May 29, 2018
PUBLISHER’S CORNER
By Eloise Graham
Let Me Tell You About the Birds and the Bees, and the Flowers and the Trees
Have you been listening to the birds singing in the mornings? It took them a while this Spring. They didn’t have much to sing about in April, it was just a bit chilly this year. But come May, they were in full lilting mode: flitting about, singing their songs, finding worms and seeds.
We love the sweet, happy sounds of the birds on the wing, or calling to one another from the branches of the trees. The sounds seem to be so happy and carefree. Have you ever wondered what they were actually saying? Two birds going after the same worm. They seem so happy about it… but I
wonder what they are really thinking. Is one telling the other that said worm is his?
I started thinking about this the other day. A robin had decided to make a nest on my neighbor’s outdoor motion light. For about three or four days the robin would try to build his home. The light is located near the door and the nesting material was making quite a mess. Each day, the neighbor would clean up the construction site and try to come up with a deterrent. Finally, about the fourth day, he came up with a contraption atop the light that completely discouraged the build site.
Well, the next morning, I opened up my back door to a mess of twigs, mud, straw and leaves all over my back entrance. And a crude beginning of housing atop my outdoor light. I swept up the mess and took the leaf blower to the light fixture. All the white, Mr. Robin (yes, it was the male that was doing the construction) flew around with twigs, watching me and singing a beautiful song. Well, the song sounded nice to me, but I couldn’t help but think that if I knew robin language, it probably wasn’t very nice. I think it is a good thing that we don’t really know what the birds are saying. We can just enjoy the lovely notes they make.
I have seen some honey bees around pollinating the flowers. That’s a good thing. The honey bee is vital in producing honey and beeswax. There has been so much about the dwindling bee population the past few years. We need the bees to help pollinate the plants to sustain life. Here are some ideas for flowers that attract the bees: crocus, hyacinth, borage and calendula. The lilac provides enticing spring blooms. Later in the summer, the bees will feast on bee balm, cosmos, echinacea, snapdragon and hosta. In the fall some of their favorites are the zinnia, aster and goldenrod.
Isn’t it lovely to see the trees in full leaf? Aren’t the flowers beautiful? Many of the early spring bulb flowers have already bloomed, died and withered. However, some of the irises are still blooming at the beginning of June. Thepeony bushes are still exploding with color. Many rose bushes are sending out vibrant colors in their flowers. The annuals and bedding plants are starting to take hold.
June! What a beautiful month!
