Tag: Spring

Common Yellowthroat at Mercer Meadows

This wasn't the first time I had photographed the Common Yellowthroat Warbler, but it was my first time doing so at Mercer Meadows.

After a brief distraction watching a rabbit enjoy breakfast, I continued my search for birds. Earlier, two photographers with impressive zoom lenses on their cameras had passed by, clearly interested in capturing avian moments. I walked past them and found a spot about ten meters ahead to focus on my own bird photography.

I attempted to capture images of birds coming and going from their nests in the meadow, but unfortunately, I didn't have much luck. As I was trying, the two photographers caught up with me, and we struck up a friendly conversation. The elder photographer seemed quite familiar with the park and shared some helpful tips on where I might have better chances of spotting birds in the meadow. The other photographer appeared to be around my age and was relatively new to bird photography.

While we were talking, I heard a chittering sound coming from a nearby thicket, and I immediately got my camera ready. This wasn't the first time I had photographed the Common Yellowthroat Warbler, but it was my first time doing so at Mercer Meadows. The male warbler was busy hunting for insects in the thicket, and I was fortunate to capture a shot of him holding his prey in his beak.

Common Yellowthroat Warbler.
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) · 18 June 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

The Common Yellowthroat Warbler stands out due to its unconventional nesting habit. Unlike other warblers, it chooses to nest in open marshes, making it a common sight in reed beds and areas with cattails throughout the country. The male of this species can often be seen perched on tall stalks, delivering its unique song, characterised by the rhythmic repetition of "Wichita-Wichita-Wichita."

Blue-eyed Native

It's that time of the year again (May) - the sun is shining, birds are singing, and the "container garden meadow" on my patio is bursting with life like a group of enthusiastic skydivers jumping off a plane!

It's that time of the year again (May) - the sun is shining, birds are singing, and the "container garden meadow" on my patio is bursting with life like a group of enthusiastic skydivers jumping off a plane!

I live in a townhome community where the garden soils are rockier1 than in a Stallone movie, and native plants are about as rare as a unicorn. And don't even get me started on the landscaping crew, who seem to have a feud against anything not purchased at a Home Depot Garden Center or the ever-hungry deer who treat my lovely little garden like I'm running a free salad bar.

But I refused to be defeated! Sometimes inspiration strikes in the oddest of places. I stumbled upon an article called "Container Gardening with Native Plants" on the Missouri Botanical Garden website, and a lightbulb went off in my head. With creativity and the simplicity of container gardening, I planted a thriving meadow outside my patio door.

Sisyrinchium angustifolium, or blue-eyed grass as it's commonly known, is a New Jersey native. Its grass-like foliage (for which it's named) may fool some, but it's actually a member of the iris family. This simple clump-forming perennial produces stunning violet-blue flowers with yellow eyes in the spring, which grow on flattened, branched stems. S. angustifolium used to go by the name S. bermudianum. The plant is indigenous to the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda hence the bermudianum in the former name.

I excitedly showed Bhavna my latest gardening triumph. It's taken some time and effort, but she agrees that my gardening skills are on point.

  1. Believe it or not, the neighbouring borough is called Rocky Hill! ?

Airbnb for Birds and Butterflies

I want to provide a home for some butterfly or moth larvae, and the Eastern Columbine has got it covered.

The Eastern Columbine is a herbaceous perennial plant that stole my heart with its delicate, lobed leaves and unique bell-shaped flowers the first time I saw it growing in the garden at Leonard J. Buck Garden. The flowers are a fiery red and yellow combo, sometimes an alluring all-red or all-yellow look. These beauties bloom in the spring and early summer.

Hummingbirds can't resist its sweet nectar, nor can bees, butterflies, or hawk moths. I want to provide a home for some butterfly or moth larvae, and the Eastern Columbine has got it covered. It's even a tasty treat for birds like finches and buntings. Eastern Columbine is a self-seeder. Several colonies have formed in every one of my garden planters and have spread to the small garden at the front of my home. Eastern Columbine will stick around for the long haul.

Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) · Sunday 7 May 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

Eastern Columbine is an easy-to-grow plant that thrives in various habitats, including woodlands, meadows, and even along roadsides. I'm not a seasoned gardener, but I can enjoy the lovely flowers in the container garden meadow I planted. The container garden is set up to provide the meadow plants with well-draining soil. The west-facing patio gives the container meadows partial shade from the roof of our home in the morning, but the containers bask in full sun in the afternoon.