Yard Work – June 2025

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It’s the time of year when there is a lot to do in the yard. There is always something to see along the way….like an insect on one of lawn mower knobs. I am appreciating the new blades my husband installed on the mower.  It does not clog as easily when the grass is a little wet and the batteries seem to last longer too.

With my husband’s surgery in May, we got a little behind on edging and weed eating. When he was recovered enough to do the edging, he went out to check the situation and someone in the neighborhood had already done it! They also did some weed eating which was not as appreciated since they cut some daylilies and my Missouri evening primrose too. There was a smashed bird nest/egg nearby as well (although that could have been from another cause). I put some bricks around the cut primrose and later pulled most of the grass growing around it. I posted a thank you with a proviso about the evening primrose and day lilies on the neighborhood’s Facebook page since I have no idea who did it.

We have hackberries coming up everywhere….planted by birds. There is a large hackberry near the neighborhood pond – probably the parent. I am cutting them at this point but might leave one if it comes up in a place that it could grow to be a tree. Poke weed and Virginia Creeper are other natives that are prolific in the yard…..sometimes a little overwhelming and I usually leave them – particularly in the back yard. Poison ivy is something I always try to pull as soon as I find.


A hedge parsley came up in one of my flower beds…and it was pulled since it is not native to North America and tends to spread. I do the same with tree and Asian honeysuckle. A forsythia (also non-native) has been an ongoing project in my back yard. I am gradually cutting it down and will eventually paint the cut stubs with herbicide to kill it. I would rather have a native bush there. In the meantime, the results of my pruning are making a higher pile on my deck….drying out now and will be burned in the fall in my chimenea.

I planted a pot of flowers and veggies and a white oak seedling in late May. The zinnias are beginning to bloom! I won’t do it long term since it must be watered frequently….not something I want to do! I’ll have to decide where to put the white oak.

Other than my mower - my pruners, water bottle and gauntlet gloves are my primary tools. I’ve purchased some summer weight sunblock shirts and wear a hat, so I don’t need sunscreen except on my face!

White Oak Seedling

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I planted a white oak acorn last fall and posted about it sprouting last November.  The seedling is doing well on the windowsill of my office – and still had its 4 green leaves. I’ve put some snowmen decorations on each side of it.  The seedling leans a bit toward the light, so I turn it occasionally…and keep it damp. I’m wondering if the leaves will turn and fall at some point. I can’t tell that they’ve grown very much recently; perhaps the roots are more active but it’s difficult to see with the soil.

In February, I have an outreach event about trees and the seedling will be a good prop!

And then in the late spring – when I’m confident there will not be another frost – it will get planted outside somewhere. It will grow up to be a very large tree so I am not sure I should plant it in my yard.

Sprouting an Acorn

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I picked up some acorns back in September – pin oak (neighbor’s oak) and white oak (from Identifying Wood Plants field trip). Some of each were wrapped in damp paper towels to sprout. Only one sprouted! It was a white oak which was not too surprising since they are known for sprouting in the fall (didn’t learn this until I had the acorns in the damp paper towels).

The sprouted acorn is now in a modified soft drink bottle with some soil…in the window of my office. The pictures below show the young white oak over the past 7 days.

The plan is to keep it indoors through the winter and plant it outdoors after the last frost next spring. It could be the only white oak in the neighborhood!

Phelps Grove Park

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Last week the Identifying Woody Plants class walked to Phelps Grove Park to add more trees to our list. I used my point-and-shoot (Canon Powershot SX730 HS) to capture some features of the additional trees (plus some trees already on our list). The temperaature was in the 70s…perfect for the hike…but the leaves are beginning to fall on many of the trees. Identification will get harder.

Serviceberry – Amelanchier arborea – Rosaceae: stripped bark, multiple trunks, small trees, two toned pointy buds, leaves simple and alternate

Crabapple – Malus – Rosaceae: pome without grit, twigs hairy, leaves (lobed, simple, entire)

Hawthorne – Crataegus – Rosaceae: thorns, pome, leaves round, bark pealing and patchy, the one we saw was infested with apple cedar rust (i.e. not a healthy tree)

Fig (just for interest…not added to list)

Flowering dogwood (not new) – Cornus florida - Cornaceae

White oak – Quercus alba – Fagaceae: leaves (rounded lobes, smooth, lighter underneath), acorns dark with bumpy cups and often sprout in fall

Hemlock (not new) – Tsuga canadensis - Pinaceae

Black cherry – Prunus serotina – Rosaceae: observed bark…branches too high to see more

Osage orange – Maclura pomifera – Moraceae: bark shaggy and orange in parts, leaves (tapering tip, entire, alternate, simple, size varies), the one we saw was male so no fruit

Red mulberry  - Morus rubra – Moraceae: milky sap, leaves (toothed, shiny, falling)


Shortleaf pine (note new) – Pinus echinate – Pinaceae

Hackberry – Celtis occidentalis – Cannabaceae: drupe that can taste like a dry raisin, leaves (3 veins, asymmetric, rough), the one we saw had galls, bark rough and gray, large tree

Shingle oak – Quercus imbricaria – Fagaceae: acorn small, leaves (no lobes, long and narrow, soft hair underneath), multiple buds at tend of twigs, bark grayish

Previous posts about my experiences in the Identifying Woody Plants class at Missouri State University