My name is Jane Sender and I love birds. After I retired from practicing law, I started to notice them. My first look at a bird in a good pair of binoculars astonished me, opening my eyes to what had been a pretty invisible world, and I never looked back. I’ve begun to explore insects and other tiny things through macrophotography, amazed at how much beauty escapes the naked eye. I teach birding classes for Mass Audubon , am a Master Gardener and an active member of the Mountain Garden Club. A big part of birding is understanding habitat, as every species is found in a specific habitat necessary for food, shelter and a place to raise their young. Unfortunately birds are in serious trouble, mostly due to habitat loss.
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Our gardens are habitat for birds, pollinators and all kinds of wildlife. Professor Douglas Tallamy is a leading voice on how our gardens are crucial to reversing the decline of not only birds, but pollinators and all types of wildlife. While I love gardens for the plants, it’s the whole picture – the habitat the plants provide for birds, moths, butterflies and other animals -that makes gardening truly special to me. Without healthy habitat, those hard-to-see creatures can’t do their work, and our gardens wouldn’t be able to delight us!
In 2020 my partner and I bought a beautiful house in Glen, New Hampshire. As gorgeous as the house and its views are, the yard and surrounding 2 acres were neglected and sad. As soon as I saw the property I could hear Doug Tallamy telling me what I would be doing over the next few years.
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I wanted to bring this property back to providing the habitat it did before the house was built – or even improve it by adding more diversity to the plants which had been here. We planted trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses native to this ecoregion beginning in spring 2021. Lots of new species began to appear after the first year. I saw and photographed my first Luna Moth (picture right) last summer, and I was over the moon with excitement. What I had hoped for in planting the gardening was beginning to develop.
I started this blog in March 2023 to share my love of all things hard to see but vitally important to protect and nurture. Every few weeks I blog about what is new. Complete lists of all the wildlife I have been able to identify as of the end of 2024 are posted on the Garden Plants and Wildlife page. I hope you can find what is somewhat hidden in the beauty of the flowers and plants at your home – those tiny, fascinating things that make it all work!