This blog was born out of a Tree Swallow that landed in my yard and took my breath away. How could a migratory bird that I had never heard about be in my yard in early Spring? This blog is my home, my passion, and my hobby. And the nature I see out my window inspires me, and the nature is there because of the native plants we sprinkled around.

I began learning about and planting native plants, trees, and shrubs about 10 years ago, and ever since, my home has been a shared space with birds, butterflies, insects, pollinators and wildlife. I soon discovered that native plants don’t just bloom, they grow on you, and leave me (and my family) with plenty of stories to share.

I wanted to be a writer. But I struggled for a while about what exactly to write about. (Long ago, I had a career in pharmaceutical proofreading because a writer’s job was nowhere to be found.) 

Then, when a migratory bird landed in my yard that I had never seen before, it suddenly became obvious what I was going to write about. It was as if the bird said: “Write about me!”

The bones of my blog is that of a story that has a start, and continues on and on. One that tiptoes through the brown, cold winter into the tease of a thaw. Followed by a burst of color in Spring…You know how before a symphony performance they all kinda play together and then all of sudden after a moment of silence! Wowzaa.
By blog and my passions then wander through the summer cacophony of bird song and into the starburst of late summer color…all because native plants dance and sing while the biodiversity chimes in quietly…tapping you on the shoulder saying: nature is just so amazing!
Later on, Autumn returns and we let go. Maybe the Playbill is no longer needed and we say goodbye to our symphony of natives and friends. Only for winter to quiet us…just for a time. So we can rehearse our next move into the native plant stage and tap our friends on the shoulder and say:
“Hey…did you see that native plant symphony?”
“Wow, no I didn’t, but I sure would like to. And I heard there’s a BOGO promo?”
“What?”
“Oh, what I mean is that, you plant all these native plants and shrubs, and a ton of wildlife and insects comes along with it, like a buy one, get one… It’s like a natural, choreographed symphony that follows the tempo of the seasons, and it is magical.”
Oh how the front and backyards of America could rival any concert hall!!!!!

We are slowly transforming sections of plain grass, or “green concrete”, to a haven for birds, bees, butterflies and more. Among our small steps, bird boxes and native plants. Including a kestrel box, we have 8 next boxes on our property plus numerous hanging feeders. Behind our home you will find a 1-acre wildflower meadow (pictured above) which was once a grass storm water run off detention basin. Check out some of my blog posts to learn how we did what we did and what benefits we have gained from adding meadows and rain gardens and “going native”. In the process of our improvements, not only did we increase the wildlife around our home, but our basement is also drier.

We have a few meadows, but still quite a bit of lawn. But it is what the plants that bring in, the biodiversity that we share that delights my days and gets the writer in me going. The goal? To be a storyteller to anyone willing to listen and engage and learn about native plants.