A Bestiary: Tales from a Wildlife Garden Still Grows

Synchronicity and the Scarlet Tanager 

It is happening over at my garden blog and Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. 

Looking Back Wildly Native Highbush Blueberries Flowers to Fruit

Blueberry blooms in foreground. Lilac colors beyond.

Blueberries to the left . . . Snowy Crabapple on right.

The Blueberry field is down the hillside directly east of the old farmhouse retreat. 

Gray Birch growing around Blueberries

Magnolia blooms in the distance . . . Blueberries growing around Gray Birch.

Blueberry pendants

Yummy to pollinators.

Swelling fruit

Rose violet to blue purple.

Portrait within a drop of water upon a blueberry. 

Robin youngster eying berries and me

Scarlet Tanager 

A bounty of berries . . . enough for me and hundreds of birds.

Planting native blueberries creates delicious moments throughout the seasons in everyday life, for those that cultivate the soil and those wild creatures that delight in our 'gardening for wildlife' endeavors.

Wilflowers for Gail at Clay and Limestone

Birds in Review Part II 'In Flight'

Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Indigo Bunting

Male Eastern Bluebirds

Male Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Robins love the Crabapples this time of year!

Black-capped Chickadee

Male and Female Northern Cardinals

Rose hips are a favorite of the Cardinals.

Male Northern Cardinal

Male Scarlet Tananger

Blue-headed Vireo

Immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbird sipping  very late blooming Lilac

Now that we have stepped firmly into 2011, I wish to take on the stance of Janus and look back, as I look forward, to glean through archives of mostly 2010. Several posts will illustrate the flora and fauna that visit or live in the gardens, with one or two being from 2009 archives . . .  the year I began blogging. I will be sharing more birds with you . . . here you will see birds in flight and alight . . .  both in being settled and by chance, as all of my photos are captured in that serendipitous way. All of these wondrous birds are captured here at Flower Hill Farm throughout the seasons in their habitat of choice. I have no bird feeders, but my garden and forest do feed my feathered friends year round. I never feel alone in the gardens, for there are always little black eyes watching me. The photos I take are always by chance. After years of working the land and gardens many birds have honored me by taking up residency. All I have to do to get portraits these days is to get out into the gardens. Some magical encounter usually happens. The key is to have my camera! I hope you are enjoying embarking on this new year and that these images bring you joy. Thank you so much for all of the warm New Year Greetings! The upcoming post will offer Bird Duets . . . both dueling and in more amorous moods.

Wings of Chance Taking Flight Alighting in the New Year!

MAY YOUR FLIGHT INTO THE NEW YEAR BE LIGHT . . .  FULL OF GRACE AND PROMISE! 

Pileated Woodpecker

May you be blessed with strength to hammer through any difficult times. 

Red-tailed Hawk

May you fly freely finding your way towards goals leading to your fulfillment.

Young Red-tailed Hawk

May you spread your wings fully with joy and may the air around you be light-filled and fresh.

Northern Harrier

May you contently soar through the coming days and seasons!

Red-tailed Hawk

May you adjust with ease to the twists and turns of life.

Peregrine Falcon

May you alight safely into each new moment!

Scarlet Tanager 

May your imagination rise gliding into a lightness of being a beacon bright inspiring others.

Indigo Bunting

May the layers of blues that surprise you take a turn towards unknown flights that free you.

Eastern Bluebird

May you be dazzled just enough to add sparkling smiles enriching your spirit and all those around you.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

May the tiniest simplest moments be held like ephemeral jewels . . . 

knowing they are but fleeting thus held more preciously within.

I am wishing you the Happiest of New Years on this New Year's Eve 2010. It does sometimes seem as though the days, months and years just fly by so quickly. We gardeners are lucky to be able to measure this time by what is growing in or visiting our gardens. 

Gardeners or not . . .  we all measure time according to a calendar. Beginning many years ago with the Babylonians and their lunar calendar. I actually think it makes more sense to begin the new year with spring or the first crescent moon near the Vernal Equinox, as they did some 4,000 years ago. Our Gregorian calendar honors the date of the Roman Calendar, where Julius Caesar decided on January 1 as the beginning of the new year. January being named for Janus a god of doors, gateways and beginnings. He is sculpted with two faces . . . one looking towards the future and the other looking back into the past. Pope Gregory XIII refined the Julian calendar, thus in 1582 several countries decided to follow the Gregorian calendar. Changes had to do with leap years and lunar cycles and a few other customs and festivities of the Catholic church. Many peoples across the globe still do not celebrate January 1st as the New Year, even though they may follow the Gregorian calendar. There are also Muslim, Jewish, Chinese and other calendars that honor traditions and festivals throughout their calendar year.

It is fascinating how we humans mark time and honor certain age old traditions.

 We sing Scotland's Robert Burns poem  'Auld Lang Syne' to salute old long ago friends, while drinking  champagne to the final minutes of the fading year and popping a cork to the new one we are entering. We eat black-eyed peas, pork, green lentils and long noodles (to name but a few) on New Years Day, to bring good luck, prosperity and long life.

Time flies by regardless of our customs. We each will step into a new day or new year in our own unique way.

I tend to mark most Fridays as 'Blooming Friday' to honor lovely Katarina's meme. If you visit her Roses and Stuff you will delight in seeing the New Year celebrated in Sweden and other countries. As tomorrow is the first of the month and 'Muse Day' . . . a meme of yet another lovely blogger Carolyn Choi's Sweet Home and Garden Chicago , I will offer Robert Burns poem as my contribution a day early. As for plans and wishes I may have for this coming year, a universal wish for Peace and Justice and the awakening of people the world over, to the needs of our Earth . . . I wish wholeheartedly these wishes may come true. For myself . . . I will continue to try to keep my feathers fluffy and to fly into what life has to offer me. I must get more organized too! All the birds seen above were sighted here at Flower Hill Farm. 

Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for being part of days, weeks and months adding up to nearly two years of blogging. Your support is a great gift to me. 

Robert Burns (1788)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

  And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

  And auld lang syne!

  Chorus.—

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!

  And surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,

  For auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,

  And pou’d the gowans fine;

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,

 Sin’ auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,

  Frae morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar’d

  Sin’ auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!

  And gie’s a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,

  For auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.