11/11/16 Still no freeze. Lilacs, Forsythia and many other spring bloomers are re-firing.
10/23/16 Three Barred Owls in a sass fest in the neighborhood for about 2 hours Friday. Last night and this morning we heard two Great-horned Owls having some territorial discussions. I am desperate to see one flying at night.
10/22/16 Hundreds of Robins flying Southeast in batches of 4-6 birds with a few seconds in-between each lot.
10/20/16 ....and Junco sniffing around at the bottom of the feeder!
10/19/16 Saw some White-throated Sparrows in the yard. People around town are reporting Junco sightings.
10/09/16 Annual backyard sky clouded with Franklin Gulls day.
10/03/16 Started pulling up spent goldenrod and asteres. People advise using them as mulch but the only reason I am pulling them is to slow spreading. It seems to me that using them as mulch is the same as planting the seeds.
Saw the two Pearl Crescents again today. Same scenario. The smaller one would follow the larger one around and wait on a leaf while the senior Crescent would nectar.
10/02/16 A few days ago I saw a small Pearl Crescent following a slightly large butterfly everywhere it went. While the larger Crescent was nectaring his chum would just sit nearby and wait for him to take off again.
09/27/16 It's that one day of the year where the gardens are dusted in Monarchs. Twentyish nectaring (Sedum, Asters, Snakeroot, Spanish Needles, Goldenrod) at any given time.
09/24/16 Sat in the gardens and counted 21 species of birds while having coffee. Big batch of Cedar Waxwings flooding the trees. Robins passing through.
09/18/16 The gardens are stuffed with goldenrod, Blue Mist, Obedient Plant, Pitcher Sage and asters and when the sun hits it there is a constant cloud of butterflies. It is amazing to watch. Sulphurs, Monarchs, Painted Ladies, American Ladies, Skippers, Eastern-tailed Blues, Gray Hairstreaks, American Snouts, Black Swallowtails, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and piles of Buckeyes.
08/22/16 Finally a fistful of Monarchs and Swallowtails in the yard along with the hundreds of little Skippers, Blues, Whites and Hairstreaks. The Threadleaf Coreopsis is just swaying with wee butterflies.
08/14/16 Learned today that every single European Hornet in the gallery is an Eastern Cicada Killer. They are abundant this year. Poor Cicadas.
07/17/16 Witnessed my first booms from a Common Nighthawk. Quite a marvel for backyard bird watching!
07/16/16 Saw a Hummingbird run off a pigeon. Seems ridiculous at first thought but those beaks are needles.
07/15/16 Catbird running all morning and evening. Do they have nests this late in the season?
07/14/16 I haven't seen any Surprise Lilies blooming in the yard or around the city. They usually start firing around the 4th of July.
07/05/07 Started moving starts to a new garden on the East side of the property. We've been getting some bonus rains in the morning which is helping with the transition.
06/29/16 Added Common Foxglove and Royal Candles to the gardens. Also added more tomato soup Echinacea and white Phlox.
06/26/16 Picked up some Maypop starts from a friendly gentleman in Raytown. Hope to have Passionflower blooms by August if they take.
06/23/16 I'm getting a little annoyed at all of the insects that haven't shown up yet. My gardens are bursting with flowers, including a couple of dozen Milkweed plants, and I have nothing but Honeybees and Bumblebees. Sure a sexy butterfly wobbles by now and again but not very often. I have probably 100 Bee Balm plants and no Hummingbirds. I'm overstocked nectarwise.
06/10/16 Note to self: whenever the sea of clover in your yard starts to annoy you, look a little closer at all of the honeybees and Eastern Tailed Blues nectaring. Sincerely, Self.
06/03/16 Added some Gray-headed Coneflower, Mexican Hats & Prarie Coreopsis to the gardens.
Milkweeds all have heads but are losing a lot of lower leaves, I am assuming because of the heavy rains we have had recently.
05/24/16 Thank you very much to CAT5 of Raytown for needlessly crushing several Swamp Milkweed plants.
05/15/16 Beautiful male Indigo Bunting and Red-breasted Grosbeak in the backyard this weekend.
05/09/16 FOS Hummingbird. Checking out the sage.
05/08/16 Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat visiting the gardens today.
05/06/16 Please join me in welcoming Wild Geranium to the KCWildlife Gardens.
05/05/16 Anniversary additions to the KCWildlife Gardens: Wild Petunia, Rough Blazing Star (Liatris), Threadleaf Blue Star, Evening Primrose, Showy Primrose and Amsonia 'Blue Ice' Bluestar.
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks first thing in the AM.
05/04/16 Baltimore Oriole and Harris's Sparrows in the backyard.
05/02/16 Swainson's Thrush, Nashville Warblers, Lincoln's Sparrow, Warbling Vireo all in the backyard.
05/01/16 Warblers in the backyard day: multiple Swainson's Thrush and Nashville Warblers, black and White Warbler and Yellow Yarbler.
04/30/16 I've seen a Great Blue Heron flying below the tree line over my house a few times this week. Today he landed in a neighbor's tree to the dismay of numerous nesting birds.
04/23/16 Saw a Catbird hiding in a Rose of Sharon this morning.
04/22/16 Was getting in my car to run an errand and witnessed a Coyote anxiously trotting down the middle of the street. He sprinted past me into bushes several houses away.
04/17/16 I could swear I saw a Baltimore or Orchard Oriole working a treetop this morning.
04/16/16 Please welcome Ohio Horse Mint to the KCWildlife Gardens. Should have some Threadleaf Bluestar to add on Tuesday.
04/11/16 Note to self: The giant plants that come up in the same place every year are Dame's Rocket.
04/10/16 Joe Pye, Blue Mist and some of the Milkweed are above ground. Snakeroot has been up for weeks.
04/09/16 Added Missouri Primrose (yellow) and Blackberry Lilies to the KCWildlife Gardens today.
Found a Mock Orange start and moved it to where it could be celebrated more conveniently.
04/08/16 Planted Virginia Bluebells, Red Lobellia and Pale Prairie Coneflower roots.
04/01/16 Brown Thrasher in the yard. Spotted the first Thrasher in the yard on 4/2 last year and 4/1 the year before that.
03/31/16 Please join me in welcoming Speedwell, Balloon Flowers, Culver's Root and Pincushions to the KCWildlife Gardens.
First mowning of the season.
03/29/16 Saw a Cabbage White and a Red Admiral in the yard today.
03/20/16 Sowed some Passion Flower seeds along some open areas on a northern fence. Also planted some Pitcher Sage seeds in the new garden.
03/18/16 I just realized that the Goldfinches have been gone for the last week or so. Off gettin' yellow, is my guess.
03/08/16 5:20 AM and you can already hear Robins all around the neighborhood. What an amazing sound.
03/06/15 Grackle in the yard. Possibly a windsurfer which means Cowbirds are probably right around the corner.
Woodpeckers have been drumming on metal vents on rooftops over the last few weeks. It's comical and terrifying.
03/05/16 Saw a Turkey Vulture today. Now it is Spring.
03/02/16 Forsythia blooming. Actually took some yard photos today. It's been so long since I've taken a picture that I'll have to re-learn Lightroom.
02/29/16 First screech of the year from bumbling upon a Garter Snake in the garden.
02/27/16 First Crocus blooms. Spiderwort, Sedum, Hyacinth, Tulips, Daffodils and Fennel are above ground. Started the fish emulsion fertilization process.
Went for a walk at Lake Jacomo in the early afternoon. Not very birdy but the bugs were out and saw a Question Mark or Comma butterfly.
02/25/16 Bought Virginia Bluebells, Cardinal Flower, Pale Prairie Coneflower roots.
02/21/16 Very birdy in the morning. I'm new to all of this so it's still exciting for me to watch and listen to the birds bloom months before the flowers do.
02/19/16 Very windy warm front in the area. Now there are Robins in front yards where there were no Robins in front yards.
02/18/16 First "Petunia! Petunia! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!" of the season!
02/17/16 The bird calls have really started to pick up, especially the Cardinals.
Surprise Lilies are above ground.
2/12/16 Currently getting 11 hours or more of daylight (6:45 AM - 6:10 PM) and time change is right around the corner.
2/06/16 I don't see the Wintercreeper suffering any from its date with Roundup last week. It looks the same as untreated bushes. Flippin' Rasputin.
02/04/16 Tulips are a couple of inches above ground.
01/31/16 Awoke to Cardinals making laser calls, Chickadees doing the ha-has and Carolina Wrens playing guitar solos. All the morning needed was a wash of Robins whinnying and I would have staggered outside expecting to see blooms everywhere.
01/30/16 Big Leaf Winter Creeper (and anything else that is green when things should be green) Murder Day.
01/29/16 Titmice have been calling all around town for the last week.
01/22/16 Already seeing male Goldfinches with yellow patches. Not sure if that is left over from last year or fresh for this year.
01/19/16 I love it when birds clean their beaks on branches and power lines.
01/13/16 Crocuses above ground.
01/09/16 Single digits tonight. Every squirrel in the neighborhood is making trips up and down trees with a face full of leaves.
01/01/16 Seeing a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the suet cage regularly.