Fall feel

[ribirdnerd]

We are having a nice stretch of weather this week and the usual birds - Blue Jays, House Sparrows and Mourning Doves.    There are quite a few Chipmunks and Squirrels around too.  I saw 3 Deer and heard 2 Great Horned Owls calling around dusk a few nights ago!

Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is partly cloudy and warm.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.  The honeybees had drained the metal birdbath again.

EDIT 9-3-25 -- My partner Doug re-mowed the ritual meadow, prairie garden path, and south lot.

 

EDIT 9-3-25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

 

EDIT 9-3-25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I picked 2 yellow pear tomatoes, 2 red cherry tomatoes, and a whole handful of groundcherries.  :D

 

EDIT 9-3-25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden, savanna seedlings, patio plants, irises, and new picnic table.

 

Then I noticed that the cap of the septic tank was ajar, so we had to wrestle that mostly back in place.

 

I also saw a bunch of moths busily pollinating the sunflowers!  :D  That never occurred to me.  I guess it makes sense, because sunflowers don't close at night, but "sunflower + moth" is really not an obvious connection.  I would say, if you wish to plant sunflowers in your moth garden, choose light yellow to white ones.  Those will be easier to see than the orange to red range.

 

Cicadas and crickets are singing.

 

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
 

September Garden Tasks

[ysabetwordsmith]

September wildlife gardening tasks feature the beginning of fall. Keep on top of harvesting and weeding so they don't get away from you. Some flowers need deadheading, but most wildflowers don't. By this point, more plants have set seeds. Collecting seeds, especially native ones, to save for next spring. For species that need cold stratification before they will sprout, you can either chill them in a refrigerator or plant them in a bed during fall and let the winter chill them naturally.

Take down and clean empty birdhouses. If you want to hang roosting boxes for cold weather, this is a good opportunity for that. Now is the time to think about birdfeeders in many areas. Bring out any that you already have and clean them before filling and hanging them. It's a good time to buy new ones if you want to do that. Hang them before the fall migration really gets going. For most species, seeds are the best offerings at this time. Wait to put out suet or similar foods until the weather gets colder. It is safe to mow fields, as ground-nesting birds have completed their cycles. Birdwatching begins to pick up in early fall as the migrations increase.

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