Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is partly cloudy and warm.  It drizzled a bit this morning, so everything is wet.

I fed the birds.  I've seen several house finches, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/14/24 -- Cicadas are hatching!  I've seen a few hatch earlier, but this morning after the rain there are lots of them.  The biggest concentration is around the forest garden and edges of the patio.  :D  These are red-eyed cicadas, technically periodical cicadas.  Their carapaces are almost hard, their wings fully extended but still too soft to fly.  It's a feast for everything that eats insects.  Humans can eat them too.  (I'm not planning to try that.)  Usually what we get here are various types of the larger green cicadas, like the dog-day cicadas.  I have taken pictures to post later.

EDIT 5/14/24 -- I planted fennel, sweet marjoram, curry plant, and fernleaf dill in a trough on the picnic table.

EDIT 5/14/24 -- I planted a purple columbine in the rain garden.

There are more cicadas all along the driveway and in the savanna.  The first ones are starting to fly.  They're so beautiful.

EDIT 5/14/24 -- I transferred the contents of the old hanging pots to new hanging pots on the shepherd's hook by the barrel garden.  So now the morning glory seedlings have a more stable base.  The old hanging pots can be used as ground pots.

Halfway through this process, I spotted an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on the flowering bush beside the picnic table.  I ran inside to grab the camera and take pictures.  :D 3q3q3q!!!!  I am hopeful of finding caterpillars later, as I just planted dill and fennel.

EDIT 5/14/24 -- I removed the hangers from the formerly hanging pots.  In one I planted a black petunia and a purple-and-white petunia plus two white alyssum.  In the other I planted a ruffle petunia and two white alyssum.  Then I put the pots on the patio.

EDIT 5/14/24 -- I planted two Iceland Poppies, one 'Champagne Bubbles Pink' and the other 'Champagne Bubbles Yellow' beside the barrel garden. 

EDIT 5/14/24 -- I planted two 'Pink Passion' moss roses in the goddess garden.

By then it was starting to spit rain, so I just watered the things I'd planted today and called it a night.