The area in the woods is a Certified Wildlife Habitat. I applied for this, so that I could get a sign to display. What is a backyard habitat? It is a garden that provides essential resources for different types of wildlife. Whether you have an apartment balcony or a 20-acre farm, you can create a garden that attracts beautiful wildlife and helps restore habitat in commercial and residential areas. By providing food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise their young--and by incorporating sustainable gardening practices--you not only help wildlife, but you also qualify to become certified. With the sign displayed, my neighbors and friends will know that nature is important to me. I don't disturb this area very much...just keep it tidied up, so we can see the wildlife a little better. With the pond next door, we have an amazing variety of birds. 
This metal trellis is behind a statue of St Francis. He is there to remind me that this is God's garden. I'm only the caretaker. That is the last phlox to bloom in the woods. I leave them to reseed and spread. I love to see the pink colors from the house and the little humming birds love them too. I have seen the humming birds today...soon they will start their amazing journey to migrate.
Here is another hummingbird favorite. Honeysuckle...I have to keep this under control or it will take over. The little birdhouse is just waiting for bluebirds...so far only wrens have been residents. They flit from each of these houses in the spring...trying to decide where to live. I saw a wren just yesterday on the deck. I haven't heard one for quite a while and thought that they were gone, but one little fellow is still here, apparently.
I love the look and feel of this special place in my yard. I could sit on the bench for hours just watching. I have a big metal barrel that I lie on the ground, to provide shelter from the storms for some woolly creature, A huge pile of brush at each end lies undisturbed all through the year. I can only imagine how many little creatures call these brush piles home. Suet will hang from the trees and the feeders will be full. Water from the pond next door freezes but there is always a hole open on the top...I watch the pond, when I go back there. It is responsible for many of my birds, I know. I was heartsick when they were thinking of filling it in, but I guess they have decided to leave it.Winter will be here soon. I am ahead of the game this year. I've already started getting things ready. Soon I will be in my rocker by the glass doors, early in the morning, drinking my tea and watching with the binoculars. Balisha
4 comments:
Balisha, you sound like me. Main differance I am just beginning my garden here at the edge of the woods. Have a good night!!
The redbud is my favorite tree, too. They are everywhere here in the spring. All along the sides of the roads and are just beautiful. Once when I lived on the farm I had my husband go into the woods with the tractor on our farm and we dug up six pretty good sized redbud trees and planted them down the driveway of the farm. Not one of them lived! I have heard since then that you cannot take them out of the woods or they will die. I felt so bad that they all died. We used to suck on honeysuckle when we were kids. I love your backyard woods. Have a great week.
Balisha, Your garden always looks beautiful! We have a wild redbud in our backyard- it is so pretty in the spring. We also have an overgrowth of honeysuckle! That thing is invasive and I would like it all taken out before it overwhelms our hill.
~ Sue
Once your redbud trees are mature enough to make seeds, they will come up everywhere and in the beds... at least they do here. We pull and dig about 50 every year. They grow so fast if we don't notice them soon enough they quickly become too large to pull and have to be dug out of the beds. We have plenty for spring beauty. If an old one dies out there are plenty to take its place. My lunaria (money plant, honesty, moon flower) blooms at the same time as the redbud trees and they are all the same color. I wish I could get lunaria to grow beneath one, but it had rather waltz around the property and come up and bloom where it pleases.
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