One of the things I love about living in our City in the Countryside is the variety of wildlife here. Last year, it was not unusual to see a Red Fox or the entire Red Fox family out and about in our neighborhood. This year I saw a coyote in my back yard.

Birds also abound here. When the fruit trees are in bloom and when mulberries are ripe, Baltimore Orioles are regular visitors to my yard. Hummingbirds frequent my perennial flower garden. I love it!

Kinsey Park pond (at the end of my street) often has Blue Herons fishing at the pond's edge. It is fascinating to watch them.

  But yesterday, for the first time, I saw a Green Heron. 

Two girls who were frogging at the pond edge said they saw it there last week too.

I often walk my dog past the park and pond, but this time this bird startled us by flying out from the weeds at the edge. At first I did not know what kind of bird it was--it did not seem large enough to be a Heron. Maybe a Kingfisher of some sort?

But then it stood in the shallows and stretched its neck out. Pretty comical looking, but not Kingfisher-like. This bird looked like it was all head and neck atop of a too small body! It also had a top knot. What was that bird? Wouldn't you know I did not have my camera with me. (This photo was from RioRVPark.com)

Once back at home I got out my trusty Audubon bird field guide and narrowed it down to the Green Heron. I also read that suddenly flying out from a weedy water's edge was a characteristic of Green Herons. But what about the long neck?

A look on the internet confirmed it. Cornell Labs All About Birds site explained that Green Herons often held their long necks close to their bodies. That clarified why the photos showed a short, stocky neck, but the actual bird had a long one.  

The Great Blue Heron's may have been in the news lately, but don't forget to look for the Green Herons too next time you are near a pond or wetland. After all, Brookfield's wildlife is one of the perks of living here.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin,   Vicki Mckenna

On a  glorious day like today, there are few things I like better than an afternoon out in the yard. I just finished my Dr. Death duties (Weed B Gone and Round-Up*) and now I am ready for a little digging time in the flower bed.

I have been watching my 2 peach trees with growing interest. If they are going to bloom, it is usually on Mother's Day. Despite our late spring, they did not let me down. I spotted 2 blossoms in full bloom--1 on each tree. I am of course hoping for more, because there is nothing like a home-grown peach.

Last summer was rather abysmal. Only 1 lonely peach total. That one was a surprise because I did not even see the blossom! In years past, I have had bumper crops. But lately it has been pretty much a miss.

My peach trees are 2nd generation, from a volunteer. I think a squirrel probably planted the first one from a stone out of the garbage or a tree in someone's yard? I noted the young tree in the early 1990s and thought it looked like a fruit tree, so I just let it grow. A few years later it was adorned with hundreds of pink blossoms on Mother's Day. That tree has since died, but I did plant a number of pits from those peaches, so the volunteer tree lives on in a way.

Peaches, even when professionally grown are rather short lived; often they only live about 15 years. So I am enjoying mine while they last.

Another bonus of blooming trees is that they seem to attract migrating birds. The orioles are already singing high in the trees. Sometimes they will stick around through mulberry season. 

Got to go. Time to weed and transplant.

Enjoy the day. 

*I hate to use herbicides, but sometimes they are the only thing that will work. My preference is Round Up. I was told it was a vitamin and causes the plant to grow too fast for its root system. It also breaks down into inert substances in 24 hours. Draw back is that it kills everything it touches. Benefit is that it is the only thing that will kill certain thistles. I tried for years to pull out the smaller thistles from my flower beds and that treatment only seemed to increase their numbers. Finally I resorted to painting on Round Up with a art brush. That worked.

Weed B Gone is nasty--it stays toxic for days. Its benefit is that it does not kill the grass. I use it sparingly and try to spot treat as much as possible rather than spraying the whole lawn. 

Links: