Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kat Harman

@pnwkat.bsky.social

1K followers 460 following 610 posts

🇺🇸 Native plant and wildlife nerd. Raised in AZ, married to a 🥝 🇳🇿. Gardening for the birds in Central WA Zone 6b (Yakima Folds/Slopes) and Seattle Zone 9a. May also post about hiking-MTB-skiing-travel-music-AoNZ-AZ and other random interests.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Feb 23

A brilliant and brave statement.

D. Earl Stephens @dearlstephens.bsky.social · Feb 23

📌Our Park Service Rangers have flagged the warning on El Capitan.
We are under threat by an America-attacking felon.

1 14

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 1d

Loved the bucket drum brigade!! We were right next to you guys for awhile. 🩷🩷

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 1d

Ha ha we were worried about that guy - he looked like he was trying to hold that head up with one hand- was it heavy? Awesome costume with the coppers as well 💪

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 1d

I find all those chants to be super cringy. Hey hey ho ho…oh no oh no. I want to sound like a crowd of European football fans. ⚽️

3 8

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 2d

Proud of Seattle today. HUUUGE event! The only monarchs I support

1 4

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 2d

Portland has made the whole country weird and I am in full support. 🐸 🦖 ❌👑

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 7d

“Snow in the passes at 4000ft” they said.

First snow at our place (2100ft).

A lawn and garden with a thin covering of snow. Plants are in fall color, some are still blooming.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 20d

The last hummingbird feeder came down yesterday, and the 2 Anna’s that are here will have to get what they need from the garden. There’s still plenty there, but I hope they decide to go somewhere warmer for the winter.

One of the Agastache Rupestris is huge this year. It was planted in 2022. Its roots must be deep.

The Cutleaf Penstemon is still blooming, and the bumblebees are still around. There’s enough to share with the hummers.

This Furmans Red Texas Sage is one of a dozen volunteers that sprouted in June. I left this one but potted up the others to be overwintered in Seattle. I’ve not had good luck with these overwintering in our zone 6b in the past, so I’m not too hopeful this one will make it.

The Penstemon Barbatus (Scarlet Bugler) just keeps going and going. This one is hands down the summer hummer favorite.

The Scarlet Gilia is putting up more stalks and blooms!

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 24d

The Labor Mountain Fire grew significantly with the high winds yesterday, jumping Hwy 97 towards Tronsen Ridge. This is a beautiful area with a large population of the rare Tweedys Lewisia. Hopefully dormancy, their large taproot, and preference for rocky growing conditions will protect them. 🌱

Tweedys Lewisia growing on a steep bank in rocky soil. These are endemic to the Wenatchee Mtns.

The top of Tronsen Ridge in June. The Shrubby Penstemon is so lush and tall up there. Arrowleaf Balsamroot plants are huge. The Lewisia is not present on the ridge here but on the steep western slope.

1 2

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 24d

It was absolutely howling at my placea couple hours ago. One of our chairs flew off the deck!

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · 25d

A few late summer/fall surprises in the garden! The spreading phlox must have accessed moisture from somewhere - it started blooming sporadically again last month! The Red paintbrush, Oregon Checkermallow, and Scarlet Gilia were late to bloom in their first year of life. 🌱

Scarlet Gilia started from seed this winter. These are typically biennials, forming a rosette the first year, flowering and dying the next.

The Oregon Checkermallow is much smaller than I had thought they would be. I was envisioning hollyhocks I suppose.

I’ve had huge success with Paintbrush this year. The Harsh Paintbrush bloomed first (I don’t know how I ended up with that seed and all the rest C. Miniata). The wire cages are to keep the deer from eating the Idaho Fescue - host plant for these guys - and inadvertently the paintbrush.

The spreading Phlox (P. Diffusa) was a sad stub in early spring after being eaten by deer or elk.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 26

We still have a fair number of non breeding/immature rufous hummingbirds here, and a few Anna’s have arrived. Late summer nectar sources are Scarlet Bugler Penstemon, Rocky Mtn Bee plant, Sunset Hyssop, Cutleaf Penstemon, Purple Sage, Red Paintbrush, Munro’s Globemallow and Golden Columbine. 🌱

Penstemon Barbatus has always been the favorite nectar source for hummingbirds in my garden. I brought these seeds from our family cabin in AZ Rim Country years ago - they are easy to grow, and with so many plants there are blooms from end of June to mid-September.

This was my first year growing Bee Plants. Yes the Bumblebees love it, but the hummers are also frequent visitors to the purple variety - Rocky Mtn Bee Plant!

Grew these Castilleja Miniata from seed this spring. I was thrilled to see blooms this first year.

Dryland pollinator garden. I hand water only the Agastache once in early August. Hummer favorites in this garden are Agastache Rupestris, Penstemon Richardsonii and Salvia Dorrii.

Scarlet Bugler Penstemon and Munro’s Globemallow. This patch is a morning favorite for the east-of-the-house crew.

1 6

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 26

Haha yes! We’ve had more rufous hummingbirds this year than I can count. From what I can tell, there are 6-8 different but overlapping territories on our property. Sometimes it’s hazardous to be outside! 😆

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 26

Bro has taken his guarding the feeder game to a whole other level 🌱
#hummingbirds

Rufous hummingbird sitting on the top of a feeder

1 4

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 22

Cuddled up in the Munro’s Globemallow.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 12

It’s been windier than usual here this summer and I’ve seen very few butterflies in our gardens. Cabbage moths excepted. Lots of bumblebees and a record number of hummingbirds, but I’ve missed the Swallowtails.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 8

I’ve just been instructed to clean up my mess before our guests arrive for the weekend 😆

It’s seed collection season I can’t help it. 🌱

A “mess” of wildflower seeds at the dining table.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 8

Been an interesting day for birds here. This morning we had a Sooty Grouse hanging around for a couple hours. Just now I observed my first case of brood parisitism - a white crowned sparrow was feeding a brown-headed cowbird! No other fledglings just the one cowbird.

#nativeplants for the birds

A bad photo of a sooty grouse in the grass heading for the Serviceberry bushes.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 8

There are ten because I ate two of them 😆

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 8

We get eggs from a neighbor family. Look at these beauties! Almost too pretty to eat 😁 #countryliving

Two dozen chicken eggs of different colors from deep rust to light blue.

1 4

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 4

They were at our place last week for Serviceberries!

1 2

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 4

Wow that’s incredible!! Are you on a migration flyway? That’s a lot of bird species! 👏😊

1 1

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Aug 3

Did the same this week! Did not replant though - I’m constantly paring down they’re so prolific!

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Jul 31

Harsh Paintbrush (C. Hispida) and Scarlet Paintbrush (C. Miniata) in my meadow garden, both started late winter from hyper-locally collected seed. Although similar, C. Hispida is hairier with deeply lobed leaves. TBH I’m not sure how I ended up with this C. Hispida seed! 🌱

Harsh Paintbrush - Castilleja Hispida - has longer stem hairs and deeply lobed leaves.

Scarlet Paintbrush - Castilleja Miniata - is usually taller, has lanceolate leaves from base to inflorescence. It often has a reddish stem.

These are usually a hummingbird favorite, however in my garden they are dwarfed by penstemon barbatus, so the hummingbirds have so far completely ignored them.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Jul 30

The Rocky Mtn Bee plants are FINALLY blooming. Whew! Here’s a happy customer 🌱

Bumblebee coming in for a landing on a Rocky Mtn Bee Plant. The yellow in the background is Yellow Bee Plant.

Kat Harman @pnwkat.bsky.social · Jul 29

I hope the worst for Lee Zeldon because I *ABHOR* that greedy, pollution loving, ass kissing, climate change denying DUMBFUCK.