This weekend, I took the first step to creating a master plan for habitat. It is not perfect, but this is what I envision the property to look like in the coming years.
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I began by drawing in some changes over top of an aerial view
of the property. The driveway currently does not extend to the
barn, the stone patio has yet to be extended, and the large pond
and stream are still in my head.
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The general placement of the trees and shrubs is fairly accurate. I
plan to add the meadow and its paths.
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2 comments:
Just discovered your blog, I absolutely love what you are doing. Were you inspired by Noah's Garden like I was?
I've done the same thing for 10 years, turning a front lawn and a back blank area into native habitat, little by little. I am right smack in downtown Phoenix so your situation is much more conducive to the critters moving in than mine is. My definition of success will be to discover a bird nest in my trees (hopefully a hummer) My biggest success has been with fritillary butterflies, by planting their caterpillar food (passionflower) today there was a mob of about 10 or 15 butterflies chasing each other around, what a beautiful sight!
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the kind comment.
I'm thrilled to finally be able to do this on a larger scale. Prior to this, while we lived in apartments, I had only container gardens (of natives).
My parents instilled a love of wildflowers and nature in me growing up...they did not garden exclusively with natives, but they did include them often. Over the years, as I learned more and more, I became interested in the idea of restoring lawn into a native habitat.
I read a few books related to the subject before finding "Planting Noah's Garden" which probably helped solidify my dream even more. I actually read "Noah's Garden" a couple of years after reading her sequel.
How wonderful to hear that you have been inspired to do the same. Our areas are very different, but out goals are the same. :)
Even living in a major city, you can see the positive impact you are making. Congratulations on the fritillary butterflies...and good luck with the bird's nest(s)--I'd love to see hummingbirds nest here as well...maybe they are and I've just not spotted the nest (but I'm doubtful). I do, however, have several other species of birds nesting here--including the Eastern bluebird. :)
Keep up the good work as well!
--You may be interested in reading "Bringing Nature Home" by Douglas Tallamy.
Thank you for the comment.
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