Watching the Mayapples come up is joyful.  The little delicate green umbrellas are at it again!  The path between the Recycling Center and the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in West Fairmount Park has a great display of  the earliest emerging Mayapples on the west side of the Schuylkill River.
MAYAPPLES EMERGE FROM THE EARTH IN WEST FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Podophyllum peltatum
This colony of Mayapples will go dormant before other later emerging colonies will. Like many plant colonies, this one has a distinct habit of being, different from other Mayapple colonies found in other parts of the park. Â They are in a protected ravine, close to Skunk Cabbage, and a small brook. Much lower in elevation than in Morris Park. Beech and Red Maple above.
MAYAPPLES EMERGE FROM THE EARTH IN WEST FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
When Mayapples first come up they are shiny and perfect. When they do emerge, they grow very quickly. They open up just like an umbrella! Let us know if you find them in your woodland.
OHibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root, Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Just about six months ago! Â It was the very end of summer and the beginning of fall when these shots were taken. Â Usually at this time of the year, late summer and. Early fall is not given hardly a thought. Â Spring is highly anticipated and winter is rationalized, having finally gotten used to it. Â But, just to mix things up a bit, here is a snapshot of the very end of summer 2011.
The garden of the Sanguine Root, Overbrook, Philadelphia, PennsylvanIa
Helianthus, in our back alley.  This is the native one and it grows really tall and produces a late summer show of bright yellow flowers. Really  fun to find them in the wild.
The garden of the Sanguine Root, Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lobelia cardinalis. Â This is our garden specimen that did nothing but bloom all summer, and throw seeds out. Â Now, in mid February, there is a nice healthy Rosette of green leaves soaking up the winter sun, signalling that the plant is still alive and ready for the upcoming season.
The garden of the Sanguine Root, Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Goldenrod, a volunteer, graces our back alley on Morris Park Road. We get alot of native wildflowers in our yard just by weeding out the non native plants and letting things grow, and repeating  the process. Now our yard is more and more like what grew there many years in the past, sort of an heirloom wildflower yard.
Beech drops, Morris Park, Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This is a forest discovery, a parasitic native plant that grows off the roots of Beech trees. Â Always fun to try to find them below Beech trees in the fall. They are a bit camouflaged.
New England Aster, The Garden of The Sanguine Root, Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Some more blooms to look forward to in six months. At this time of the year, it is hard to believe these flowers exist. Â They are just living roots, waiting for a full growing season. The Swamp Mallow, a native flower that likes sun and moist soils, loves growing at the end of our drainpipe. Â Available for sale at your local native plant nursery, eastern North America.
Hibiscus Moscheutos, The Garden of The Sanguine Root, Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
THE 3500 YEAR OLD Â 118 FOOT TALL Â BALD CYPRESS ‘THE SENATOR’ IS REDUCED TO A 20 FOOT STUMP IN A MATTER OF HOURS.
The Senator, near Sanford Florida
We are saddened to hear of the loss of this magnificent tree.  First we heard it could have been arson, but then investigators found the fire started  high up in the 118 foot tree.  Possibly lightning that struck the tree and smoldered, and then burst into flames.  The drought conditions in central Florida make this a plausible enough scenario.  We will have to wait for a full investigation to be completed before we know all of the facts.
This Bald Cypress was the biggest and the oldest native tree in Florida and of its kind. For many Central Floridians, this tree has remained a constant; the most consistent natural feature of a dramatically changed landscape. Since Senator Moses Overstreet dedicated the land around the tree as a park in 1927, the area has become developed and urbanized.
We visited “The Senator” in Big Tree Park, north of Orlando  in 2008, and seeing this place has been instrumental in our ability to visualize and begin to comprehend what the old Florida must have looked like. Seeing this 3500 year old Pond cypress really put it in perspective for us.  To stand before a living being that was alive in 1500 B.C. is really astounding.  The grand stature of the tree, its width and height, added to the experience.  If something is going to be 3,500 years old, we would expect it to be big and memorable.
Upon hearing of the news, we are unsettled to know that we saw this tree in the very last days of its life and were unaware of any impending doom. Â It is also sad to know that others after us will not get the same experience, now that the tree is gone. Â The good news is that there is a much younger ‘sister’ tree in Big Tree Park, , the 2000 year young Lady Liberty.
In the bigger picture, what happened this morning will be examined and analyzed. Â How natural of a cause was this? If it was totally natural, so be it, we just witnessed nature at work. If not, and it could be some time before we have an idea about this, this could be disturbing news. Â What if it is not natural? Â Why now after such a long life? Â Do we have evidence of 3500 year old trees that died 100 years ago? 200 years ago? 50 years ago? How long before Lady Liberty suddenly burns down in two hours?
