Tag Archives: Wildlife

Birds of a Feather?

“Birdes of a feather will flocke togither.”The Dictionarie in Spanish and English, compiled by English lexicographer John Minsheu, 1599 Sometimes, when I head into the backyard in seach of peace and quiet, I get more that I bargained for. Way … Continue reading

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Going Native

Our yard—front and back—is a curious place, located at a cultural and environmental crossroads.  Depending on one’s point of view, our yard is a treasure, an eyesore, an oasis of biological diversity, a blight on the neighborhood, something to be … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Musings, Native Plants, Society, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Unnatural Selection: Cardinals, Cowbirds and the Mob

There seems to be something attractive about plant stands near our front and back doors.  So far, we have tried to assist in three attempts by Carolina Wrens to use them as nesting sites, which makes getting in and out … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Hitting the Trifecta

It’s not often—or ever before, to be honest—that I’ve had the chance to photograph several stages in an insect’s life journey in just a week or so, but I think I nailed it recently. We’ve got some wild senna growing … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Insects, Native Plants, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Specially and diversely unique. Or something…

It was waaay past time to turn the compost in our backyard. One of those jobs that seem much worse in anticipation than they actually are, turning compost is something I can put off for a very long time.  Now, … Continue reading

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Halloween Party!

We’ve had a couple light freezes already, but that didn’t stop the Halloween festivities in our yard, as some sturdy late bloomers attracted a few trick-or-treaters.  This is just a sample of what we saw. Soon to come is a … Continue reading

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The Hoarder on the Deck: Our Trashline Orb-weaver

I don’t think we’ve reached the point where intervention is called for, but we have a hoarder in our backyard.  Not the kind that buys twenty tubes of toothpaste when it goes on sale, but more like the type that … Continue reading

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Beneath the Surface

Daydreaming in our backyard one afternoon, I heard something hit the side of our house, just a few feet away. Startled, I looked up to see a struggling sparrow, looking newly-fledged and adolescent-clumsy, fluttering off our deck and again hitting … Continue reading

Posted in Musings, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments