“Put sunflower seeds in your pockets so sunflowers grow here when you die.” Sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, a country most had not given much thought to, has now become a symbol of resistance, unity, and hope. Sunflowers had been planted at a Ukraine missile base after the removal of nuclear weapons in 1996. […]
Continue readingWoodland Waddle in Minerva, NY
The Hewitt Pond trail in Minerva, NY leading out to Barnes Pond in Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest is an old path found on maps dating back to 1901. The date for the stretch to Stony Pond is unknown. Not many visit this section of the forest as we saw no one during the 6 hours […]
Continue readingBee Line…
Beeline … to the Northern Hi-lights Azalea, a hybrid that was a favorite of Jeff’s sister who had passed away from cancer a number of years ago now. We dug it up and brought it to CT. It seems to have a following when in bloom. As you can see this Metallic Epauletted-Sweat Bee seems […]
Continue readingPetals of Milkweed
My pollinator garden thoughts started as growing only those plant species natives to CT. That didn’t last too long as I started incorporating a few of the species that were native to the surrounding states. Naturally, that expanded out just a bit further as thoughts of climate change and wildlife species moving further than normal […]
Continue readingThe Mountain Mint and the Macrosiagon limbata
Mountain mints, or any of our native mints, are often overlooked when we pick out our pollinator plants. This past year Basil Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum clinopodioides, was on my rare and endangered plant survey list and I was thrilled to find a nice population of them! No photos as any metadata info could possibly give […]
Continue readingStar-of-Bethlehem and Andrena in Early Spring
Star-of-Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum, are white flowers, a mere ¾ inch, with a pleasant scent that adds a two-week carpet of white to the mornings of the early spring garden. This aggressive little ornamental was introduced from its native range in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. A handful of bulbs were brought to my yard […]
Continue readingA Cloud of Red-winged Blackbirds is not a Dance of Sandhill Cranes
One of the amazing sights of being in New Mexico during the Sandhill Crane Festival was the huge number of birds. A couple hundred thousand of so many species including Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes, and Red-winged Blackbirds.
Continue readingBee in Love! With Phlox!
Yes, I’ve posted “Bee in Love” before but it fluttered by as I was doing a cleanup this morning. I do like this image! Phlox is a plant that can be found in many gardens. It is enjoyed by butterflies, skippers, moths, Syrphid flies, some beetles, caterpillars, possibly a rabbit, groundhog or deer, and yes […]
Continue readingStar of Bethlehem: Beautiful Alien
Star-of-Bethlehem came into my garden when our swimming pool first came down and I was in need of some plants. A gardener I’d known brought these invasive little beauties over. I’d told her I really wanted native and things that would not take over but she claimed the bulbs are so easy to simply pull […]
Continue reading2021: The Year We Dare to Care
Well here we are. 2021 is not off to a start where hopes, dreams, accomplishments, and visions of a bright future are easily envisioned. 2020 surely had unexpected, and unpleasant, twists and turns that no one imagined or would have been prepared for. COVID-19 loomed large over all, believers with masks and non-believers fighting for […]
Continue readingWorld Views: Jacob’s Ladder & Pollinators
If only we could see the world as wild ones do, would we dare to care? Jacob’s Ladder is such a dainty beauty in a color I love. Plant it and they will come I’ve heard. That early and still a bit chilly May morning when I first sat with this plant I watched as […]
Continue readingWorld Views: Red and Black Chokeberry
World Views: If only we can see the world as others do. Would we dare to care? Red, and Black Chokeberry are just a lovely welcome of white flowers to see in April, for both me and the numerous early small bees and flies as well. August to November brings lovely red berries and red […]
Continue readingWillow’s World: Foraging as it should be
Plant it and they will come! A variety of parrots once escaped from captivity or the pet traders, have enjoyed some of our habitats. But what about the habitat they came from? We cannot save them if we do not know what they eat or where they nest. Not all seeds, flowers, and fruits are […]
Continue readingWillow’s World: A bit about parrots
Willow is a White-fronted or Spectacled Amazon, Amazona albinfrons, from Central America but you may have opportunities to check her species off the list here in the United States. The only endemic species to the USA were the Carolina Parakeet, shootings made it globally extinct, and the Thick-billed Parrot, a Mexican species that extended into […]
Continue readingWorld Views: Cinquefoil in Ultraviolet
If we could see the world the way the wild ones do, would we dare to care? Cinquefoil attracts small bees and flies for pollen and nectar. Rabbits, groundhogs, deer, and livestock sometimes visit to nibble on the foliage. Cinquefoil is a member of the Rosaceae, or rose, family. A number of native and non-native […]
Continue readingWillow’s World: Cinnamon Hummingbirds, White-fronted Amazon Parrots, and Coffee
The shade coffee plantations of Guatemala provide more than just our coffee, they are also good foraging habitat for a number of birds. The Cinnamon Hummingbird and parrots like my Willow, the White-fronted Amazon. While modern shade plantations plant evenly spaced rows of trees, such as Inga, a traditional polyculture plantation will plant Inga along […]
Continue readingWillow’s World: Yucatan Jay
Seeing a 12” Yucatan Jay in the wild is amazing. Maybe because it is sporting my favorite color, blue, and it is such a contrast with the black body. These gorgeous birds were spotted in the forested area of the Yucatan Peninsula in Riviera Maya, Mexico. While males and females are similar, juveniles can be […]
Continue readingJust Another Breeding Season for the American Oystercatcher
The American Oystercatchers had started to return to the northeast coast sometime around mid-March from their wintering grounds in the southern states somewhere between South Carolina and Florida. I wandered the beach from Jacob Riis and Fort Tilden in Queens, NY on April 4th and enjoyed the company and curiosity of a number of pairs […]
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