Redefining the Beauty of Nature and Wildlife in Our Gardens
Meredith O’Reilly gardens for wildlife in Austin, Texas, and writes about her garden adventures at Great Stems
Dear Beautiful Wildlife Garden readers, this week marks the end of my chapter here as a regular author – life’s responsibilities are forcing me to make some tough decisions, and this was one of them. I want to say how much I’ve enjoyed being a part of something so special and important. My heart swells… [Continue Reading]
When I tell people that I garden for wildlife, I’m often asked what my favorite animal is. “All of them” is generally my response, and it’s true. I can’t think of an animal that I don’t have a fascination for. Flyng creatures, creepy-crawlies, slitherers, night-time dwellers, colorful or drab, 0-400+ legs, – whatever the creature and its bizarre features or habits,… [Continue Reading]
Before I add anything to my wildlife garden, I have to know its purpose. I don’t choose a plant just because it’s pretty. I do my best to get to know a plant first through research, and often I’ll take a list with me to the nursery. I’ll admit that I didn’t start out this “clever” — I… [Continue Reading]
This week, I took a picture of poop — monarch poop, that is. Another name for insect poop, caterpillar or otherwise, is frass. And frass is frasstastic! Of the many wonderful benefits of having caterpillars in the garden, one of them is their nutrient-rich waste. It’s garden gold! Much like the soil’s tiny microscopic organisms, native… [Continue Reading]
I don’t have a picture of the skunk that sprayed my dogs yesterday morning, but frankly, I don’t think any of the party involved really want a permanent image to keep that memory going on and on. The skunk lived, and so did my dogs. And the stench surrounding and lingering inside our abode markedly… [Continue Reading]
I would have liked to have had a post in earlier today, but it’s been one of those days (weeks, months…). The exciting news is that today Austin is getting 30 new Habitat Steward volunteers — tonight is their graduation! It’s been wonderful to have been a part of their training, and the world will be a better place… [Continue Reading]
I’d never thought of Northern Cardinals as being very big, until I realized how much smaller warblers are (hummingbirds don’t count — they’re smaller than everybody!). Check this out: A Northern Cardinal (21-23cm, 42-48g) is considered mid-sized. I guess that means a Nashville Warbler (10-12 cm, 7-12g) would be small, and a hummingbird would be downright puny… [Continue Reading]
Male butterflies are known for puddling — gathering salts, amino acids, and other nutrients from moist areas. They do this to help with successful reproduction, transferring some of the nutrients to the female during mating. Sometimes the favored buffet location might be as simple as a damp spot on the ground. But some species have been known… [Continue Reading]
If I hadn’t been out there, I wouldn’t have been able to watch this little Ruby-Throated Hummingbird preen himself before going off to chase away the feisty crowds at the feeders. I wouldn’t have felt the cool morning breeze touching my face, letting me know that the worst of the summer heat is over. If… [Continue Reading]
The seemingly inevitable has happened to drought-stricken Texas — wildfires everywhere, the biggest and worst right here in Central Texas at Bastrop. Firefighters are still hard at work as I type this, and knowing that so many people have lost their homes and an untold number of animals and precious habitats are gone, I find myself… [Continue Reading]
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