The Thrill of Identifying Plants
My good friend Lisa came over today to dig some wild strawberries and she brought along a couple plants she wanted a second opinion on identifying. So we hit the books and came up with an identification for two of the three plants she brought over — all of which are springing up in her garden this year.
The first one was easy — forget-me-knot. It’s such a pretty blue but so invasive that Lisa will be pulling it out by the handful. (I satisfy my springtime urge for tiny blue flowers with my Jack Frost Brunnera.)
The second one was a bit of a mystery but the book we were using divides flowers by color. That helped us narrow down the possibilities. After searching through the section on pink flowers we found Herb Robert and our second search was successful.
We’re still searching for an identifier on the third flower, a six-petal white flower with chive like leaves and bulbous roots. More on that when we ID it.
The book we used is one of the oldest gardening books in my library, written by Harry C. Lund, who with his wife, Eloise hiked bogs, woodlands, meadows, and sand dunes throughout Michigan. Their passion for locating and photographing wildflowers comes through in this book. I so appreciate that Lund provides important information on wildflower identification and is careful to identify those flowers that are protected (A PROTECTED MICHIGAN WILDFLOWER — DO NOT DISTURB), a threatened species (A THREATENED SPECIES DO NOT DISTURB) or marks those without legal status but considered threatened species (PLEASE DO NOT PICK.)
Both the Lunds are gone now but this book lives on as a testament to their dedication to Michigan wildflowers and their desire to encourage people to protect them as a natural resource. I love this book because the author is so passionate about wildflowers. I spent many hours in our woods as a child with a mother who was also a wildflower fanatic so tramping the woods is like a second home. I also like the way the Lunds arranged this book, making it easier to identify the many species (207 in my edition) that grow in our beautiful fields, woods and on the shoreline.
Note: I'm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
