Sharing Nature's Garden Archives | Page 44 of 124

Carolina wren baby growing by the day…

When Mama wren flies out of the garage early in the morning, I sneak up on the step stool to get a peek at our little guest-in-the-hat.

Baby wren is growing by leaps and bounds.

Barely 5 days old, it now really looks like a bird.

Its eyes are still closed, but the wings and the beak are now clearly evident. I think it has tripled in size since I first saw it on Friday.

The Mama sits in there with it most of the day, but doesn’t appear to by flying in and out very often. She seems unfazed by the construction being done in our driveway as guys are sawing wood out there for our new wood floors inside. She’s just focused on that little bundle of joy.

I doubt the other eggs will open now that it’s been 5 days since this one hatched, but I didn’t think this one would make it either, so I’m not giving up hope. In fact, I’m not ever giving up hope again!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:07-05:00May 30th, 2011|baby birds, bird nest, birds, Blog, carolina wren, nest, Sharing Nature's Garden, wrens|0 Comments

Baby wren alive in the nest, welcome new addition!

After the egg/nest debacle from 10 days ago, I’ve been anxiously watching the comings and goings of Mama Carolina Wren.

You may remember that I thought the eggs were no longer viable after being in the nest for a month, and I put them in the trash. Til I realized that there were more eggs than when I’d first looked – meaning she’d laid another clutch that might be viable. I wrote about that ordeal in a previous post, put the nest and eggs back very carefully and crossed my fingers.

Last night when I was walking into the house through the garage, I thought I heard the tiniest squeak coming from the nest. I stopped and listened – nothing. But later I saw the hat (and nest) swaying just a bit and wondered again if something was going on in there.

Mama Wren was sitting high up on the eggs, and fairly visible to me, whereas before she was far down in the nest on the eggs where I couldn’t see her.

So I took a peek when she was out of the nest.

What a wonderful sight – a tiny little creature – just born – wiggling around down among the other eggs. If you look very closely (maybe click on the photo to enlarge it) you can make out the face on the new baby.

Honestly, after all this watching and waiting, I felt like I was the Mama!

This morning I took a picture when Mom and Dad were gone — they are both now working on feeding duty.

Hatching can take 24-48 hours and there are 6 more eggs in the nest. Some may be from the first clutch, and not viable, but our new little friend might be getting some siblings over the next few days.

And you can bet I’ll be watching (from a respectable distance)!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:23-06:00May 27th, 2011|baby birds, bird nest, birds, Blog, carolina wren, eggs, Sharing Nature's Garden, wrens|0 Comments

Spectacular Sprekelia

This Sprekelia is one of my favorite plants. It’s also known as an Aztec Lily or Jacobean Lily (Sprekelia formosissima).

But it’s not really a lily at all.

Sprekelia is a small genus of only two species in the Amaryllidaceae family from Mexico. So, it’s more like an Amaryllis.

Mine are about 16 inches tall and grow very well in dappled shade with some afternoon sun. They take a normal amount of water (whatever’s normal for Central Texas!) I do water them — they are not drought tolerant.

Once they’ve bloomed in late spring, the foliage just disappears completely in the summer, like other spring bulbs.

The plant does not set seed and its flowers are sterile.

They grow slowly, though. I’d love to share, but my cluster of them hasn’t expanded much over the last 6 or 7 years that I think I’ve had them, so they aren’t ready to be divided. (Or, I’m not yet ready to divide them)

The are right outside our breakfast room window, so I get to look at them every time I eat or work at the table, and they are in front of the birdbath, so it’s a lovely sight.

I love all the plants in my garden (well, most of them). But there are a few favorites that bring special joy, and my Sprekelia are among them.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:23-06:00May 20th, 2011|amaryllis, Blog, bulbs, lily, Sharing Nature's Garden, sprekelia|0 Comments

Carolina wren saga continues with clutch #2

You may have seen on my blog that a mama Carolina wren was nesting in a sombrero hanging on our garage wall. She was there for several weeks before Easter. As soon as I found the nest, we kept the door open, but who knows how many times she might have been locked away from them before that.

So today I decided it was time (they are supposed to hatch in 14-16 days) and I put the hat nest and eggs into the garbage can.

But when I did that, I counted 11 eggs and there were only 7 before.

I don’t know why I did it after I’d already gotten rid of the eggs, but I looked online just one more time for what happens when the eggs don’t hatch and what the mama does. All the other times I googled it I came up with nothing, but today I found a resource that says that birds will sometimes lay a second clutch of eggs later on top of the unhatched ones, since the nest is already made.

Oh no!

That would explain why there were now 5 more eggs.

So after I had a really good cry, my Mom convinced me to go out and try to save it all. I used a paper towel folded over like a pot holder to put the nest back in the sombrero. Then I took a tablespoon and gently lifted all the eggs I could find out of the trash can and into the nest and then I hung the sombrero back in the garage.

Checked a little bit ago and mama is sitting on the eggs again. I just hope there are some viable ones in there – think I got 7 back into the nest – hope some of them are the new ones, but that was all I could find. One broke and I couldn’t get the others.

At least I tried and I feel better. And I learned a lesson. Well, maybe two lessons – don’t move nests until there is absolutely no adult activity, and … keep the garage door closed all the time so they won’t make nests in my garage.

Or, (more likely) put a birdy – door in our garage!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:24-06:00May 17th, 2011|baby birds, bird nest, Blog, carolina wren, eggs, nest, Sharing Nature's Garden, wrens|0 Comments

Cannas and Coneflowers…

Time flies when it’s gardening season. It’s already time for Garden Bloggers Bloom day, hosted each month on the 15th by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Many plants are coming into their own in the garden right now. Foliage is filling out and becoming lush and new blooms are popping out to surprise me every day.

Unless of course the deer eat them! In my new garden bed, the deer have tromped around, but only ate the potato vines. I deliberately planted the bed with plants that deer typically shun. Except, apparently for Klondyke Cosmos. I was so pleased with my idea – planting this tangerine orange wispy flower grown from seed next to a vibrant purple salvia and some Mexican Feather Grass. I went out this morning to capture a photo of this little vignette, only to find…no vignette. The two blooms that popped up yesterday had been eaten off. So, you will just have to imagine what I imagined when I planted it all.

The Purple Cone Flowers above are some of my very favorite summer bloomers, and this year I have dozens and dozens of volunteers coming up so I will be transplanting lots of them into other beds.

But, I didn’t let the deer spoil my day. Many other blooms in the garden were happy to pose for pictures today.

These photos are of my King Humbert Orange Cannas. I love the hot yellow and tangerine against the lime green leaves.

This is a Mexican Bird of Paradise Tree — perfect for our hot,dry weather. Mine gets next to no water (especially in this drought) and yet it still blooms like crazy all summer long.
These Blackfoot Daisies are tough as nails — even though they look so delicate.
Coral Trumpet Vine is taking over my fence and sprouting up in 3 different nearby beds. But it’s stunning all over the fence – if it would just mind its manners!
Verbena thrives in these warm, sunny days, and it’s making a beautiful purple velvet carpet in my new bed.
Some of the combinations I planned for the new front bed are starting to fill in and look like I intended them to. These yellow Zexmenia are bright and cheerful next to the hot pink Salvia Greggii.
These Shasta Daisies are bursting with blooms in the cutting garden. But I love seeing them there so much that I don’t want to cut them!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:07-05:00May 16th, 2011|Bird of Paradise, Blog, cannas, Coneflower, coral trumpet vine, deer, GBBD, Prairie Verbena, purples. salvia, salvia greggii, Sharing Nature's Garden, shasta daisy|0 Comments

Wildflower Center Gardens on Tour 2011 — A Hill Country Paradise

Armed with camera and my blogging buddies Pam of Digging and Robin of Getting Grounded, I ventured out Saturday to explore the gardens on the 2011 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Gardens on Tour.

Some as different as night and day, each garden offered a different perspective and radiated a unique feel to visitors who came to experience it.

This garden was off of Bee Cave Road and its owner, Tait Moring, is a landscape architect.

The property itself was stunning. 17 acres – mostly undeveloped, but on a Hill Country hillside with amazing views. Blooming just in time to put on a show for us, this Agave greeted us as we entered into this Texas-style paradise behind a very tall cedar fence.
You can see the scale of the fence and the entry as people come into the property.
There were several creative fences and gates leading into different areas of the garden – each with it’s own unique appeal.
Several large ceramic pots provided specimen plant focal points for the garden.

Rockwork throughout the landscape brought in a Hill Country rustic element. Behind the rock wall is a Pittosporum tree that fascinated us with its structural beauty.
Interesting artwork and statuary dotted the gardens with whimsy and focal points.
Just off the back deck, a tall cedar fence hides a great outdoor shower complete with local boulders to perch on as you cool of on a hot day.
Up the stairs you can see the back of the shower against the house.
The deck included a interesting array of xeric plants and attractive pots.

A collector, much of the rock work includes special items Tait has gathered over the years.
Wouldn’t you love to have a vegetable garden like this? These beautiful rock pottagers were new additions to the garden last winter.
Another lovely walkway combining native rock and rough cedar.
This simple little water feature was so beautiful and made a lovely little sound in the peace of the garden.

This was my favorite garden on the tour. I took dozens more photos, but can only post so many. It is a lovely hideaway that is a testament to an owner with an absolute love of gardening and an amazing talent.