Wednesday, April 14, 2010

temporary visitor


When I took the dogs out for last call last night, I turned on the porch light, which I don't ordinarily do. I don't know why, but I glanced to my right, and found a robin had built a nest on the shelf of the porch ceiling support.

I don't know how long she's been there. I presume she's noticed that the dogs and I use the door several times a day. I hope that if she's laid eggs she's going to stay until the babies are ready to go; I'm not qualified to care for abandoned baby robins.

I'm trying not to look at her too much--predators stare, and I don't want to spook her. That's why the picture is so dim--I took it through the window. I don't know why the Blogger photo thing is insisting on showing it sideways, though! Darn it! Kinda ruins the effect. If I can figure it out, I'll repost it. It's a very messy nest.



The brunnera is blooming like mad--it's just gorgeous. And for a change, the blue in the photo is the right color blue. This is Brunnera Jack Frost.




This is Brunnera Looking Glass. It may bloom more later--it's been a couple of days behind Jack Frost all year. I don't really care--what I love about Looking Glass is its solid silver leaves.


The poet's narcissus is also going great guns this year (and if anyone knows where I can get Howard Johnson's Better Bulbs fertilizer, please let me know! I can't find it online). It's so white. I've always read that poet's narcissus is a late bloomer, but mine always bloom with the rest of the daffodils and narcissus. The blue is periwinkle, and that's fairly close to the correct color, too.



I saw the squirrel this afternoon. He--or maybe she; I think she has a nest between the eaves and gutter of the house across the street--sat in the grass at the foot of the bird feeder pole, but didn't try to climb it. What she did was look like she was digging up the daffodils growing there. Maybe I'll try smashing up some more peppermint Life Savers and sprinkling them around the daffodils. I don't mind if she eats seed that falls on the ground, I guess, as long as she's not eating straight out of the feeder.

1 comment:

Jane said...

That's funny about life savers. We'd heard cayenne pepper in the seeds does it--doesn't affect the birds at all.

I miss my poet's narcissus from my old house! Need to plant some this fall.