I tried some miracle bird food, which arrived as sunflower seeds and peanuts, plus something else. I poured it onto two bird feeders (garbage barrel lids). The swarmed the food. Later, all of them seemed to be in formation as they flew by the back door.
Cardinals are supposed to be shy birds, but they love their homestead. The male cardinal, according to some sources, will let his mate go first to see if the bath or the food is safe. However, several times I have stepped out of the front or back doors, only to see a Cardinal fly toward me and perch close by. "May I have a few moments with you to share my family's need for fresh food?"
My first Hummingbird of the season hovered around three empty feeders, plus one we no longer hang, then repeated his soul-wrenching flight pattern at each empty feeder and fourth ghost feeder. I filled the three that day.
Instead of a ferocious storm last night, we had a decent rain. I planted in the butterfly garden as the sun was setting.
We now have Joe Pye Weed growing up quickly, just as the daffodils are finishing their cycle and fading for now. The plants are quite distinctive and robust, predicting their path upward, ready to eliminate weeds by overshadowing them. They would take over the roses, but I can prune them back and let the leaves serve as additional mulch.
Bee Balm is coming up with the Joe Pye, so the bees, butterflies, and Hummingbirds will have hundreds of stations for food. Clethra, the most modest of shrubs, is budding out.
Young Hostas are known for feeding the rabbits and perhaps the squirrels. The older ones which survive are known for color and for Hummingbird flower spikes, not so attractive except to the Hummingbirds and pollinators.
The Hostas transplanted last fall are now in the backyard,
- under the green fence of Elderberry bushes and bird-loving shrubs,
- along Mrs. Wright's fence, and
- in the former jungle of weeds far back.
The Hostas took advantage of winter rains and a bit of snow to burst into mature growth. I have been longing for some blue varieties to show off their color, and they are now in a place where the filtered sunlight shows off their subtle blue and yellow.
