Why my garden is a mess...

Here is a picture of my home garden from yesterday afternoon.

You probably notice that it looks messy.  Many gardeners could not stand to leave a garden looking like this through the winter.  I am not one of them.  For years I cleaned my garden beds each fall and removed all of the dead material.  I stopped doing this about the time I started planting mostly native plants in the garden.

Why do I leave the garden looking like this?

To sum it up in one word - habitat.

Monarch Waystation #6591

I want the garden to be a year round habitat for native species.  The garden is certified as a Monarch Waystation, but it also provides habitat to dozens of other invertebrate species including native bees.

Bee hotel at almost full capacity - all the capped holes are full of larval bees

Many of the bees inhabit the native bee nesting blocks.  Others will spend the winter hidden in the hollow stems of dead plants - a great reason to leave plants standing over the winter.  Other insect species spend the winter hidden in the carpet of dead leaves and other debris that I leave in the garden.

Look at all the potential hibernation locations!

Seeds are another major reason that I leaves the garden alone in the fall.  I want as little open space in the garden as possible - open spaces allow weeds to pop up, full spaces have no room for weeds.  I want the garden to be full of native plants, but fully grown plants can be expensive to purchase.  If I leave all the old flower stalks in place through the winter, the garden replants itself.

Showy Goldenrod seeds ready to deploy into the garden

Some of the seeds also end up becoming food for songbirds.  Every year American Goldfinches eat most of the seeds from the various coneflower species, Cup Plant, Rosinweed, and sunflowers.  Other birds take advantage of the hibernating insects to fill their stomachs during the late fall and winter.

Cup Plant seeds are on the menu for many birds

While I don't pretend that my garden is a complete habitat, it does help.  That's all that I can ask it do do in the limited amount of space that I have available.  By treating the garden as habitat I see more species of animals (especially insects) than I would if I treated the garden as an outdoor extension of the home that needs to be kept neat and clean.  In the long run, I think the garden is healthier than it would be if I constantly felt the need to tame it.

The garden gives back with a series of delights throughout the year.

American Highbush Cranberry fruit

It also provides surprises.

A Wild Strawberry bloom in late November!  I found several of them.

In the spring, before the plants begin to grow, I can remove all of the old stems and add them to the top of my compost pile. (Don't worry any bee larvae will have the opportunity to emerge from the stems.)  The leaves and other debris will decompose naturally on the ground, acting as a natural mulch and helping to rebuild the soil.  New plants will pop up from the seeds that spread throughout the garden.  Some will be allowed to grow in place; others will be transplanted within the garden or planted in other gardens. 

I like my messy fall garden.  I think I'll keep it.

Clouds over Lake Michigan (26 November 2016)

Stormy skies and waves are among my favorite subjects to photograph - It's almost impossible to take a bad picture.  We spent this past weekend visiting northwest Michigan and I got plenty of photographic opportunities on Saturday (26 November).

The first set of photos was taken at the Empire municipal beach.  Despite years of visiting this part of the state.  This was the first time that we have ever stopped at this beach.

After leaving Empire, we next made a stop at Glen Haven.  Glen Haven is a restored fishing village located within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Our final shoreline stop of the day was the Mission Point Lighthouse located at the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula that divides the East Arm and West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay.  This is one of my favorite places to photograph.

Ice, leaves, and more at Mill Pond Park (22 November 2016)

A light week of programming means that I get to spend time outside!

Yesterday, on my way back to the office, I stopped at Mill Pond Park for a short walk through the woods.  The night had been quite cold (my thermometer in my truck read 21 degrees this morning when I left home) and even by 11:00 there was still ice on the pond and lots of frost in the woods.  I love cold autumn days like this.

The semi-frozen surface of the mill pond

 

Maple leaves under the ice - Sedges above the ice

 

Empty Swamp Milkweed seed pods

The long lines are needle-like ice crystals forming on the surface of the mill pond

Willow leaves frozen on the ice

Mulberry and other leaves frozen in the pond

Boxelder seeds and leaves on top of Mulberry leaves

Fall sedges and rushes

Burdock burs

Boxelder seeds

A large area of windfall - most of these trees are Green Ash trees killed by the Emerald Ash Borer

Barberry - an invasive species

Virgin's Bower (also known as Old Man's Beard)

An old dying tree in the woods

  

A male Northern Cardinal

Silhouetted Mallard pair

2017 Isabella Conservation District Spring Tree Order Form

The Isabella Conservation District is now accepting orders for our Spring 2017 Tree Order.  Orders can be made by mail or in person at the Isabella Conservation District Office at 5979 E. Broadway, Mt. Pleasant.  Orders can also be placed over the phone at (989) 772-5927 ext. 3.

This form has been updated to include both hardwoods/conifers and fruit trees.

Payments can be made in cash, by check (to the Isabella Conservation District or ICD), or by credit card.  Payment is due at the time you order.

Orders are due no later than Monday April 10th, 2017.

A fillable form can be found at the following link.

Spring 2017 Order Form