tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77541487857433910012024-02-19T10:08:16.319-05:00 Flower Hill Farm FLOWER HILL FARM ~ A Vegetarian and Eco-friendly retreat in Nature. Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comBlogger544125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-60227967235734974272018-03-28T17:20:00.001-04:002018-03-28T17:20:14.609-04:00Songbirds of 2017 ~ Wood Warblers <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I so look forward to the return of wood warblers to our gardens and fields and forest! I have a few featured from 2017 on my latest post over on my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/songbirds-and/" target="_blank">Garden Blog</a>. I hope you have time to stop by!<br />
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HAPPY SPRING! </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-36631050239897340402018-01-24T16:05:00.000-05:002018-01-24T16:05:08.810-05:00Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I hope you can check out my Butterflies of 2017 post over at my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/butterflies-of-2017-2/" target="_blank">Garden Blog</a><br />
Lovely to see the brilliant colors and beautiful patterns when the landscape is so cold and without much color.<br />
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Best Wishes and Happy Butterflying for 2018!</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-83737292165085549352017-05-02T23:49:00.000-04:002017-05-02T23:52:39.811-04:00Returning Spring and Songbirds to Flower Hill Farm <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Spring is unfurling all around me here at Flower Hill Farm. It is such a magical time of year. I was so excited today to have my first sighting of a new warbler in my gardens! I hope you will visit my home <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/returning-spring-songbirds/" target="_blank">blog</a> to see more. </div>
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Wishing you all a glorious Spring! </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-83484327421382974812017-03-19T11:26:00.000-04:002017-03-19T11:42:46.508-04:00Our Wood Community and Vernal Equinox<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I would love to have you join me on a walk into my forest. Just a click over to my<a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/the-wood-community/" target="_blank"> blog</a>. It is nearly spring in this part of the world but not here in New England. It is Maple Syrup time and soon the snow will melt and the woodcock will return along with warmer days. We do enjoy having the longer days of light. Happy Spring Equinox tomorrow! An important time to be considering equality. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-65870107031257853732016-12-21T11:41:00.001-05:002016-12-21T11:48:03.672-05:00Home for the Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Spending a winter away last year has helped me appreciate the beauty of winter. Please visit my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/no-place-like-home-for-the-winter/" target="_blank">blog</a> to learn more about why I love the winter landscape here at <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/" target="_blank">Flower Hill Farm Retreat</a>. Happy Solstice and Best Wishes for the Holiday Season and New Year! </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-82504384934367767862016-09-28T17:08:00.002-04:002016-09-28T17:10:11.812-04:00Jamaican Hummingbirds : Part Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You can see Part Two of <i>Jamaican Hummingbirds</i> over at my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/jamaican-mango-hummingbird/" target="_blank">garden blog</a>.<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-79595680239498477152016-09-05T10:42:00.000-04:002016-09-05T10:42:39.382-04:00Still Alive and Tripping on Tropical Wildlife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Join me for a Jamaican Retreat. I spent two months there this winter and in trying to revive my blog will share some of my encounters with wildlife and the landscape there. I hope you will join me over at my garden blog - <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/blog/">http://caroldukeflowers.com/blog/</a></div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-1587417917449421322015-08-14T18:55:00.001-04:002015-08-14T18:58:59.267-04:00A Stormy Afterglow at Flower Hill Farm Retreat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It was a tempest shaking trees, tossing small branches and pouring down buckets of rain that only lasted for about ten minutes. Once the storm passed a completely arched rainbow stretched across the sky and the afterglow was a spectacle to behold. You can see more over at my<a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/blog/" target="_blank"> <span style="color: red;">Garden Blog</span></a>.<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-59896422782949093322015-08-05T13:57:00.001-04:002015-08-05T13:57:49.891-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A singing Veery caught in the middle of a trill. It was a thrill for this observer and you can learn more over at my<a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/blog/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"> garden blog</span></a>. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-63379331489073511982015-07-09T17:49:00.002-04:002015-07-09T17:50:30.015-04:00Milking Milkweed <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few of the wonderful creatures that milk milkweed are featured over at my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/the-allure-of-milkweed/" target="_blank">garden blog</a>.<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-12356830323707113762015-06-15T09:26:00.000-04:002015-06-15T09:26:31.914-04:00A Bestiary: Tales from a Wildlife Garden Still Grows <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Synchronicity and the Scarlet Tanager </div>
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It is happening over at my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/scarlet-tanager-joins-a-bestiary/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">garden blog</span></a> and <a href="http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/a-bestiary-part-forty-one-songbirds-scarlet-tanager/" target="_blank">Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens</a>. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-24442403891341586392015-06-01T15:38:00.003-04:002015-06-01T15:38:43.401-04:00Singing in the Rain Yellow Warbler Welcomes June<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Singing for the rain. Finally. Happy June and may moisture lighten your load. </div>
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Another sweet Yellow Warbler sings over at <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/yellow-warbler-sings-in-the-rain/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Flower Hill Farm Retreat</span></a></div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-8647684344811284402015-05-29T14:18:00.000-04:002015-05-29T15:04:36.706-04:00American Coppers Flying at Flower Hill Farm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I love seeing the tiny and brilliantly colored upper wings of the American Copper butterfly. They have a small habitat of cinquefoil for nectar and their host plant sheep-sorrell growing in our south field.<br />
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Please visit my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/american-coppers-one-then-two/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">garden blog</span></a> to see more photos and read more of the story. Goodbye May. Happy June to everyone.<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-91268144591288022002015-05-02T22:19:00.001-04:002015-05-02T22:19:52.759-04:00Native Bees and Wasps in the Gardens <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">I have pulled together a compilation of native bees and wasps sighted in the gardens of Flower Hill Farm from 2014 just as this years bees are about to begin buzzing around the unfurling blooms on our hillside habitat. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjkCClHwMSnJBu2K8jD5VI0kJby_KbhtgLpqvrlVrvkkAhhd5zLXAj03DgAE4km420sRKrKN7SviN-wu2q1cbqb-6569cPwVXSgtTn7Lx0z7FZ7yuGn7KcwIU3uileOkwg6avIWeA3Ds/s1600/DSC_3898+web1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjkCClHwMSnJBu2K8jD5VI0kJby_KbhtgLpqvrlVrvkkAhhd5zLXAj03DgAE4km420sRKrKN7SviN-wu2q1cbqb-6569cPwVXSgtTn7Lx0z7FZ7yuGn7KcwIU3uileOkwg6avIWeA3Ds/s1600/DSC_3898+web1.jpg" /></a></div>
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The collection is a diverse one of beneficial native pollinators and you can see it over at my website's <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/native-bees-and-wasps-in-the-gardens/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">garden blog</span></a>. Along with photos and identification, I have shared a few interesting tales of survival unique to some of the species of the Apidae family. </div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-70807632038786469292015-03-16T12:04:00.000-04:002015-03-16T12:05:23.449-04:00Butterflies in the Gardens of Flower Hill Farm 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The butterfly season of twenty-fourteen was great but a bit down from the previous years. I did sight a few new species and added them to my list. I hope you can visit my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/blog/" style="color: red;" target="_blank">main blog </a>to see some of the families of butterflies that visited our gardens last year. Cheers to a great butterfly season for 2015!<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-24387064918655980762015-03-07T09:16:00.001-05:002015-03-07T09:17:45.559-05:00Metamorphosis of Monarchs and Swallowtails from 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I hope you can visit my blog and scroll through last summer's memories of metamorphosis.<br />
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<a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/metamorphosis-of-butterflies-from-2014/">http://caroldukeflowers.com/metamorphosis-of-butterflies-from-2014/</a></div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-5133723835640512702015-01-25T15:38:00.001-05:002015-01-25T15:40:41.691-05:00Nighttime Beauties ~ Barred Owl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">The more often nighttime stirring Barred Owls</span><i style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> Strix varia, </i><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">may have been howling and hooting as year-round residents on this Western Massachusetts hillside for more than 11,000 years . . .</span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #333333;">Dear Readers, if you would like to see more photos and continue reading the story about this Barred Owl encounter, please visit my main </span><a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/beauties-night-barred-owl/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">wildlife and garden blog. </span></a></span></div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-72139039299592384082014-08-13T13:33:00.000-04:002014-08-13T13:33:20.449-04:00Nighttime Beauties ~ A Living Cocoon Bouquet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last September a fellow Lepidoptera enthusiast, Tor, had given me a remarkable gift. Several twigs with Cecropia Moth cocoons attached. When I placed the leaf coated, brown silky cocoons all together in a pewter pitcher, I had a uniquely created cocoon bouquet. Most bouquets quietly die over days or weeks but not this one.<div>
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A bouquet of Cecropia cocoons blossom and fly into the night sky. The full story is <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/beauties-night-cecropia-moth/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">here</span></a>.</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-73246615689615633462014-07-27T11:22:00.002-04:002014-07-27T11:22:06.291-04:00Ephemeral Visitations from Ethereal Nighttime Beauties<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We humans are creatures of habitual repetition and it is a reliable assumption that by nightfall most people are indoors with lights on and doors closed to the outside world. When we accidentally or purposefully leave our outside lights on, it is somewhat like fly fishing with the bright light being the lure. Many night beauties will be drawn to the light and will fall into a deep sleep making them vulnerable in the morning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMtasZqSfivTlvYFE8Qzx4w_Gu9nvwiU4f3YxOSVGSa5t44spiprCOfN2x1MziXpr2dqn21BX8mMsf3dAkZEBp3WRV_mwIiRY8oiKDA2YpNKB12jX1T4RzM7ar7e4c4GweQgUIQdMbsg/s1600/DSC_7117+web1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMtasZqSfivTlvYFE8Qzx4w_Gu9nvwiU4f3YxOSVGSa5t44spiprCOfN2x1MziXpr2dqn21BX8mMsf3dAkZEBp3WRV_mwIiRY8oiKDA2YpNKB12jX1T4RzM7ar7e4c4GweQgUIQdMbsg/s1600/DSC_7117+web1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333233;">You can read the entire story </span><a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/beauties-night-luna-moth/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">here</span></a><span style="color: #333233;">. After you read the story and see more photos I hope your connection to nighttime beauties will happen often. </span></div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-66725609164430111832014-07-24T14:02:00.000-04:002014-07-24T14:03:22.286-04:00Staying Connected<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Though I feel like I have walked away from so many contacts I have made here at Blogger, I am committed to staying connected and will use blogspot as a stepping stone to my <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/blog/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">new website</span></a> and blog.</div>
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I am taking a break due to burn-out from working so hard on the new site. I hope you might check it out by clicking <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/fawn/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">here</span></a>. There you can see the story that goes with the photo above. It was a precious encounter and there are more photos if you click on the link. Best Wishes for now. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-64420633981977515952014-05-17T17:54:00.002-04:002014-07-24T10:28:26.923-04:00Almost Saying Goodbye to Blogspot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Flower Hill Farm finally has a new <a href="http://caroldukeflowers.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">website</span></a> and blog. I hope you will come over and take a scroll around our fifty pages plus. I will not be closing blogspot since my builder has yet to figure out how to transfer the comments from this blog and I so treasure your words. I hope to begin visiting other blogs now and catching up on what you all have been up to. I would so appreciate it if you would leave a comment over at my new blog instead of here. Then I will know if it works or not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok6eXqjYRksALvXrHLDfTNfflTTcINkLUUXi3ldffqTslR1Zf7qyf9ZmGBbVFvlSFCdTcUEBBfK4R-YmGTsPJUnqg1AessKlaV4G1niPsnUnT3Sf-1o1rapgWapoKQU83mt8ySEhb3k/s1600/DSC_2874+web1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok6eXqjYRksALvXrHLDfTNfflTTcINkLUUXi3ldffqTslR1Zf7qyf9ZmGBbVFvlSFCdTcUEBBfK4R-YmGTsPJUnqg1AessKlaV4G1niPsnUnT3Sf-1o1rapgWapoKQU83mt8ySEhb3k/s1600/DSC_2874+web1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mystery Bird — Female Magnolia Warbler or Female Yellow-throated Vireo</td></tr>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-24658679077149297302014-04-26T02:05:00.000-04:002014-04-26T02:05:08.774-04:00Spring's Resolve Bluebirds and Tree Swallows <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Property disputes between bluebirds and tree swallows, and tree swallows and tree swallows seem to be resolved by now and life is very busy with serious nesting preparations here at Flower Hill Farm. </div>
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Today I took my first butterfly photo of 2014 — caught a whisper of light in a Cabbage White while she rested between sips of daffodil nectar. I invite you to scroll through to see the animated birds and a honeybee too. </div>
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Migratory songbirds are showing up daily to claim their territory. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet is displaying his crown while very near the ground. I fear for the hundreds of sleeping pupa and caterpillars hoping for a season to spread their gowns. But I am happy to see these familiar bird friends return.</div>
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Everyday, new Iris reticulata stems are breaking earth and pushing their way through last years detritus spreading petals of blues and purples across the garden floor. </div>
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Meanwhile, I am working at the computer most days into nights and often into nearly dawns trying to finish my new website. Gathering and resizing then grouping years of photos of wildlife and gardens, skies and landscapes all arranged on pages that hold this place in pixels. Flower Hill Farm and all her beasties are being catalogued and soon will be presented on my new site caroldukeflowers.com. </div>
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I will be back here a few more times to invite you to visit. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-30500699590712725182014-04-09T00:28:00.001-04:002014-04-09T00:28:55.477-04:00Snowdrops and Returning Birds Announce Our Real Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Spring is finally here in Western Massachusetts! </div>
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Snowdrops are ringing their tiny white bells.</div>
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Bees are answering their chimes. The woodcocks have returned along with the Phoebes and Tree Swallows. Robins are singing at dusk and dawn. It is a wonderful season. I just finished my butterfly page for the new website. They — the butterflies — apologize for not making an appearance here as well but there is just not enough time to be everywhere. I look forward to sharing the new site with everyone soon. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-76601909326160989272014-03-24T10:21:00.001-04:002014-03-25T18:06:49.542-04:00Waiting with Wildlife for Spring's Return<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We are all patiently waiting for spring to arrive here in Western Massachusetts. Flower Hill Farm has no buds a bloom in the trees or scattered about the snow covered grounds, and though I may be a bit weary of this winter, I can see signs of spring in the arrival and behavior of some of our wildlife. I have seen turkey vultures soaring high over the hills and do note more song filling the rawness of early morning. Also, sap is flowing within the sugar maples, while stacks from sugar shacks are ushering plumes of sweet steam into the chilly air. <br />
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A Red-shouldered Hawk woos me with his strikingly patterned wing span and full tail fan, as he flies from Michael's Black Cherry tree towards the forest below. More ephemeral than a spring flower but what a warm rush of awe I feel in witnessing this flight.<br />
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The bluebirds are ready for spring to finally spread our way too. I cannot help but think he is trying to tell me something coming in out of the bright sunshine, to perch in the cooler shade closer to my door.<br />
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I am curious why the bluebirds never eat the crabapples, when so many other birds find them tasty.<br />
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Cedar Waxwings are seemingly content harvesting American Cranberry bush Viburnum and crabapple fruit. I am seeing them through a studio sliding door and screen which gives a more pastel feel to the image. The bright yellow tips of their tails remind me of daffodils that must be stirring a bit beneath the snow.<br />
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Waxwings filled the naked trees like large buds. They will perch for awhile and then suddenly all will dive like a small cloud into the crabapple orchard and feast on the apples. There is a flock of waxwings out in the crabapple orchard as I write this, but they are mostly still, taking in the warmth of the sun, on this 18 degrees Fahrenheit frigid morn.</div>
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On the ground there are hundreds of animal tracks crisscrossing around the snowy gardens and fields. Here a white-tailed doe gracefully displays her namesake as she walks through the middle garden mirroring the white landscape.<br />
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In the crabapple orchard, could they be munching on the tiny fallen fruit. It has been a very long winter and all the wildlife must be longing for a heartier meal.</div>
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I startle the deer, when I open the door to have a closer look and they quickly flee into the north field.</div>
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I have always wanted horses and find them beautiful to see out in fields. Seeing deer bounding through the snow covered scenery adds cheer to the still clinging winter day.</div>
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White-tailed Deer do very little damage here but this critter is an entirely different matter. She chomps off-shoots of shrubberies as if they were celery sticks. Clearly some beasts are more compatible for waiting out spring's return. To be fair to the Eastern Cottontail, I could add that most shrubs do recover from this pruning.<br />
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Wild turkeys, however, bring such fun into the gardens. When they fill the scene their liveliness is so comical and uplifting. I sense they are very winter weary too, as they literally leap and lift themselves up into the trees. This hen is not leaping for joy here but for the tiny crabapples that are abundant in the canopies of the small trees.<br />
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A hen harvests apples from up in the crabapple tree, while a few toms skid and slip about below picking up what she drops in the slippery snow. </div>
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Sunlight is perfect lighting — illustrating the bronze-green iridescent wild turkey plumage. This male displays his long beard or tuft of hair. I have yet to find an explanation for this odd detail that only males don.<br />
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Such colors brighten spirits still longing for spring. All these visits come within a day except for the Red-shouldered Hawk, who visited one day earlier. These beautiful creatures simply take each day as it comes and in observing their grace and patience, this human can bear the wait for spring's return with gratitude and good faith too. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754148785743391001.post-33879444111835037232014-03-14T23:04:00.000-04:002014-03-14T23:08:35.655-04:00A Bestiary ~ Warblers ~ Northern Parula <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over two years have passed since my monthly posts featuring Warblers began over at <a href="http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #741b47;">Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens</span></a>. The next to the last warbler in the series, and as always sighted in the gardens at Flower Hill Farm, is presented this month in 'A Bestiary — Tales from a Wildlife Garden.' The Northern Parula perches in an old apple tree and darts about searching for insects inside flower buds as I capture photos. If you would like to see more images and learn about these unique, small warblers please do visit — <a href="http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/a-bestiary-part-twenty-eight-songbirds-warblers-northern-parula/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">A Bestiary</span></a>.<br />
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The feisty Redstart will be the last of this series of Warblers and then onto other songbirds that share this land and habitat. I so look forward to their return this spring. It has been a joy to recall the numerous encounters I have had over the years through writing the Bestiary. I hope to sight more species here this coming season. </div>
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Perhaps you can match the names to the bouquet of birds above — Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut Sided Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Nashville Warbler. There is a Redstart there too. </div>
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I am still working hard on my new website, and missing posting here. I will hopefully have it going by April. </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.com