The plant world has numerous, amazing examples of resilience. Cycads, for example, are fascinating ancient plants thought to have evolved from ferns. Having been around for nearly 300 million years, they are models of longevity and hardiness. What are cycads? Think dinosaurs and the Jurassic period, which was so dominated by cycads that it is
By Rosalie Robison Many know Beatrix Potter as the author and illustrator of famous children’s books like The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but there’s another side to her. Before she became known for popular children’s characters like Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle Duck, she drew hundreds of fungi and experimented with growing mushroom spores. One
Crazy fact: Nearly one of every ten species of flowering plants is an orchid. Current tallies have about 28,000 species of orchids (with many, many more hybrids and cultivars), which is twice as many bird species and four times as many mammal species. For some reason, I have never much cared for orchids. Something about
It’s strawberry season, which in my view officially kicks off the season of fresh fruit–finally! I have issues… with fruit. Up until now only a select few in my close circle have been aware of my…what should I call it: Fruit phobia? Fruit antithesis? Fruit nemesis??? The truth is, I have fruit trust issues. Too
Ephemeral: something that lasts for a very short time Fresh: new or recently made, as being not spoiled or not preserved, or as being energized or not tired. Spring is a time like no other. After the utter desperation of winter, we are starved for vibrant life and color. I have heard the season described
The winter cracks our perception of ourselves. The seasons toss us through cycles of wash, rinse, dry, and tumble; every year we get the same treatment even though we sense each stage in a cycle of unique moments. Nature signals familiar patterns if we look, but many of us now live a life of screens:
Inhale the fragrance of coconut geraniums or spicy shell ginger, pop a citrusy kumquat into your mouth, and pretend you’re in the Mediterranean while the snowstorm rages outside. Welcome to the UWM Greenhouse, located on the UW-Milwaukee campus in Wisconsin. I began volunteering at the Greenhouse after becoming a UWM employee in 2018. Before the
I’m obsessed with peppers. Perhaps it’s because I spent my formative years in the southern California desert. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in southern California AND my favorite band was the Red Hot Chili Peppers (sorry, not sorry). Perhaps I have a lot of supertaster buds. Perhaps it was the tour of the Louisiana
Part of the Eat Your Greens series. See all the delicious ways you can eat your greens! We’re supposed to eat our greens. As the Popeye tune goes, “I’m strong to the finich cause I eats me spinach!” I think greens are fascinating. They are universal: people worldwide use and appreciate greens in the various
Part of the Eat Your Greens series. See all the delicious ways you can eat your greens! alliaceous : resembling garlic or onion especially in smell or taste For Wisconsin gardeners, spring is a tumultuous time of year full of excitement and dashed hopes. It’s also a time when little is growing, making the things that
