Betty Hall, Author at Betty Hall Photography

Woodlands and Prairies Magazine

Woodlands and Prairies is a magazine for folks who “care about their piece of this Good Earth.” Each year, the holiday issue features stories from readers about what they are doing to create healthier environments.

I submitted the story of our backyard and am pleased to have it included in the 2010 holiday issue. It was a special bonus when they asked to use my Winterberry photo on the cover, and this photo of two male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) on the inside cover.

You can read the article about our backyard. Note: the PDF is 1.2 MB, and may take a few minutes to download.

I think Woodlands and Prairies does a good job of informing, inspiring, and connecting folks who are concerned with healthy land management – whether suburban yards or country acreages. I hope you’ll visit their website: www.woodlandsandprairiesmagazine.com.

Kentucky Backyard Wildlife Habitat

At a good friend’s suggestion, I applied for certification as a Kentucky Backyard Wildlife Habitat. It was an interesting learning experience.

The application process included listing plants in the backyard and how they are used by wildlife, other food sources like our bird feeders, wildlife cover, and water resources. It helped me see what we’ve already done for wildlife and how we can do more.

I included some photographs in the application. This one shows a few of our backyard insects.

Here are some of our 2010 backyard butterflies.

And here’s a sampling of our birds and mammals.

When we first re-worked the backyard, I focused primarily on the plants. Applying for the certification has helped me realize how the changes have affected the wildlife we see, and how much that adds to my enjoyment of the backyard. I’m interested in exploring how we can encourage wildlife even more.

I now realize we have only one nesting box, a wren house. I want to add one or two chickadee houses and possibly a bat house. I also want to identify more of the insects in the garden, and I’m hoping some of the neighborhood kids will help.

I’m pleased to report that a panel reviewed my application, and our backyard is now an officially certified Kentucky Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

Eastern Towhee

The Eastern towhee (Pipilo erythropthalmus) is our latest backyard visitor. This one is a female eating safflower seeds. She somewhat resembles a robin except for the white belly.

The male towhee is quite striking with black where the female is brown, but both have rufous sides. In older bird guides they are listed as Rufous-sided towhees, a name I still prefer.

These year-round Kentucky residents are usually found in brushy areas where they scratch for insects and seeds, and we only occasionally see them in the yard. With snow covering the ground I expect they are looking for other sources of food.

Their distinctive summer song, “drink your teeeeeeeeee” is one of my favorite bird sounds.

Northern Flicker

It was a special treat last week to watch a northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) on the silver maple. We only see them occasionally. The black “mustache” indicates this one was a male.

He was hunting for insects among the many cracks and crevices of the bark. It’s hard to imagine there was much to find, but I understand there are lots of winter insects hidden in tree bark, under leaves, and in dead plant stalks. I’m amazed to think that eggs, small caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult insects can survive the cold.

I enjoyed a recent article on winter insects by Dr. Douglas Tallamy published in the Wild Ones Journal. It reminds me of the importance of insects and how I can contribute to their chances for surviving the winter months. The growth from last year’s garden looks scraggly now, and that’s OK with me. I appreciate it as a nursery for next summer’s butterflies and other insects.

Red chokeberry

Our winter weather continues – cloudy, cold, and more snow predicted. However a winter day was brightened recently when I found these red chokeberries (Aronia arbutifolia) coated with ice.

Winter is not my favorite season, but I appreciate its unique beauty. It’s tempting to stay inside, but getting out in the backyard gives me a different experience.

It’s always invigorating to get out in the fresh air, and I never know what I’ll find. And when I’ve had enough, it’s not far to the back door.