24 Dec 2012
FROM OUR GARDEN TO YOUR GARDEN
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It’s that time of year again when we are all celebrating in different ways. So whatever it is and how you celebrate we wish you the very best this holiday season.
Liza, John, Mozart, Penny, Charlie, Bella, and all the other creatures at Liza and John’s Garden wish you a very Merry Christmas.
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23 Nov 2012
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All the things that fall to the ground in nature are part of “life litter”. Many gardens have “leaf litter” it goes way beyond just having some leaves in your garden, yard, and forest.
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Heavy Frost this morning, life litter takes a cold hit.
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A large tree falls in a storm, as it crashes to the ground many new life forms begin. Its leaves or needles fall to the ground and start to decompose introducing all sorts of life to the earth. The tree itself is now in contact with the earth and it begins its long journey returning to the earth. Bugs, insects, reptiles, and many other creatures take advantage of this and live their life cycles in the “life litter”, they are living and dying returning to the earth. Leaves, brush, twigs, bark, animal waste, and animals are living than dying and returning to the earth. As all things decompose they are feeding the other creatures that live in the soil allowing them to give life and cycle back into the earth.
As gardeners we take advantage of this by recycling our “life litter” into mulch and compost, feeding our gardens as nature has done since flora.
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Early morning sun melts the frost from Dogwood
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Quote from C.L. Fornari at Whole Life Gardening
Plants have developed a way to nurture themselves.
“life litter” might be a better term for this organic matter that falls to the ground.
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Large Hydrangea collects life litter, feeding itself.
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For those interested in a little more information Life in the Leaf Litter an article published by
AMERICAN MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY
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A little haiku by JW
leaf Litter
Giving Life to Earth
Life Litter
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Life Litter gathered up ready to use mulching gardens for the winter
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From now on only one term to use for all the things like Leaves, Wood Chips, Dead Grass, Deer Droppings, Composted Material, and any other organic material around our gardens its “LIFE LITTER“
Comments are always welcome. Yes you may share this Blog and its posts with your friends.
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2 Nov 2012
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All day long bird after bird visited the feeding stations. Steady traffic from sunrise to sunset Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmouse, Sparrows, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers and Grackles. I think I saw one American Goldfinch. Gray Squirrels feeding at their feeder no sign of a deer or a turkey. Chipmunks seem to have left us for the winter. Don’t recall seeing a Red Squirrel but am sure they are still around.
We have not seen the Bluebirds or the Carolina Wren this week. Bluebirds where here a few days ago. Carolina Wren a week ago or so. Will be putting out the first batch of my Peanut butter Mix this week do expect a few visitors to feed on it.
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MALE NORTHERN CARDINAL
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FEMALE NORTHERN CARDINAL, hiding behind feeder
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TUFTED TITMOUSE
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CHICKADEE IN FLIGHT
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CHICKADEE departing with a sunflower seed
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MOURNING DOVES
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HAIRY WOODPECKER
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Most of the birds will share the feeders except the BLUEJAYS
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DOVE and TITMOUSE sharing a feeder
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BLUE JAY
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COMMON GRACKLE
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WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
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27 Oct 2012
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Every spring and early summer the Carpenter Bees drive us nuts. This fall a Woodpecker is helping to relieve us from going crazy, it is busy cleaning out the Carpenter Bee nests.
Woodpecker cleaning out Carpenter Bee Nests.
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Another mystery solved. Last winter and this spring we had a muncher visiting our gardens. We knew it was a deer but not how many. We had seen a doe with some fawns but figured out that was not our visitor. The other day the mystery evolved, there he was a Buck. A few days later I aw him down by the vernal pool just relaxing in the sun. so we are sure he is a regular visitor to the Habitat and expect to see him again and again through the winter. As we are a Wildlife Habitat there is not much we can do to deter him except to live with him until he decides to move on.
Regular visitor to our gardens
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Our frog pond is reaching its end for this year. Too shallow to support frogs through the winter. We have to move them to a better place. Charlie and Bella are checking out the frogs from the garden pond. Aiden and a girl he met at the frogs new home are sending the on their new journey.
Checking out the frogs from garden pond. Pond freezes solid can not support frogs through the winter.
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Frogs being let go at their winter home.
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Female Red Bellied Woodpecker at suit feeder.
Female and Male Red-bellied Woodpecker feeding at different feeders at the same time. Usually we see only one Red-bellied at a time, one comes and goes than another. Sometimes one will be at the feeders on the south side of the house and another will be at the feeders on the north side.
Male Red Bellied Woodpecker at another suit feeder
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Wild Blueberry showing its colors this fall.
A wild Blueberry bush is showing its fall colors a statement that it is part of this Habitat. On the south side a Sunflower is making its last stand providing some food for birds.
The last sunflower making a stand against the south side of the house.
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13 Oct 2012
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As we take a walk around the garden before the first frost that we had last night we see lots of changes taking place. The Hydrangea paniculata is reaching its full pink colors before the frost starts it to turning to dusky purple blossoms. Next to it a Burning bush is showing full fall colors. Many of the trees are turning Yellow and drooping leaves to the ground.
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The Butterflies are making a last visit to the Butterfly bushes before making the trip to their winter wonderland. We still have a few Monarchs around and Blue Swallowtail seem the last to go.
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Charlie has taken an interest in the frogs at our little garden pond. As usual at this time of year the frog population increases as they look for a place to winter. Our pond cannot support them for the winter and we will have to move them to a better spot. Last time we had a drought “2007″ I think we moved about 100 frogs from our pond to a better place down the road a mile or so.
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We seem to still have some other creatures hanging around. Our Vernal pool is bone dry so I think the Dragon Flies and Damsels are using the garden pool and our other water features.
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Charlie and Bella caught this chipmunk off guard , they are circling the feeder waiting for it to come down. Chipmunk says it is staying up here until they leave and is requesting that in the future I put some seeds at a place where the dogs can not find him and his buddies.
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Young female Cardinal, her and her two brothers are the last brood of this year. They are still mostly feeding on the ground. She is the first to come up to the feeder and is dining with a Pine Siskin.
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A flock of Pine Siskin has been a regular at the feeders this week. Mixing in with the Goldfinches and making a nuisance of them self’s. Very colorful and enjoyable to watch at the feeder.
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Blue Wave Lace cap Hydrangea. Propagation by layering has produced the three plants. Separated from the host plant this spring potted and allowed to mature to what’s planted here.
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We did have a frost last night, lots of things out there showing signs of winter. Ice on the bird water”s this morning turned the heaters on, will set up others tomorrow. Looks like the frogs will have to move to their winter home. Tomorrow we will start cleaning up the garden beds, applying compost and mulch to many areas. Weather man says some warmer day coming up, so will allow us to complete fall projects.
Enough of that stuff time to post this and start on the next post.
Your comments appreciated.
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