This weather this past week has be unbelievably gorgeous and while it’s not meant to last because this is New England, so many new growths have been popping up around the property.
little green leaves
Our gravel driveway is pretty unforgiving in terms of soil health and favorable conditions but it hasn’t stopped a lot of wild plants from taking root. Wild strawberries and their jagged leaves have started spreading out in the gravel pathways around the house, eagerly eating up all the sunlight they can. It’ll be no time before Potato is secretly snacking on their sweet little berries~
No stranger to inhospitable conditions, dandelions have also begun to unsheathe their pokey leaves. I look forward to their sunny yellow heads and the few bees that use them as rest stops in our barren driveway.
reintroducing birds
While we aren’t completely barren when it comes to wildlife on our property, we don’t have a lot to offer the local birds in terms of diverse food sources, water sources and shelter near sources. We’ve observed plenty of hawks and even three turkey vultures but little birds pay us no mind.
Until this year! I’m taking this a little more serious as I was able to observe how things grew in and while we got a few pollinators to help get plants going, very few birds stopped by. I was able to see a hummingbird or two visit my after thought of a catnip plant so that was encouraging~
So far, I’ve gone all out in the suet and loose birdseed. I’ve set up a suet feeder in the back and front yards since both areas were pretty vacant of life last year. Along side stationary feeders, I’ve been scattering the seed across the driveway and towards areas I’ll be adding plants to this year and future years. To encourage more hummingbirds this year, I’ll probably add a space or two for sugar feeders and watch them go nuts~
new additions to 2023 field guide
With my increased cannabis use and courting of the local bird population, I’ve already got a few new entries for my property wide field guide (see my previous post here~). Like last year, I’m using the Seek app to help identify and catalog my findings
birds
- Chipping Sparrow
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Canada Goose
That last entry was technically on the neighbors property down the road since they have a cute pond but they fly over our house so I’ll count them in my sightings.
plants
- Sensitive Fern
insects
- Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
- Winter Firefly
- Morrison’s Sallow
Once spring and early summer start properly up here in middle Maine, I’ll be constantly updating my field guide with new entries and refilling old entries from last year. Take a step outside and see what’s around you~