Anne

We have a patch of woods in the back that we leave natural.  Several trees have fallen and are leaning against other trees, or on the ground.  We have brush piles we leave that are quite deep.  I have begun planting pollinator plants and trees such as dogwood, redbud, and crabapple.  We also have many pine, cedar and fir trees.  We have two large oaks in the front, and a red maple in the back.  Our property is surrounded by fields that occasionally are used for cattle, full of grasses that seed each year.  We have installed 3 or 4 birdhouses for birds that like that type of nesting. We also have a lot of bushes and shrubs growing in clumps.  I have been planting mostly to attract bees, but birds can also enjoy sneezeweed, asters, mums, wild sage, joe pie weed, tickseed, goldenrod, coneflower, and sunflowers.

You can do it, get the native garden you want.  There are so many online places to order native plants and seeds.  I never thought about growing up with a certain type of yard that would influence the kind of yard I thought I should have.  I am planting various areas of my yard with native plants slowly so my husband can get used to the idea of having less grass to mow.  I am planting white clover in with my grass (it already has some) because the bees love it and it stays green even when there is little rain in the summer.  It doesn’t need a lot of water.

What a beautiful shot of this bird!  Is that a nuthatch?

Sounds wonderful!  I have a pollinator garden that is somewhat manicured, but a patch by the road is just growing whatever wants to grow from the wildflower seeds I throw out there.  I wanted areas that I let grow wild on their own.  The other part I can work on and not get stressed.  It sounds like you are doing a great job, so try to relax and enjoy what has been done.  I’m still learning what plants are what and I get the ones I like.  I am a Virginia Master Naturalist and plan to become a master gardener next year.  Learning is so much fun!!!

I have had bird feeders out for the birds for years.  There are out there all year, and I give them suet also, especially in the winter.  I have one acre of land, with mostly trees all over it.  There are lots of hardwoods like maple and oak, and pine and fir trees also.  I have recently become a Virginia Master Naturalist, and my project is native bees.  So I have been building mason and leafcutter bee boxes, and planting native pollinator plants to provide food and shelter for them.  This is all new, and I am learning as I go along.  I have noticed more bees and butterflies in my yard as I work at this, as well as the birds.  Most of the birds I see here are mockingbirds, mourning doves, bluebirds, blue jays, cardinals, blackbirds, and hummingbirds.  I hope as I plant more flowering trees, I will get more variety of birds to see.  I put out corn and have five or six deer who come through in the evenings.  I am enjoying my yard and will continue to make it a haven for wildlife.