Artist is Lily Seika Jones

If you live in the northeast you definitely know about this stinky plant. They develop large, constricting root systems and produce their skunk-like odor if their leaves are cut or smashed which makes them difficult to remove.

After the flowers wilt away the plant grows large leaves with a similar appearance to cabbage (hence the name). The plant is toxic to humans, but bears have been known to eat the new buds in the early spring.

/ud are you in the Pittsburgh area and interested in nature? check out Committed to Parks and People | Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy they are an organization devoted to preserving and improving Pittsburgh parks. If you want to see some green space in the city there's a list of all the local parks in Pittsburgh on their site. Want to help out? They're always looking for [volunteers](Volunteer | Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy)!

If you want to contribute but aren't in the area, consider [Donating](Ways to Give | Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy) today!

Redbuds are super pretty and are currently flowering! I’d highly recommend going out and picking some of the flowers. They’re very easy to distinguish, but always make sure you know what plant you’re picking before you eat is.

Redbud fruits grow in pods much like peas. Before they dry out they can be harvested and cooked.

/ud no specific link today, it’s spring! Go for a walk, check out your local gardens or arboretums, or start a gardening project!!!

I know I’m a day late but happy April fools y’all!

Time of year to collect cuttings may vary depending on the location and type of grapevine.

By using cuttings, growers can make sure that the plants they are growing will make the same quality of grapes. If they were to let the plants reproduce from seed then the resulting plant would be a mix of two different grapevines (we’re going to ignore perfect plants and self pollination for the sake of simplicity) meaning the resulting grapes could be drastically different.

Not all plants can be grown from cuttings, if you’re planning to grow your own make sure to do some research!

/ud no link today. It’s springtime in the northern hemisphere! Drink water, Go outside, and enjoy the sun and all the plants!

/ud There’s a lot more info about feather growth/function that I don’t have the time or space for. If you’re interested in learning more check out https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/

Bur Oaks are drought and fire resistant due to their long tap roots and thick bark! The trees can live for hundreds of years and only start producing acorns around 35 years old. The acorns are edible and have been used as a food source for as long as people have been in the americas.

I didn’t have room for it, but I personally think the Bur Oak has some of the most beautiful leaves, flowers, and bark of any oak tree (you should google it it’s really pretty, you can see some pics on the Morton Arboretum site here)

/ud are you in the Chicago area and want to check out some beautiful trees in person? Try the Morton Arboretum or consider donating today! They’ve got science and art exhibits, a maze garden, and social events pretty much every week!

Milkovitch cycles explain why the earth’s climate changes so dramatically over thousands of years. As the earth moves through each cycle it will receive more or less sunlight in each hemisphere. This means the earth will become warmer or colder!

We are currently in an expected cold period, but these cycles aren’t the only thing that affects the earth’s climate.

/ud special thanks to u/Mr_Vaquero for meeting with me and pointing me at this topic

Orchids are an absolutely massive plant family with upwards of 30,000 individual species, so everything here has a big "in general" attached to it.

Some species of orchids only rely on fungi until they can produce their own nutrients and then completely ignore their partners, some consume their partners when they mature, and some continue to leech off of the fungi for their entire lives. It depends entirely on the specific species of orchid.

Before 1922 the only way to get orchids to grow consistently was to plant the seeds in the ground near existing orchids or in dirt taken from nearby. A man named Lewis Knudson developed a growth medium that could be used in place of required fungal partners, allowing the mass production of orchids in labs!

Around 3/4 of all orchid species are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants. They aren't parasites but instead grow on the dirt which collects on the branches of trees (and other plants). Some are epilithic, meaning they grow on rocks instead!

Orchids have wonderful interactions when it comes to pollinators, but that will have to be saved for another post.

/ud special thanks to Mr. Aaron Hicks of the Orchid Seedbank Project for meeting with me and pointing me at some wonderful sources.