August 7, 2009 - 1
The rose bush next to the garden shed has many new buds and even a few flowers opening for the second time this season. A rich shade of red, the roses provide a wonderful reason for me to try to get up early in the morning so as to see the sun rising behind them. The full moon has been lovely this week as well as it was seen through the passing clouds at dusk. Meanwhile, the goldfinches have been spotted eating from the wildflowers in the yard quite a lot during these mid-summer days. With the chicory and thistle in bloom, the tiny goldfinches are able to land on their fragile stems to extract seeds from this free and natural food source. I've read that the goldfinches will also gather down from the thistle for use in lining their nests, waiting until this time of year to raise their young for just that reason.Backyard Tip of the week:
Keep an eye out in your backyard for any interesting avian action. See if you can spot any birds or other wildlife that benefit from the natural food sources which your yard may provide for them. Now, to be sure, I'm not talking about the deer eating the arborvitae. Yes, that is one form of providing for the wildlife, and yes, the deer are pretty to look at which is kind of nice too... Try to look a little deeper into the scene as your time allows and you may find birds eating from your wildflowers and other plantings. Maybe you'll find a cool little white spider on a butterfly bush at night or a very detailed and beautiful moth that you've never seen before. Many bird and animal species will benefit from any fruit or nut trees in or around your yard so be sure to look in those areas as well. Invite a friend and enjoy your mid-summer sojourn with a favorite beverage or other treat. Try it, you're sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week:
Including blue-jays, northern cardinals, brown creepers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, song sparrows, tree sparrows, American robins, Carolina wrens and Carolina chickadees. Catbirds, bluebirds, mockingbirds, ruby-throated hummingbirds, house finches, goldfinches. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers. Northern flickers, white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, mourning doves, crows, starlings, grackles, red-winged blackbirds, grey squirrels, red squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, bunnies, ground-hogs, white-tailed deer, a few hummingbird moths, still a bunch of fireflies and plenty of butterflies.
Continued on next page...
August 7, 2009 Part 2 - Cool Sightings
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