Originally posted – October 11, 2020
Wild bird sightings – October 11, 2020 – while the total number of birds to the feeders has dropped, there is increased activity in the garden as flowers such as coneflowers and sunflowers have gone to seed.
- American Goldfinch and Pine Siskins – scores of birds feeding on the flower seeds
- House Finch
- Northern Cardinal
- Blue Jay – the blue jays have been more common this year
- Mourning Dove
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Titmouse
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Downy woodpecker
- American Crows
- (House sparrows)
Plants
Fall foliage – Due to the dryness, many of the plants leaves either went to brown quickly or dropped off. A few plants were picture worthy.
The New England Asters are still in bloom, but many of the other flowers including the coneflower and sunflower have gone to seed.
I added a few additional native plants. I focused on the hill area of the yard, substituting in two beautyberry (Callicarpa spp) for two azaleas that were not performing well. I am not sure how this will work out from a size perspective. but we’ll see.
Weather – The weather over the past week has been dry but cool. Rain finally arrived Sunday night through Monday.
Pennsylvania Native Garden Journey 