Welcome to the Natural Coalescence Blog

Irises aren't just in all the colors of the rainbow, they seem to also be every scent of the cornucopia- a nose rainbow. But do their colors match their smell? Sniff for yourself and read all about them.

Making and testing natural inks & dyes from fruits and flowers in PNW.

Testing out a new tasty little melon inspired by dino eggs

Oak apples aren't a fruit, they're a gall from a wasp and they may not be edible but you can use them for home-made ink.

All about the popular spring bulbs that are nearly all varying levels of toxic

medical traits and ID of wild shelf mushroom red belted conk (Fomitopsis pinicola)

There are many cool trees all over the world and possibly more than our 'fair share' in the Pacific northwest due to the variety of habitats and historic geological disturbances of glaciation that isolated tree group progenitors and pushed others into severe habitats. I try not to be biased but also find a lot of incidents of having to pause to admire or fully caress some of our trees. So... there are cool ones. And high on the list of favorites is the western red-cedar, w

Blue flowers are the RAREST color. I’ve noticed this for a long time. And it makes sense. But it is also confusing and weird and beautiful. blue Himalayan poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia) TLDR: Flowers are blue through difficulty for the plants, but because it draws more animal pollinators and they show up more in areas with steeper competition for pollination. And we are a bit obsessed with them and their color, despite seeing less than bees can. Blue, not plum or lavend

*(sweaty, even while standing still because… heat domes & such) It’s a berry Pacific Northwest kind of life in summer time here. The sun finally came out and surprisingly this year, it receded a few times for some early summer showers. Many thanks from the wildflowers and fruits, and even the conifers. Trail breakfast with wild blueberries- pure luxury! When the sun is warm enough in spring to encourage sustained blooms and successful pollination (it takes the two to tango

There’s a disturbance in the woods. The snow has melted in most places, the skiers have slipped away with the entrance of spring. And as you come to a bend in the trail, there's a whole crowd of brilliantly radiating guys, just chilling there, letting it all hang out. Meet, the avalanche bros, the glacier guys, the yellow alpine lilies. Erythronium grandiflorum, avalanche lilies Try not to stare. They always have their junk out in the breeze, suspended on long filaments wi

Hydrangea season approaches! Blue is coming. blue hydrangea starting to open, by sayo ts 2 The special and huge draw of these shrubs for many gardeners is the unusual color of certain hydrangea. They are a vibrant rich blue. You’ve seen blue flowers of course, but if you think hard, you’ll notice they are actually quite rare. Which makes the blue hydrangea both pretty and pretty special. ombred hydrangea, by Cindy Gustafson These plants are not grown just anywhere either.

The iris is more than a lovely (ok absolutely gorgeous) flower. Of ancient Greek mythology, she is the goddess who personified the rainbow and the messenger of the gods where her rainbow trail could be seen left on her message runs between the Earth and the heavens. True, she was a lower tier deity in that mythology, but served a useful role, and how much “use” do we get from rainbows today, really? Definitely some joy and inspiration, and a nice clue to the presence of iso

There are dozens of flavors for vodkas on the liquor shelves, some fruity, some floral. As delightful as a toasted marshmallow vodka can make your cocktail, I have found a new favorite. And it's one you WON'T find on any store shelf (unless you have a special boutique and botanical liquor store, lucky you!). Ribes sanguineum (red flowering currant) in full bloom on early sunny spring day I was admiring the red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) in my yard, the very rich

I would bet this plant is among those that most people, even the botanically interested, would pass right by. Rosy twisted-stalks, and other twisted-stalks (we have several in the PNW) look like a cute zip-zagging plant similar to Solomon's seals. But if you lift one up you'll see- I think of it like the classic romantic scene moment where the confident love-interest lifts the chin of the bashful beauty for a kiss that says "I love you for you and see just how beautiful you

Begonia flowers are cooler than most people realize. I painted their corkscrew pistils as an oil painting, honoring them as I eat them.

Hey ya doll. Don’t you mind me, or should I say “us”. We certainly don’t mind this snow that can’t resist showing up again after a long hiatus. Every winter we get this last flash of winter like it’s resisting letting go, right? We kind of like that last cry of winter after a premature tease of spring to get our bulbs going. crocus in snow, by Vasile Cotovanu It may be frosty up top, but we know when it’s time to poke our heads out and find some action on the surface. croc

You know that 'adult thing' where you like slipping on a fresh new pair of socks? It's like a cozy snuggle for each foot. It's a thing. There I am craving some warmth for my toesies on a chilly February day, open up my trusty sock drawer and want a small pair, so I pluck one out. And to my surprise there's an extra addition. Not a bug (I try very hard to keep home critter-free) thankfully. I do have plant-socks, fungi socks, and even dinosaur socks, but this is new. Fuzz

Cottonwood trees (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa, P. deltoides and B. fremontii) have a love-hate relationship with people. Some people are allergic to them, had fire damage because of them, or simply have to sweep a lot more. But then they are also thought of as sacred, useful and even a bit edible tree. Not the “cotton” though, so don’t get a head of me. [No… come back here!] They are more than just the mismatched name. These trees are quietly special; very hu

The Dino-mobile admiring shrub steppe habitat and Sierra Mountains in the distance On a trip to southern California, I was so pleasantly surprised to find myself among the silvery scent-sational low shrubs I recall from trips to the east side of the Washington Cascades, where the climate is much drier. As I observed, much of California resembles the habitats of eastern Washington, planted firmly in the rain shadow of the tall Cascades mountains which collect the mountain’s

photo by Katy Cain, from Shenandoah National Park At the edge of a forest, near a centennial remnant of crumbling cedar fence, there’s a gnarled struggling tree of thick knotted branch tangles and a few large dead limbs. She is a marvelous Malus, apple. Her wood is gray and scarred- wrinkles showing the touch of time. And dotted among the fading branches, dusted in new snow, are pink shimmering gems- the round treasures that still coalesce their sugars each fall before they