1 Winter aconite
ERANTHIS HYEMALIS, ZONES 4 TO 7
Tough and resilient, winter aconites provide brilliant yellow morsels of joy in the garden as they begin to awaken around March in many areas. The tubers multiply over time, providing even more brilliant color. The low, buttercuplike flower's frilly green collar accents the yellow petals. Full to part sun is ideal.
Why we love it: This low-grower shines along pathways, is exceptionally deer resistant, and can even grow under black walnut trees.
2 Camas
CAMASSIA LEICHTLINII SSP. SUKSDORFII, ZONES 5 TO 9
Lovely stalks of blue-purple star-shaped flowers grow up to 4 feet tall and bloom from April to May. Camas plants tolerate a range of soils from clay to wet or dry ground and work well in rain gardens. The flowers come in an array of colors, including white, purple, blue, and cream. The yellow anthers make flower petals pop.
Why we love it: Camas is native to the western U.S., and bees appreciate the pollen in late spring.
3 Pagoda trout lily
ERYTHRONIUM CALIFORNICUM, ZONES 3 TO 9
Pagoda is one of the largest trout lilies, standing up to a foot tall. With sulfur yellow flowers, it brightens partly shaded gardens, and deer and rabbits leave it alone. This lily goes dormant after blooming, so plant it among perennials that start to shine in early summer.
Why we love it: In addition to the bright flowers, the plant's leaves are a glossy green, sporting bronze and maroon markings that fade later in the season.
CONTINUED COLOR Many of these plants lose interest in summer. Grow ground covers, such as yellowroot shrubs, ostrich ferns, or hostas, around the bulbs to disguise their wilted stems and leaves. The ground covers' foliage keeps plots lush and green.
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
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