After a week of fall temperatures (one week BEFORE fall), we are back in the heat and humidity of a typical summer day even though we are now officially in the fall season. On a particularly humid night, I opened the back door of my house to see these two little cuties hanging out. They were sitting on a chair directly underneath the porch light, taking advantage of the light attracting a bunch of moths and other flying insects. I am sure they … [Read more...]
Be Careful What You Bring Indoors
The air is getting crisper and the temperatures are dropping. It's getting close to the time to bring your plants indoors for the winter. I have a lot of potted plants, so each year, I have to pick and choose the ones that I am going to try to save and those that I will leave outside. Otherwise, it gets to be a jungle in my house! Hitchhikers on my plants I am rooting some cuttings of a snake plant and for the last few months they have been … [Read more...]
The Butterflies are Back!
This summer, the butterflies have been noticeably absent. While I have seen some smaller butterflies, like these pearl crescents that were mating among the four o'clocks in my front garden, the larger beauties were just missing. It's been a strange summer. The temperatures got high very early in spring and they really haven't gone down. As I sit here and type this, the forecast for the next three days range from 97 to 99 with heat indices … [Read more...]
The Dramatic Baby Bird Rescue
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 actually doing just fine and are separated from their parents by well-intentioned humans. Read the … [Read more...]
Backyard Wildlife Summer 2016
This summer has been full of weird and wonderful backyard wildlife. From a nest of barred owls to frogs to snakes and turtles, I've seen a lot in my garden and backyard. Watching wildlife is one of the things I enjoy so much about my garden and yard. It's why I work hard to create suitable habitat for wildlife. This spring started out unseasonably warm and this summer has only gotten hotter. This week in particular, my state of Mississippi has … [Read more...]
The Stunning Beauty of a Moth – Moths from My Backyard
Have you ever heard of mothing? Really, it's a thing. If you are familiar with birding, mothing is quite similar, though apparently a lot easier. With birding, you have to go out and seek the birds but with mothing, well, you turn on a light at night and wait for the moths to come to you. There are some absolutely stunning moths out there. I've had a few show up in my house and garden over the years. National Moth Week is in July each … [Read more...]
