Wordless Wednesday 9.17.2014

my garden friend

Wordless Wednesday 8/13/2014

Signs of Spring

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this somewhat ratty garden looks beautiful to me! Spring green shoots are pushing their way up through the winter debris and into the sunshine. In a couple of months all of these little sprigs will look like this:

Allium christophii

Another sign of spring today:  The temperature this morning was a chilly 20°F, yet this afternoon I saw my first butterfly of the year.  Do you know the Mourning Cloak butterfly? They're very common in Colorado, and typically one of the first butterflies to come out of hibernation. There's a great write up about them here.

What signs of spring have you seen lately?

Wordless Wednesday 10.16.2013

Maximilian sunflower, Helianthus maximiliani, and friend

Wordless Wednesday 8.07.2013

tune in tomorrow for the full story of "Chicks on The Ridge!"

Wordless Wednesday 7.31.2013

Mr. Pollen Grabber on Zauschneria garrettii

Wordless Wednesday 1.12.2011

5" banana slug, Ariolimax columbianus, indigenous to the Pacific Northwest

On the Street . . . Raleigh Street, Denver

An old silver maple tree recently cut down.

Hollow, but not empty.

A beautiful,  sad discovery.

Chickadees at Play

Euonymus alatus 'Compactus'

brilliant burning bush
frosted cold with first snowfall
chickadees at play

Of course, those chickadees are way too fast for me to actually photograph - they don't sit still for a minute...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Buddleia Buffet

Chow time! Come and get it! Soup's on at the all-you-can-eat Buddleia Buffet!  Butterfly bush really does attract the butterflies - and all manner of nectar loving insects - and my 20 year old Buddleia davidii 'Dark Knight' always provides a great show.

Yesterday afternoon I was thrilled to see dozens of these little Peck's Skipper butterflies flitting around. Their golden color was a beautiful contrast to the purple blossoms and made them easier to see, despite their small (less than 1") size.

I was standing in the garden trying to identify these little guys with my ancient Golden Nature Guide to Butterflies and Moths, when one of them landed right on "their" page of my open book!  Ah, life in the garden.

This West Coast Lady is considerably larger. There were several of them feeding on the shrub, too.

And of course, loads of giant bumblebees bumbling around. 

 A Monarch fluttered past, but didn't settle in to dine (hence no photo). They're not unheard of here, but I don't see them very often, so that was a real treat.

Consider adding a butterfly bush to your garden. They need full sun and moderately moist to dry soil. Several different colors are available, and a number of dwarf varieties, too.  For great mid-summer color, fragrance, and butterflies galore, think Buddleia!

Eeeeek a Mouse!

So the other evening I'm looking out my office window and notice a little mouse feasting on the crumbs beneath the bird feeder. He scurries around, popping down one hole in the snow and back out another. Before long, there's a second one! They're having a great time, running over and under the snow in --pretty much--broad daylight.
Before I know it, one of the mice has climbed right up the side of the house and onto the window ledge and is peeking inside.
"Wanna come out and play?"
"Thanks, but no."