Creatures In My Garden -- Part 1

When we first moved into this house, about seven years ago, there were hardly any interesting birds or other creatures. A groundhog used to come to eat all the pears that have fallen down from the tree. Squirrels are omnipresent in the USA and thus our house was no exception. I could hear the twittering and the singing of the birds. Honey bees would buzz around only when the rhododendrons were in bloom; and that usually happened in very early spring. There were lack of creatures because like most typical houses here, this house had some evergreen trees; some spring-bulbs and then green carpets of lawns everywhere. But, painstakingly over the years I have transformed and still transforming that garden into a wild-life oasis.

I have planted lots of native flowering plants; some non-native flowering plants; spring and summer bulbs; perennial herbs; fruits and nuts trees. I also plant annual herbs and vegetables. Each tiny (less than a foot in height and about 2 inch across) perennial plants have grown to their full capacity; they are tall and wide and fat and healthy. Each of them has taken up every inch of the garden space that was provided to them. They are crawling and climbing and some of them standing tall and erect. Such thick bushes and ground-covers have created pockets and places where various species -- birds, mammals, reptiles and insects -- take shelter or cover for safety.

Our garden has indeed become a magnet for wild-lives. It has become a bit too much, I guess, as neighbors say that now and then they see black bears passing through our yards. That's why I have stopped providing foods to birds as the food also attracts bears. Bears, deers, groundhogs, chipmunks, raccoons, birds, squirrels, rats, mouse, snakes, frogs, salamanders, stray cats and all sorts of insects are constantly visiting the garden. And, that also has created quite a danger. Luckily, I have not come face to face with any bear but I'm getting stung by bees or wasps that I can't recognize.

I walk around the garden to capture their pictures but they are too fast (or I guess camera-shy) as they fly/run/dart away as soon as I approach them. So, here are some that I could get. I feel happy to be able to provide sanctuary in this earth where habitat-destruction and ever dwindling of nature and forests have become a common place. I am not a charismatic person or a born orator that I can arouse the passion in others and lead them against climate, environment and nature destruction. So, I'm trying to do my small part in my small ways. And, it also helps me feeling a bit smug and/or snobbish as my neighbors hung all those hummingbird-feeders; none visit the feeders and neighbors ask if I've seen any humming-bird. Of course, I have -- they come, sip nectar, take rest on branches of my trees and then fly away :-).

Hummingbird: Ah! there I see some interesting flowers

Hummingbird: Let me have a drink 

Insect: Do you know me? 

Photographer: Sorry, I don't know you. Who are you? 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail: I see some nice cone-flowers. Let me land

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail: Yipeee...I've landed

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail: Ah! sweet nectar....sweeeettt....

Photographer: Are you a yellow-jacket wasp? It seems like you are some kind of wasps but my knowledge is so poor about you guys. 

Photographer: C'mon, don't roll your eyes. Cucumbers are creatures also; okay, a different type. But do you know that plants are the number of abused living things in this world? 

Chipmunk: Dear visitors, do you see the big green evergreen bush on the right? I live underneath it. It's such a lovely home

Mother Deer: Hmm...my eye-sights are not that good but I have very good smell and hearing. And, I think I can smell something, some strange two-legged creature with a big black thing in her hand

Baby-Deer: Duh! who just want to always tag behind mom and follow her? Let me venture out a bit further and check out all those other things. 

Photographer: Are you a honey-bee or a hover-bee? Whoever you are, you are very welcome here. 

Photographer: Okay, I know people don't like you. You are not a native species and you usually destroy the Brassica family vegetables. But, I don't mind, dear cabbage-butterfly and you have not destroyed any of my cabbages yet though there are so many of you all the time fluttering around in the air. It's beautiful to see your aerial dance. 

Photographer: Hmm...Is this a carpenter-bee? Or a fly? Apparently many flies mimic the bees and wasps and only an expert can distinguish with naked eyes.

Can You See ME :)? 

I am big about 2 inches or more in length and scary

I'm not exactly sure who I'm. I think I am the Great Golden Digger Wasp.

But don't be scared of me. See, even this gentle butterfly is not afraid of me. Howdy Amigo!!

Hey! how does my butt look? 

I think I'm some kind of bees

Photographer: Sorry about a hazy picture. This is either a Monarch or a Viceroy. They look similar from side. They can only be differentiated if they spread out their wings. 

I'm a teeny-weeny cutie-pie. 

Dude! how may photos of mine will you take? Will you ever stop?? I mean seriously...

Photographer: Are you a yellow-jacket wasp that's drinking water from our pond? You then seem to be quite docile as I'm constantly breathing down your neck to take pictures and you don't seem to mind. 

Photographer: Bear in our backyard. Sorry for the hazy and not so distinct pictures as I didn't dare approach it and was trying to take the pictures quite fast :-). In the first picture, it's standing tall and eating sunflower seeds from the bird-feeders.

Observing and watching these wild lives is my meditation. I surely do forget everything as I see the birds and wasps drinking from our artificially-made small pond; butterflies fluttering; bees and wasps  hovering over flowers; bumble-bees buzzing from one flower to the next, and chipmunks darting from safe place to another. The peace and calm it brings is thousand times more powerful and effective than doing yoga or sitting in a room and practicing meditation. And how much nectar does a tiny flower has? I see bees, wasps, hummingbirds all visiting the same flower again and again!?

Now, I need your help. Anyone know who might be living here (the picture below)? It's a pot with some papers stashed into it. I see the creature every summer -- they always live in the nook and crannies like this -- stashed papers, leaf debris. Their color is exactly that of yellow-jacket -- bright yellow with those stripes. But their bodies are not of wasps. Rather much like bees -- thick and fat and hairy. It also hovers on top of flowers. But I don't think I've ever seen them sipping nectar. Rather they seem to bump into (or attack) other bees. They are very protective of their homes and will sting you and attack you. And their stings are extremely painful; itchy and the area will get swollen. They are always so fast, darting in and out that it's impossible to capture them in pictures. So, if anyone has any idea, do let me know.

I'm joining in the memes hosted by  Rambling Woods, St Germain's and Today's Flowers meme.

Hello Spring

I am having a writer's block as I didn't write for so long and thus got out of practice. Last year, I could not pay attention to my garden as I was involved in lots of voluntary work, teaching programming to kids or helping non-profit organizations along with my own work and research. Even my neighbors told me that he missed enjoying all the sunflowers that grow along his side of the yard, and picking up big pumpkins. All these neglect has resulted in a yard that requires too much work, de-weeding, pruning and planting. And, I need to complete all these in between my work and travel. But, at last, I'm glad that I can do such thing. We had our last snow (hopefully fingers crossed) on March 31st. It was a very strange snowy-day as it started with rain-snow (or snow-rain whatever you want to call it) which was very strange to watch. It was raining but the rain was not water but wet-snow. So, if you looked outside, you will see a curtain of rain but thick curtain of rain (thus you won't be able to see much further out as you can easily do even in big downpours); however, it was not a curtain of snow. So, you have to use all your imagination to understand this strange-looking weather-phenomena.

But since then spring is trying to come back here with all its vigor. Though the night temperature is often falling below freezing but the days are usually gorgeous with bright sunny, fluffy white clouds on a blue sky, and temperature hovering between 55 and 60 F (between 13 to 15 degree C). Finches, American Robins, Doves and Canadian Geese are back. Air is always filled with songs and whistles of our various feather-friends, who I also see tugging into my dried/dead lawn grass, leaves, twigs and branches to find materials for their homes. Crocuses are blooming; daffodils, hyacinths and spring bulbs are out. And, I am busy planting, pruning, buying and ordering more bulbs, seeds, plants and trees. This year I am focusing on flowers/plants which not only attract bees but also butterflies, moths and hummingbirds.

A Big Thank You

I love getting anything related to gardening (and which has happened only once so far when one of my best friend brought a wild-flower seed-packet from me all the way from Oregon. You can read it here). So, yesterday (4/24) was again a very unique day to me as I received another packet of seeds. Donna of Gardens Eye View and Susie of Life Change Compost were giving away seed-packets in their blogs. I won one of it :-).

Donna not only sent me the seed packet but she also sent a very beautiful hand-written card which you can see on the left-side in the above image. Thank You Donna. I am very humbled and my garden, the bees and I will be always grateful to you for such a lovely gift. I hope one day I will be able to do to you, to your garden and to all others something in return. 

The package contains about 15 grams of seeds which can cover approximately 225 square feet of area. It contains seeds which provide food to about 4000 species of bees that the US has. It includes seeds of Borage, Sunflower, Coriander, Siberian Wallflower, Dill, Coreopsis, California Poppy, Gailliardia, Zinnia, Basil, Cosmos, Purpler Prairie Clover, Gilia, Catnip, Lemon Mint, Black-Eyed Susan, Goldenrod, Hyssop, Bergamot. Does not the seed-packet looks beautiful? It looks like a piece of art to my eyes. 

I already know where the seeds will go -- half of it will go to the bed in the front-yard. For the other-half I am preparing a bed in the backyard. Our drive-way is too long connecting the front and back yard. I hope to put pots all along the driveway connecting the two yards. The pots will contain all sorts of flowers, and thus in that way a high-way of flowers and other sources of nectar will be created for the bees and butterflies between the two yards. But this is a project I have to tackle next year. 

Do you have any good news to share :-)? Are you doing anything special for our bees and butterflies friends?