Garden Companions @ MindSay

As things begin to awaken for a new season I have been so very grateful that I can still find ways to share what new and interesting things are unfolding in the garden here at MindSay and elsewhere on the net, while sadly, my website is still down. (fingers crossed - not for much longer!) I feel compelled to share despite some wrinkles in my venues for doing so and hope that friends and those who stumble across my work can still find and enjoy the vignettes and anecdotes I continue to collect!

These are trying times for many souls to the south of where I live, in the US. As well there are ever more severe times approaching those who live in poorer countries and contend with economic crises and the pressures for fuel and food. This is taking place in the midst of world wide awareness of the fragility of earth's environment, at the understanding that we have an impact on our world and must learn to be more aware of the nature of the world we live in.

Last night I watched the speech I'm sure many will be speaking of today, the Reverend Jeramiah Wright - speaking to the Detroit chapter of the NAACP and addressing the theme "There is a Change Coming" and I was heartened, just as I felt comfort hearing Abbas, the Palestinian Authority leader suggest "Peace is the only solution" back in November. I believe it's true that when people begin to understand that "different" does not imply "deficient" and we become committed to seeing people as simply different and we are committed to treating each other with respect for our differences, with acceptance that we are all citizens of this world - we will see a vast change. It is a change that I welcome and it is a change that may cause discomfort to those who are less willing to bend, to grow and step forward in this new millennium of human kind!  I don't see the change coming without turmoil or conflict unfortunately, but I am confident the turmoil can be calmed through efforts like my own and others who attempt to help others see the underlying beauty of these changes in perspective!

Like our garden, we can bravely face the unknown and move forward to bloom in a new season! The future can be promising and can bring abundance for many.

On that note I share with you a new view from the garden, the birds will love them and the bees have already found the new young fruit trees we planted this weekend! In memory of my late brother Will - I vowed last April to plant these this spring but had to wait a few extra weeks for the snow to clear! Now they're in and appear right at home... our new little orchard by the barn!

There's nothing like planting trees! It is an exhilarating thing, and especially so when the trees will eventually provide food, (in a year or two for one tree species!) and will do so repeatedly for many, many years to come. Not to mention their beauty, their fragrance and the added benefit of having deep roots to withstand drought and wet weather extremes that have begun to plague our area. Like the grape vines and everbearing strawberries that have become well established and compared to less hardy vegetables that must be planted each year we're confident this investment will be a real bonus for our family, our garden companions and the garden itself! Our Enchanted Garden, Our World, now graced with a few more cherry trees, one red and one black, both sweet cherries, and the cutest little baby gold peach tree with gorgeous pink blooms!

Our contribution, for April at least, to reducing that carbon foot print, one that will continue to give for a lifetime!
;)

There's something amiss if a gardener doesn't appreciate the critters that come to visit in the garden. It's true that some can cause damage if a garden is over-run with a particular species. Squirrels, for example, can create havoc by digging up your plants while they're attempting to plant or find their nuts, seeds and goodies. They have stolen both strawberries and corn in my garden over the years. One bold black squirrel was so selfish he wasn't happy to share some ripening sunflower seeds with the blue jays, he broke off and then stole away with an entire head - twice his size! "The nerve!" said the Jays, sadly!

My favourites by far are the birds that come to visit! Because we put out feeders, birdhouses and keep the bird bath filled with fresh water, changing it every second day to keep mosquitoes at bay, we have a wide variety of birds. We also attempt to keep parts of the garden as natural and "wild" as possible, providing the sort of natural habitat and food sources they need to survive. In return we get to enjoy watching them raise their offspring. The bird types this practice attracts are breeds which live in the garden year round, which can be a delight in the middle of a hard winter when it seems there's just nothing alive outside! They seem happy to remind me that life goes on regardless!

For some this may be a bore as I've written about the birds in the garden on a regular basis and they've been the subject of many of my page designs and headers on my personal page at; imcheryl since I started blogging here at MindSay! And yet this is presented from another perspective and may still be of interest to many.

Favourite Bird... I can't decide between two - Chickadees and American Goldfinches

Chickadees;
because I love their signature calls and the songs they sing have accompanied me in gardens where-ever I've lived or puttered. They are quite friendly birds and with patience and regular encouragement can be trained to eat thistle seed or small black sunflower seeds right out of the palm of your hand. We haven't gotten to that stage here in the garden yet, but we hope to do so! It took me more than a year to get a decent photograph of these little beauties and I was thrilled when it finally came to be last January!



The second best shot was taken the previous July but sadly didn't reveal much more than an underbelly and their gymnastic abilities!
 


The shot above was taken on a rainy day through a screened window and I was lucky to even get this quick shot before he flitted away to another spot!

Goldfinches;
because I just love watching the males change colours and in particular I love the fact that they are one of the latest to breed in the season - likely why the male seems to sing seductively for months once his colour comes in full! I've documented their growth and development over a couple of years now and have been rewarded many times over for my efforts!


Goldfinches In Winter, when they are often mistaken for sparrows!

In early spring the colours begin to fill in;



This female in early spring is feeding on the catkins or buds of a paper-bark birch tree.



And here's' a male with his colour just starting to come in;



Below, the male is in his full bright colour, when people sometimes will describe them as "wild canaries" thinking they just showed up, not realizing they've been there throughout the year but just looked similar to their female counterparts and so didn't stand out!



The gift of mid-summer and my dedicated documentation was to capture a beautiful image of a young and quite chubby baby goldfinch - what a lucky treat indeed!



Such a cutie! This little bird is born later in the season because its' parents waited until the thistle was finished blooming, providing nesting material and seed to feed their young.
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They also enjoy the seeds of such plants like Black-Eyed Susan or even Purple Cone-Flower, all related Rudbeckia plants or cone flowers;



Making a few careful choices;  planting birch trees and cone flowers, allowing the odd thistle to grow (not too many though as their thorns are sharp and the plant would choke out other useful plants,) by providing water and nesting places through bird houses and cedar bushes or other shrubs, like wild rose bushes (rosa rugosa) these fine little creatures share our garden spaces, entertain us endlessly with their antics and provide colour and whimsy where ever they go!

So birds are truly my all time favourites.

There are two other little creatures I also love dearly. I'll share that with everyone with my next entry! Sure hope you enjoy the insights here and that you might be encouraged to invite such small wonders to join you in your own garden, no matter how small or humble! You too will be gifted with their delightful ways and learn a new kinship with the natural world!