the battle for black chokeberries

A group of Eastern Bluebirds Sialia Sialis, darted in and out of the Black Chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa bushes. Surmising these bluebirds might be the two broods that fledged out of our nestbox this summer plus the adults, we smiled and watched as they flew around at the edge of the woods. Then, as the bluebirds moved off towards the cattails, a flock of Cedar Waxwings Bombycilla cedrorum appeared and settled in to savor the black leathery chokeberries. Their grey and buff coloring might help them go unnoticed, but their yellow tail-tips were bright accents among the burnished chokeberry leaves.

the winter "guild"

The birds are gathering into their winter "guild". Several of the woodpeckers are back again -- the Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens, the Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus, Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus, and the big Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus. This Red-bellied Woodpecker helped himself to sunflower and safflower seeds.

autumn at the edge of the woods

blue jays

The group of blue jays we've seen this summer have joined the guild as winter approaches. The chickadees are so vocal while they enjoy the peanuts; now the jays know about these special treats, too. As soon as I put the nuts out, the reconnaissance flyovers begin . . .

autumn woods

The woods and gardens are gorgeous! After several very cold nights, the leaves are changing to their autumn splendor. The black chokeberry bushes add a warm accent at the edge of the woods.

peanuts

Peanuts (unsalted, in the shell) are a nice treat for many of the birds that gather into the winter guild here in the wild woods. The chickadees, ever curious, help themselves first whenever we put more peanuts out on the bark tray.

early snow

October, and we've had 3 snowfalls already. It melted quickly since the ground and foliage are still warm, but a rude awakening for the birds who have yet to migrate southward.

penstemon (maybe?)

My gardens are surrounded by neighbors' flowery landscaped yards, one of which probably threw seeds to the wind for this result.

Many of our favorite plants have struggled in this cool dry summer to develop their best blooms. But this beauty seems to have taken advantage of the situation to surprise us. Along the neighbors' fence, a few days ago I noticed some stalks of intense magenta blossoms among the cattails. Research has led me to think these are penstemons, although I am not sure of the exact species.

These plants seem to have self-seeded in an area that is wet enough to nurture their germination. Another welcome addition to the wild woods.

bird bathing

The birds love the "bubbler" that continuously moves water in the crockery bowl that serves as one of our bird watering sites. This week the American Robins (Turdus migratorius) have been lining up and sometimes are rudely impatient as they take turns in the bowl. When this bird finished the vigorous part of her bath, she spent several minutes just relaxing in the water with her bottom on the bubbler.

garden harvest

The kitchen garden at the edge of the wild woods produces a precarious harvest of veggies when the grazing deer stay outside the rabbit fence. On most afternoons there are just enough tomatoes, summer squash, beans, snow peas, or leafy greens ripe for our small suppers.

hummingbirds

With four nectar feeders at different places around the yard, we often see the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) as they make their rounds each day. This little female was sipping nectar from the 'Black and Blue' Sage (Salvia guaranitica) as we sat nearby. I often see these little flying jewels at the feeder outside my office window, as they sip and dart back into the woods.

tiny toad

We've seen toads of all sizes this year. But this one, shown in my hand at the base of my fingers, is the smallest so far.

bluebirds - brood 2, day 16

The young bluebirds fledged out of their nest today. We watched for hours as the adults fed them sparingly in the morning, then teased them with worms to encourage fledging. Inside, the three young flapped their wings, took turns perching at the opening, and called out for more food. The adults' response was most often a worm waved in front of the box (or offered but pulled back) to beckon the youngsters out.

raspberries

The new row of raspberry brambles we put in last year are bearing fruit -- delicious red, black, and golden raspberries. The three are a wonderful mix of real intense berry flavor, but even better with a few of the little wild blackberries we find tucked in between the buckthorn and honeysuckle along the old fence row in the wild woods.

hostas in bloom

The shady front corner is finally established with astilbes and hostas.
In past years I tried a few other plants here but they did not like the situation.
This Spring the astilbes and hostas came up vigorously and seem very happy together.
The "Krossa Regal" Hostas have become huge vase-shaped beauties with blooms on stems nearly as tall as I am.

bluebirds - winged lunch

The bluebird hatchlings are nearly as big as their parents, and showing off their feathers. The adults are now bringing larger and more interesting items for meals. Especially interesting on delivery are the delicious orthopterans, like this grasshopper, still kicking.

Speedwell

Butterflies love the dwarf Speedwell,
Veronica x. Giles van Hees.
It is happily situated near the rhubarbs and bee balm.
The flower spikes are only 5 or 6 inches tall, and blooming enthusiastically this summer.

bluebirds - brood 2, day 7

Feeding time is ever amazing in the bluebird nest box. We were watching while the female was in the box with 4 hatchlings; the male brought a long worm to the entrance. The worm resisted the handoff, and the female bluebird had trouble grasping it. She left the box and the male brought the worm back in to feed his youngsters. It took him a few tries, but he did succeed. This would be a challenge for any marksman: stuff a writhing worm into the gape of a wobbly-headed baby bird. These parents are doing a good job -- all 4 hatchlings seem to be thriving.

summer sumac

There is sumac growing outside my window that turns to burnished red and gold shades in the autumn. These shrubs seem to be leftovers from before the residential lots were here. Based on the property plat, they are growing along what was the old farm fence row. And, like sumac do, they strive each season to expand their position. I have enjoyed their brilliant autumn colors for a few years, but this summer is the first time I paid attention to them as they bloomed.
Another treat for us, compliments of our wild woods!

bluebirds - brood 2 hatched

The four bluebird eggs have become helpless little hatchlings. I watched today as the female brought some food, then the male brought in a many-legged item to feed them. She tried to convey it to the young but between their helpless writhing and the bug's wiggling legs, I'm not sure where it went. She did remove a "diaper bag", and he went back out to find something more suitable to feed those hungry beaks gaping in the nest.

blooming on the edge

Coreopsis and scabiosa bloom happily together at the edge of the veggie garden.

wren - second brood in snag box

In the wild woods we placed two PVC-tube nest boxes that simulate the tree snags which birds use for nesting sites. We packed sawdust in the tubes to make them seem like a decaying tree snag. Both have been totally excavated; earlier this season we watched a pair of black-capped chickadees remove all the sawdust from one tube before they built their nest inside. The other tube is excavated and has accumulated some nesting material but no active nest thus far. The tube that was the site of the successful chickadee nest is now the nest of a house wren. She laid her first egg today!

nest watching

This year, with video cams in several positions, we are able to verify much more bird nesting activity. We've watched as a pair of bluebirds fledged a brood of 5, chickadees fledged a brood of 6, and house wrens fledged a brood of 6. Last week we fed a stray baby robin several freshly-dig earthworms, then watched him sit in the maple tree the entire next day begging for more. Over the last several days we've watched as the bluebirds laid a new clutch of 4 eggs in their nestbox. The material in the snag box (formerly used by the chickadees) has been rearranged each day, and this morning one little wren egg is visible at the bottom of this deep cozy hideaway. I am still hoping to spot the nests of the cardinals, goldfinches, and hummingbirds that inhabit the wild woods.

milkweed - scented delight

Weeding the vegetable garden today was a pleasure -- what a delightful hour. The sky was partly sunny with clouds floating by to cool me when the breeze was not enough. The soil was damp enough from recent rains so the weeds came out easily. And the milkweed that Julie started downhill from the veggie patch is in full scented bloom. The whiff of milkweed blooms on the breeze is, to me, the best -- sweet and spicy with hint of honey. And the blossoms are beautiful! No wonder the butterflies adore this plant. Monarchs, in particular, lay their eggs on the undersides of milkweed leaves and their caterpillars feed on them.

toad - good citizen in the wild woods

This 3" American toad Bufo Americanus was hopping around today while I was working in the garden.
There are plenty of frogs and toads like this in the yard, especially in the wet swale and the grassy quiet dark places. They are important in the food chain -- they help control many insect populations and they are food for other creatures. The DNR web site has good information about amphibian species in this area. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/toads/american.html