In the
latest issue of
Fine Gardening, "Making the most of a small space," the author makes the point her garden is a reflection of her life - full and varied.
While most gardening magazine articles make a point of the plants and
hardscape that are in various private and public spaces, I like to constantly think about how the wildlife that is a part of our yard is also a part of the flowers, trees, shrubs, beds, and paths. As the blooms of different plants flower throughout the season, I am keeping track in my head the changes in animals, particularly birds, that appear. I know that migratory patterns also affect these (1), so I am sure that as time goes by and I pick up more bits of information, the more I hope I will understand.
Keeping an inventory - maximum counts the numbers of what-ever's are in the yard at one time - is the latest addition to my keeping track of the juxtaposition of plant and animal elements in the yard. This morning a new record for our yard was set for squirrels - four eastern gray squirrels (
Sciurus carolinensis) (a) and one
black squirrel (b).
Last week I counted at least 15
bumble bees at one time on the many spikes of flowers in the stand of
lavender next to our patio (c). They are ever present and active from morning to evening, and we watch them while eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the patio table. They never bother us, and seem to be totally unaware of us or our meals. The common grackles can be nearly as dense as the bumble bees - a couple of weeks ago I counted 12 on, below, and above the bird feeder. When they are in their messy prime, they can shovel through an entirely full feeder in one day. That probably contributes as much towards the high density of squirrels in our
yard as anything else.
I would be remiss if not noting some of the most prolific flowering plants in our garden; there many
coreopsis (d) blooms - the greatest number we have had since planting small pots of them two years ago. The
black-eyed Susan's are about to pop, but the coreopsis always beat them to the bloom. There are several kinds of
daylilies planted around the yard - some the previous owners had planted along the fence with our neighbor John under the climbing roses, and others the ones we brought as mementos from our Oregon garden (e). We also have multiple
hanging flower baskets planted with
annuals (f and g), five of them this year, but still not nearly as many as we had out west.
While most gardening magazine articles make a point of the plants and hardscape that are in various private and public spaces, I like to constantly think about how the wildlife that is a part of our yard is also a part of the flowers, trees, shrubs, beds, and paths. As the blooms of different plants flower throughout the season, I am keeping track in my head the changes in animals, particularly birds, that appear. I know that migratory patterns also affect these (1), so I am sure that as time goes by and I pick up more bits of information, the more I hope I will understand.
Keeping an inventory - maximum counts the numbers of what-ever's are in the yard at one time - is the latest addition to my keeping track of the juxtaposition of plant and animal elements in the yard. This morning a new record for our yard was set for squirrels - four eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) (a) and one black squirrel (b). 
Last week I counted at least 15 bumble bees at one time on the many spikes of flowers in the stand of lavender next to our patio (c). They are ever present and active from morning to evening, and we watch them while eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the patio table. They never bother us, and seem to be totally unaware of us or our meals. The common grackles can be nearly as dense as the bumble bees - a couple of weeks ago I counted 12 on, below, and above the bird feeder. When they are in their messy prime, they can shovel through an entirely full feeder in one day. That probably contributes as much towards the high density of squirrels in our yard as anything else.
I would be remiss if not noting some of the most prolific flowering plants in our garden; there many coreopsis (d) blooms - the greatest number we have had since planting small pots of them two years ago. The black-eyed Susan's are about to pop, but the coreopsis always beat them to the bloom. There are several kinds of daylilies planted around the yard - some the previous owners had planted along the fence with our neighbor John under the climbing roses, and others the ones we brought as mementos from our Oregon garden (e). We also have multiple hanging flower baskets planted with annuals (f and g), five of them this year, but still not nearly as many as we had out west.
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