This invasive tree produces delicious edible buds each spring! The huge buds of Japanese Angelica Tree (Aralia elata) is sometimes referred to as the “king of edible wild plants”, taranome, or dureup - they can be harvested just after the leaves start to break through the bud scales. In its native range, Aralia elata is a prized delicacy. My friends Tama and Derek took me along on their recent foraging trip to show me how to properly harvest the plant. Since it’s an invasive species here, Tama also showed me her “decapitation method”, which is meant to severely damage or kill the plant, thus limiting its ability to spread. There is a virtually identical native species called Devil’s Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa), which is primarily found in the southeastern US. The major differences between the two is the inflorescence shape: the native A. spinosa has a more upright inflorescence which is usually taller than wide, whereas the invasive A. elata typically has a wider and shorter inflorescence with multiple dominant stems. In my area here in southeast PA, the native one is virtually non-existant. Instead, the invasive one forms dense groves in disturbed woods, right-of-ways, and roadsides. Tama has posted some recipes on her IG page earlier today (meadowsandmore) - check them out! Lastly, Tama released a new book about using invasive weeds like this one to improve your foods and your ecosystem! Its called, “Into the Weeds - How to Garden Like a Forager” - you can check it out through the link in my bio. #aralia #araliaelata #invasive #foraging #intotheweeds #forage #plants #trees #tree #japaneseangelicatree #angelicatree #devilswalkingstick #dureup #taranome #spring #buds #gardening #garden #invasivespecies #fyp

Many native bee species are pollen speciaists, which means they require the pollen from one or a few different native genera of plants. Without these native flowers, these bees cannot survive. The Spring Beauty Miner Bee (Andrena erigeniae) is one such example, and I was excited to see them in action pollinating a streamside patch of spring beauties (Claytonia virginiana)! #bees #nativebees #spring #springbeauty #native #plants #nativeplants #flowers #insects #savethebees #fyp #gardening #garden

English ivy (Hedera helix) is a nightmare plant, and it should be banned for sale. It is native to Europe, but it causes a lot of issues when planted outside of its native range. Here in the eastern US, it harms our woodlands by outcompeting native plants on the woodland floor, and by climbing up trees. Let’s stop buying and planting this garbage! #ivy #englishivy #hederahelix #commonivy #invasivespecies #invasiveplants #trees #woods #forest #nativeplants #fyp #ecologicalrestoration

Every spring, I’m surprised by how early the Red Maples (Acer rubrum) and Silver maples (Acer saccharinum) start blooming here in the Philadelphia area. They are apparently mostly wind-pollinated, and their samaras (seeds) often ripen around leaf out. They are some of the earliest-blooming native trees in the eastern US. Last year, I gathered footage of all the different types of maple flowers, so I wanted to share a video of them all! I hope you enjoy, and I hope you’ll go take a close look and appreciate some of your local maple flowers. Which maple flowers are your favorite? Definitions: - Polygamodioecious: Individual trees usually have either all female or all male flowers, but some trees have bisexual flowers too. - Dioecious: Individual trees have either all female flowers or all male flowers. - Monoecious: Individual trees have both male and female flowers on the same tree. Species featured in the video: - Red maple (Acer rubrum) - Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) - Boxelder (Acer negundo) - Norway maple (Acer platanoides) - Sugar maple complex (Acer saccharum or Acer Ser. Saccharodendron) - Japanese maple (Acer japonicum) - Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) - Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) #maples #acer #redmaple #acerrubrum #native #trees #flowers #flower #gardening #garden #flowerpower #sycamore #sycamoremaple #redmaple #silvermaple #pennsylvania #philadelphia #tree #arborist

It’s time to spread the native wildflower seeds in this portion of my yard that I’m converting to meadow! This seed mix comes from Ernst Seeds and is 100% native to Pennsylvania. I’ll keep you all updated with each step along the way! #wildflowers #nativeplants #native #plants #flowers #gardening #turf #grass #lawn #seeds #fyp