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Category Archives: Wildlife Habitat

Wildlife Habitat Photos

11 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by stephiep1016 in Wildlife Habitat

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beauty, flowers, Gardening, magical place, National Wildlife Federation, nature, relaxing, serene, unwind, welcoming, wildlife habitat

I have some new photos to add for our wildlife habitat.  I thought I would share them with you.  I am enjoying them since I wasn’t able to do much gardening this year.  I hope you enjoy them too.

Some of the pictures might be very similar to ones I posted from last Summer.

Many of these flowers and plants come back every year.  They reseed and grow as they want.  We let them stay where they choose.  It makes it a very natural looking environment.

I am sorry if I keep revising this post, but I am still learning what WordPress can do.

I will post more soon.

Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia and Wild Purple Bell Flowers

 

Pow Wow Echinacea

Pow Wow Echinacea

 

Wild Rose

Wild Rose

 

Lily

Lily

 

Gloriosa Daisies

Gloriosa Daisies

 

Geranium

Geranium

 

Shasta Daisies and Dianthus

Shasta Daisies and Dianthus

 

White Dahlia

White Dahlia

 

Blue Salvia With A Big Bumble Bee

Blue Salvia With A Big Bumble Bee

 

Red Salvia

Red Salvia

 

Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia

 

Purple House Finch

Purple House Finch

 

Forget Me Nots

Forget Me Nots

 

Crab Apple Blossoms

Crab Apple Blossoms

 

First Spring Tulips

First Spring Tulips

Butterfly House

Butterfly House

 

Whirling Butterfly Plant

Whirling Butterfly Plant

 

Swallowtail On Milkweed

Swallowtail On Milkweed

 

Newest Wildlife Habitat Sign With Watchful Guardian

Newest Wildlife Habitat Sign With Watchful Guardian

 

Heavenly Blue Morning Glory

Heavenly Blue Morning Glory

 

Violas

Violas

 

Another Swallowtail On Milkweed

Another Swallowtail On Milkweed

 

Pretty View From The Deck

Pretty View From The Deck

 

Baby's Breath

Baby’s Breath

 

Peace Rose

Peace Rose

 

Oriental Poppy

Oriental Poppy

 

Impatients

Impatients

 

Solar Frog Lantern

Solar Frog Lantern

 

 

 

 

I will post more photos as I am able.  Hope you enjoyed them so far.  It really is a magical place.  It is so serene.  It is truly a place to relax and unwind.

I am sorry if I keep revising this.  I am still learning how to work with WordPress.

 

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A Photo Tour of Habitat

29 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by stephiep1016 in Wildlife Habitat

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blue spruce trees, bull frog, bumble bee, butterfly house, chiminea, dragon fly, frog, geraniums, gloriosa daisies, gnomes, greenhouse, hummer, hummingbird feeder, impatients from seed, kinetic wind spinners, lillies, old bird feeder, oriental poppies, park bench, paving stones, plant rack, purple cone flowers, raccoon, salvia, sassy pansies, sun dial, unlikely friends, wicker rocking chair, wild purple flowers, wildlife habitat sign

Blue Heron Statue. Looks quite real from a distance. We had to get this statue because a real Blue Heron came and ate our Bullfrogs.

Blue Heron Statue. Looks quite real from a distance. We had to get this statue because a real Blue Heron came and ate our Bullfrogs.

Log Cabin Bird House

Log Cabin Bird House

A place to sit and contemplate and enjoy the wildlife. We have park benches all through the back yard for this purpose.

A place to sit and contemplate and enjoy the wildlife. We have park benches all through the back yard for this purpose.

Gnome Hiding In Pot

Gnome Hiding In Pot

Spruce Trees - Started as little $5 trees in small pots

Spruce Trees – Started as little $5 trees in small pots

Wicker Rocker on Deck...great way to relax!

Wicker Rocker on Deck…great way to relax!

Purple Wild Flowers - not sure where they came from, but they come back every year and spread.

Purple Wild Flowers – not sure where they came from, but they come back every year and spread.

Geraniums and Petunias

Geraniums and Petunias

Oriental Poppies

Oriental Poppies

View From Back Door

View From Back Door

Hummer at Feeder on the Left...hard to see

Hummer at Feeder on the Left…hard to see

Plant Rack Doubles as a Greenhouse in Spring

Plant Rack Doubles as a Greenhouse in Spring

Red Impatients

Red Impatients

Purple Wild Flowers and Path - my husband made the path stones out of colored cement

Purple Wild Flowers and Path – my husband made the path stones out of colored cement

Two Unlikely Friends Sharing

Two Unlikely Friends Sharing

Bandit in Waterfall

Bandit in Waterfall

Butterfly House

Butterfly House

Glass Dragonfly Candle Holder

Glass Dragonfly Candle Holder

More Wild Flowers

More Wild Flowers

Geraniums

Geraniums

Can You Find the Bull Frog?

Can You Find the Bull Frog?

Pretty Lillies

Pretty Lillies

Sassy Pansies

Sassy Pansies

More Geraniums

More Geraniums

Salvia

Salvia

One of Four Kinetic Wind Spinners

One of Four Kinetic Wind Spinners…we have two like this one

 

Impatients Grown From Seed

Impatients Grown From Seed

Snack Box...was old, plain, and falling apart. I painted it, made fake doors, put shingles on roof...now it is beautiful. The raccoons like to take the roof off to see what is in there.

Snack Box…was old, plain, and falling apart. I painted it, made fake doors, put shingles on roof…now it is beautiful. The raccoons like to take the roof off to see what is in there.

Gloriosa Daisies

Gloriosa Daisies

Resting Dragon Fly

Resting Dragon Fly

Frog Crossing

Frog Crossing

Second of Four Kinetic Wind Spinners

Second of Four Kinetic Wind Spinners

Path From Deck

Path From Deck

Wind Spinner

Wind Spinner

Chiminea - Great for Fall Nights and Roasting Marshmallows.

Chiminea – Great for Fall Nights and Roasting Marshmallows.  Golden Sage Blankets the Ground Around the Chiminea

I'm Getting Help Taking Pictures! A Budding Photo Journalist

I’m Getting Help Taking Pictures! A Budding Photo Journalist

Getting a Drink From the Fountain

Getting a Drink From the Fountain

Getting A Drink

Getting A Drink

Our Bigger Pond

Our Bigger Pond

Arbor

Arbor

 

 

 

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A “Ribbeting” Habitat Tale…..

22 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by stephiep1016 in Wildlife Habitat

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blue heron, bull frogs, frog crossing, National Wildlife Federation, nature, tadpoles, wildlife habitat

 

We were all excited when we got our habitat signs.  We decided to add a couple of small ponds to the picture. We added a 350 gallon pond near the back of the habitat and a 150 gallon pond by the deck.  A little waterfall made a wonderfully calming sound as it bubbled and splashed away.  It is so soothing!

The big pond. This isn't the best picture, but I will have more down the road for you to see.

The big pond. This isn’t the best picture, but I will have more down the road for you to see.

Bull Frog...Can You Find Him?

Bull Frog…Can You Find Him?

What is a pond without some bull frogs?  We got some tadpoles to make the ponds more interesting.  I even found some “frog crossing” signs online.  It took a while before we started spotting the little guys.  They were so cute! Every day I looked forward to going out to the habitat and finding the frogs.  They’d just sit there and blink at you in the sun.  They were so cute!

Frog Crossing Sign

So Pretty!

Frog Crossing

Watch Your Step!

A Baby Bullfrog!

A Baby Bullfrog!

A Baby Bullfrog!!!

A Heron Statue...Looks Real From a Distance

A Heron Statue…Looks Real From a Distance

Actually this is a heron statue.  There is a story behind it being by the big pond.

One night we had someone knocking anxiously on the front door.  Our next door neighbor was at the door all excited.  She told us that there is a heron on our roof.  Well that’s something you don’t see or hear about.  My husband went outside to see if he could see him.  In the meantime I heard a thud out on the deck.  I peeked out my bedroom window and there was a heron standing on the wicker rocking chair on the deck.  Glenn, my husband, made his way to the back door and opened it slowly.  He found himself nose-to-nose with the blue heron.  The heron was very tall.  They just stood there looking at each other.  Then the heron took off back to our roof top.  I have a photo of the rooftop, but you really can’t see the heron…he was in a shadow.

Wicker Rocker on Deck...great way to relax!

Wicker Rocker on Deck…great way to relax!

We giggled and went back to bed.  It turned out that there was a reason the heron was in our back yard.  He was looking for a night-time snack.  That horrible bird ate our baby bull frogs!  I was so sad….!  We did some research and were told that if we put a statue of a heron out there, that no other heron would invade that territory.  It worked…we haven’t seen a heron in the back yard since.  We never restocked the pond with frogs either.  We are hoping to some day soon.

Having a wildlife habitat can be a lot of fun and very enjoyable…but these kinds of things happen.  I have more stories to share later on.  It is sad, but you have to realize that it is nature.  The herons have to eat too.  They can just go dine somewhere else from now on!

 

 

 

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Our Wildlife Habitat

06 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by stephiep1016 in Gardening, Wildlife Habitat

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Tags

bird feeders, bird houses, birds, bunnies, bushes, eagles, flowers, habitat, herons, National Wildlife Federation, Raccoons, signs, trees

The end of gardening season is rapidly approaching.  I thought that I should tell you a little bit about our wildlife habitat before gardening season is over.

This all started when I read about the National Wildlife Federation sponsoring backyard wildlife habitats.  I sent away for the kit, since I love wildlife.  For about 20 years I had been planting things, moving things, learning from mistakes, etc.  I kept finding plants, flowers, and trees that I really liked, so I made a place for them.  There was no real rhyme or reason to my methods. I’d put stuff wherever it fit.  Sometimes it took off growing and sometimes it was an utter failure.  I never gave up.  As a result of all of my attempts, I wound up with a fairly natural looking, woodsy, mountain like effect.

I got the kit and it said that I needed to show that I had provided water, shelter, food, and housing for the birds.  That was easy.  I already had all of that.  Then it explained what trees, bushes, and flowers the birds liked and would be attracted to.  I went down the list and found that I had a lot of that too.  The last task was to draw a picture of the back yard showing what was there and where it was.  I mailed it in and was excited to hear from the National Wildlife Federation shortly after that.  They sent a metal sign saying that our backyard was a certified backyard habitat.  They also sent a very nice certificate.  We were sure excited.

habitat sign

Now you don’t need to have a big back yard and you don’t have to have tons of plants and flowers, etc. to get certified.  You could have a little balcony or patio with some pots of flowers or a potted bush, a bird feeder and a dish with water for a bird bath.  It doesn’t have to be an enormous operation.  I already had it all done.  The birds don’t care how big or fancy it is.  They will come.  If you want a big back yard habitat, you can do it a little at a time and quite inexpensively if you watch for bargains.  A lot of our stuff was given to us.  Other stuff was in horrible shape, but we fixed it up.  In future posts I will show you some of the stuff.  It is fun.

The most basic is a bird feeder, a bird house, and a bird bath.

good stuff

A simple, but adequate bird feeder…the birds don’t care how fancy it is.

woodpecker on birdbath

A simple, but adequate bird feeder…the birds don’t care how fancy it is.

This is a great fountain

A simple, but adequate bird feeder…the birds don’t care how fancy it is.

Safe or sorry

A simple, but adequate bird feeder…the birds don’t care how fancy it is.

Our habitat has expanded to include other fascinating wild life.  We have had eagles, hawks, pheasants, wild turkeys, a great blue heron, bunnies, raccoons, skunks, and squirrels.  A mother duck and her babies were photographed heading for our back yard.  We have also had birds stop by to get something to eat and drink that don’t even belong here.  They must have been passing through on their way to other states.  Yes, we have some snakes and mice, but the snakes take care of the mice and stay hidden.  They are not poisonous and do a lot of good with eating bugs too.  I don’t mind them so much if they stay hidden.

Our back yard isn’t much bigger than most yards in housing developments.  It is about 140 feet wide and about 35 feet to the house.  I moved here in 1979.  It was just dirt when we moved in.  As I said before, I just started putting things I liked in where I liked them.  It is now gorgeous.  People come over and when they go to the backyard they gasp with amazement.  They always say that they weren’t expecting it.  They love it and want to come back.  Many people have offered to help out with maintenance because they like it so much.

I have a lot of photos to show you and a lot of stories to share about our habitat. Be sure to stop by to see them.  And be sure to like them, pin them, share them, or comment…I would love to see what you are doing for wildlife in your back yard. Our habitat didn’t stop with birds, we have expanded to butterflies and bees too. We love wildlife!

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Valuable Web Sites

  • Beneath The Ferns Fairy Houses, Fairy Gardens, Miniatures, Tutorials
  • Miniature-Gardening Fabulous online retailer from Wisconsin who has miniature-gardening supplies, videos, how-tos
  • My Fairy Gardens Animals, Fairies, Fairy Doors, Furniture, Houses, Landscaping, Accessories, Seasonal,Large Garden Fairy Stones Mini Garden Themes
  • National Wildlife Federation Create your own certified wildlife habitat
  • Paulino Gardens Garden supplies, flowers, ground covers, trees, shrubs, containers, everything you need for gardening of all kinds
  • The Naja Tool and Supply This is a fabulous store. They carry almost anything you can think of needing for making jewelry. I have never met friendlier people. There is a jewelry making school next door that teaches everything you would ever want to learn about jewelry.

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Enchanting Whims

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