Friday, September 11, 2015

Not Quite the End of Summer

The shorter days and the lower angle of the sun are definitely apparent, and even though we are in a bit of a heat wave, there is a slight chill in the air in the morning, a sign that it won't be long before the first frost warnings are out. But right now, I am enjoying all that is still alive in and around the garden.

Just after sunrise, crickets and insects are still chirping and trilling loudly, and birds are very active, picking up seeds from the ground and berries in the trees and bushes. Specifically, over the past week I have heard or seen blue jays, crows, pileated woodpeckers, chickadees, white breasted nuthatches, hummingbirds, goldfinches, cardinals, phoebes, tree sparrows, and other unidentified small birds.

The hummingbirds have been quite busy this week. In addition to the feeder, they are actively searching the flowers for blossoms and remaining nectar. Their favorite flowers right now are the zinnias and anise hyssop; although the latter has pretty much gone to seed. At the end of the week I will take down the hummingbird feeder so as not to confuse their migration time clock. They will have a long journey ahead.


It has been so hot this week that this phoebe flew straight to the sprinkler as soon as I turned it on. We haven't had rain for some time, so he was seemingly content to just sit on the fence and get showered.

Although most plants in the garden are past their prime, the eggplant and squashes are still flowering. I don't know if they will have time to set fruit, but I am not going to dig up the plants just yet as the blooms are pretty and also continue to provide a food source for the bees.

 Squash plant blossoms. 



Eggplant Flower
Some things in nature make me laugh. I don't know if this apple just fell off the tree and landed there, or if a squirrel left it with hopes of nibbling on it later. Either way, it's pretty amazing.


Even though the calendar is saying that summer is almost over, I am still holding on to it for a while longer.

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2 comments:

  1. Melissa V.September 28, 2015 at 11:19 AM

    The birds in above pictures are very cute. I wonder what type they are, and what someone could plant or place in the yard to attract them? They do not look familiar to me, but I live in Michigan so perhaps the environment here is not exactly friendly for them. (I have done bird feeders, but attract more squirrels than anything else.)

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    1. NGNaturallySeptember 28, 2015 at 7:13 PM

      Melissa, the bird in the top photo is a female ruby-throated hummingbird. From May to September, we put out a hummingbird feeder with 1 part sugar to 4 parts boiled water and change it once a week. The hummingbirds are usually around within a few days of setting out the feeder in the spring. Some flowers they are attracted to are bee-balm, trumpet vine, columbine, and bleeding heart. The little gray bird is a phoebe. They are insectivores so they help keep the mosquito population down. They like wooded areas and water. They will nest in barns and under eaves of houses. Sometimes a pair will build a nest over our front door. I can relate to the squirrel situation, but just end up filling the feeders more frequently.

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