Acton Flower Shops

Acton ON News

Dec 18, 2019

A tree in Brazil’s arid northeast rains nectar from its flowers - Science News

Chemical analysis of the nectar revealed 38 different scent compounds, dominated by trans-cinnamaldehyde and gamma-decalactone — the odors of cinnamon and fermenting fruit, respectively. Together, those two compounds made up almost 68 percent of the odor mix. This chemical identification of nectar scent compounds is among the first achieved for a bat-pollinated plant. The researchers note that bats generally are enticed by the smell of rotten or fermenting fruit, but Domingos de Melo wants next to investigate whether the nectar’s fragrant compounds actually do attract bats. While the study details H. cangaceira’s “wildly cool” pollination scheme, evolutionary ecologist Amy Parachnowitsch of the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Canada, suggests the team’s isolation of individual, potentially bat-attracting compounds in nectar is the tip of the iceberg. “There are so few studies that have tested nectar for scent that once we start looking there is likely to be many more examples,” says Parachnowitsch. “Scents in nectar are probably common, but we are a very long way from understanding their functional roles and if there is any differences with various pollinators.” ...

Jul 6, 2018

This pretty plant is dangerous — and it's growing in more than a dozen Mass. communities

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, said Wednesday. Advertisement Hogweed has recently been spotted in Acton, Blandford, Brimfield, Dover, Hinsdale, Lee, Martha's Vineyard, New Marlborough, Peru, Southwick, Stoughton, Sutton, and West Springfield, and control efforts are still in progress, according to the state Department of Agricultural Resources. Get Fast Forward in your inbox: Forget yesterday's news. Get what you need today in this early-morning email. However, the plant has been eradicated in several other communities, including Boston. "It's a very large plant with a large, flowering stalk that towers over people, like an umbrella of white flowers. It's very showy. I think that's what made people plant it years and years ago," Forman Orth said.While beautiful, hogweed can be extremely dangerous. It produces phototoxic sap that, after being exposed to sunlight, forms painful, fluid-filled blisters on human skin, she said. Experts say it can also cause blindness if it gets in your eyes.It also poses some ecological issues. Advertisement Once hogweed - which thrives along streams and riverbanks - sprouts flowers, it begins to die, Forman Orth said. Because it's top-heavy, it tips over and pulls up soil along riverbanks, causing soil erosion, she said.The plant recently made headlines after Virginia researchers discovered it had landed in the state for the first time last week, officials said.Researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University acknowledged that while the plant - which was found in Clarke County on June 12 - can be toxic, they believe it was planted intentionally decades ago and hasn't spread since, according to a statement from the university.The plant has also invaded several other states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Oregon, and Washington, according to research...

Feb 23, 2017

Gardening: Catmints a love-it or hate-it arrangement

Cats may be attracted to the aromatic oil, nepetalactone, that is released when the foliage is crushed. Closely related to feline sexual pheromones, it causes cats to be silly. The effects last for a few minutes, but cats may return frequently, ultimately decimating the plants. Young kittens or older cats are less affected. My own theory, somewhat biased and without scientific support: city cats really go for it as they’re somewhat bored. Country cats have better things to do with their time and have more options and therefore generally leave it alone.A member of the mint family, perennial catmint is characterized by four-sided stems and opposite leaves. The oblong to heart-shaped foliage is aromatic and an attractive blue- or grey-green. The small, tubular, two-lipped flowers in blue, purple, white or cream, are arranged in whorls on long racemes. Catmints are very floriferous and bloom over six to eight weeks. They attract bees and butterflies with their nectar but are resistant to deer and rabbits.They’re hardy, easy to grow, and flourish in full sun and well-drained soil. Insect and disease free, they’re remarkably drought-tolerant once established. Shear to about 25 cm after blooming.Here are some selections, beginning with the most compact and well behaved:Dropmore Blue (30 x 45 cm), introduced in 1938 by Dr. Frank Skinner of Manitoba, is my favourite. It sports large, bright blue flowers for almost 8 weeks, has attractive blue-green foliage, and is w... (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

Dec 22, 2016

Another Life: Books to make a flower lover happy

A chapter on woody plants finds past collectors’ treasures still growing at Kilmacurragh, the Co Wicklow garden first planted by the Acton family and rescued from dereliction by the National Botanic Gardens. It’s also a destination warmly recommended in Wicklow Bound: A Seasonal Guide (Wordwell, €15), by Seán Ó Súilleabháin. The enfolding contours of Ireland’s garden county drew him to live there a decade ago and, as a hillwalker and nature enthusiast, he has thoroughly attended to its wildlife, large and small. His month-by-month guide to places and things to see is enjoyably observed, with discursions from a knowledgeable, well-read life. His December destinations have much to do with ancient stones and druidic light. They include a visit to Kilmacurragh to view the winter-solstice sunrise through an avenue of not-quite-ancient yews, or another to Glendalough to engage with St Kevin in the lonely moment when the sun dips behind Turlough Hill. The broody but liberating heights of the Wicklows are among the hills celebrated in the vivid pages of The Mountains of Ireland (Collins Press, €30). The work of Gareth McCormack, already a widely published mountain photographer, this is the culmination of 20 years climbing up and jolting down the Irish peaks, humping heavy gear. Sometimes he bivouacked on a summit to catch the light of dawn or the slant of winter sun across snow. And sometimes it just rained. No one has done it better, nor seems ever likely to, and McCormack paid an unjust price by developing a crippling arthritis in his knees. The book serves him well, spreading some digital panoramas across both broad pages, flooding wild landscapes with colour and light. He finds some of the finest – and loneliest – in the Nephin range of north Mayo, Ireland’s first designated “wilderness area”, where the experience of Arctic tundra is conjured in the stillness of bog pools and the daunting scarp of hills beyond Ballycroy. Michael Viney’s Reflections on Another Life, a selection of columns from the past four decades, is available from irishtimes.com/irishtimesbooks ... (Irish Times)

Sep 28, 2016

James Edward "Jim" Raffin

Wendy Woodall and Ron of Kissimmee, FL, Cheryl Dixon and Steve of Granbury, Margaret Raffin of Phoenix, AZ, Carol Ames and Fred of Acton and Cathy Raffin of Glen Rose. Ten grandchildren: Elizabeth Stephens and Dee, Kimberly Dunnahoo and Ben and Patricia Davis, all of Stephenville. Emily Dixon of Fort Worth; Molly Dixon and Brenden Dixon of Granbury; Mixen Rubio-Raffin of Phoenix, AZ; Cody Ames of Granbury; Paige Tucker and CPL Adam USA of El Paso and ADAN Robert Germann USN of Lemoore, CA. Eight great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and too many “adopted” family members to count. (The Glen Rose Reporter)

Apr 28, 2016

Yucca: Plant of Many Uses | Commentary by Mari Carbajal

Quixote yucca and many other names that I won’t go into here. The species local to Santa Clarita Valley including Agua Dulce and Acton – and most of Southern California – is yucca whipplei. Yucca is considered a “survival plant.” Why? Because of all of the resources this plant is able to provide. People throughout history have taken advantage of the yucca’s many uses, and we continue to use it today. For hundreds of years, American Indians have utilized the yucca for everything imaginable – food, cordage, building materials, making shoes and sandals, rope, nets, making baskets, and using the leaves for soap, shampoo and food. The young flowers are edible but can be bitter if not washed several times before consumption. The fruits can be eaten raw, and the dried seeds can be roasted and ground into flour. Yucca root is eaten like potato but contains far more starch. Note: It is unclear to me which species of yucca root is edible. I’ve heard that some species of yucca can be eaten and some can’t, so make sure to ask experts, or research the various yucca plant species before eating any of the plant’s parts. Besides food, the leaves can be treated and used to make cordage. This is always a fun “campground” activity or a great lesson for scouts and children of any age. First, cut some of t... (SCVNEWS.com)