Of Bats and Bridges

Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) Photo Credit: Charles Melton, Courtesy of WildBirdsUnlimited, Erie, PA (erie.wbu.com)

“In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy.” –John C. Sawhill (1936-2000), president, The Nature Conservancy, 1990-2000   I walk to where the old wooden bridge used to be.  I stop to watch the creek.  It is barely moving.  This being June, [...]

Monkeys for Butterflies

Monkeyflowers in Topanga Canyon, Photo: Kathy Vilim

“When it comes to supplying food for other animals, no group of insects surpasses the moths and butterflies….. If we were forced to care for only one group of insects in our restored suburban landscape, we would do well to choose Lepidoptera” Doug Tallamy   It’s June in Southern California, and Monkeyflowers cover the hillsides, [...]

It’s a Worm…It’s a Slug… It’s a WHAT?

Uncovered this Flatworm while gathering firewood

My head is ready to explode since I’m still reeling from this week’s debacle involving the partnering of National Wildlife Federation with Scotts Miracle Gro. In order to regain my sanity, it is time to revert back to enjoy the oft-unexpected findings in my Beautiful Wildlife Garden. New critters always clear my mind…once I figure [...]

Plant This, Not That: New York Style

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The team at our sister blog, Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens, has been posting about Native Plant alternatives to commonly used plants. So far there has been: Plant This, Not That: California Natives Edition Plant This, Not That: New Jersey Natives Edition and most recently Plant This, Not That:  Connecticut Natives Edition I thought I would take [...]

Dear Beautiful Wildlife Gardeners

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My dear wildlife gardening friends,  Sometimes we have to make tough choices. A  favorite woodpecker tree must come down because it is dangerously close to the house; native plants have to be edited because they are too happy in our gardens;  or, our gardening budgets won’t stretch to include everything we want to accomplish! I’ve [...]

The Hills are Alive at my House…the Beneficial Mole!

Phyla nodiflora

I was getting ready to give my Irish setter a piece of my mind because there was digging at the fence….a no-no. It didn’t seem to be her usual “let’s bury the human” size hole, merely scratching along the surface. As I continued to walk along, I felt the earth move under my feet which [...]

Beautiful Little Wildlife

Emerald Wavy Moth cat on Rudbeckia fugida

You’re going to have to get down on your knees to look for some of the beautiful little wildlife creatures that visit your garden.  You won’t be disappointed by what you can discover. I’ve been enjoying the tiniest moths, small butterflies, crab spiders and some very interesting cats disguised as decaying petals. What a surprise  [...]

The Beautiful and Beneficial Bat

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Photo by furryscaly When you think of beautiful wildlife gardens, a bat may not be the first creature that enters your mind. I do a lot of writing about attracting wildlife into yards and trust me – bats are at the top of the backyard beneficial list. The Little Brown Bat (Myotis Lucifugus) is capable [...]

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