The Cardinal Direction

 One small step for native plants, one giant leap (okay, also small step) for turf reduction. Back Yard Lance-leaf coreopsis ( Coreopsis lanceolata ) New England goldenrod ( Solidago sp.) Hairy mountain mint ( Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum ) Rattlesnake master ( Eryngium yuccifolium ) Blue-stemmed goldenrod ( Solidago caesia ) Spiderwort ( Tradescantia sp .) Cup plant ( Silphium perfoliatum ) Wild marigold ( Caltha palustris ) Grass-leaved goldenrod ( Euthamia graminifolia ) Ohio goldenrod ( Solidago ohioensis ) Swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata ) The idea is that these plants will grow a little bit in the fall, survive the winter, and grow big in spring/summer. Maybe some mulch would be a good idea, to help protect them over the winter.  The lawn here is a thick mixture of grass and weeds. I used a shovel to chop out chunks of sod. I used them to fill in a strip on the side of the house where the ground had subsided over sewer line that was p...

I've seen 122 bird species in Wayne County Indiana so far. Here I'll report only on the 41 species I've seen so far on our property. Click on the link for more information on a species.  Mourning dove: Mourning doves are very common in Tucson so I was surprised that it took me a while to see one here. They are not uncommon here, but the don't reach the density that they have in suburban Tucson. Now that I've had a seed feeder out for a while, they come by sometimes to peck around on the ground for fallen seed. Ruby -throated hummingbird Ruby-throated hummingbird: The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird regularly found here. It's most similar to the black-chinned hummingbird of the West. I'll keep an eye out for other hummingbirds that have been seen rarely in Indiana, including rufous, black-chinned, Anna's, calliope, and (amazingly) Mexican violetear.    Turkey vulture: Turkey vultures are quite common here as well as black vultures.  ...