Hi GPODers!

Yesterday we saw the flowers that beat the heat in Maxine Brisport’s garden (if you missed it, check that out here) and today we get to see the critters that also got some heat relief thanks to Maxine’s wildlife-friendly plantings. While we won’t be talking as much about plants in this Garden Photo of the Day post, Maxine reminds us that gardens aren’t just about plants.

This was a strange year in our garden. We had to develop a symbiotic relationship with a variety of wildlife on a daily basis. Our latest visitor was a turtle, who would show off his long neck from a distance, before quickly retreating as we got closer.

It is obvious (while only slightly intentional) we have created a garden that attracts bees, insects, butterflies and small animals. Overall, we are happy that we have our own wildlife friendly garden. We are especially pleased that our garden was a haven for many small animals during the heatwave.

Maxine’s latest garden guest, a snapping turtle enjoying the shade of an old tree stump. Love that Maxine saw the stump as the perfect pedestal for a potted plant—made this turtle’s shady spot that much more stylish!

A swallowtail butterfly visiting some summer allium with some ‘Mellow Yellows’ coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Mellow Yellows’, Zones 4–8) that looks like it has been visited by a hungry garden guests as well.

A cardinal visiting one of Maxine’s many bird feeders. Cardinals, aside from just being stunning birds, hold lots of different meanings and are very symbolic in various cultures and religions. Whether or not your believe cardinals signify good luck, represent spiritual messages, or carry news both good and bad, they are wonderful to spot in the garden.

A downy woodpecker is an equally beautiful bird sighting, but sometimes not without cause for concern. As trees are increasingly taken down and their habitats shrink, woodpeckers have taken a liking to the wood siding of homes and can do some serious damage. But I’m guessing with Maxine’s lush landscape and abundance of food she supplies, she doesn’t have to worry about that.

Another garden guest that can get mixed reactions… this squirrel is doing some acrobatics to get at Maxine’s bird feeder.

While often overlooked, flies are also important pollinators! While many aren’t as efficient as bees, some—like this one visiting Maxine’s common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum, Zones 4–8)—have a bit of fuzziness that makes them better at collecting pollen.

Like the savvy snapping turtle, a chipmunk takes advantage of all the shady spots in Maxine’s garden.

Two more downy woodpeckers sampling another one of Maxine’s bird feeders. Unlike their male counterpart above, female downy woodpeckers don’t get that distinctive pop of red feathers on their heads.

Another underrated pollinator, moths are important for pollinating many plants (particularly the rare flowers that bloom at night). The can also be stunning insects, with various colors and patterns like this hummingbird clearwing.

Finally, the epitome of eco-friendly gardening: A native bee (brown belted bumblebee) enjoying some native Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum, Zones 3–9).

Thank you for sharing your beautiful, wildlife-filled garden with us again, Maxine! It’s always a pleasure to see who’s visiting and what’s growing!

Do you have a frenzy of wild guests in your garden like Maxine? Let us know in the comments what your most frequent garden guest is, or send photos of the visitors or their favorite plants by following the directions below.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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