Just in Time for the Fall Autumal Equinox

 Don't tell the flowers, but today is the Fall (Autumal) Equinox. Yesterday, as I was going through the garden, these remaining flowers were there for my enjoyment. Anemone, still offering pollen for the bees, the last day lily, Tiger Kitten,purely for my enjoyment, Echinacea or  Cone flowers, with their seeds hidden within the drying seed head, food for the Chickadees and Goldfinches this winter. The Rebeckia, with its vibrant yellow color, soon to match the slowly changing trees.

September 22, 2014, Monday at 10:29 PM EDT is the Fall Equinox. This is the time when the sun will cross the celestial equator-the imaginary line in the sky above the earth's Equator-from north to south, and a new season begins.

7:19 AM  was sunrise, the last fleeting hours of summer . . . .
7:32 PM will be sunset, 12 hours and 12 minutes of daylight...... fall arrives at 10:29 PM in total darkness.

In Latin, Equinox means equal night, but in reality the Equinox doesn't always have to be exactly 12 hours of daylight, we have 12 minutes more daylight this fall on this day, then we do night. So not until Friday, March 20, 2015,  the Spring or vernal Equinox, will we again experience equal night or so we think. 
But by then we are so desperate for more light and longer days, after the shorter days of fall and even shorter days of winter, we appreciate the beginning of equal day and night leading to the long days of summer. . .

The two days of the year for the Equinox, fall and spring, the earth tilts neither toward or away from the sun, it is perpendicular to the sun's rays. Every other day of the year, the earth tilts 23.5 degrees, again, either towards or away from the sun, depending on Spring or Fall. So maybe we can blame the tilting of the Earth for some of our crazy unbalanced days.

Go out and enjoy the remaining hours of Summer.... get ready to enjoy the days of fall, with the remaining flowers, vibrant trees and animals preparing for the short days of winter.

Arbor Day, April 25, 2014

Arbor Day April 25, 2014  Plant a tree native to your area. Help feed, house wildlife. Help clean our air, filter our water and shade us on a warm sunny day.  You'll do more than plant a seedling in the ground; you'll plant roots for tomorrow. One gift. One Tree. One Planet. Hello Everyone, Did you know that trees provide life-giving benefits to everyone on our planet? They regulate our climate, filter our water, give us shade and shelter, provide a home to millions of plants and animals, and even help support local economies. This Arbor Day, you can support forests around the globe when you give to our Plant a Billion Trees program. Established in 2008 to restore Brazil's Atlantic Forest, we're now working to restore vital forests the United States and China as well -- forests that are essential to the livelihood of people and nature around the globe. Forests like Longleaf and Shortleaf Pine forests, the forests of the Central Appalachians, and Mississippi River Bottomland Hardwood forests in the United States, where our work has resulted in great successes. The West Virginia Flying Squirrel, native to the Central Appalachians, is no longer endangered as of 2013, thanks to efforts to restore its forest habitat. Or the forests of the Yunnan and Sichuan Province -- forests that are home to the iconic panda and Yunnan golden monkey -- where Plant a Billion restoration efforts will connect small fragments of trees to create a larger habitat for these species, as well as support local communities with jobs and training in forest management. Trees give us life -- they provide us with clean water, air and food -- all of the things we need to thrive. Celebrate Arbor Day this year by giving back to the forests that give so much to us. Sincerely, Bill Toomey Conservation Lead for Plant a Billion Trees The Nature Conservancy PHOTO: Longleaf, planted pines and native grasses at The Nature Conservancy's Green Swamp Preserve, North Carolina © Mark Godfrey/TNC. Nature.org | Where We Work | How We Work | Science in Action | Donate | Photos & Videos | About Us Find Us On: The Nature Conservancy Holds High Charity Ratings Our Ratings | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement Copyright © 2014 | The Nature Conservancy 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, Virginia 22203-1606 Questions or Comments? Call us toll-free at (800) 628-6860 Change Email Address | Request Password | Unsubscribe

"Why Native Plants" Doug Tallamy

Douglas W. Tallamy is the author of Bringing Nature Home. He is professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
Tallamy has taught insect taxonomy, behavioral ecology for nearly three decades. His research has focused on better understanding the many ways insects interact with plants and how these interactions determine the diversity of animal communities.

Bringing Nature Home, Tallamy's book is an invaluable resource and read for anyone trying to sustain wildlife with native plants.

"All plants are not created equal, particularly in their ability to support wildlife. Unless we restore native plants to our suburban ecosystem, the future of biodiversity in the United States is dim. We can no longer hope to coexist with other animals if we continue to wage war on their

 homes and food supplies." Doug Tallamy

After reading Bringing Nature Home, I made the decision to fight invasive alien plants as if my life depended on it. I still have a love affair with daylilies, but I have chosen to plant over seventy five percent of our garden in native plants. Choosing not to use pesticides, removing the invasive buckthorn trees shading the native plants found growing within the forest floor, removing the phragmite plants in the surrounding wetlands and planting more native plants in our garden, my husband and I are enjoying the following list of birds, insects and animals within the boundaries of our yard.

1. Cardinals
2. Blue Jays
3. Morning Doves
4. Goldfinches
5. Robins
6. White-breasted Nuthatch
7. Hairy Woodpecker
8. Downy Woodpecker
9. Red-bellied Woodpecker
10. Bluebirds
11. House Finch
12. Dark-eyed Junco
13. Purple Finch
14. American Tree Swallow
15. House Sparrow
16. White Throated Sparrow
17. Eastern Towhee
18. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
19. Red-winged Blackbird
20. Mallards
21. Black-capped Chickadee
22. Tufted Titmouse
23. Ruby Throated Hummingbird
24. Baltimore Oriole
25. Ravens
26. Crows
27. Barred Owl
28. Cooper's Hawk
29. Blue Heron
30. Sharp-Shinned Hawk
31. Bats
32. Grey Squirrels
33. Red Squirrels
34. Chipmunks
35. Skunks
36. Raccoons
37. Possums
38. White Tailed Deer
39. Fox
40. Rabbits
41. Snapping Turtles
42. Frogs, Spring Peepers
43. Toads
44. Numerous Varieties Butterflies
45. Grasshoppers
46. Snakes
47. Walking Stick
48. Numerous Varieties Bees
49. Numerous Varieties Insects

Become empowered and part of the solution. Plant native plants, trees and shrubs. The success is up to each of us. One back yard at a time connected to a neighbors yard and another yard....

The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network and I want to share this information with you.  

Habitat Matters. 

Get Involved. 

When driving around your local area, take note of invasive plants. Report them to you local agencies, land conservancies and stewardship programs that are already involved. 

For Oakland County, Michigan click on: 

Oakland Phragmites & Invasive Species Task Force 

with your findings. 

OPIS Task Force through education is actively engaging township governments, private homeowners, large landowners to the reasons why it is important to remove Phragmites and other invasive plants. 

Happy Birthday Michigan!

Happy 177th Birthday to my home State of Michigan!

January 26, 1837

Let's all work toward restoring the ecology of our beautiful State.  

The Michigan Wildflower Association predicts that 25 % of native Michigan plants will be extinct by 2050. Each one of us can help stop the destruction by learning about the invasive species threatening our natives. These invasive plants have no natural enemies, they shade out native wildflowers and our native trees. They release chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of our beloved native flowers and trees. 

These plants change the hydrology of a wetlands, they displace the animals and insects that live there. 

These plants are a fire hazard and decrease the use of lakes, streams and wetlands. Just take a look at Lake St. Clair, Saginaw Bay, Harson's Island.... need I go on. 

Become a member of  Oakland Phragmites & Invasive Species Task Force(OPIS). OPIS is working to educate homeowners, communities, municipalities and individuals concerning the threat of invasive plants in our state. 

Visit www.OPIStaskforce.org for more information. 

Happy Birthday Michigan, and may you be as beautiful in another 177 years. 

Woman At the Well!

What a difference a few months can make. 

The Woman at the Well, January 10, 2014

Woman at the Well, August 19, 2013! 

I can't wait for Spring!