Nursery Yard

The prior owners of our home did this:

They certified the property as wildlife habitat. And while this is done via the honor system, they did do quite a bit to maintain the yard as wildlife friendly. A practice we have continued and even improved upon (but if you read this blog you already knew that).

Note the fourth basic habit element listed on the sign (click the image to bigafy), "... and places to raise young."

I think we're going pretty ok on that front. Here are some examples from this year's breeding season.

This is a baby Northern Water Snake. One of several I've seen on the property the last few months. I found and caught this one when doing some work in the bog garden. After finishing the work, and snapping a few images, I released it back in the bog.

And these three youngin's have been featured in the Yard Critter of the Week series, Northern Spring Peeper, Northern Gray Tree Frog, and Fowler's Toad.

And we've plenty of tadpoles in our two ponds. Surprisingly, I don't have any recent pictures.

I've noted a number of times about the increase in Eastern Cottontails we've seen in the yard. And we all know what rabbits do.

Yep, a baby bunny.

These two baby Northern Raccoons spent several days in our yard.

Until it became obvious they were orphans, after which I captured them and took them to a local animal rehab center.

We've a number of birds that breed our yard, they include.

Northern Cardinal.

Eastern Phoebes (four chicks in this nest).

Wild Turkeys.

Carolina Chickadees (five chicks in this one).

Chipping Sparrows.

Black-billed Cuckoo.

Image courtesy Patty Rehn

I'm not sure who fledged from this nest, but we did have young Red-shouldered Hawks in the yard. And this nest was not here last year.

But for this nest, in the newspaper slot of our mail box, we're not at all sure.

And of course, lots of different bugs get busy the yard. Here are just a few.

Baby spiders (can you spot them all?).

Monarch Butterfly.

Assassin Bug Nymph.

Image courtesy Patty Rehn

That's a sampling of the babes in our woods this year.

And this doesn't even include all he caterpillars we've seen!

Yeah, I think we're doing ok.