milkweed and tomatoes

My garden has been invaded by Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca that used to grow closer to the woods.  I usually let some of the stems come up inside the fence; they bloom among the herbs and vegetables so their scent fills the air as I weed and tend the crops.  This week, they are beginning to open and release that fragrance!  The garden is a delight of tomato vines, greens, beans, peas, squash vines, and scented herbs.

borage blooming among the tomato vines

pollinator on tomato blossom

Northern Cardinals

This Spring, the pair of Northern Cardinals claiming the wild wild woods as their nesting territory came often to the tray feeder. The female is a lovely young thing.  Her mate sports a strange mix of feathers, not the usual intense red coat of feathers.  Maybe he is a very young male who has not grown into his full adult colors.  In any case, she felt he was up to the task of helping her raise some offspring.



This week, they are bringing their two youngsters to the seed tray.

NestWatch: 7 Wren nestlings

One of the nestboxes we watch is used this Spring by House Wrens Troglodytes aedon.  Seven eggs hatched on June 8.  Today the cam recorded the adults feeding three times within two minutes.  The adult Wren is only 4.5 to 5 inches long.  She feeds spiders, beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, flies and other insects to her tiny hatchlings.  (MP4 video)

In this video, you can see the wriggling legs of the insects she brings in.  Wrens keep their nests clean; they wait for the young birds to expel a fecal sac (birdie diaper, poop bag).  Until the young birds are 4 or 5 days old, the parents may eat the sacs since the baby's digestive tracts are not very efficient and the sacs may still contain nutrition.  Later, they'll carry them away from the box and drop them. This way, the nest lining stays clean and healthy for the crowded clutch of young Wrens.

woodland mushrooms

NestWatch: 7 Wren eggs

One of the nestboxes we watch is used this Spring by House Wrens Troglodytes aedon.  She has been incubating these seven eggs for nearly two weeks. The male sits in the tree nearby to guard the nest.

caterpillar

My knowledge of garden pests seems to have evaporated over winter . . .
This 2-inch-long small green worm with a silvery stripe would usually be difficult to detect on green plants, but this one was on a native Penstemon plant with rich maroon stems and leaves.
Since there is so much concern about loss of butterflies and bees, I want to encourage any that I can.
To my chagrin, I realized it is a cabbage looper! 
This caterpillar is the larval form of the white cabbage moth, Trichoplusia ni.  They love plants in the veggie garden -- broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, cabbage, collard greens, potato, tomato, spinach, and cucumbers.  They typically eat holes in the leaves and hide out on the bottom side of the foliage.

new growth among the evergreens

The evergreen trees are showing this year's branch buds and new cones. As I wandered tree to tree, each species showed a different beauty.

wet morning

This dandelion seed head drips the remains of last night's rain drops.

woodland wildflowers

False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum racemosum just showing the emerging flower cluster.

April - more signs of Spring . . .

The maple trees are blooming, magnolia blossoms burgeoning . . .  but today, a hesitation while it snows in a last attempt at winter.

March - signs of Spring in Minnesota

The maple trees are seeping sap and bursting buds.  The Robins are back for the nesting season.  I'm sure I've heard the sound of warblers singing . . . .

Southwest USA study trip III

 

While studying wildflowers among cactus in the Southwest, I spotted birds we probably won't see around here . . . .

Gambel's Quail  (nests on the ground, eats grasses and cactus fruits)

Cactus Wren  (nests in woodpecker holes, loud and boisterous)

Gila Woodpecker (makes nest holes in palms and saguaros)

Greater Roadrunner (hides nest in center of cactus thorns, here taking a lizard to the nest)

Southwest USA study trip II

Also spotted at the wetlands preserve, these birds that winter in the south and migrate north in the western USA for nesting season.



top: Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera

middle: American Widgeon Anas americanus



bottom: Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria

Southwest USA study trip

Just returned from studying wildflowers in the Southwest USA. 

At a wetland preserve area, we saw some of the birds that are wintering there but will return to Minnesota for nesting season.


top: Northern Shoveler male Anas clypeata

middle: Common Moorhen Gallinula galeata
bottom: Mallard female Anas platyrhynchos

January - winter buds

Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica

On winter days like these . . .  

cold and windy . . .  

it may look like the trees in the 

wild wild woods are bare, 

but when I take a closer look . . . 

Black Chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa

Viburnum (left), Forsythia (above), Lilac (below)

These deciduous trees and shrubs actually formed buds last summer during their active growing season.  To survive the cold of winter they have gone dormant.

But next spring's burgeoning leaves and flowers are already in place, so the trees won't need to use energy now to grow those complex leaf and flower structures. 

 
 

hawk watch

The Cooper's Hawk we often see in the wild wild woods was back again today.  First, we saw it sitting for several minutes in the sun on a branch of the maple tree.  With yellow feet tucked under feathers, it tried to fluff the down underlayer and stay warm on this 10F cold day.  After a failed attempt to catch a Junco in the understory, the hawk sat for a minute in the willow tree, then wandered off to another location.

fat food

The Pileated Woodpeckers come out of the wild wild woods occasionally to take suet at the feeder station.  Especially on a cold winter day, the extra fat is good warming nutrition for them.

tree harvest

 



Birds survive winter on available seeds wherever they can find a harvest.  Birch trees offer seeds hanging in clusters for American Goldfinches and Dark-eyed Juncos.

The seed pods on Boxelder trees are savored by Grey Squirrels too.

busy feeder station

The bird feeder station at the edge of the woods is a busy place on a wintery morning.

winter water

At the edge of the wild wild woods, I keep a bowl with open water for the birds.  Many species use it to drink and to preen their feathers even in cold weather.  Feathers do their job of insulating for warmth better when they are clean.  The Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus often drums on the ground to find ant larvae to eat.  That may make him thirsty.  The Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata occasionally dives in for a full bath.

windblown

Bluejays love peanuts!  This bird was trying hard to get one even though the wind almost flipped him head over tail.

young birds

Several bird species were successful at hatching and fledging babies this summer in the wild wild woods. 



This young Black-capped Chickadee found a peanut too big for him, but he can peck at it to manage a treat.

This Downy Woodpecker male (with the red cap) is feeding a young at the suet block, hoping he will learn to help himself before winter sets in.




The two big guys below may look like a battling pair.  The brown one is a juvenile Common Grackle begging from his parent at the seed tray.  This is how young birds learn to fend for themselves.

juvenile or adult?

These two Northern Cardinals Cardinalis cardinalis look alike.  Both are females, so have some red feathers like the all-red males, but are mostly tan rusty brownish so they can hide better from predators in nesting season.

But notice the difference between the adult and juvenile?

The young first-year female Cardinal above still has her juvenile dark grey bill.  Her new adult feathers are just coming in to form her winter coat.

The adult female Cardinal at right is identified by her bright orange or red bill.  Her feathers look disorganized like her youngster because she is molting.  She loses her old worn feathers in late summer, so her new warm winter feathers are just growing in.

wild berries

The birds are not the only wildlife
enjoying berries in the wild woods. 
The squirrels hang upside-down
in the mulberry tree to reach
the berries as they ripen.

wild berries

At the edge of the woods, where sun shines on them part of the day, wild raspberries grow each spring.  The birds love the juicy berries so much that they usually don't get a chance to ripen fully to their darkest black-red. 
This year, I covered these with a net for a while in order to see them ripen. And, I got to taste them too!