A garden that mimics the nature of nature ~ almost ~ kind of ~ maybe.

 

Spicebushes turning yellow around the deck

Swamp Sunflower and Coral Berry

 

Fothergilla gardenii

Around and around, down the rabbit hole we go!

In partial sun, Euonymus americanus leaves turning white in autumn.

Wild Senna Seed Head

Brown Eyed Susan

Sparkleberry Winterberry

Virginia Creeper

No idea the species of this moth ~ 1/4 - 1/2 inch long

Swamp Sunflower with background of

 Fothergilla gardenii on left and Sparkleberry Winterberry on right

Blackhaw Viburnum

The ground is covered in blue bird pooh under this shrub tree.

The rain has stopped!

Next years buds on My Mary Azalea

Milkweed Vine

I think these tiny flowers are Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Mourning Dove Feather

Oat Grass ~ a rather aggressive native grass

Fothergilla gardenii

 

Winterhur Viburnum

Callicarpa americana ~ Beautyberry

Aromatic Asters

Broomsedge Bluestem ~ Andropogon virginicus

A rabbit has been seen in here (with difficulty) on more than one occasion.

While we would like to give that force which is the cosmos, the galaxies, the solar systems and the planets the term nature, and specifically to our planet as Mother Nature; that force is not nourishing as a mother protecting her children.  That force could care less whether we live or perish, whether we prosper or decline, whether we are good or evil, whether or, whether or, etc., etc., etc.

Inescapably, we live in a world whose weather at times gives us peace, and other times hell, at times abundance and other times poverty, at times a good place to belong, and other times a bad place to belong, and on and on and on.  It is the nature of nature to exist not for us, but to exist as a nonbiased system that has no ties except to exist.  As much as we would like to believe differently, we have no control over any planet let alone our own Earth, and as much as I would like to believe I control my garden; that assumption is but a wispy myth.

I feel my failure of control when I am enslaved to the watering hose, the pickax, the trowel and spade, the endless weeding, the planting and replanting and replanting, the worry, the disappointment, the aches and pains, and so forth, and so forth, and so forth.  So when I say I wildlife garden with nature in mind, I really mean I garden to mimic nature, but fight nature quite a bit while it goes about its business of existing.

Is this logical?  Not really, but it is the nature of cities, towns and neighborhoods to believe nature is wrong in its handling of existence, and to create rules and regulations of how nature should have done it to begin with.  It is the nature of many humans to garden, and it is the nature of nature to alter our gardens back to the basics of existence.  It's a fight we will never win unless we burn down the Earth or bring on the great herbicidal flood.

Now I don't know about you, but a poisoned scorched Earth is not my ideal garden, so I think I would rather live with the weeds that nature just calls plants, and call it a day.  On that note, last year I decided to let the wild violets that everyone calls weeds that should be annulated in the gardens the go ahead to have a field day taking it over.

This August saw fritillary butterflies hanging around the violets, and after some research, I discovered violets are a host plant for their caterpillars.  The eggs are laid in the late summer, and when the tiny larvae hatch, they spends the winter under the leaf litter until spring when they will begin munching on the violets.  How cool is that!  I probably murdered a few eggs when I was placing flat rocks for stepping stones into the area, but I'll deal with that remorse, as it is the nature of nature to live and die with no rules attached.

According to the insects, the Swamp Sunflower is the place to be this week.

I'm pretty sure this is a type of Ichneumon Wasp ~ Mesostenus thoracious

A type of Hoverfly eating pollen.

I tell you, there's something wrong with that picture below.

Lacewing Bug Larvae ~ Also called the Trash Bug

(I wonder why?)

Took forever to figure out what this little guy was,

then an eternity to get the photos right.

I think that's a piece of my hair on the flower :`)

Wears a disguise of carcasses of past victims

and other pieces of organic debris.

Not being the richest kid on the block, one bird feeder is my limit.

I think this is Crocus speciosus Oxonian, a fall blooming crocus.

Yard appears postage stamp size, but is really postcard size :)