We Are the ARK

[ysabetwordsmith]

Acts of Restorative Kindkess (ARK) is a project devoted to rewilding the land and making space for wildlife.

Compare with my laissez-faire permaculture approach. I favor native plants, but I include other things too, some ornamental and others edible. I have small gardens and containers, but most of the space is loosely managed. The prairie garden is mostly wild and so is the forest garden.

Wildlife comes and goes as it pleases. I saw a skunk today wandering through the savanna after a storm. He wasn't bothered by my presence at all. We just shared the space, each going about our business. There are birds everywhere -- blackbirds, sparrows, finches, doves, crows, all kinds. Soon they'll be nesting, which is always fun to watch. Already there are a lot of bees out. Not many native flowers bloom this early, but I've got crocuses and other bulbs that the bees swarm eagerly.

So it's pretty nice. It's also very jungle-esque (I have an actual emergent layer) as the ARK is described as "untidy." One of my gardening hats came from the North American Dandelion Appreciation Society, which is about loving the weeds and the wildness. :D It's all fine.

Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is partly cloudy, breezy, and chilly. Yesterday it stormed a couple times.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a dark-eyed junco, a tufted titmouse, and a fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds.

The wind blew off one of my greenhouse-tubs so I had to put that back.

EDIT 3/20/25 -- I finished clearing most of the tall stems from the wildflower garden. I still need to go back over it with a hand-rake, pruners, etc. but it looks much better now. Miniature irises are blooming there and so are a few crocuses scattered in the lawn nearby.

EDIT 3/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/20/25 -- I started spreading a bag of composted manure on the daffodil bed. There might actually be enough in this bag to finish the far side, since I already spread a bag down the middle.

EDIT 3/20/25 -- I started spreading a bag of composted manure on the daffodil bed. There's a little left over that I will put on the tulip bed.

EDIT 3/20/25 -- I spread the remains of the compost on the tulip bed. This is the Better Earth Premium Organic Compost from Country Arbors.  It costs about 2-3 times what I usually get, but it is rich and black, with a fine fluffy texture rather than resembling mud.  Very nice to work with.

As we have plans for this evening, I am done for the night.

Bumblebee Houses

[ysabetwordsmith]

I discovered a reference to bumblebees nesting in a birdhouse.  It turns out that you can also build a house just for the bumblebees.