Be a Citizen Scientist: Join the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Jo Ellen Roe February 10, 2014 0 Comments

Bird count photo

A photo taken from the 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count.

How do scientists learn about birds? How do they know where they are at any given time, given that fact that some bird species migrate?

You Can Help

One way is with the help of ordinary people like you and me in the  annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), one of several citizen-science projects sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, along with Bird Studies Canada and many international partners.

This year’s count happens February 14-17. All you have to do to participate is visit the GBBC website, register, spend at least 15 minutes observing and counting the birds in the area you designate, and then submit your data. The Bird Count folks amalgamate all the data from people across the United States and since last year, from several other countries as well. ... Read More

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What’s a Gardener to Do When the Groundhog Sees His Shadow?

Jo Ellen Roe February 3, 2014 0 Comments

snow pic 1 2014

Yesterday, February 2, in celebration of Groundhog day, Punxsutawny Phil came out of his burrow in Pennsylvania, saw his shadow, and darted back in. According to the Groundhog Day legend, that means six more weeks of winter. (Groundhog Day began as a Pennsylvania German tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries. “It has its origins,” says Wikipedia, “in ancient European weather lore.”)

Be that as it may, my goodness, what a winter it has been! Michigan, where Serendipity Gardens is, has had one of the coldest on record, with temperatures well below zero on many mornings. According to Michigan meteorologist Mark Torregrossa, in an article posted at MLive.com,  it may have the most snow cover of any state, with as much as 40 to 60 inches on the ground near Lake Superior. ... Read More

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Three Reasons to Work Toward Making an Eco-Friendly Garden

Jo Ellen Roe January 25, 2014 0 Comments

Butterfly

Reason#1: Bring Life to Your Garden

It’s a heck of a lot more interesting to sit in a garden buzzing with life than it is to sit in a still one. You can watch the birds bathing, see butterflies and bees up close, and count the frogs.

The truth is, if your garden is missing its wildlife, you probably won’t be sitting in it very often, either.

Liz Primeau, a Canadian gardener and author, describes the difference between a lively garden and a lifeless one in her book, Front Yard Gardens. “Esthetics may have been the primary reason I finally dug up the lawn and planted a front yard garden,’  she writes, “but I did have other more lofty considerations. Over the years I’d come to consider our lawn more than merely boring, there seemed to be something wrong with it. The birds and the bees shunned it, the bugs stayed away in droves. There was no movement, no rustling, no chirping Jiminy crickets to leap up in front of me as I passed by on the pathway … ” ... Read More

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Old Man Winter Is Having Fun in Serendipity Gardens!

Jo Ellen Roe January 6, 2014 0 Comments

It’s been snowing for nearly 24 hours in Serendipity Gardens. This, over an existing layer of snow about six inches deep, makes for a lot of snow! Now, according to The Weather Channel, the wind will pick up to 20 mph with gusts of 35 mph — “blizzard conditions,” says one meteorologist.

I am very glad that most of my family members do not have to drive tonight or tomorrow, and have the resources to stay warm and cozy inside.

Meantime, outside, Old Man Winter has become a sculptor of note. Here are some of his interesting creations. Dinner on the patio, anyone? ... Read More

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Frogs Hide at Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe December 14, 2013 0 Comments

Frog in Pond 3

Frogs are everywhere at Serendipity Gardens. Real frogs, like this one on the rock, and fake frogs, too. They hide in the leaves, they welcome visitors, and they decorate the walls. Here is my story about how I got started with frogs.

Several years ago, I spotted a frog birdbath on sale at Dixboro General Store, a favorite place to buy interesting garden items, and I purchased it for my new grass garden. That stone frog has been there ever since, sturdily holding up its bowl for the avian wildlife. ... Read More

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