My top objective this weekend was to get the rooted native plant cuttings and seedlings moved on to their own pots. I was able to do that yesterday. I’ve got five strong cuttings of the red flowering currant, three well-rooted Cornus sericea, about ten yarrow seedlings, ten Erigeron specious, and ten native hair grass.
I am continuosly impressed with the native trees in Woodland Park. Here is another Big Leaf Maple with a sculptural trunk.
One common feature of the native gardening books I’ve read is that the authors encourage readers to take time to really observe their gardens and the creatures that make their homes there. I’m trying to be more patient and get out with the macro lens at least once every week to better understand what creatures are supported by my garden. This week, I found a thick-legged hoverfly and an unarmed leafcutter bee and they held still long enough for photos.
Thick-legged Hoverfly 
Unarmed Leafcutter Bee
I’ve had an annual tradition of gathering seeds from ornamental plants starting about this time of year and potting them up and watching them germinate in the spring. This is something my siblings have done with me, as well. This year, I’m focusing on native perennial, shrub, and tree seeds. I pulled some service berries off my Amelanchier alnifolia and potted them up this weekend. I also took seeds of the largeleaf avens. There are snowberries nearby that I’ll grab this week, too. And brother Tim is scouting for some elderberry seeds for me. I already have enough rose seedlings, since I’ve been starting those for years. We’ll see what else might germinate in 2021.
Geum macrophyllum (seeds to the left)