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Wildlife Habitat Photos

11 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by stephiep1016 in Wildlife Habitat

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Tags

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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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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Hi Ho, Hi Ho, a Camping We Will Go!

25 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by stephiep1016 in Fairy Gardening, Gardening

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bear cub, camp ground, deer, enchanted trees, fairy baby, flower fairy, flowers, fox, mushrooms, nature, owl baby, owl nest, picnic bench and table, swing, tent, waterfall, wildlife, wolf

The fairies have enjoyed the lake, but are now ready to really get away and enjoy nature in a secluded setting.  They have decided to fly there to save time.  If you have your fairy dust, sprinkle away, and let’s go!

We are going to land on the east edge of the garden.  Remember that you can click on the images to enlarge them for better viewing.

Happy Camper Aerial

It is a very brief walk to the campsite.  Just follow the gravel road.  Be sure to watch out for wildlife.  On the left you can see a red fox hiding in the plants.

foxy

Now be careful!  I hear a bear.  Sometimes the black bear cubs get into the trash by the camp ground.  We can sneak by him if he is busy digging in the trash can.  There he is….sneak by quietly.  I made the bear, the trash can and the garbage out of polymer clay.  I love that polymer clay!  You can make almost anything out of it.  Go to your right when you get past him.

bear in trash can

Picinic Happy Camper Aerial

One of our fairy friends, the Red Campion Flower Fairy, is already here waiting for us.  She brought a big picnic basket full of food.  The tent is up and there is a nice picnic bench and table there.  The table and benches are made out of little discs of juniper branches that my husband had cut for me.  Just glue several discs together with a hot glue gun and add some moss here and there.  I made the picnic basket, the lantern and the camp fire pit out of polymer clay and stones.  The camp fire pit is full of wood and ready to light.  A hummingbird feeder is there and there is a hummingbird enjoying some juice.  After we have something to eat, we will go exploring.  Try not to make too much noise.  Next to the tent is a sleeping enchanted tree with a big owl nest in its branches.  I made the tree using polymer clay and a big dose of imagination.  I would be happy to post instructions for the trees in a later post.  There is an owl baby and a fairy baby taking a peaceful nap.  How cute is that!!!!

Elf Baby and Owl in Sleeping Enchanted Tree

Lets go exploring.  There is a waterfall near by.  I see a doe and her fawns by the waterfall.  There are all kinds of flowers and plants to look at.  Some of the plants have already bloomed and others are getting ready to.  I really like the blue bell flowers and I love the miniature trumpet vine next to the waterfall.  The flowering plants all came from the local nursery.  They had a big sale one day and I went crazy.  The ground cover is from the lumber yard garden center.

Mountain Fountain 2

Now if we go to the left, you will find another enchanted tree.  This tree has a swing to have  fun on.  The tree is friendly but is quite old, so be gentle with him.   Don’t eat the mushrooms that you see around the campgrounds.  They might be poisonous.  They are pretty to look at though.

Enchanted tree with swing closeup

I hear some rustling in the woods.  It appears there is a momma wolf and her cub watching us play.  Just let her be and please don’t give the or any of the wildlife any food.  The wolf and her baby, as well as the doe, the fawns, and the fox all came from Hobby Lobby in the department for model railroad scenery.

Momma Wolfe and Cub

Soon we can return to the camp site and have some dinner by the campfire and some restful sleep in the tent.  The moonlight will make the waterfall appear to be lighted.  It is well worth seeing.  I will post a photo of the waterfall at night if I can get a good one.  I will post it in another post update.

There you have it!  I have shown you all four of my miniature fairy gardens.  I hope you enjoyed the journey.  I get so much enjoyment sitting on the deck looking at the fairy gardens.  I enjoy gardening in them too.  They need to have maintenance done daily. It’s light gardening and very enjoyable.  Fairy gardening is very relaxing, eases stress and anxiety, boosts the imagination, and is a great way to sink yourself into another world for a quick get away.  I highly recommend it for everyone.

I don’t know if any more will develop, but I will keep you posted.  I have some whimsical ideas floating around in my head.  There is only about a month left, if that, of gardening weather here.  I will have to take all of the gardens apart and everything but the plants inside for the winter.  I am hoping the plants make it through the winter weather.  Maybe I should work on indoor fairy gardens for the winter months.  Let me know if you have any questions.

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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

Enchanting Whims

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