The Great Backyard Bird Count

For those of you interested, don't forget that The Great Backyard Bird Count starts tomorrow!

Into February

(Photo taken last February)

Today is a holiday for us, but there will be more posting about that tomorrow (hopefully). I just wanted to send out a reminder to everyone that February is National Bird Feeding Month.

Birds are a vital part of the homestead, whether it be urban or way out in the country. These beautiful feathered creatures are the natural predators of many of the insects that gardeners consider pests, but they're also plant pollinators, though they leave the limelight of that subject to bees and bats. If you're a wildcrafter, birds are often responsible for the spread of wild plant species, especially berries. If all that isn't enough, birds are just plain mesmerizing and relaxing to watch. They are often the centerpiece of therapeutic gardens for those with Alzheimer's, Autism, and other diseases or disorders.

The children are already keeping their eyes open for that first robin of spring, though I'm sure it's still at least a month or two away. For now, we delight ourselves with the songs of the mourning doves, sparrows, and starlings. And oh! That dash of red as a male cardinal darts in to pick at the sunflower heads we've hung out for them... Gorgeous.

For more information on the proper way to feed birds and attract them to your yard or homestead:

The National Bird-Feeding Society
Audubon at Home
Wild Bird Feeding Industry

Oh, Dear Robin!

Thank you for all the hours of joy you brought me. Thank you for sitting nearby, unafraid, as I ripped up grass and tossed grubs into your beak. Thank you for the splendour of your song, that first view of you that helped to usher in my sense of spring, for your courage when faced with my rambunctious and curious children. Thank you for reminding me of home.

Onward, friend. Fly in beauty as your body rests in a forest of buckwheat.

Treasures of my Garden: June 7, 2008

Anyone know what species of butterfly this is? It's a subtle bug. The colors are all shaded with gray, it seems.



A pair of trusting mourning doves foraging amongst the Hypericum and Echinacea... and sitting on my rosemary seedling. *sigh*

And last but not least...




I found this while ripping up some sod for the pepper bed (yes, I'm late getting everything in). It's a white porcelain something-or-other. Perhaps a knob? Seems a bit big and bulky for a knob though. The hole goes all the way through, so I know it was meant to be screwed into or onto something. In my odd sort of logic, I take this as proof that our bungalow bathroom once had white porcelain fixtures. LOL I REALLY want our bungalow bathroom to have had white porcelain fixtures, can you tell? :D