White Violets, Narcissus, Serviceberry Blossoms: It's All About White!

Delicate white violets show their purple splashed throats.
by Grandma Pearl

Today it is all about the white I see in Nature.

White violets are some of my earliest wildflowers to bloom.  To the Victorians white violets meant modesty and innocence,  honesty and humility; the religious connotation is that of faithfulness and spiritual understanding, death and resurrection.
All kinds of bees and bee flies find these dainty flowers irresistible!

Male Hairy Woodpecker enjoying a bountiful breakfast.
by Grandma Pearl

This beautiful white and black male Hairy Woodpecker is looking over his ample choices for breakfast.  I purchased a small bag of fruit and nut bird seed mix and combined it with regular black oil sunflower seeds.  My birds are definitely enjoying the variety.  I also occasionally add pieces of day-old bread as a special treat.  Mr. Hairy obviously doesn't know what to choose first!

Coltsfoot, also known as coughwort,
is used as an expectorant for clearing the lungs of congestion.  It is often combined with other herbs such as marshmallow or horehound to relieve symptoms of asthma, bronchitis and colds and flu.  But recent research has connected the use of this herb to liver disease.
Coltsfoot was probably brought to North America from Europe by the colonists because of its usefulness as an herbal solution to lung problems.

This herb grows in groups in waste areas in early spring, and blooms even before the dandelions emerge and flower.  It is one of the first nectar sources used by honeybees.   Prized by birds as a soft lining for their nests, it appears at just the right time in the spring!
Its leaves resemble a horse's hoof, and fully mature only after the flower has withered.  All parts of the plant were used medicinally. Coltsfoot as a healing resource goes back to the ancient times of Pliny and Galen.

Arabis 'Snowcrop' perennial
by Grandma Pearl

Arabis 'Snowcrop' is one of my favorite little springtime perennials.  The delicate 4-petaled flowers are cold hardy and remain on the plant a long time. It grows in partial shade without a problem, and it is deer resistant.  Snowcrop prefers slightly moist soil, but will tolerate dry conditions as well.  Compact and showy, it makes a very pretty addition to a perennial garden.

White narcissus
by Grandma Pearl

Lovely and familiar, my narcissus stand proudly against the cool spring breezes without batting an eye!  They are reliable harbingers of the season with their sunny yellow centers.  Every day they greet me with a nod and a reflection of brilliant sunshine.  The squirrels scurry back and forth in my bulb garden without causing any injury to these hardy narcissus.  It is necessary to keep them behind a fence though, because the deer think they are just another part of the salad buffet around here!

Serviceberry Tree in full bloom.
by Grandma Pearl

The beautiful Serviceberry tree blooms with oceans of bright white flowers.  It has other names:  shadbush, shadblow and juneberry.  A gorgeous addition to your landscape it produces edible fruits that birds love.  The fruits resemble blueberries but have a very different flavor, and the seeds taste like almonds.  Serviceberries start out red and change to blue as they ripen.  Use them in the same recipes where you would use blueberries, if the birds leave any for you! 

Flowers bloom in May here, then fruits appear in June; which is also the time when shad (fish) start spawning, thus the alternative names.

Mama Chickadee will soon be tending her nestlings.
by Grandma Pearl

White and black chickadees chat happily among themselves while busily tending their nests.  My newest batch of chickadees should be hatching soon.  Several days ago I saw this little bird with a beakful of dandelion fluff.  I'm sure she used it to line her nest inside the bird house she has chosen for her babies' nursery.  Both the male and female spent 2 days gathering materials to add to the loose grass cup they made.  When the babies have hatched, I will attempt to carefully open the birdhouse and quietly take a picture of her brood.

Cherry Blossom up close.
by Grandma Pearl

 My cherry blossoms never cease to take my breath away!  Their delicate and fancy white petals surround a tiny pink rosette center.  What a lovely cloud of blooms they produce!  These are Nanking Cherries that I planted about ten years ago.  Last year they were held back by a snowy cold snap.  But this year they have recovered nicely.  I should have enough fruit for a tasty cherry cobbler soon!

White Quartz Rock
by Grandma Pearl

I have a collection of white quartz that I have found around here.  This piece that is about the size of a hen's egg will be added to my others.  It sparkles in the sunshine, but that doesn't really show up in this picture.  I have also found some sandstone with mica flecks.

Nuthatch foraging under bird feeder
by Grandma Pearl

I love the little nuthatches with their white fronted tuxedo outfits!  They are snappy dressers for sure.  It's the contrast in colors that makes them so distinctive; that and their 'yank, yank,' call.  Acrobatic and agile, they forage under the bird feeders for seeds, and up and down trees for insects of all kinds.  They are year round visitors here, and always welcome in our neck of the woods!

Grandma Pearl
original post 5/13

 Nuthatches:  Little Devil Down Birds

 Baby Downy Woodpeckers

Hairy Woodpeckers

It's chilly again today, though the sun is deceptively bright.  Looking outside it seems as though it should be much warmer than 28 degrees.  Leftover March winds blow a steady 15 miles an hour with gusts about 25 mph, but the woodpeckers don't mind.  That's the thing with birds, they adapt so easily to whatever happens don't they!

Male Hairy Woodpecker hugging his favorite tree.
Photo by Grandma Pearl

Hairy Woodpecker all plumped up against the cold air.
Photo by Grandma Pearl

This beautiful Hairy Woodpecker uses this swamp birch tree quite often, as you can see by the bark that has been used for insect probes.  It is located not far from the bird feeders, so it serves as a convenient destination for lots of different birds.  I have supplied my woodpeckers with suet all winter long because it is rich in fats that help keep them warm, while also keeping their feathers in tip-top shape.  

Once in a while especially in the springtime, my woodpeckers take a liking to our metal chimney pipe.  It certainly makes a distinctive sound when they begin to rat-tat-tat on it; I suspect the woodpeckers see their reflections and 'attack' the other woodpecker that has invaded its territory.  It's also a possibility that because the sound echoes far and wide, a prospective mate could easily home in on the source of that sound.

I know that lots of people have trouble with woodpeckers banging on their wood siding.  There are several reasons for that behavior, one of which is to call a potential mate to the area.  Another is to actually hunt for insects within the wood siding.  Sometimes an infestation is discovered when a homeowner asks an exterminator to investigate.  If you are having trouble with woodpeckers damaging your home, read my article about Tips to Keep Woodpeckers Away 

Grandma Pearl

 Learn more about 

The Perfect Bird-Friendly Evergreen Plants

Learning Who's Boss!

Young Hairy Woodpecker has made it to the bird feeder all by itself.  However, other birds are quick to shoo it away.  So Hairy retreats to a nearby tree trunk, its old familiar safe place.  As the bird feeder clears out, Hairy tries again, and is quickly rebuffed when another bird sweeps in and pushes it aside.  Back to the old familiar tree trunk, but this time Hairy is rewarded when he/she finds a tasty insect!


Hairy is learning that there is a hierarchy in the bird world that has to be followed.  He/she is also learning that patience can be a virtue.  There's also the revelation that there are other food sources besides the seeds at the bird feeder!  Finally, the bird feeder is free of other birds long enough for Hairy to grab a seed and fly back to its favorite oak tree trunk.


Hairy's parent flies in and lands on a nearby tree trunk, and young Hairy quickly flies over to greet Mom or Pop.  The familiar "please feed me" cry is uttered, but this time Hairy's parent does not respond with food.  The only response is a disinterested glance at the sky. Hairy continues to plead, but is refused each time.  It's a hard lesson, but a necessary one.  The automatic feeding machine has been unplugged!  Hairy is now on its own, and will  have to learn all the tricks of the trade by watching Mom and Pop searching under tree bark and hammering away at probable insect sources.


Good Luck Hairy!

Grandma Pearl
Natural Ways to Keep Woodpeckers from Damaging Your House

Hairy Woodpecker Youngsters

While I was observing the blue jay family dynamic posted below, I realized that a hairy woodpecker family was undergoing the same feeding rituals.  Mom and Pop hairy woodpecker were grabbing seeds from the tray feeder and flying to a nearby oak tree trunk.  There a waiting youngster nervously circled the trunk in jerking motions, while uttering a high-pitched ‘chick’ sound.

The parents tried many times to lure the young hairy woodpecker to the feeder, to no avail.  Young hairy refused to budge from the safety of that nearby oak tree trunk.  It did retreat into the woods further at times, clinging nervously to the trunks of other trees.  Its natural survival instinct is overpowering right now.

As of this morning, the parents of young hairy are still doing their best to keep it fed and happy.  All the while they are continuing the routine so as to bolster hairy’s confidence.

Eventually the youngsters will overcome their natural instincts and become confident enough to approach the feeder and feed themselves.  After all, it took a long time to entice them to leave the safety of the nest they had called home.  And even more time for them to become used to actually flying short distances on their own.

It’s a big step to venture out on your own in such a big world.   As they practice flying longer distances each time, they will find their self assurance and in turn their self reliance.  In many ways, birds and humans share these things in common.  I guess that is why I find wild birds so fascinating.

Grandma Pearl

June 24, 2011
Tips to Keep Woodpeckers From Damaging Your House