Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Monday, July 22. 2013

A tiny nature preserve

Our yellow Trumpet Vine on our entryway arbor - a mini- nature preserve - is having a good year.


A Robin is nesting in it right now. Her second batch this season. They get annoyed every time you walk through.



I devoted yesterday afternoon to manual labor because the heat wave passed. Weeding, vine removal, some mid-summer pruning, stacking logs for winter, etc.  While taking a little iced-tea and cigar break sitting on my wood pile, I got free entertainment from two Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds fighting over the ownership of the entire vine. "Why not share it?" I thought. "There's enough nectar and tiny bugs for all." Nope.


Nature is not nursery school.





Elsewhere at the Maggie's HQ, I have a red Trumpet Vine. I think they prefer the red, but they seem to find the yellow worth fighting over.



Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation, Our Essays at 15:12 | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0)

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Curious - trumpet vine typically need sun (though violent trumpet vine do great in shade), and I notice yours is shaded.
Was that just result of time of day, or does it do that well in relative shade?
#1 Bulldog on 2013-07-22 15:53 (Reply)
It gets about 3/4 day direct sun. Around 10 AM to sunset. That seems to work well enough.
#1.1 BD on 2013-07-22 18:27 (Reply)
Nature is not nursury school

--all the little heliotropes grow toward the sun, and by the time the failures realize that the others have shaded them out, it's too late, they've used up all their energy. Strictly a 'go-for-broke' proposition.
#2 buddy larsen on 2013-07-22 16:54 (Reply)
Such great plants! My cousin grows them along a fence at her log home near the WI/MI border and my son attracts the hummingbirds with multiple trellises in San Antonio. I think they prosper with as little as 3-4 hours of sun/bright light. BD? Your experience?
#3 jma on 2013-07-22 17:28 (Reply)
Very beautiful and what a great view.
#4 dianainsa on 2013-07-22 18:05 (Reply)
Lovely gardens! ... Here in So. Ohio, hummingbirds always seem to be territorial except when arriving in Spring and when packing their bags in Fall
#5 nat brooks on 2013-07-22 19:10 (Reply)
My yellow trumpet vine covers about half of a 12 x 15 patio pergola and attracts lots of hummingbirds. Unfortunately, most of the birds are above the pergola, so I can't watch them as easily as I'd like.
#6 JorgXMcKie on 2013-07-23 20:40 (Reply)
Nice digs
#7 Estoy Listo on 2013-07-23 22:19 (Reply)

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