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| Hosta flowers are living feeders for hummingbirds. |
The appearance of hummingbirds in the backyard garden Butterfly Bushes led me to order one (1) hummingbird feeder. As they say about other addictions, the first is the fatal one.
Too smart to start? - Don't bet on it.
Not even once? - Wait until one flits in and out of a Bee Balm, a Hosta, or a Butterfly Bush flower.
My excuse was simple. The bird feeders were useless with a gang of destructive squirrels raiding and breaking them. I should have sought counseling then and there.
Ranger Bob made it worse, like most addict's friends. "I have a feeder and a hanger." He placed a newly painted hanger a short distance from where everyone enjoys the porch view of the front garden.
The kitchen window feeder took weeks to attract a wary hummingbird. The rose-Joe Pye-Hosta-Bee Balm garden feeder attracted several hummingbirds at once.
We have comfortable seating for four on the front porch, so Bob, Mrs. Ichabod, Sassy and I can enjoy the garden in the shade.
Bob brought two more feeders and I placed them on the beam holding the porch roof - total four (4) feeder, three in the front.
As people explain, hummingbirds are territorial, so one will chase the rest away from his feeder. The solution is to have more feeders. Sometimes the Slippery Slope is not a fallacy but the real thing.
I enjoyed cleaning and filling the two initial feeders and filling the two new ones from Bob. Four feeders, various sizes are filled with ruby red fluid and await droves of hummers.
Creation principles certainly explain how a slight change in flora will alter the creatures attracted. Our big changes last fall were the Daisies, the Bee Balm sale-to-end-all-sales, Cat Mint, and the installation of Joe Pye Weed around the rose garden. We had a big increase in pollinator plants for bees, butterflies, and hummers, added to the previous plants. The spring rains increased the bounty of all the plants, so the birds gathered where the most food on the cul-de-sac could be found.
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| Plant it and the beneficial bugs and creatures will come. |
Gardens Go Wild - Back to Creation
Another factor in gardening is one often ignored by the suburban neatniks so unlike urban rednecks. If someone lives on a river and near some woods, many attractive features are already in place. But when everyone has a mown lawn, a few bushes, and some trees, few places for food, shelter, and nesting can be found.Our far backyard is completely wild, with tall weeds, piles of leaves, and opportunistic plants like Pokeweed. Our green wall, growing where birds perch, blocks our view of the neighbor's back yard and provides even more food and shelter. The jungle there not only has Poke berries, but raspberries and Trumpetvine, Poke is the favorite food of 60 species of birds. Trumpetvine is associated with hummingbirds, including the feeders.
These wild areas are also important for the over-wintering of beneficial bugs.
The Analogy
For decades, Lutheran churches (and many others too) have sought to achieve that ideal space, which attracts vast throngs of people. For that dubious goal they have been eager to get rid of the solemn dignity of worship and replace it with rock music, rock auditorium lighting, and self-centered talks. "I am not going to preach," says polysynod Time of Grace Pastor Mike, "I am just going to talk about Jesus."The Word is God's creation and always enjoys the divine power and efficacy of the Almighty. Those churches which emulate man's latest fads are going to attract people who harbor a deep love for the latest and caustic scorn for the eternal verities.
However, those who understand the Scriptures and enjoy the blessings of an abiding faith in the efficacious Word - those people will gather an impressive array of people who - according to divine purpose - seek ways to express their trust in the Gospel and love for the Savior.
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| "If this is wrong, why does Mirthless Mark support me?" |
