I slowly removed the nail that holds the door to the Bluebird house tightly closed. We haven’t had a nesting pair of Bluebirds yet and I was excited at the possibility of one being in there now. I carefully opened the door and there she is, looking right back at me — a gray and […]
It’s early spring and I’m pushing a wheel barrel full of dead leaves and stems collected from a garden bed to dump into the woods. I discard the refuge, and as I turn around and glance down there it is — a single Red Trillium in full bloom among old withered weeds. It looks tropical, […]
Small patches of white, yellow, blue and violet flowers bloom throughout the year. Pickerel Frogs and Spring Peepers hop out of my way as small butterflies and bees float slowly front plant to plant. This is some of the wildlife I see as I’m walking across our lawn. It’s mid-April and still cold here in […]
Missing perennials, winter kill on shrubs or an unexpected new arrival in one of our flower beds — these are examples of our spring garden surprises. The winters in Western Connecticut can be harsh on perennials and shrubs. It’s the first week of April, and more snow is predicted in the coming week. Plants that […]
The more we use our senses, all of them, in our natural environments, the more we’ll discover and enjoy our experiences. The sights, sounds and smells in our yard are both reminders of plant and wildlife life cycles and indicators of seasons coming and going. The visual impact of a sunrise or sunset, whether subtle […]
An unfamiliar bird calls from the top of a Sugar Maple; loudly buzzing Bumble Bees swarm a patch of Ragusa Roses; a Cooper’s Hawk lands and hops under some hollys, looking up, to see if there might be a potential meal hiding within the leaves. We are Backyard Voyagers. Everyday as I look out on […]
I remember the song “Feed The Birds” from the movie Mary Poppins. An old woman, covered with pigeons, is feeding bread to the birds from a park bench. Not as healthy for them as natural seeds and berries, but they eat it voraciously. I’d rather Seed The Birds. We’ve created a backyard that entices all […]