pawpaws 🍈 Our pawpaw fruits are getting bigger!! ...shown with my hand for size comparison (and a ground cover of lemon balm underneath). 🍈 We planted the pawpaw trees nine years ago and have waited eagerly for them to start producing. Not only are we thrilled to see our largest one begin fruiting now, it is also coinciding with another wonderful development at the farm and sanctuary. Exciting News... 🍈 We are anticipating the ...
(Aromatic Aster and Honeybee ~ October 2022) Last week, Dan, Brennah, and I met with Bridget and Charlie of Garden Juju Collective to receive an update on their progress with creating the design for the Sanctuary land. They are working on taking the plan that we have communicated to them and putting the design on paper using aerial photos, topographical maps, and making multiple visits to observe what's been happening on the land. They are currently still ...
Photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLCAnother wildflower currently blossoming at Crossing Hedgerows is our white Virginia Bluebells. This plant was given to us by our friend Gary Urick, along with the Aconite which was mentioned in a previous post. According to the University of Wisconsin Horticulture, regarding Virginia Bluebells: "It is considered threatened in its native range, primarily because of habitat destruction and the prevention of natural flooding of rivers, and is increasingly found only in isolated locations." "The flowers ...
Cardinals and Forsythia BushThis is the time of year when we see whole flocks of cardinals around the farm and sanctuary. Today we have a fresh covering of snow and the cardinals are so beautiful against the white (and dull greens and browns) of winter. Five cardinals (three males and two females) in a cedar treeBirds are a high priority for us at Crossing Hedgerows. Many of the perennial trees, bushes, and herbs we have planted are not ...
Continuing from my previous post about food forest crops, sunchokes are one of the perennials we've planted around the farmstead area. As you can see, they have a gorgeous flower which blossoms in late summer. They're a type of sunflower with an edible tuber root which can be used similarly to potatoes, though they have perhaps more of a water chestnut consistency. Also they can be eaten raw, sliced up on a salad with a bit of ...
bumble bee with pollen (in flight) on shrubby st John's wort One of the many wonderful aspects of the Sanctuary is the wide variety of plant life. The featured photos are of St. John's wort taken by Brennah Cavanaugh. We have a couple different varieties of St. John's wort, in fact! It's exciting to consider all the different sorts of ways we can appreciate these plant friends and share knowledge about them. We hope you ...