Author Archives: Maraleen Manos Jones

June 2019: Roses, songbirds, dragonflies and a fluttering of a few butterflies

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

June 3rd the first Rosa ragosa opened. I’m grateful to be able to grow these most fragrant roses so that I can continue making rose petal jam, a tradition I started while living in Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod, … Continue reading →

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May 8, 2019 Garden Haiku

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

A robin in the grass, a hummingbird on a branch. The sun setting. Calm.  

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April 30, 2019 Hummingbirds Have Returned

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

Usually the hummingbirds return from Central and South America to the very same place they left the year before.  Every year, the first male hummingbirds scouts arrive at our home between May 2nd and May 9th.  This year, they are … Continue reading →

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March 29, 2019

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

Today the CBS This Morning Show featured monarchs and their amazing migration.  The encouraging news is that this was a banner year for the monarchs east of the Rockies. The over wintering population covered fifteen acres rather the six last … Continue reading →

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Signs of Spring March 18, 2019

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

There was a gift under the maple tree on St. Paddy’s day:  winter aconites and snowdrops made their first appearance: A female Downy woodpecker has been a frequent visitor to the bird feeder outside my office window.  The male comes … Continue reading →

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Sign of Spring Starting Seeds

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

March 13, 2019:  Birds were chattering loudly early in the morning even though the thermometer read 20 degrees F. and snow blanketed the ground.  I hadn’t heard so much twittering since early last Fall. The process of starting seeds in … Continue reading →

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March 11, 2019 spring is near

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

Did you know that tree trunks are two degrees warmer than the ambient air?  I first learnt of this from Dr Lincoln Brower who wrote a paper scientifically showing that to be true in the monarch overwintering colonies in the … Continue reading →

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Drama in the Forest

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

March 6, 2019: Out my kitchen window is a view of a field of glazed icy snow beyond which is a stream and the woods. I just heard the familiar caw caw of crows with movement in the periphery of … Continue reading →

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starting seeds in winter

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Maraleen Manos Jones

February 24, 2019: Even though snow blankets the ground, and the thermometer is below freezing, sap is rising and thoughts of the garden return to dispel other tasks and notions. It’s time to take out my reused and reusable ½ … Continue reading →

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June 24 2016: Fireflies, Fritillaries, and Flowering Milkweed

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Maraleen Manos Jones

June 24th 2016 : Fireflies, Fritillaries and Flowering Milkweed Another delightful and enchanting and seemingly magical element has begun; the fireflies are back seeking their mates through light signals like dancing stars or Tinkerbells, just making me happy to be … Continue reading →

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