I keep asking myself, "What is wrong with my birdhouses?" This one I carted all the way back from England about 4 years ago. I saw a wren pecking at the entrance one time, but no one has made a nest in there. I thought it was perfect for my English garden.
Then this beautiful dovecote, also in the English garden. Austin gardeners will recognize this as once having been in Pam's former garden. I know birds made nests in there because I had to empty their old nests. No easy job because everything that went in through the small doors had to come out through the small doors. On the wall behind is the only birdhouse which has ever been inhabited. So what am I getting at?
This. It is not a birdhouse but a planter hanging on the front gate. Inside is a plant shared at one of our blogger meets. I thought it a perfect spot, being a plant that required no watering or sun.
They have moved so much furniture in there and reorganized my plants to the point where they are now starting to wilt. Not to mention that we will no longer be able to use the front gate. This all happened in 2 days. The question is, will they actually use the nest? You know those wrens. Make several nests and then bring her along to choose the one she would like to lay her eggs in. Will we be honored? Only time will tell.
When I was in Dallas at the weekend I went with my son and grandson to the new butterfly garden at Fair Park. There I learnt that shortly before the butterfly emerges from the
chrysalis it becomes darker. Yesterday morning I saw changes. I left at 11am and when I came home at 4 pm the butterfly was out. I had missed the emergence.
It was hard to get a shot for all the fluttering. I wonder if it sipped from the sugar water I had left in the container. Now free to go and lay more eggs on the few parsley leaves they haven't eaten!
I keep asking myself, "What is wrong with my birdhouses?" This one I carted all the way back from England about 4 years ago. I saw a wren pecking at the entrance one time, but no one has made a nest in there. I thought it was perfect for my English garden.
Then this beautiful dovecote, also in the English garden. Austin gardeners will recognize this as once having been in Pam's former garden. I know birds made nests in there because I had to empty their old nests. No easy job because everything that went in through the small doors had to come out through the small doors. On the wall behind is the only birdhouse which has ever been inhabited. So what am I getting at?
This. It is not a birdhouse but a planter hanging on the front gate. Inside is a plant shared at one of our blogger meets. I thought it a perfect spot, being a plant that required no watering or sun. 
They have moved so much furniture in there and reorganized my plants to the point where they are now starting to wilt. Not to mention that we will no longer be able to use the front gate. This all happened in 2 days. The question is, will they actually use the nest? You know those wrens. Make several nests and then bring her along to choose the one she would like to lay her eggs in. Will we be honored? Only time will tell.
When I was in Dallas at the weekend I went with my son and grandson to the new butterfly garden at Fair Park. There I learnt that shortly before the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis it becomes darker. Yesterday morning I saw changes. I left at 11am and when I came home at 4 pm the butterfly was out. I had missed the emergence.
It was hard to get a shot for all the fluttering. I wonder if it sipped from the sugar water I had left in the container. Now free to go and lay more eggs on the few parsley leaves they haven't eaten! 
I had a couple a wrens build a next in the hanging pot on the patio. They didn't have any problem using the next even though I was out there every day. Six eggs were laid and all hatched. One afternoon all six were gone, they had been getting too big for the nest! So, I pulled the nest out -- and the tomatoes are doing fine now. Never got attacked by a wren :P
ReplyDeleteI remember there was a dove couple back home that went and built a nest in the gutter (right above a downspout, I don't know why). They ended up hatching one egg and when that baby was old enough to leave, they all left. They apparently did not like that every morning I'd look out the window right at them. Or that the cat would watch them.
ReplyDeleteWe've had a wren house for years. Nobody moved in, while it was in the old garden, or last year, here. This year, we had our first wren family.
ReplyDeleteThe gourd birdhouse our grandkids gave us for Christmas, has had more than one family. A Titmouse was in there first. But, then there were only Sparrows, going in and out. I think they have a new brood in there now.
Just never know where they're going to build.
Sorry you missed the butterfly emergence. But, you did get a butterfly. Good work.
~~Linda...
Rachael- How they love to live with us. I have nest beginnings all over the place. This one is becoming enormous pushing out my plants. They were doing so well, too!
ReplyDeleteKatina- Doves are not too smart. even the nest they build is twiggy and flimsy. Fortunately the gate is set in a portico so it is protected from weather.
Linda- My neighbor has a gourd and it is used every year. Don't know how he cleans it out. With tweezers?
Grats on your butterfly and birdies! In response to your comment on my blog, I believe yours is a Black Swallowtail -- they just love parsley and dill. When you posted your chrysalis picture a few entries back, I recognized it right away. Here's a picture of mine on dill -- looks the same. http://www.greatstems.com/2010/04/side-by-side.html
ReplyDeleteI bet you have more around, too! Grats again. Oh, and my wrens like my garage and shed. Go figure!
Ahhh - that explains something! I had a pair of Carolina wrens building a nest in a container on our patio this morning. But I haven't seen them since lunch time. I didn't know they made several nests (although I thought it might be some sort of practice run) I love that dovecote!
ReplyDeleteThe butterfly is beautiful :-)