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Seed of the Week: Chinaberry

September 4, 2012 / Roberta / 11 Comments

Our mystery seeds from last week were inside the dried fruit (drupes).

They were from a chinaberry tree, Melia azedarach. As the name suggests, it is originally from Asia.

Although the chinaberry tree has lovely, lacy foliage, it is considered to be an invasive weed in many states in the Southeast because it competes with or shades out more desirable species of plants (Texas, Florida– see video at website, North Carolina).

Chinaberry trees are deciduous in the winter. The leaves give off a musky or pungent odor when crushed.

The flowers grow in clusters, as do the fruit (drupes). Chinaberry fruit are poisonous to humans and many other mammals.

Sometimes whether or not to plant a certain species isn’t as clear cut as one would like. Weedy species tend to be easier to grow and thrive under poor conditions.Â Still, it pays to be able to recognize undesirable plants, as well as desirable ones, and try to plant natives as often as possible. What do you think?

More about invasive plants

Bug of the Week: Damselfly and Photography

August 29, 2012 / Roberta / 0 Comments

Have you ever wondered how nature photographers capture such wonderful shots of flighty insects?

Take damselflies like this one. Damselflies, and their relatives the dragonflies, are fast, strong fliers. How do you ever catch one sitting still enough for a photograph?

It helps to know the damselfly’s behavior. For example, this damselfly was not exactly sitting still, although it looks like it from the photograph. What it is doing is perching, waiting for a fly or some other potential food item to fly by. See those big eyes? When it spots something, it launches into the air and grabs the prey. The beauty is that these insects often return to the same exact perch to hunt again and again. With patience, you can set up your tripod and grab a good shot of an active insect in a moment of stillness.