We ran out of peanuts at the homestead last week and our "blue babies" were not very happy with us! I intended to buy peanuts over the weekend (Sunday) but their squawks on Saturday morning told me they were very hungry...NOW! To tide them over until Sunday, I sifted through my birdseed and gathered as many sunflower seeds as possible. I sat them on the bar on the deck in the old Kong flyer that we use as a "dish" for the Blue Jays. There didn't seem to be much action on Saturday...probably because we were outside with Oscar for several hours.
Sunday morning, however, was a different story! It started when we woke up about 7:15 AM to the now familiar squawks of our blue-feathered friends. It sure sounded like there were several outside, but just how many we didn't know. We went downstairs to have breakfast and as I went to put Oscar outside, I saw them! It was like a scene out of Hitchcock's "The Birds" except it was all Blue Jays instead of Crows.
EIGHT OF THEM!
They were everywhere! On the pergola, in the two trees by the pond, in the tree at the other end of the deck, on the deck railing, and on the bar! It was incredible! Last year, I suspected that several Blue Jays were a family because two were larger than the rest and the ones that were smaller were "awkward." Has the family expanded? Are these eight all related? I don't know...but what I do know is that I have even more "blue baby" mouths to feed than I thought!
Of course, I don't mind. Blue Jays are one of my favorites! Just this morning while I was brushing my teeth, one landed in the tree outside of my bathroom, turned and looked at me, and squawked as if to say, "You're running a few minutes late, aren't you? There are no peanuts out here yet!"
Silly blue babies!
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Watch the Birdie!
Yesterday afternoon/early evening was an exciting time for watching birds around the house. The excitement started with Chris' spot of an Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) in our front garden. At first, neither of us was sure what kind of bird it was, but after a quick check of my field guide for PA birds, we were able to make the ID. I then put in the bird song/call CD that accompanied the field guide and we listened to the song and call of the Eastern Towhee. Chris said he'd been hearing it out back all week.
After dinner, I decided to sit out on the deck to enjoy the lovely weather and began listening and looking for birds in our stand of trees. Almost immediately, a White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) began chirping and climbing one of the trees. I ran inside to grab my binoculars for a better view. When I returned, it took me a few minutes to find the bird again, but once I did, I was able to zero in on him and make the ID. I ran back in the house for my field guide for PA birds and my Smithsonian eastern region bird guide so they were handy.
I didn't make any other new or rare IDs last night, but in the 25 minutes that I sat outside, I was able to watch and enjoy the antics of the White-breasted Nuthatch, several American Robins (Turdus migratorius), and several Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina). Chipping Sparrows were eating Nyjer seed at the feeder, not on the ground which is their usual M.O. They are easily one of my favorite birds, simply because of their light and airy "tzee" chip or chirp that they make.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
After dinner, I decided to sit out on the deck to enjoy the lovely weather and began listening and looking for birds in our stand of trees. Almost immediately, a White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) began chirping and climbing one of the trees. I ran inside to grab my binoculars for a better view. When I returned, it took me a few minutes to find the bird again, but once I did, I was able to zero in on him and make the ID. I ran back in the house for my field guide for PA birds and my Smithsonian eastern region bird guide so they were handy.
I didn't make any other new or rare IDs last night, but in the 25 minutes that I sat outside, I was able to watch and enjoy the antics of the White-breasted Nuthatch, several American Robins (Turdus migratorius), and several Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina). Chipping Sparrows were eating Nyjer seed at the feeder, not on the ground which is their usual M.O. They are easily one of my favorite birds, simply because of their light and airy "tzee" chip or chirp that they make.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Those Wascally Wabbits!
It appears that I may not be the only one with the Eastern cottontail problem this year...they are terrorizing Chris, too! I've been worried that the rabbits might attack my broccoli plants like they did last year. Instead, it appears that they have eaten Chris' giant pumpkin plants less than 24 hours after they were planted. I found this out through an instant message, so I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure Chris is irked. Really irked! Thankfully, he still has two other plants that are still in their starter pots. When I got home from the gym tonight, I found out that they also ate one of my yellow bean plants! I am definitely irked! I guess we will have to put up a smaller gauge fence around the bottom of the existing garden fence to keep out our cottontail "friends." Chris is reading up (as I type) on ways to keep them out/deter them. I've got a .22 rifle that would do the trick. (Kidding!)
In other news, the bird box that I cleaned out Saturday morning...the one that had nest building activity that very night...already has an egg in it. It appears to be a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) nest and egg. The nest is very sparse right now. I am going to have to read up on House Sparrow nesting habits. The last two House Sparrow nests were very dense and included feathers and what looked like fur. The egg is a bit bigger than a peanut M&M and is cream colored with maroon/brown-ish speckles.
All but one of the baby House Sparrows had fledged from the second bird box by yesterday evening. When I peeked into the box, there was one baby remaining and he/she seemed really antsy to join his/her brothers and sisters who were sitting in the big bush off to the left of the box. I will check both boxes again on Sunday and I hope to be able to report on more eggs in box #1 and clean out box #2 to make room for another bunch o'babies.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
In other news, the bird box that I cleaned out Saturday morning...the one that had nest building activity that very night...already has an egg in it. It appears to be a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) nest and egg. The nest is very sparse right now. I am going to have to read up on House Sparrow nesting habits. The last two House Sparrow nests were very dense and included feathers and what looked like fur. The egg is a bit bigger than a peanut M&M and is cream colored with maroon/brown-ish speckles.
All but one of the baby House Sparrows had fledged from the second bird box by yesterday evening. When I peeked into the box, there was one baby remaining and he/she seemed really antsy to join his/her brothers and sisters who were sitting in the big bush off to the left of the box. I will check both boxes again on Sunday and I hope to be able to report on more eggs in box #1 and clean out box #2 to make room for another bunch o'babies.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
First Post for 2009
We have been very busy around the house and in the gardens the past few weeks, so I decided it was time to pick back up with my Backyard Observations for 2009. I received a new digital camera for Mother's Day (apparently Oscar gets a hefty allowance that I know nothing about!), so I will be adding more pictures in future posts this year.
GARDENS
Let's go back to Mother's Day weekend. We had 5 cubic yards of mulch delivered that Thursday afternoon. Saturday morning we woke up and were out and about in the gardens by 8 AM. Chris took the garden around/near the pond while I worked in the butterfly/hummingbird (bf/hb) garden. We weeded and weeded and weeded some more! Nine of the ten perennials that I planted in the bf/hb garden came back. For whatever reason, my balloon flower did not return this year. Chris' Clematis has returned with a vengeance this year - I know he's pleased!
After working on the gardens off the back deck, I moved around the front of the house and weeded the front gardens. While I worked out front, Chris mulched around back. When I finished out front, Chris mulched while I made my way up to the vegetable garden. We rented a tiller for the weekend and he'd already run it through very lightly to rip up the weeds. I took the rake up and raked all of the dead weeds.
Sunday morning we went back up to the vegetable garden, spread the compost we got from the University Area Joint Authority, and ran the tiller through the garden several different times in different directions.
The following weekend we drove down to Martin Garden Center south of Tyrone to buy all of our vegetables. I also purchased a few more perennials and a few annuals for deck boxes. We also bought two new pond plants since we lost our water lily over the winter.
We planted columbine, a hydrangea, and two other perennials (whose names/types escape me) out front. I also planted to perennial gerbera daisies out front that I found on the clearance "dying" rack at Lowe's for $1 each. They just had deadheads...they weren't dying...but if Lowe's wants to sell them to me for $1 each, I'm OK with that! We also planted a bellflower plant in the bf/hb garden and I added some lavender (that I bought at the PSU Vegetable Cellar) further around in the garden.
I also planted my deck box and dish. Like last year, I put Mexican roses (Portulaca) in a shallow, round dish which sits on the bar on the deck. They did so well in that dish and in that location last year that I decided to do it again. In the deck box, I went with red flowers and plants. I bought a reddish spike plant from Lowe's and centered that in the box. Around that I added red petunias, red snapdragons, and other little red flowers. I think it looks great!
This past Saturday morning, we planted our vegetable garden. This year we "only" planted 24 tomato plants (compared to 37 last year). We planted grape, cherry, Carolina gold, and celebrity tomatoes. We planted 12 pepper plants - 6 blushing beauties (ivory to purple/burgundy color) and 6 orange pepper plants. We planted 6 broccoli plants, 4 zucchini plants, 4 cantaloupe plants, 6 yellow beans plants, and multiple onion plants. Chris planted his corn the Wednesday prior. We still have a good section of the garden left...for Chris' GIANT pumpkins!
That's right...Chris is growing giant pumpkins. He found a local giant pumpkin grower who very generously and graciously sent Chris a variety of giant pumpkin seeds (just because Chris had inquired!). Chris started four seeds and they are growing like mad! He started them last week and for several days they rested in our oven with the light on, which produced the ideal 85 degrees the seeds needed! He has already transplanted two from the starter peat pots to larger pots. Something tells me we're going to need a frontend loader later this year to move these things!!!
Ah! Back to the vegetables before I forget. We also planted an asparagus root in a pot to see how it does, spinach and lettuce seeds in pots on the deck (since we have such a thriving rabbit population), and herbs (basil, parsley, and cilantro) in pots also on the deck. Over the weekend, we purchased radish seeds which we'll be starting this week and again once or twice this summer. Finally, I bought two different kinds of sunflowers which I plan to grow along the privacy fence - Autumn Mix (5-7') and Irish Eyes (24-30"). I will be starting them in seeds trays this week and continuing to do so each week for about 6 weeks to get staggered growth and blooming.
ANIMALS
Hummingbird activity began about four weeks ago. No sooner did I get the feeder out and brew up a batch of nectar (one part sugar to four parts water) did the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) show up. It is generally one male that comes to the feeder, feeds, and "hangs out." In fact, it was this little hummingbird, who I call "Flick," that was a MAJOR distraction the week I was supposed to be writing my final exam paper for school. I would sit down to read and/or write and, of course, Flick would show up. He'd feed and then sit on top of the shepherd's hook and watch the gnats flying around. He'd also shake (it was drizzling and the rain was beading on his feathers), stretch, and yawn. Amazing...and very distracting! I'm lucky I finished that paper!
Over the past few weeks there have been many hummingbird visits to the feeder. I have seen two males at/near the feeder at the same time, competing with each other for "feeder rights." I have also seen a female at the feeder. As of yet, I have not witnessed any hummingbird courtship, nor have I seen the male and female at the feeder at the same time as I did last year. I will have to go back and review my posts from last year to see when the courting started.
I also have the thistle, "regular birdseed," and suet feeders in the backyard. There are birds at those feeders constantly! I have taken to filling them just once per week. If I filled them everytime they were emptied, my pockets would also be emptied! I ran out of thistle seed recently, but fortunately Tractor Supply Co. had a great sale on thistle seed ($27.99 for 25 lbs.) so I have a raincheck for two bags that I need to go collect. I have found that TSC has the best price (regular price $34.99 for 25 lbs.) on thistle seed and for regular bird seed ($16.99 for 50 lbs. - Royal Wing brand). Wegmans has the best price for suet cakes (10 pack for $8.59).
So far this spring, I have seen the following birds at the feeders and in the yard:
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) *
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) **
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) ***
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
I encourage you to follow the links to read and learn more about the above listed birds (as well as others) at the Cornell site. I LOVE the Cornell site!!!
* Love these guys! They have ME trained to feed them peanuts on command. One of them will come and sit in the tree outside the kitchen and squawk for food. If I hear them, I go outside and put peanuts all along the railing of the deck. Next thing I know, four or five different Blue Jays are coming in to eat!
** LOVE this bird! I have seen it twice now - once on May 2, 2008 and once on May 4, 2009. Very nearly a year to the day...strange! Chris has yet to see it and therefore does not believe I have seen it! But I have! I really have!!!
*** We just fledged four baby House Sparrows out of "house box #1" and should fledge four more out of "house box #2" any day now. There were five babies born in box #1, but one did not survive. I found it when I cleaned out the box this past weekend. Within hours of me cleaning out the box, a new nest was being constructed. It appears to be another House Sparrow nest. I have logged both bird boxes with Cornell's project NestWatch and will track the success of these boxes over the summer.
Another bird that I have seen is the Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). Chris and I were out walking last Tuesday evening and we came across an adult Killdeer on a nest. The nest was located among fist-sized rocks roadside (at the end of a driveway between the lawn and the road). The nest was very well camoflauged among these rocks. Ironically, it was the adult that drew our attention to the nest. Had he/she not created such a ruckus, we would have walked right on by. As it was, the adult exhibited the "broken wing" distraction behavior that adults will use to draw attention away from the nest location. He/she was very convincing! There were four eggs in the nest. We walked by again three nights later and there was one adult in the area of the nest and another flying around. Both screeched and squawked when we drew near. I was able to see one Killdeer chick. I didn't want to stand there too long because I didn't want to draw more attention to the nest/chicks and I didn't want to cause the adults more stress. I logged this nest location into NestWatch as well.
Eastern cottontails continue to be abundant in our yards and gardens. Oscar likes to give them chase, although it seems they might be aware of his electronic dog fence boundaries, because it appears they know to sit and feed just beyond his limits! So long as they leave the vegetable garden alone this year, the Eastern cottontails and I will get along just fine. I have, however, begun to research organic rabbit repellants/deterrants just in case!
One final note...and unfortunately, it is a sad one. Fredrick von Hoppenstance, our resident green frog (Rana clamitans), did not survive the winter. His remains, along with those of a female green frog, were found when the pond thawed and Chris cleaned it out. Fredrick was a great source of entertainment last summer. Here's hoping our pond attracts another frog or two this year.
RIP Fredrick von Hoppenstance.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
GARDENS
Let's go back to Mother's Day weekend. We had 5 cubic yards of mulch delivered that Thursday afternoon. Saturday morning we woke up and were out and about in the gardens by 8 AM. Chris took the garden around/near the pond while I worked in the butterfly/hummingbird (bf/hb) garden. We weeded and weeded and weeded some more! Nine of the ten perennials that I planted in the bf/hb garden came back. For whatever reason, my balloon flower did not return this year. Chris' Clematis has returned with a vengeance this year - I know he's pleased!
After working on the gardens off the back deck, I moved around the front of the house and weeded the front gardens. While I worked out front, Chris mulched around back. When I finished out front, Chris mulched while I made my way up to the vegetable garden. We rented a tiller for the weekend and he'd already run it through very lightly to rip up the weeds. I took the rake up and raked all of the dead weeds.
Sunday morning we went back up to the vegetable garden, spread the compost we got from the University Area Joint Authority, and ran the tiller through the garden several different times in different directions.
The following weekend we drove down to Martin Garden Center south of Tyrone to buy all of our vegetables. I also purchased a few more perennials and a few annuals for deck boxes. We also bought two new pond plants since we lost our water lily over the winter.
We planted columbine, a hydrangea, and two other perennials (whose names/types escape me) out front. I also planted to perennial gerbera daisies out front that I found on the clearance "dying" rack at Lowe's for $1 each. They just had deadheads...they weren't dying...but if Lowe's wants to sell them to me for $1 each, I'm OK with that! We also planted a bellflower plant in the bf/hb garden and I added some lavender (that I bought at the PSU Vegetable Cellar) further around in the garden.
I also planted my deck box and dish. Like last year, I put Mexican roses (Portulaca) in a shallow, round dish which sits on the bar on the deck. They did so well in that dish and in that location last year that I decided to do it again. In the deck box, I went with red flowers and plants. I bought a reddish spike plant from Lowe's and centered that in the box. Around that I added red petunias, red snapdragons, and other little red flowers. I think it looks great!
This past Saturday morning, we planted our vegetable garden. This year we "only" planted 24 tomato plants (compared to 37 last year). We planted grape, cherry, Carolina gold, and celebrity tomatoes. We planted 12 pepper plants - 6 blushing beauties (ivory to purple/burgundy color) and 6 orange pepper plants. We planted 6 broccoli plants, 4 zucchini plants, 4 cantaloupe plants, 6 yellow beans plants, and multiple onion plants. Chris planted his corn the Wednesday prior. We still have a good section of the garden left...for Chris' GIANT pumpkins!
That's right...Chris is growing giant pumpkins. He found a local giant pumpkin grower who very generously and graciously sent Chris a variety of giant pumpkin seeds (just because Chris had inquired!). Chris started four seeds and they are growing like mad! He started them last week and for several days they rested in our oven with the light on, which produced the ideal 85 degrees the seeds needed! He has already transplanted two from the starter peat pots to larger pots. Something tells me we're going to need a frontend loader later this year to move these things!!!
Ah! Back to the vegetables before I forget. We also planted an asparagus root in a pot to see how it does, spinach and lettuce seeds in pots on the deck (since we have such a thriving rabbit population), and herbs (basil, parsley, and cilantro) in pots also on the deck. Over the weekend, we purchased radish seeds which we'll be starting this week and again once or twice this summer. Finally, I bought two different kinds of sunflowers which I plan to grow along the privacy fence - Autumn Mix (5-7') and Irish Eyes (24-30"). I will be starting them in seeds trays this week and continuing to do so each week for about 6 weeks to get staggered growth and blooming.
ANIMALS
Hummingbird activity began about four weeks ago. No sooner did I get the feeder out and brew up a batch of nectar (one part sugar to four parts water) did the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) show up. It is generally one male that comes to the feeder, feeds, and "hangs out." In fact, it was this little hummingbird, who I call "Flick," that was a MAJOR distraction the week I was supposed to be writing my final exam paper for school. I would sit down to read and/or write and, of course, Flick would show up. He'd feed and then sit on top of the shepherd's hook and watch the gnats flying around. He'd also shake (it was drizzling and the rain was beading on his feathers), stretch, and yawn. Amazing...and very distracting! I'm lucky I finished that paper!
Over the past few weeks there have been many hummingbird visits to the feeder. I have seen two males at/near the feeder at the same time, competing with each other for "feeder rights." I have also seen a female at the feeder. As of yet, I have not witnessed any hummingbird courtship, nor have I seen the male and female at the feeder at the same time as I did last year. I will have to go back and review my posts from last year to see when the courting started.
I also have the thistle, "regular birdseed," and suet feeders in the backyard. There are birds at those feeders constantly! I have taken to filling them just once per week. If I filled them everytime they were emptied, my pockets would also be emptied! I ran out of thistle seed recently, but fortunately Tractor Supply Co. had a great sale on thistle seed ($27.99 for 25 lbs.) so I have a raincheck for two bags that I need to go collect. I have found that TSC has the best price (regular price $34.99 for 25 lbs.) on thistle seed and for regular bird seed ($16.99 for 50 lbs. - Royal Wing brand). Wegmans has the best price for suet cakes (10 pack for $8.59).
So far this spring, I have seen the following birds at the feeders and in the yard:
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) *
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) **
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) ***
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
I encourage you to follow the links to read and learn more about the above listed birds (as well as others) at the Cornell site. I LOVE the Cornell site!!!
* Love these guys! They have ME trained to feed them peanuts on command. One of them will come and sit in the tree outside the kitchen and squawk for food. If I hear them, I go outside and put peanuts all along the railing of the deck. Next thing I know, four or five different Blue Jays are coming in to eat!
** LOVE this bird! I have seen it twice now - once on May 2, 2008 and once on May 4, 2009. Very nearly a year to the day...strange! Chris has yet to see it and therefore does not believe I have seen it! But I have! I really have!!!
*** We just fledged four baby House Sparrows out of "house box #1" and should fledge four more out of "house box #2" any day now. There were five babies born in box #1, but one did not survive. I found it when I cleaned out the box this past weekend. Within hours of me cleaning out the box, a new nest was being constructed. It appears to be another House Sparrow nest. I have logged both bird boxes with Cornell's project NestWatch and will track the success of these boxes over the summer.
Another bird that I have seen is the Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). Chris and I were out walking last Tuesday evening and we came across an adult Killdeer on a nest. The nest was located among fist-sized rocks roadside (at the end of a driveway between the lawn and the road). The nest was very well camoflauged among these rocks. Ironically, it was the adult that drew our attention to the nest. Had he/she not created such a ruckus, we would have walked right on by. As it was, the adult exhibited the "broken wing" distraction behavior that adults will use to draw attention away from the nest location. He/she was very convincing! There were four eggs in the nest. We walked by again three nights later and there was one adult in the area of the nest and another flying around. Both screeched and squawked when we drew near. I was able to see one Killdeer chick. I didn't want to stand there too long because I didn't want to draw more attention to the nest/chicks and I didn't want to cause the adults more stress. I logged this nest location into NestWatch as well.
Eastern cottontails continue to be abundant in our yards and gardens. Oscar likes to give them chase, although it seems they might be aware of his electronic dog fence boundaries, because it appears they know to sit and feed just beyond his limits! So long as they leave the vegetable garden alone this year, the Eastern cottontails and I will get along just fine. I have, however, begun to research organic rabbit repellants/deterrants just in case!
One final note...and unfortunately, it is a sad one. Fredrick von Hoppenstance, our resident green frog (Rana clamitans), did not survive the winter. His remains, along with those of a female green frog, were found when the pond thawed and Chris cleaned it out. Fredrick was a great source of entertainment last summer. Here's hoping our pond attracts another frog or two this year.
RIP Fredrick von Hoppenstance.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Lessons from a Wild Weekend and Garden Updates
Chris and I spent the FOJ weekend camping with his parents at a local state park. Saturday morning, we ventured down to the beach house for an "early bird coffee walk" and it turned out that we were the only two lame-Os in the park to want to go on such a walk. So we headed out with the park naturalist and a park volunteer to listen for and spot a few birds. The walk lasted about an hour. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but we did hear a Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens). That was a new bird for me. I wish we could have seen one, but I'll settle for the pictures on the Cornell site (www.birds.cornell.edu).
During our walk, we stopped at the park's butterfly garden. What an amazing garden! It is filled with aster, purple coneflowers, and milkweed. My lesson from this wild weekend - I need milkweed in my butterfly/hummingbird garden! There were no butterflies in the garden Saturday morning when we stopped by during the bird walk; however, when we visited Sunday afternoon when it was very warm and sunny, the garden was full of dozens of butterflies. How exciting! I can only HOPE that my garden will be that successful one of these days. I stopped at a garden shop on the way home from camping on Sunday and bought a new purple coneflower. I previously planted on in the hummingbird/butterfly garden, but something kept eating it and it wasn't growing very well. This new one has two blooms and numerous buds, so Chris dug up the old one (which is coming back quite nicely, although it is still quite small), and we planted the new one in its place. We replanted the old one in a different location in the hummingbird/butterfly garden. I think both of them will do well in their new locations.
Sunday night when we got home from camping, we walked out to the vegetable garden. I was astounded at the growth in the three days we were gone. To think about what that garden looked like one month ago...heck...one WEEK ago...and to see it now...it is so exciting!!! A few stalks of corn are already four feet tall and the rest are at least three feet tall...definitely "knee high by the Fourth of July!" The tomatoes are going like gang busters...when they all come in, we are going to be inundated with 'maters. Everything else is growing well, too. We have quite a few jalapeno peppers that could probably stand to be picked in the next few days.
Out in the Suzie/sunflower garden, the Black-eyed Susans all have buds and a few look ready to burst into bloom any day now. The sunflowers continue to grow, although I lost three to "something" while we were gone. A deer? Our resident groundhog? I am uncertain. I also lost two sunflowers that had popped up near the hummingbird/butterfly garden...total decapitation. How depressing! I hope now that Oscar is back on the prowl around the yard, the culprits will stay away. We'll see...
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
During our walk, we stopped at the park's butterfly garden. What an amazing garden! It is filled with aster, purple coneflowers, and milkweed. My lesson from this wild weekend - I need milkweed in my butterfly/hummingbird garden! There were no butterflies in the garden Saturday morning when we stopped by during the bird walk; however, when we visited Sunday afternoon when it was very warm and sunny, the garden was full of dozens of butterflies. How exciting! I can only HOPE that my garden will be that successful one of these days. I stopped at a garden shop on the way home from camping on Sunday and bought a new purple coneflower. I previously planted on in the hummingbird/butterfly garden, but something kept eating it and it wasn't growing very well. This new one has two blooms and numerous buds, so Chris dug up the old one (which is coming back quite nicely, although it is still quite small), and we planted the new one in its place. We replanted the old one in a different location in the hummingbird/butterfly garden. I think both of them will do well in their new locations.
Sunday night when we got home from camping, we walked out to the vegetable garden. I was astounded at the growth in the three days we were gone. To think about what that garden looked like one month ago...heck...one WEEK ago...and to see it now...it is so exciting!!! A few stalks of corn are already four feet tall and the rest are at least three feet tall...definitely "knee high by the Fourth of July!" The tomatoes are going like gang busters...when they all come in, we are going to be inundated with 'maters. Everything else is growing well, too. We have quite a few jalapeno peppers that could probably stand to be picked in the next few days.
Out in the Suzie/sunflower garden, the Black-eyed Susans all have buds and a few look ready to burst into bloom any day now. The sunflowers continue to grow, although I lost three to "something" while we were gone. A deer? Our resident groundhog? I am uncertain. I also lost two sunflowers that had popped up near the hummingbird/butterfly garden...total decapitation. How depressing! I hope now that Oscar is back on the prowl around the yard, the culprits will stay away. We'll see...
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
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