Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

Okra flower and vegetable 2025-07-01

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Ants open the blooms, and bees pollinate them.

Then we get okra pods.

[Okra bloom and pods]
Okra bloom and pods

Then we pick them and eat them.

No, we don’t know why the yellow leaves.

Also, some blooms don’t open and fall off.

Many snails lately; maybe that’s the problem.

-jsq

Beautyberry 2025-06-15

Beautyberry fruits are setting: the flower petals are falling off and revealing the berries.

Not only are the flowers and berries pleasing violet colors, the leaves repel insects and ticks, and you can make jelly and wine from beautyberries.

[Beautyberry fruit setting, 2025:06:15 10:36:03]
Beautyberry fruit setting, 2025:06:15 10:36:03

Once the berries get some color, you’ll see why it’s called beautyberry. They’re a pleasing violet color. The flowers are an even lighter violet. Also, the whole plant smells good. Continue reading →

Seepage slope and bog plants 2025-06-15

Twenty one species in a thousand feet down the Not-a-Driveway from piney woods through seepage slope to beaver pond.

Plus Canis familiaris and garden variety human. While we did not see any beaver, Castor canadensis, there was quite a bit of evidence of them.

Species identifications are by Seek by iNaturalist, which is usually pretty reliable. I do doubt a few of them.

For example, what seek identifies as Pineland hibiscus, Hibiscus aculeatus, sure looks to me like halberd-leaf rosemallow, Hibiscus laevis.

Far more species than these live in our subtropical paradise. These are just the plants (and fungi) I happened to focus on today.

BB

[Ten-angled pipewort or bog button, Eriocaulon decangulare, 2025:06:15 09:52:26]
Ten-angled pipewort or bog button, Eriocaulon decangulare, 2025:06:15 09:52:26

Continue reading →

Maypops 2025-05-30

Scattered across an acre like this, growing on blackberry bushes, maypop is one of the most recognizable flowers.

[Maypops]
Maypops

Aka Passionflower, Passiflora incarnata is the host plant of the Gulf fritillary butterfly, Dione vanillae. The adult butterflies plant eggs on maypops, and the caterpillars eat the leaves. http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9756

[Climbing on blackberry bushes]
Climbing on blackberry bushes

-jsq