AS ANDRE SO CORRECTLY AND MODESTLY pointed out to me, nobody draws birds with the precision he does. Watch out, David Sibley, our dear Andre Jordan is nipping (chirping?) at your heels. That’s the rare Eastern variant of the Rufous-Tailed Goggle-Eyed Whatchamacallit, in juvenile form. Well drawn! (And Andre’s spot on about this, too: Let’s erase this winter, what say you all?)
THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
Well, I figure that with all the snow, we will less likely have a drought or have our wells run dry. The soil in. my elevated 4 by 8-foot beds is at the “can-be-worked” stage! Planning to sow some lettuce seeds this week. I’m so excited–I missed both the Fall and Winter due to five months of hospitalization and rehab on account of hip revision surgery. With an amazingly successful outcome, I now can once again garden. For me, being able to feel the soil, sow, plant, and harvest are a greatly-loved part of being alive. Today, hundreds (if not thousands) of birds stopped in our yard, chirping loudly, on their way to I wonder where. Maybe some came to stay. I’m going to review your guide to keeping them fed, safe, and happy.
Looks like that bird is suffering shell shock!
That birds looks like how my chickens have felt all winter! Let’s have some Spring, please?!
Eight inches of new snow have buried my crocuses and left the robins bewildered. But frequent visits to your garden via this blog keep hope alive :-)
It was the winter that would not quit. You probably have to admire its tenacity. (Written from snowy, -16˚C Toronto on the third day of spring. It shouldna otter be this way!)
That’s not a Rufous-Tailed Goggle-Eyed Whatchamacallit. It’s a LBB (Little Brown Bird) buried under the 8 inches of new snow.
Do they still make white out? Lets white out winter and replace it with all the colors in the large crayola box, you know the one with the sharpener in the back. Color til your crayons snap, peel the paper and color some more…..
So good to know that I’ve not been alone in that sentiment. Did anyone else begin to worry that maybe they were finally “losing it”?!! For so many reasons, I think this is a winter we’ll long remember, and prefer to forget!
Yup, last winter sucked. Just like the birds, I’m ready to move on.~~Dee
The robins were singing this morning, even with the fresh snow on the ground, ugh.
My sentiments exactly! It is expected to freeze in Oklahoma tonight…. and the fruit trees are in full bloom. Sigh~
3 inches of wet snow overnight. I use the time to put the indoor greenhouse together and start putting plants in it. A plant light and an occasional spurt from at humidifier and things are looking good. It is March after all. We don’t put garden in till at least the middle of May here in South Dakota and we need every drop of water we can get.
What fun.
Andre, your bird looks like the confused robin sitting on the very top of my weeping cherry with his feathers all “fuffed” out trying to keep warm this morning. He was chirpping at the top of his little birdie lungs and I imagine he was saying “Where the heck is Spring?” 28 degrtees last night and snow on the ground in Omaha. Sigh——
While I garden in a milder climate (So. Calif.) this has been a hard winter even for us. It’s always a joy to see the fresh buds breaking on the first ‘Belle Portugase’ roses of the season and their protent of a new Spring!
Welcome, Claireg. I am enjoying lots of swelling buds here now, too — not roses so much as earlier-blooming things, but the same grateful feeling as yours. Hope to see you soon again.