Caterpillar Convention And Other Wildlife Contemplation

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Tina

These guys look like they’re having a good time.

Hanging out, munching on Fennel,

grooving to summer happenings. Summer happenings like the next monthly musing about wildlife in your gardens.

Wildlife Wednesday.

I’m sure these larvae of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) appreciate celebrating with their critter brethren and host gardeners

As pretty as they are in their jammies, they’re more beautiful, all dressed up and beginning their careers of pollinating flowers.

Newly morphed into their adult selves,

they’ll work in my gardens and others in the surrounding areas,

…as soon as their wings dry in the sunshine.

Observing these two adult butterflies emerging from their transitional homes gently reminded me that it’s okay, indeed preferable, not to prune plants just because they’re a little worse for wear. The Coneflowers in my gardens are setting seed and are no longer fresh, pink and pretty. I’m glad I wasn’t keen to prune them to the ground, because I would have destroyed the anchor for the butterflies’ chrysalides.

Wildlife gardening is about planting for wildlife: honoring and appreciating their lives and contributions to the world we share with them.

Wildlife Wednesday–first Wednesday of each month. Its second go’round is next Wednesday, August 6.

Please join in posting about the wildlife visiting your gardens for August Wildlife Wednesday. Share the rare or mundane, funny or fascinating, beneficial or harmful wildlife you encounter. When you comment on my post, leave a link to your post for Wildlife Wednesday.

Happy Wildlife Wednesday and good wildlife gardening!

It’s A Bird! It’s A Lizard! It’s A Meme!

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Tina

Wildlife Wednesday. It’s coming your way.

On the first Wednesday of each month, beginning on July 2, 2014, please join in sharing your blog posts about wildlife visitors in your gardens.

When I told my son that I was starting a meme on my blog to promote posts about wildlife gardening, he was very happy that I had joined 2008. He asked if I knew what a meme was. “Yes,” I said, smugly, “I looked it up on Wikipedia!” He rolled his eyes.

Punk.

I’m not much of a photographer. Oh sure, I take the occasional good photograph–clear, well-framed, decent color. In short, all the things you want in a presentable photograph. And, that’s about it. Presentable. I don’t blog to show off photographic prowess, because I possess little of that. (I’m not entirely sure why I’m blogging, but that’s fodder for another post.) I admire those bloggers who are terrific photographers and take the time to identify their subjects and teach the rest of us a thing or two.

I think that’s why gardeners blog. Gardeners love sharing what they’ve experienced in their gardens and learning from others’ mistakes or successes. Blogging promotes development of large, overlapping and active garden interests. Each blogger is a unique voice in garden blogging. Maybe we love wildflowers and native plants or enjoy garden design. Perhaps we’re interested in sustainable/ecologically appropriate gardening methods or we wish to share our triumphs and/or failures with vegetable/fruit production. Whatever motivates our gardening and blogging interests, our alliance with wildlife is an intrinsic part of the gardening process.

So let’s join together every first Wednesday of the month, starting next Wednesday, July 2 and post about wildlife in our gardens. Whether silly or serious,

beneficial,

or pesky,

(especially when they’re stealing tomatoes), write and photograph about the who’s and what’s in your garden.

On Wildlife Wednesday I’ll ask that you leave a comment on my post with a link to yours so readers can enjoy a variety of posts about wild critters in gardens.

Next Wednesday, July 2, 2014. Wildlife Wednesday!!

For more information about wildlife gardening, visit the Garden for Wildlife link of the National Wildlife Federation.

Wild Thangs

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Tina

Wild thangs.

That’s Texas-speak for Wildlife Wednesday.

Beginning July 2, 2014, on the first Wednesday of each month, I’m inviting garden bloggers everywhere to post about those wild and wooly (or feathery) visitors we all enjoy (or simply tolerate!) in our gardens.

Gardeners understand that one upshot of gardening is the increased wildlife visiting and settling in our gardens. Mostly, we love that.

Whether we’re particularly fond of insects, birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians of varying sorts, sustainable gardening requires encouraging wildlife in our gardens. As habitat is disrupted or destroyed, the home gardener plays an increasingly important role in wildlife preservation through planting for pollinators, planting seed bearing trees and shrubs for birds and mammals, providing cover for protection and the rearing of young and providing fresh water sources.

Let’s celebrate our wild garden visitors with silly or scientific, informative or artistic blog posts about their visits or living quarters in “our” gardens.

So, on July 2–don’t be shy. Post about those bees, butterflies, birds or bears who are in your gardens. (I’m REALLY hoping for some bear photos!)

This doesn’t count:

But she would.

This doesn’t count:

But he would.

I know many gardeners curse them but yes, deer count.

And squirrels–I like squirrels,

they count too.

On Wildlife Wednesday, I’ll ask that you leave a comment on my post with a link to yours so we can enjoy a variety of information about those wild things in our gardens.