In my blogging journey this semester, I have written about plants of all kinds: from towering trees to ornamental shrubs to edible weeds. I figured the best way to end this semester’s blog would be to write about a plant that we all see every day, and almost certainly take for granted. It’s grass.  When you think of Read More…

  It’s finally December, and holiday spirit is once again beginning to fill the air. As I was walking downtown today, I walked past State College’s big Christmas tree and thought to myself, “that’s a very nice blue spruce.” It occurred to me that the average person walking past that tree probably thinks something more along the lines of, “that’s a Read More…

  Every day when I walk to class, I pass the same big red oak, just outside of Atherton Hall on the edge of the HUB lawn. This tree quickly became one of my favorites on campus because of its majestic size and striking colors. Its trunk was so wide, I would estimate it to be Read More…

  I had never expected to see a ghost in my room, but there it was, just sitting there on the floor. I’m not sure how it got there. Maybe it got stuck to the bottom of my shoe or landed on my shoulder while I was walking back from class. Regardless, here it was now, quietly lying on the carpet. I guess I wasn’t Read More…

  As I was making my daily trek to the Blue Band field for rehearsal last week, I was caught off guard when I recognized a highly invasive species of plant growing along the side of the road. I don’t usually see many invasive plant species on campus because the planters and gardens are usually Read More…

  Earlier this week, as I was walking to class, I passed a worker pulling weeds in one of the many well-manicured flower beds here at Penn State. I recognized the plants he was pulling up as wood sorrel, a common native plant.   The thing is, I’ve never considered wood sorrel to be a weed. I first found out about wood sorrel while Read More…