Destination Garden: Wildcat Glade, Joplin, Missouri

I went by the Wildcat Glade-Audubon Conservation Center recently. Located just off I-44, the Center and Wildcat Park are located on the largest remaining intact Chert Glade in the World. All the wildflowers were in bloom, and it was really beautiful. There was a lot of active wildlife too. Interestingly, it was a year almost exactly to the date since the large devastating F5 Joplin tornado.

Following is a slideshow-expand the view on your monitor and enjoy. :)

On My Mind: Wildlife Habitat

I can't believe I spent most of my life until now, taking a bunch of this stuff, sadly, for granted. One needs to try to be a part of the environment and ecosystem instead of always trying to bend everything to be about THEM. I've always been on the fringes of this and didn't know it, living on a farm and trying to be a benefactor to living things that share the space I'm in, but, having taken on a new awareness over time, I now do try to be even more conscious of everything I'm doing, that I'm not always taking from the earth, which after all, sustains all of us. I want more than ever to try to be a part of the solution, as opposed to a part of the problem.

Now, with that rather vague introduction out of the way, I'd like to talk about a way everyone can make their surroundings, no matter where they are, more friendly to wildlife. Whether you live in a rooftop apartment or in the middle of the country like I do, there are ways you can make it easier for your little world to be…..where the wild things are. Birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects as well as animals are highly adaptable. They wouldn't still be here if they weren't, to a degree.  

One way is to create a wildlife habitat. Really there are four things that are the underpinning of a wildlife friendly area, and a lot of them are much the same as we humans need. 1. Food 2. Water 3. Cover 4. A Place to Raise Young

There is a lot of information pertaining to this at the website of the National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org Below is a screenshot the area they have where you can certify your own back yard. I don't think I necessarily need to pay a fee and buy a sign to figure out if I have a good place for wildlife or not, but the information there is very useful.

I checked off the areas in which I am strong right now, and it can show you the things you can improve on as well.

With the extreme early dry weather we have had, I have noticed a lot of the birds and other wildlife definitely “needing help” and it made me renew my own efforts in this area.

Besides being something we can all feel really good about doing, it is fun to watch the birds, butterflies, and other wildlife as well.

And you know what I say about the possible damage to your garden crops……Always, always plant enough to share.  

Have a great weekend. ~JB was here.

Painted Lady Butterflies

They have been plentiful along with all of the others. I do love to see them.  For your Friday viewing fun. June is here! Happy Summer. ~JB was here

Of Rain and Butterflies

Just popping in-on Sunday I went a little crazy. At least I looked crazy in 93 degree heat with garden seeds in hand, planting them in……nothing but dust!  I just had this feeling I should plant them, and after all, they can't do you any good in the packets in your cabinets, you know.

Well, good news to share! We have had the most wonderful rain the last couple of days and it has cooled off. This after it was getting truly scary around here with the 90 plus degree heat and dryness….so early after all. We're thrilled!

Here is a photo/storyboard of something I have seen hundreds and thousands of lately-butterflies! I have never seen so many I don't think, and definitely not this early.

Painted Ladies, Fritillaries, Swallowtails, Skippers, and others!  I think I'm getting a guide book, I have field guides for wildflowers and birds, but not butterflies.

These were seen on the roadside on a bunch of “something” that is blooming now and smells really wonderful. I'm not sure what that is, either……it's kind of shrubby in nature and has clusters of white flowers on it.

And as you can see it's quite popular with “the jewels of the air.”

Have a wonderful rest of your week! ~JB was here.

Happy Memorial Day

I was at a farm the other day and a lady described to me her trips to Europe with her daughter. One trip was to (am I going to term this right?) the Baltics, Romania, Bulgaria, that region. She talked about how their government had been overthrown but they were in limbo because no one knew who owned the land and no one knew what to do with it for themselves. They had been accustomed to their government telling them everything to do and when to do it.

As a result of this tyrrany, they owned no tractors, no equipment, not even lawn mowers! Everyone was locked in poverty, and lived on a twenty acre allotment still left over from a socialist/communist regime. They spend all their waking time figuring out where to get enough to eat. Out in their area where we would have lawns were pens for their horse, and their cow. All work, all the time. No freedoms still.

Every once and a while even I need a little wake up call as to how lucky we have it.

I honor the men and women that have and continue to serve our country.

I thought it would be nice to dedicate this picture of one of my English Roses, in the lawn I am lucky to have, on the farm I am lucky to own and live on, in the country where we are free to do as we wish and worship as we wish.

This is a David Austin English Rose. It has turned really dry and hot where I live, and it's very early for that, but this rose is so resilient. This is the end of the first flush of bloom for it. I love the vibrant red blooms and they smell sort of spicy I guess, is the way I would describe it.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day and week.

~JB was here.