Delightful Garden Guests

What makes gardens worth all the time and sweat that we put into them? The visitors they attract, especially the surprise ones, that come to share it with us. I’ve tried to capture photos of some of my garden guests. Some aren’t very cooperative, making me hide behind the door, or sit lifeless for long periods. Others come unannounced and catch me off-guard.

I love the variety of colorful birds that visit our area. Often when I’m outside, the hummingbirds will “buzz” me. If their feeder is empty, I imagine them notifying me of that fact. If I’ve refilled it, then I imagine them saying “thank you.” I enjoy their chattering as they perch nearby.

I’ve really enjoyed this hummingbird feeder that I bought earlier this year. It’s so much easier to clean. I make my own hummingbird food by mixing a 4:1 ratio of boiling water to sugar. I stir until the sugar dissolves, let cool, and pour into the feeder. Quick and easy! No red coloring necessary.

Hummingbirds aren’t the only ones buzzing. I always enjoy seeing bees hard at work. What would our gardens be without them?

I think Blue Jays are the hardest to get a good picture of. I had a really hard time capturing them. I resorted to hiding behind the front door.

This mama Phoebe raised her young in a nest near the peak of our roof, right above the porch. I often watched her catching insects to take to them.

These Baltimore Orioles were new to my garden this spring. They arrived after a storm and were around for several days. One morning I opened the front door and was greeted by this group of them. What a nice surprise! I scrambled to find a camera to capture them.

We had a few other surprise guests at the feeder that I wasn’t able to capture. I see Indigo Buntings along our country roads all the time, but I had a few briefly visit my front yard this spring. I also saw a few Goldfinches, which visit from time to time.

This Tufted Titmouse took a bath in my fountain, just a few feet from where I sat on the porch. That was a special treat! He may be hard to see. He’s peeking around the end of the bear. On an another occasion I got to watch a succession of Titmice come one after another for a quick dip.

We had a family of squirrels that spent a lot of time in the front yard. I watched them chase each other around, up and down the big oak tree.

I’ve hosted a wide variety of butterflies. They’re like floating flowers. Asclepias (aka Butterfly Weed) grows wild in my area. Several years ago I tried to dig some up and transplant it to my garden. It was hard to dig them out of our rocky soil, and they don’t transplant very well, but I did manage to get a clump established.

I hope you enjoyed my garden guests as much as I do. Every year I try to add more plants that lure the birds, bees, and butterflies. I love seeing and hearing them. I hope they’ll be back, and I hope you will be, too!

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