What can you find in a nature garden? Here’s an update on mine. I hope you’ll be inspired. Do let me know what is happening in yours.
Beautiful Birds
Back in December 2009 I asked the question How Long Does it Take Birds to Find a Feeder?
If you hang a feeder full of thistle (niger) seeds which goldfinches love, and goldfinches are gone until spring, then the answer could be 5 months, or more.
Five months is how long it took these little golden American beauties to turn up in my garden. It was worth the wait!
Also recently spotted at my niger feeder: mourning doves (they eat the seeds which fall to the ground), sparrows (which I don’t care for), and house finches.
Fearless Robins
I’ve done a lot of digging in my garden this year and American robins have been my constant companions. Compared to the other birds, they’re fearless and don’t mind getting close enough to grab juicy worms.
Robins make me laugh with their antics – they seem to be reluctant to fly and can be seen running away from people and cars in my neighborhood from January through December.
Scolded by Nesting Birds
Nest boxes are prime real estate in my neighborhood. I’m going to have to put up some high rises next year.
My west neighbor had chickadees break into his siding this spring. When he chased them out, the sparrows moved in.
Then my east neighbor hung up this cute blue bird house. Chickadees were soon raising a family. Now, in June, wren parents are busy scolding anyone who gets too close and their youngsters can be seen out and about being fed.
I’ve never seen so many birds raising young around my garden since I moved here over 10 years ago. I’d like to think my nature gardening efforts are paying off, but maybe it’s because the cat who used to keep down the birds and rabbits is gone. Either way, it’s all good.
Beautiful Native Flowers
Native woodland and prairie flowers are so beautiful and delicate.
Not many flowers will bloom in woodland shade when summer comes around. These pink phlox are the stars of my summer shade garden.
Rain Garden Flowers
I’ve added a bunch of new native plants to my back yard this year, with the addition of my rain garden.
And my rain garden has had a really good testing. It’s been a crazy spring, with my whole back yard looking like a river several times. And the rain garden stood up to it all!
One of the new plants in my rain garden is Cephalanthus occidentalis, or button bush. The button bush came to me in a 5 gallon plastic pot, from which a massive central root had escaped.
The root had been hacked off before it left the nursery and I was a little worried about how the button bush would settle in. I’m pleased to report that it’s doing amazingly well, has put on significant growth, and is now flowering.
I can’t wait for the red cardinal flowers, Lobelia cardinalis, in my rain garden to bloom in July. Of course I’m hoping for some hummingbirds and butterflies. Meantime I’m enjoying my prairie garden.
Prairie Garden
Asclepias tuberosa, the orange butterfly weed, is an itinerant visitor to my prairie garden. This year it has shown up and looks delightful next to the blue spiderwort, which has been in bloom since April.
The Liatris pyncnostachya, purple blazing star, will soon be in bloom. I feel like the flowers are my friends who step me through the Kansas year.
Native flowers keep me going outside in the summer heat, provide a rhythm to my days, and give me a sense of place. I recently wrote a post for Carole Brown about Falling in Love with My Garden.
I hope you will grow to love your garden as I do, if you don’t already. Share the wonders of native plants and wildlife with your children and neighbors. I’m sure they will thank you.
Your turn – please leave a comment. What are your favorite native plants? Did any birds nest in your neighborhood this year?















