Not in my back yard (unfortunately)

The Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum are two of the treasures of Ann Arbor and of the U of M. Although I prefer native Michigan plants in my own yard, I can appreciate a resource that cultivates and displays a world-wide variety of plants for educational and cultural enrichment.

Like zoos, such institutions help preserve species that might other wise become extinct. Recently, the Matthaei acquired a Wollemi pine that will be cultivated for a few years and then moved to the MBG conservatory for protection and public display. It's exciting that a species that has existed for more than 200 million years is being nurtured nearby. I'd love to have one as an indoor plant for my office, but I'm not sure what I'd do in a few years when it became taller than I was. So I'll enjoy the one in the conservatory, and continue to focus my efforts on nurturing outdoor native plants.

What do they know that I don't?

Several flocks of geese flew overhead yesterday - I don't know if they were coming or going, but there's definitely more them on the wing than there were a few weeks ago. They are flying neither north nor south, but apparently west, and are close enough to the deck to hear the beating of their wings if I'm outside when they pass. I've decided they are a sign that spring is coming, regardless of the sub-freezing temperatures outside.

Too early, you say? Despite the fact that we have at least two more months of cold weather, any sign of spring is encouraging. February is reported to be the prime month for bald eagle migration in Michigan, so why shouldn't geese be on the road again as well? The red-winged blackbirds also are reputed to return in February, and I am looking forward to having them around again, and to experiencing my first spring in Michigan.

How is a blue jay like a politician?

They both make a lot of noise and when they stop, you still have no idea what they've just said.

Today at the feeders, in addition to the two blue jays who inspired the thought above, there were 5 or 6 mourning doves, three downey woodpeckers (one male and two females who didn't like sharing - I'm not sure if they were competing for the male or the food, or maybe both), a red-bellied woodpecker, three jumcos, two house sparrows, a chickadee, two nuthatches, eight finches (both male and female), and a pair of cardinals.

I really enjoy watching them - the feeders here in Michigan are much closer to the house than they were in Virigina, and natural food appears to be harder to get, so I'm both seeing a larger number of birds and having a closer look at them. I enjoy hearing the downeys chirp, a sound Sibley describes as "a short, gentle, flat pik."

The doves cluster round the feeders as well as forage on the ground below, and when done eating are quite content to sit on the deck railing and watch each other and the rest of the parade. The juncos also come to the feeders as well as eat below them, but aren't much for sitting and watching. Whereas the doves seem to be channeling zen practitioners in their absolute stillness, the juncos constantly move their heads or tails, even when their feet stay in one place. They, the doves, and the rest of the ground feeders left an interesting pattern of birdy footprints in the snow beneath the feeders, one which I was frustratingly unsucessful in photographing.

The cardinals, a male and a female, were another interesting pair. The female flew repeatedly between the feeders and the window sill, where she tapped the window with her beak, then returned to the feeder. I don't know if she was seeing her reflection there, or if she was looking through the glass to something interesting inside. Apparently, neither did her mate, who ate at the feeders and watched her watch fly back and forth, reminding me of the patience demonstrated by human partners who think their beloved is slightly daft, but lovable none the less.

What's in your backyard?

Today, I've seen a dozen or so mourning doves, around 20 house finches, a few house sparrows, two juncos, a female downy woodpecker, a blue jay, six Canada geese, and one chickadee.

It doesn't get any cuter than this

Yes, I am jealous of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Otters are cute, and baby otters are even cuter. These baby otter pictures make me want otters in my back yard.

The closest I've gotten are two critters that were either martins or fishers, assuming I correctly identified them by the pictures in my Critters of Michigan book.

What have I gotten myself into?

Don't get me wrong, I love it here and I'm glad we moved. Nonetheless, I was taken aback the other day when I walked outside and thought "great, it's warmed up since yesterday" and then realized it was 30 degrees.

What happens while you're making other plans?

Life, that's what.

In the last two years I've dealt with illness and death among my family and friends, a new job, a move to Michigan, a new house, and as part of all this, a new habitat. Blogging hasn't been my highest priority. But now I'm back.

I've just updated the Wrenaissance website and I'm hoping to improve and expand it as well as start the blog up again.I've removed all the dead links and comment spam I could find, and I've also disabled comments on older posts (hey, you've had two years to comment!). Future comments will have a challenge word, and if I still get spam, I'll change to moderated comments.

The web will take additional work, which I'm hoping to complete over the winter months so I can turn to gardening and photography come spring.