Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) has a delicious fragrance and attracts a diversity of wildlife to shuttle its pollen about. Here at Flower Hill Farm there are numerous stands of milkweed in the fields and gardens. When the dainty balls of florets begin to pop, an audience of butterflies, bees, ants, and birds take notice. Spiders settle in and wait but these predators are not the only danger to visiting insects. Some of the pollen sacs or saddlebags attach and will not come off the tiny feet of … [Read more...] about The Allure of Milkweed
Scarlet Tanager Joins ‘A Bestiary’
My monthly installments of 'A Bestiary ~ Tales from a Wildlife Garden' continue over at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens with the vividly stunning Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). Though often secretive and hard to find, the Scarlet Tanager's song can help lead the observer to high perches and blurred shots of his brilliance. There is more about this special songbird over at the link above. The tanager and I were in synchrony while I was finishing the forty first installment of my A … [Read more...] about Scarlet Tanager Joins ‘A Bestiary’
Yellow Warbler Sings in the Rain
Happy June sings the Yellow Warbler! Thank you for the rain he continues . . . a delicious way to begin the new month. What other nourishing possibilities await? Hopefully you humans will make the best of them all. Please do not hold me in contempt of your reasoning. There is no real anthropomorphic intention here. This darling bird could care less what we make of our days only not to use poison on his habitat . . . not to cut it down. He putters around the trees and shrubs singing and gleaning … [Read more...] about Yellow Warbler Sings in the Rain
American Coppers One then Two
American Coppers are flying here at Flower Hill Farm this spring of 2015. The only thing more exciting than seeing one American Copper . . . is seeing two together. It was not easy to capture these images as the butterflies were flitting and twirling about so rapidly in unison. Together, as in a dance, they were drawing oval shapes in the air then suddenly separating. A fun chase scene to observe in the south field where a swath of sheep-sorrel grows along side the dwarf cinquefoil. Sheep-sorrel … [Read more...] about American Coppers One then Two
New Warbler Sightings
Spring has blown through the trees and shrubs with a heat that is unfurling blooms too fast for this New Englander. Fresh spring greens bring renewal of garden walks and returning songbirds. I am excited to discover two new warblers to add to my list of warblers here at Flower Hill Farm Retreat. OvenbirdCD and I were walking in the woods and because of the backlit sky we could not determine the identity of this rotund warbler until I got the images I took into photoshop and over-exposed them. … [Read more...] about New Warbler Sightings
