Critters Archives - Page 27 of 33 - Betty Hall Photography

Spicebush is blooming

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) blooms are the latest sign of spring in the backyard. In my opinion, this is a first-rate shrub for suburban landscapes. This native Kentucky plant is easy to grow and does well in shade or sun.

It has small yellow flowers in early spring and attractive foliage in summer, and female plants have bright red berries in early autumn. The leaves have a pleasant spicy smell when crushed. It can grow up to 15 ft. high but it can be kept to most any size by pruning.

a native Kentucky shrub that's great for landscaping — 1. flowering spicebush 2. close-up of flower 3. summer foliage 4. autumn leaves 5. late summer berries on a female plant

And if that isn’t enough, it’s also the major host plant for spicebush butterflies (Papilio troilus). I wrote about the spicebush caterpillar last summer and these images review the butterfly’s life cycle.

Papilio troilus life cycle — 1. folded leaf covering small caterpillar 2. small caterpillar 3. full-grown caterpillar 4. chrysalis 5. spicebush swallowtail butterfly

Last summer I found several caterpillars on my two spicebush shrubs and saw the butterflies in the backyard. I’m not sure which I enjoyed more.

Spicebush is fairly common as an understory shrub in our Kentucky woods. Their yellow bloom makes them easy to spot this time of year. I’m glad to find them in the woods and I hope to see more of them in suburban yards.

Creeping Phlox

I recently took my small point-and-shoot camera to the backyard, looking for possible signs of spring. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of plants have remained green throughout our prolonged winter.

I was especially glad to see the Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) looking healthy through patches of snow.

The dense foliage creates a ground cover tough enough I can walk on it. It keeps weeds down and spreads slowly, but is not invasive.

There are already tiny buds and, with a little luck, by the first of April it will become a mass of color as in this image from last spring.

It grows especially well on the rocky, sunny slope that leads to our rain garden and has proven to be drought tolerant.

With its evergreen foliage, colorful spring blossoms, and ease of maintenance, Creeping Phlox is an effective ground cover and one of my favorite native backyard plants.

I was also glad to see my first backyard honey bee (Apis mellifera) on February 16. I know spring isn’t here yet, but I trust it’s on the way. I’d be glad to hear of any signs of spring you’re seeing.

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.