Category Weekly Columns

Last weekend my next-door neighbor came knocking on my door asking for help with a problem he was having. Dan (not his real name) had a television in his bedroom that finally gave up the ghost and died.

Bird migration season is heating up and if you aren’t already seeing more birds in your yard – or at least different birds – you will be soon.

Delphinium – D. depauperatum, Dwarf Larkspur; D. glaucum, Tall Larkspur; D. menziesii, Menzies Larkspur; D. nuttallianum, Upland Larkspur; D. nuttallii, Nuttall’s Larkspur; D. trolliifolium, Cow-poison

As the weather warms (then cools, then warms, then rains…) you’re most likely beginning to see some wasps about.

What you may not know is that you are seeing way more wasps than you likely realize. Way more.

If you read the April 1, 2026 Crawlies, you know I recently had a rare visitor to my yard; a black-chinned X Anna’s hummingbird hybrid.

If you haven’t read that Crawlies yet, we’ll pause while you click over and catch up.

Months ago, my daughter had advised me that she was planning a trip to the West Coast around Easter. Well, the holiday came and went without a word. Then I got a phone call from my daughter, the oldest of my four children, that she was at some mid-west airport (Denver?) on layover, and said she would be in my area April 12.

As spring leaves continue to unfurl, the week we’ll explore four of Oregon’s deciduous trees.

We had a lot to choose from, so we’ll have to explore more at a later date, but for this week we chose Red Alder, Oregon Ash, Quaking Aspen and Vine Maple.

Geranium – Geranium molle – Dove Foot; G. oreganum – Oregon Geranium; in additionG. robertianum – Herb Robert; G. dissectum – Cutleaf Gerenium

I was talking with my niece about the wildflowers blooming in her yard. She told me she had at least three species Geranium.