Life at The Perry Farm
e·phem·er·al (/əˈfem(ə)rəl/) Adjective: lasting for a very short time. Noun: a short-lived plant. Today is April 1st. Right now, the hepatica’s companions are spring beauty and false rue anemone, which carpet the flatland like tiny white stars. Bloodroot, a yellow-centered flower that shoots up out of basal leaves that look as if they’ve been chewed on, is already... Continue Reading →
Keith and I first encountered Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide in an Indiana Master Naturalist class. We already owned several guides, but we were always looking for a better one, one that was comprehensive but still portable, definitive but easy for non-botanists to apply. Each time we encountered a new wildflower, we had to consult all of... Continue Reading →
Sweet Joe-Pye weed is blooming in the meadow. I love its color—a pale mauve unlike that of any other flower that grows on the Perry Farm. It looks like pink smoke hanging over the pond. Or Cinderella’s ball gown, embroidered with gossamer-fine pink silk thread. I also love its name. The Mohican Joseph Shauquethqueat was... Continue Reading →
M. H. Perry 