
This flower-a-day project has encouraged me to look closer at familiar blooms, but I’ve also found new ones, which has been great fun. I knew this plant, but not its flower. The foliage grows in mats of tightly clustered rosettes, … Continue reading
