How wonderful to read about plants in other areas from real people (as opposed to reading about plants in a book) I live in northern NJ and most of the flowering trees are either at their peak or just past. We have a large chestnut tree in our backyard which gets huge buds in very early spring. Those buds unfold into a cluster of tiny leaves which very quickly become large leaf clusters. Next come small flower buds which grow on long spikes attached to the leaf clusters. Then, in quick succession the flower buds open into lovely little flowers all along the spike. In summer the large leaf clusters provide cool and welcome shade from the heat and sun as well as shelter from rain and thunderstorm. It is a wonderful tree and I give thanks for it daily.
I grew up in southern Illinois where the land is flat--no mountains in sight!-- and I would spend summer days just lying on my back on the grass watching the clouds. I could watch the thunderstorm coming in from the west and knew just when to run inside--unless of course I decided to stay outside and get wet ( a great way to cool off!) Unlike today’s parents who keep careful watch over their children and whose
children’s free time is programmed
and planned, my mother would send me out the door summer mornings and not expect to see me again until lunchtime and then after lunch I would be gone again, coming home for supper. I would ride my bike all day through miles of corn fields, exploring streams, forests, having absolutely delightful adventures, sometimes with a friend, but often alone. With no Google I had to rely on my assortment of Golden Nature Guides to identify the many and varied plants, insects, etc that I would discover. I’m sorry that my grandsons--and all children today-- don’t have that experience.
Thank you, Csermely, for your wonderful posts that generate such delightful comments.
I grew up in northern Illinois and I remember those hearty storms from my childhood that sometimes lasted the entire night! I was excited when the power went out and we rushed to the basement to seek solace with candles and flashlights -- unless it rained too much and the water started seeping in, or the tornado sirens started singing their unforgettable tune...
I didn't quite have the outdoor freedom I wanted as a kid (even though I was in Girl Scouts it still wasn't enough), and was sad when my parents wouldn't let me go to a month long summer camp in Minnesota by a lake. In some ways, I hope I am passing some of that freedom onto Csermely, as we spend meaningful time in nature together.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Nina, it brings great joy to my heart. ♥
It sounds so fun to do that in a storm when the power goes out! I would have happily joined you. You are passing that joy of spending time in nature to me for sure, because the time we spend outside is usually more fun than time spent indoors. And more fulfilling, and meaningful. Thanks for your comment!
Thank you for your long and thoughtful comment, Nina! I would love to visit NJ or anywhere on the East coast for that matter. I am especially drawn to Vermont, because there are beautiful trees and mountains there. Although I looked at some photos of NJ too, and it looks equally beautiful. It seems to me that modern kids' days are completely planned out and structured, and when they do have free time, they spend it on their phone or playing video games.
Most of them wouldn't even dare spend a whole day in nature, alone, let alone enjoy it. It's lovely to hear that not even so long ago kids still headed out all on their own and, armed with only a few books and maybe a water bottle, (?!) had adventures in nature.
Here it is much too hilly and rocky to ride a bike, but we do walk literally everywhere. So we spend a lot of time outdoors. I also spent the first 4 years of my life in a very flat area in Hungary, on the Flat Lands, which are quite similar to southern Illinois. Fun fact: my Mom was also born, like you, in Illinois. We all come from flat places, and moved to mountains it seems!! You, me, my Dad, and my Mom.
I would love to lay outside under a tree like what you have. It must be so relaxing!
Hi Csermely! You are learning a skill that will last you a lifetime. Every year I fall in love with a different plant. This year it is borage. For every tiny flower on this lovely bush, there is a very excited bee!🐝 So I have a bush of bees! They simply will not be distracted from their work. So I ask, "Pardon me, may I water?" I find this bond with my garden is about as strong as I could have with anyone or anything. I must visit every day! I must check and take stock of very minute change. And I learn, and I grow in plant wisdom, and my heart is calm and happy there. Multsu mesc, dear girl. Keep observing!
Hi, Andrea! Thank you for commenting. I love foraging, and learning about plants... I catch myself asking all the time "is this a weed?" from my Mom, when we are gardening. I also like to ask permission to water or weed out a plant first, if there is a bee on it, or wait for it to be done collecting. 🐝 I have all the time in the world to wait, and they only have a few weeks in their lifetime in which they can collect. Mulțumesc for reading!!!
This is beautiful, as always! I miss the cherry trees of my grandmother's garden in Cluj! We, kids, used to climb the trees and pick them each summer - eating most of them ;).
Where I live now, we have palo verde trees in bloom, very different from the trees in Romania. We also have ("rewilding" our backyard a few years ago) a wild mesquite tree growing, it will be the first year it will have seeds, and I'm looking forward to collect them and grind them into flour (it's what the ancient people used to do here in the Sonoran Desert, and most native tribes still do); I'm excited to make the flour and bake with it!
Thank you for reading my post, Emese! Though it is much cooler here than in Arizona, there are still plenty of flowering trees. But the palo verde tree looks very beautiful, and nothing like what we have here! One of the (only) good things about the internet is that we get to see people, trees, and plants from places we might never visit.
Rewilding is something we are doing and plan to do much more of in the future, and it's really nice to hear that other people are doing the same.
I live in Arizona where the blooming mesquite tells you there's no more danger of frost. They are yellow and fragrant when in bloom. Their pods are sweet, if you chew them. I am told that horses🐎 could eat the pods and the old cowboys could use them for food. Good luck with the flour! They dry really nicely.
Thank you! It's the first time I plan on trying it. I've known about the pods being edible for years, but didn't have a native one in my yard in bloom yet. It is in bloom now, so I guess no more danger of frost - I didn't know this either; I never think of frost in Phoenix (I live in AZ, too), though I've seen it once or twice over the years.
Northern Arizona can get quite cold. That's where I live. We can't grow grapefruit ir oranges like Phoenix can. But mesquite seems to be everywhere! I hate seeing those beautiful pods lying on the asphalt, drying and crumbling into powder. Such a waste!
Beautiful post, thank you very much! 🌿 There's so much that resonated with me.
I absolutely agree about the importance of noticing. Care to notice, start to notice the tiny details at your feet, lift your gaze up to notice the trees blossom and watch the clouds go by. Observe and feel what’s around you, stop staring at your screen or phone all the time! Luckily, when I grew up, I was always out and about in nature, I still remember a life without smartphones, the internet, social media and everything else. I remember what 'real' means. I love the perspective: Thinking about your time spent in “society” as your time off from nature. 🩷
Smartphones are the same age as I am. That makes me 14 years old. So I was literally born into the tech world... But my parents remember growing up without phones, just a phone on the wall and a very heavy TV, and they loved it. Most people I have met or read articles from or watched videos from over 40, say that they miss the slow, simple days in the past. And yet they were hardly ever bored. Because they noticed things, and cared about things outside of themselves, and outside of their phones. I also know what "real" means, because I grew up spending a lot of time in nature. For example, today we spent about 3-4 hours outdoors gardening. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Thank you so much for reading, Claudia! 🌿🌿🌿 And thanks for you thoughtful comment, too.
I'm 49 years old, so that's me growing up with a phone on the wall and a very heavy TV (black and white television only at the beginning). 😄 And absolutely true, we were never bored!
Yes, I'm one of these people, too, who miss the slower pace and the simpler days. These so-called modern times can really be exhausting! I had lost my connection to nature for some time while studying, working, living in a big city, trying to fit in, following what society said what's important. But it never worked for me. So glad I made a big change and listen to myself again. 😊
I can’t imagine what it must be like to be born into that kind of world and not knowing anything else. I'm happy for you that you do know a different life, connected to nature and things that are real. 🌿
How wonderful to read about plants in other areas from real people (as opposed to reading about plants in a book) I live in northern NJ and most of the flowering trees are either at their peak or just past. We have a large chestnut tree in our backyard which gets huge buds in very early spring. Those buds unfold into a cluster of tiny leaves which very quickly become large leaf clusters. Next come small flower buds which grow on long spikes attached to the leaf clusters. Then, in quick succession the flower buds open into lovely little flowers all along the spike. In summer the large leaf clusters provide cool and welcome shade from the heat and sun as well as shelter from rain and thunderstorm. It is a wonderful tree and I give thanks for it daily.
I grew up in southern Illinois where the land is flat--no mountains in sight!-- and I would spend summer days just lying on my back on the grass watching the clouds. I could watch the thunderstorm coming in from the west and knew just when to run inside--unless of course I decided to stay outside and get wet ( a great way to cool off!) Unlike today’s parents who keep careful watch over their children and whose
children’s free time is programmed
and planned, my mother would send me out the door summer mornings and not expect to see me again until lunchtime and then after lunch I would be gone again, coming home for supper. I would ride my bike all day through miles of corn fields, exploring streams, forests, having absolutely delightful adventures, sometimes with a friend, but often alone. With no Google I had to rely on my assortment of Golden Nature Guides to identify the many and varied plants, insects, etc that I would discover. I’m sorry that my grandsons--and all children today-- don’t have that experience.
Thank you, Csermely, for your wonderful posts that generate such delightful comments.
I grew up in northern Illinois and I remember those hearty storms from my childhood that sometimes lasted the entire night! I was excited when the power went out and we rushed to the basement to seek solace with candles and flashlights -- unless it rained too much and the water started seeping in, or the tornado sirens started singing their unforgettable tune...
I didn't quite have the outdoor freedom I wanted as a kid (even though I was in Girl Scouts it still wasn't enough), and was sad when my parents wouldn't let me go to a month long summer camp in Minnesota by a lake. In some ways, I hope I am passing some of that freedom onto Csermely, as we spend meaningful time in nature together.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Nina, it brings great joy to my heart. ♥
It sounds so fun to do that in a storm when the power goes out! I would have happily joined you. You are passing that joy of spending time in nature to me for sure, because the time we spend outside is usually more fun than time spent indoors. And more fulfilling, and meaningful. Thanks for your comment!
Thank you for your long and thoughtful comment, Nina! I would love to visit NJ or anywhere on the East coast for that matter. I am especially drawn to Vermont, because there are beautiful trees and mountains there. Although I looked at some photos of NJ too, and it looks equally beautiful. It seems to me that modern kids' days are completely planned out and structured, and when they do have free time, they spend it on their phone or playing video games.
Most of them wouldn't even dare spend a whole day in nature, alone, let alone enjoy it. It's lovely to hear that not even so long ago kids still headed out all on their own and, armed with only a few books and maybe a water bottle, (?!) had adventures in nature.
Here it is much too hilly and rocky to ride a bike, but we do walk literally everywhere. So we spend a lot of time outdoors. I also spent the first 4 years of my life in a very flat area in Hungary, on the Flat Lands, which are quite similar to southern Illinois. Fun fact: my Mom was also born, like you, in Illinois. We all come from flat places, and moved to mountains it seems!! You, me, my Dad, and my Mom.
I would love to lay outside under a tree like what you have. It must be so relaxing!
Thank you so much for reading my post!
Hi Csermely! You are learning a skill that will last you a lifetime. Every year I fall in love with a different plant. This year it is borage. For every tiny flower on this lovely bush, there is a very excited bee!🐝 So I have a bush of bees! They simply will not be distracted from their work. So I ask, "Pardon me, may I water?" I find this bond with my garden is about as strong as I could have with anyone or anything. I must visit every day! I must check and take stock of very minute change. And I learn, and I grow in plant wisdom, and my heart is calm and happy there. Multsu mesc, dear girl. Keep observing!
Andrea in Arizona 🌵
Hi, Andrea! Thank you for commenting. I love foraging, and learning about plants... I catch myself asking all the time "is this a weed?" from my Mom, when we are gardening. I also like to ask permission to water or weed out a plant first, if there is a bee on it, or wait for it to be done collecting. 🐝 I have all the time in the world to wait, and they only have a few weeks in their lifetime in which they can collect. Mulțumesc for reading!!!
As the humble bumblebee buzzes, I bumble through my buzzy day... although, it's Sunday, so not so buzzy. 🐝
Glad you are keeping yourself buzzy. 🐝 Have a buzzily buzzy week!
This is beautiful, as always! I miss the cherry trees of my grandmother's garden in Cluj! We, kids, used to climb the trees and pick them each summer - eating most of them ;).
Where I live now, we have palo verde trees in bloom, very different from the trees in Romania. We also have ("rewilding" our backyard a few years ago) a wild mesquite tree growing, it will be the first year it will have seeds, and I'm looking forward to collect them and grind them into flour (it's what the ancient people used to do here in the Sonoran Desert, and most native tribes still do); I'm excited to make the flour and bake with it!
Thank you for reading my post, Emese! Though it is much cooler here than in Arizona, there are still plenty of flowering trees. But the palo verde tree looks very beautiful, and nothing like what we have here! One of the (only) good things about the internet is that we get to see people, trees, and plants from places we might never visit.
Rewilding is something we are doing and plan to do much more of in the future, and it's really nice to hear that other people are doing the same.
I live in Arizona where the blooming mesquite tells you there's no more danger of frost. They are yellow and fragrant when in bloom. Their pods are sweet, if you chew them. I am told that horses🐎 could eat the pods and the old cowboys could use them for food. Good luck with the flour! They dry really nicely.
Thank you! It's the first time I plan on trying it. I've known about the pods being edible for years, but didn't have a native one in my yard in bloom yet. It is in bloom now, so I guess no more danger of frost - I didn't know this either; I never think of frost in Phoenix (I live in AZ, too), though I've seen it once or twice over the years.
Northern Arizona can get quite cold. That's where I live. We can't grow grapefruit ir oranges like Phoenix can. But mesquite seems to be everywhere! I hate seeing those beautiful pods lying on the asphalt, drying and crumbling into powder. Such a waste!
Beautiful post, thank you very much! 🌿 There's so much that resonated with me.
I absolutely agree about the importance of noticing. Care to notice, start to notice the tiny details at your feet, lift your gaze up to notice the trees blossom and watch the clouds go by. Observe and feel what’s around you, stop staring at your screen or phone all the time! Luckily, when I grew up, I was always out and about in nature, I still remember a life without smartphones, the internet, social media and everything else. I remember what 'real' means. I love the perspective: Thinking about your time spent in “society” as your time off from nature. 🩷
Smartphones are the same age as I am. That makes me 14 years old. So I was literally born into the tech world... But my parents remember growing up without phones, just a phone on the wall and a very heavy TV, and they loved it. Most people I have met or read articles from or watched videos from over 40, say that they miss the slow, simple days in the past. And yet they were hardly ever bored. Because they noticed things, and cared about things outside of themselves, and outside of their phones. I also know what "real" means, because I grew up spending a lot of time in nature. For example, today we spent about 3-4 hours outdoors gardening. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Thank you so much for reading, Claudia! 🌿🌿🌿 And thanks for you thoughtful comment, too.
I'm 49 years old, so that's me growing up with a phone on the wall and a very heavy TV (black and white television only at the beginning). 😄 And absolutely true, we were never bored!
Yes, I'm one of these people, too, who miss the slower pace and the simpler days. These so-called modern times can really be exhausting! I had lost my connection to nature for some time while studying, working, living in a big city, trying to fit in, following what society said what's important. But it never worked for me. So glad I made a big change and listen to myself again. 😊
I can’t imagine what it must be like to be born into that kind of world and not knowing anything else. I'm happy for you that you do know a different life, connected to nature and things that are real. 🌿
I learned so much reading this, thank you!
Glad I could be of service!