It’s October, the end of our garden’s third growing season. We had two years of drought accompanied by a horrible Spongy Moth (f.k.a. Gypsy Moth) infestation, followed by record rainfall this past summer with no Spongy Moths, thank goodness. On top of that we’ve had multiple instances of 60+ mph winds up here at 1350 feet, and near record cold in February, but all the trees and shrubs and nearly all the perennials are thriving.
I believe there are two reasons everything is doing so well – Andrew did an excellent job planting, and these are plants native to this ecoregion. They evolved to grow here, and can survive in both New England’s summer heat and winter cold. Complete lists of our native plants, insects, birds, amphibians and mammals are at the bottom of this page.
Committing to publishing a blog meant I paid very close attention, nearly everyday, to what was going on in the garden. The more time I spent, the more I noticed. I’ve learned a huge amount, and what I have seen has at times astonished me. It has brought enormous joy and satisfaction along with one truly painful disappointment. It has also brought me a deep personal connection to this place.
Birds – an Enduring Passion
My connection to our garden’s birds began back in the winter of 2021, with an irruption of winter finches. 100+ Common Redpolls swirled at our feeders, consuming seed faster than we could buy it. Evening Grosbeaks visited our newly planted birches. This year it was breeding birds that found us, beginning in early April when a pair of Eastern Bluebirds checked out one of our nest boxes. In late May a gorgeous male Rose-breasted Grosbeak sang his heart out every morning for more than a week while courting a female in our garden. In June Tree Swallows nested in a box we put up, delighting us as they switched places in the nest box, softly chirping. This sadly didn’t end well, as a bear destroyed the box. We had been looking forward to putting up additional nest boxes and trying to attract nesting Eastern Bluebirds, and it is disappointing that it doesn’t seem like a good idea anymore.
Our Serviceberry attracted Cedar Waxwings who ate all the fruit off the small tree, while also gathering nesting material from the wildflower Evening Primrose. This plant provided nesting material for American Goldfinches later in the summer. I guess the Evening Primrose is nature’s fabric store! Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanagers, Red-eyed Vireos, Chestnut-sided Warblers, American Redstarts, Purple Finches and Least Flycatchers all let us know they were breeding nearby, through song and breeding displays. An American Robin nested right next to the front porch. It’s so cool to see our yard has a bounty of food, shelter and places to nest for many species of birds.
Insects – a New Love
My connection to the other inhabitants of the garden – especially butterflies, moths, caterpillars, wasps, grasshoppers, spiders, bees, frogs and salamanders – began in August. I was generally noticing some of them, but their small size makes them hard to appreciate, much less identify, so the connection is hard to make. Worrying about ticks and stinging wasps doesn’t help. But I really wanted to learn more about them.
Kathy introduced me to macro photography and I discovered it was surprisingly easy to get very good pictures of very small animals. I was transfixed! Kathy shouting “I’ve got a new caterpillar!” sends me running for the camera. It is astonishing to see, for example, what looks like a small, dull moth turn into a Larch Tolype Moth, or a Painted Lichen Moth. Having pictures allowed me to identify them through iNaturalist and Bugguide. One small camera lens was life changing. How had I missed all that beauty for so long – it was right there in front of me! So fun!
Looking Ahead
Moving ahead into 2024, we are continuing to expand our native garden, concentrating on the front yard – both the problematic front slope that we are trying to convert to a wildflower meadow, and along the driveway.
After a lot of thought, we are also going to include some eye-catching, nonnative flowers in small beds next to our front entrance. This spring, we decided to forgo showy annuals in our window boxes due to pesticide issues, but we sorely missed the bright colors and blooms all summer long. Kathy constantly reminds me that Tallamy’s “rule” is that aiming for 70% native plants is enough to support insect populations. She also pointed out that perennials don’t have the same pesticide problem. So, after consulting with Andrew, our landscaper, we are going to create a few bold, bright, colorful beds where they will have the most impact next to the entrance.
Species Lists
