Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 14h

Yes, Bromeliaceae. Many people may not be familiar with bromeliads, but everyone knows the pineapple. So that's why I use that label-more shock value. :-)

1

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 15h

Spanish moss does NOT need to be removed from trees, and in fact, it’s a desirable addition to southern yards because it cleans the air, produces oxygen, cools the air, provides habitat for birds, & other wildlife.
greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2018/05/ther...

There's nothing Spanish or mossy about Spanish moss

Spanish moss adds to the South's character and elegance. Not Moss Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides ) is a flowering plant in the ...

greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com

1

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 15h

#AMomentinNature was a Florida Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) sunrise. It's a flowering plant in the pineapple family-not a moss. It's native to the SE states-not Spanish. It's an air plant absorbing its moisture & nutrients from the air. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2018/05/ther...

Photo of a golden sunrise over a slightly wavy body of water. A pine tree and hanging Spanish moss is blocking the direct sunlight. Rushes are growing near the shoreline.

2 5

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 19h

“The Square Root of Two” provided a much-needed laugh this morning.
From the NY Times: Every Artist Has a Favorite Subject. For Some, That’s Math. At the annual Bridges conference, mathematical creativity was on dazzling display.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/s...

Graphic of a large black 2 which is connected to an array of black curvy lines that look like roots shaped like a square. There are more white spaces between the roots in a diagonal line from the upper left corner to the lower right corner.
Text says, "'Suare Root of Two,' by David Reimann"

4

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 1d

#antifascist Europeans know what antifa really is. I took this photo in Civitavecchia, the port town for Rome, earlier this year. It's titled, "To the resistance fighters in concentration camps, victims of the Nazi-fascists."

Photo of a metal sculpture mounted on a white stone base with a large bronze plaque. The sculpture consists of multiple silhouettes of anguished faces with open mouths arrayed in a circle. The sculpture is set in a park with playground equipment in the background.
Text says, "Antifa statue in Civitavecchia, Italy"

13

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 2d

#AMomentinNature was seeing that this Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) monitoring speed of cars in our bird-friendly neighborhood with its tall trees & an assortment of lakes. Its call is a loud, clear whistle. It's native to the SE states and to Coastal California.

Photo of a hawk with its mouth open perched on a "Speed Limit 25" sign. Green wooded area in the background.

6 51

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

Botanical term of the day: The green bracts at the base of that flower head is called an involucre.

1 1

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

#AMomentinNature was noticing this lovely ladybug on the roselle calyx (fruit covering). I often see bees, ants, & other insects there.
Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a weird crop where we harvest the calyx, which tastes like cranberries. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/11/rose...

Photo of an orange ladybug with black spots on a hairy, burgundy-colored fruit covering.
Text says, "Ladybug on a roselle calyx"

9

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

Fall is a great time to plant trees, but give them the best chance to survive. For container-grown trees, rinse the roots to correct circling roots, don't enrich the soil in the planting hole, wait a year to prune it back, irrigate a lot, & more. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/01/smar...

Photo of a small uprooted tree sitting upright on asphalt with its roots coiled around its 2 or 3-inch trunk.
Text says, "Rinse the roots!"

1 9

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

#AMomentinNature was this lovely full moonset in Florida with the western sky colored by the sunrise. Ahhhh!!!

Wide photo of a full moon close to the tops of palm trees silhouetted in the foreground. The sky is blue at the top, but changes to yellowish, orangeish, & reddish near the horizon.

3 1 21

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

Salad burnet leaves have a very mild cucumbery taste. We use it in salads, but it can also be used to flavor vinegars and more. The flower head is weird with all its stamens hanging down. I harvest the blooms so it doesn't reseed everywhere. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/02/sala...

5

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

#GRowMoreFood Salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is an easy-to-grow perennial crop in the rose family (Rosaceae). It's best to plant this with other perennial crops and herbs so it does not get in the way during crop rotations.
Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/02/sala...

Photo of a herbaceous plant with yellowish stems and star-shaped leaves all along the stem. There are drops of water hanging at the tips of most of the points on the leaves.
Text says, "Salad bernet Sanguisorba minor"

1 1 16

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 5d

#AMomentinNature was stopping to appreciate these swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) that brightened a foggy fall day along a back road in Florida. It's native from NY to TX & most of Florida.

Photo of a large group of flowers with yellow petals and brown centers growing at the edge of a pasture, which has a few brown cows grazing there. Tall trees on the far side of the pasture are pale in the foggy air.

1 20

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 5d

#PlantMoreNatives and think like a pollinator to bee ready for butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, & other pollinators. Fall is a great time to install good habitat in your yard & in your community. For more specifics, read my habitat article: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/10/habi...

Drawing of a garden where there are masses of colors. The title is, "Planning your garden --think like a pollinator." There is a lot of other text with ideas on how to bee pollinator friendly.

3 31

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 6d

#NatureHeals Sometimes she sends messages for those who look for them. I interpreted the message from this pink apparition to mean, "Please take care of our only planet."
We are not separate from Nature, but are part of it and have a responsibility to preserve it for our grandkids.

Photo of the surface a pond reflecting tall pines & other trees. The sun is also reflected and a pink-colored anomaly shows above the sun's reflection.

1 8

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 6d

Is your yard bird friendly? Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) built this nest using Spanish moss & more in a coral honeysuckle thicket. They also are the primary consumers of the honeysuckle berries. Read, "Coral honeysuckle creates habitat," greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2025/08/cora...

Photo of an empty birdnest built from Spanish moss and other fibers.

1 22

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 7d

Why do we like coffee so much? Maybe it's the caffeine, the most widely consumed psycho-active substance in the world! Read this to learn why coffee plants produce caffeine: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2023/07/why-...

Why do plants produce caffeine?

I've covered this topic on my cruise ship presentations on coffee. A bit of plant science for this post... Caffeine is the most widely con...

greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 7d

#Coffee The average person gets an impressive 41 miles/gallon. Why do we like coffee so much? Maybe it's the caffeine, the most widely consumed psycho-active substance in the world!
Read this for the science of caffeine & the plants that produce it.
greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2023/07/why-...

Top view of a cup of coffee with cream in a white cup.
Text says, "The average human walks 900 miles per year and drinks 22 gallons of coffee. This means that the average human gets 41 miles per gallon.

4

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 7d

#PlantMoreTrees
Most oaks (Quercus spp.) are large sturdy trees with large root systems. They create more habitat, soak up more water from the soil & therefore cool the air by releasing more water into the air through transpiration.
Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...

Photo of a house with 4 live oak trees in the front yard. The tops of the tallest trees are colored orange by the sunrise. The house has a front porch and white siding. Pale blue sky above the trees.

1 8

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 8d

The rice button asters even grow well in our "Freedom Lawn" and they bloom even after mowing. We don't mow much in the fall, because the grass & other plants grow more slowly. We don't mow at all in the winter.
More on "Freedom lawns" here: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/05/our-...

2

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 8d

#PlantMoreNatives #FallisAsterTime Rice button aster (Symphyotrichum dumosum) is native to eastern North America from ME to TX, including all of FL. While the flower heads are relatively small, it attracts a good variety of pollinators. It grows wild & masses of it work well in meadows or gardens.

Photo of a small aster flower head with white petals and a yellow center. A fuzzy yellow & black bee, which as large as the flower, is hanging upside down from it.
Text says, "Pllinator on rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum"

2 2 24

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 9d

Nice caffeine installation meme.
Caffeine is the most widely consumed psycho-active substance in the world! But, why do plants produce it?
Read my article for some background.
greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2023/07/why-...

Why do plants produce caffeine?

I've covered this topic on my cruise ship presentations on coffee. A bit of plant science for this post... Caffeine is the most widely con...

greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com

2 1

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 9d

#Science Guttation is the exudation of drops of xylem sap on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants, generally at night. Guttation water contains nutrients & provides a lifeline for insects when other sources of food are not readily available. Read: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

Photo of leaves with water droplets at the end of each leaf vein.

3 21

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 10d

I am heartbroken to hear that Dr. Jane Goodall has passed. She has done so much to help people better appreciate Nature, animals, & women. She will be sorely missed. 🙁

Photo of Jane Goodall.
Text says, "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world areound. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." -Jane Goodall

4 5 45

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 10d

#AMomentinNature is finding bagworms in the fall. Nature is so inventive!

Photo of a cocoon made from little sticks hanging from a bare twig. A trunk of a tree with ferns around its base is out of focus in the background. Text says, “Bagworm.”

1 1 11