The calendar may say that it's spring, but the weather tells a different story. Today, April 9th, it actually snowed in Ottawa. While I wait for a chance to putter outside without my winter coat, I'm catching up on some reading. Soon, I'll see Hepatica blooms in the garden again (April 30, 2019). Since Christmas, … Continue reading Waiting for spring reading →

After I created our front yard pollinator garden, I realized it has one big problem -- there's no place to sit and watch the bees, birds, and butterflies. We have to stand on the driveway, or on the sidewalk a few feet from speeding traffic. I now recognize the value of seating in a garden. … Continue reading A front row seat to the garden →

Now that my seeds are organized, I know what I've got and what I need to do with them. It's time to get to work. Planting seeds indoors Even though the ground is still frozen outside, I can plant seeds inside. The Pussy Willows in our backyard are also impatient waiting for warm spring weather … Continue reading Getting my act together, part 2: stratifying and planting →

I've been growing pollinator plants from seed for four years now. I'm embarrassed to admit that my seeds and planting process are always a disorganized mess. Now that I have some unexpected, extra time on my hands, I've resolved to sort this out once and for all. A small selection of the native seed packets … Continue reading Getting my act together, part 1: organizing seeds →

This week, you can read my guest blog post on the Wild Pollinator Partners blog, called Down to the Nitty Gritty: creating the Churchill Alternative School butterfly garden. This garden was planted in the spring of 2019, and already had butterfly caterpillars and a variety of bee visitors within a couple of months. It proves … Continue reading School butterfly garden guest post →

This summer, I took a lot of photos of pollinators on flowers. I am now sorting through them trying to identify the different insects. To my surprise, some of the pollinators were actually flies. And they're actually quite beautiful, some mimicking bees and wasps with similar striping and hair. Is it a fly? Once you … Continue reading Flower flies: surprise pollinators →

With flowers, bees and butterflies gone for the winter, I appreciate the birds that visit our yard even more. In a recent email newsletter from the Ottawa Wild Bird Care Centre, I was reminded that birds need food, shelter and water to survive until spring. Here's how we try to help birds in our yard … Continue reading Helping birds through winter →

"What's that bird?!" I called out as I ran into the house, desperately trying to get my son's attention. We both enjoy watching birds, but he is much better at identifying them. It was mid-August, 2018 and I wasn't expecting to see any unusual visitors at our new stream. It was a Chestnut-sided Warbler! We … Continue reading Migrating bird magnet: unusual guests at our stream →

According to Ottawa's Fletcher Wildlife Garden: "One of the best ways to attract wildlife to your backyard garden is by providing a regular supply of water." I've had birdbaths for years -- one raised up on a stand, and the other on the ground. These do attract birds who want to drink or bathe, but … Continue reading Building our stream and pond →

When Dark-eyed Juncos return to our yard in the fall, we know that winter isn't far behind. They spend spring and summer further north where they breed in Boreal forests. When Juncos move south in winter, they use a wider variety of habitats, like our gardens. In 2019, our first winter guests arrived at the … Continue reading Juncos: welcome winter guests →