Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
Winter is here, and the birds in your backyard are thirsty. Sure, they can get liquid from snow, but to process it, they must warm it up. Birds have to expend precious calories and use the warmth of their bodies to melt the snow. How do you keep your bird bath from freezing when the temperature drops below freezing? Birds need fresh water …
Continue Reading about Give Birds Water Not Ice in Winter: How to Unfreeze Your Bird Bath
If you're looking for a plant-it-and-forget-it type of plant that still produces lots of flowers AND attracts pollinators, then look no further than the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). This easy-to-grow wildflower is found throughout North America where you can find it alongside roads, in grassy openings and prairies, and even along the edge …
Continue Reading about My Favorite Plant-It-And-Forget-It Flower: Black-eyed Susan
The Friday night air had hints of fall weather to come, and Saturday morning, I opened the windows to my house, letting the fresh breeze in. I love opening my windows and letting the fresh air blow through the house. This weekend was full of cool breezes and sunny weather. It was a perfect glimpse of the fall weather to come and a great time to …
One of the greatest joys I get out of my garden is watching the insects and wildlife that is attracted to the flowers and plants. I know that some of my plants will be consumed by these critters, but I’m willing to share. This week, I stumbled across this little black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) munching in my carrot patch. These …
Continue Reading about How to Attract and Feed Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterflies
As I was heading out to work this morning, I looked up at the large pecan tree in the backyard and saw both the male and female wood duck who have been hanging around our yard for a few weeks. The male was flying off and the female was flying into a cavity in one of the large branches of the tree. This large branch has a nice cavity in it, perfect …
Generally I have a policy of leaving nature to take its course. I am unable to care for baby critters - so if I see one that is by itself or looks a little in need, I may provide it some food or water, but I refuse to bring them indoors or try to 'save' them. This may sound a bit harsh, but you would be surprised how many wildlife babies are …
