I’m too lazy to write everything all over again, and it was too hot over the weekend to actually do anything (nearly 80 when I get up at 6:00? WTF!) so I’m going to copypasta the email I sent to R.
I feed the birds year round, and the pond I dug provides water when everywhere else is dry or frozen. I top it up and keep the pump clear of debris in summer, and if it freezes over in winter, I go out and break a hole in the ice. I take care of my birds. It is, however, not free. They are expected to look pretty, and sing, and bring their ugly little babies so I can giggle at them. They’re also expected to work in the fields like the Flower Farmer does!
In 2014 or 15, I bought some elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) cuttings on ebay. They root easily, so I just loosened the soil with compost and stuck them in the ground in one of the places that I had destroyed the invasive Asian bush honeysuckle. Elderberry is native, and of course, the berries are very popular with wildlife, including birds. Anyway, the elderberry I planted did okay in spite of the deer nibbling it frequently, and last year, I discovered a new clump of it. Elderberry forms colonies if allowed to grow unchecked, and that’s exactly what I wanted. This, though, was a separate colony from the original. Apparently, the birds have done their part because they seeded the new clump, and this year, I found another, small clump on the north side of our property. The ones in the sun were planted by the birds last year, and each of those tiny, white flowers will be a tasty berry (if you’re a bird, or making jam or wine). The picture in the shade is the smaller, new colony they planted this year. I’d MUCH rather they eat native elderberry and poop seeds all over the place than eat invasive honeysuckle berries and spread them! Anyway, see? I make my birds earn their keep, working on the flower farm. 😀
P.S. My cardinal children left early Saturday morning. 🙁
