by Lorraine on May 22, 2009
If there is one bird in California that could be considered a ”Wall Flower”, it would be the California Towhee, Pipilo crissalis. Those of us here in California have seen the birds frequently, as they are very common to the area. But most of us probably haven’t paid too much attention to them because they are so drab in their homely appearance.
My garden is constantly drawing birds into it to feed and drink and have disputes (Think Hummingbirds) and everyday I’m seeing some sort of drama or just the daily activities they have in feeding, hopping about and flying in and out of the bushes.
Lately there have been two pairs of Towhees and they have attached themselves to the garden because it’s so attractive to birds. But their little habit of kicking leaves and mulch around to uncover insects is messy. Along with the Doves, they tend to rummage around on the ground, kicking up whatever is in their way in their dedicated and passionate pursuit of food.
The sidewalk is littered with their diligent efforts in this regard and every day I need to sweep the mulch back into the garden area. I really don’t mind and I’m happy that they are here and finding food, they just need little brooms to clean up afterwards.
Looking at them a bit closer, I noticed that they are not entirely brown but have a bit of rust coloring under their throats and their voices are a true ”tweet” and I’m not talking about Twitter…. Although I’ve heard them “chirp” as well.
Yes, they are very plain, no color and just kind of a background to other birds who have more going for them. But maybe the advantage to their plain attire, protects them in some way.
I actually enjoy watching them go about their business but I just wish that they would pick up after themselves.
by Lorraine on May 17, 2009
I have somewhat slowly, come to the conclusion the Deena and I put in too many plants when we started the garden in the Fall of ‘07. It can be very deceptive when you are buying your one gallon plants, thinking that it might take awhile for them to grow and fill out.
I must say, that that would be an understatement because they will most definately grow if you’ve done everything correctly. The rule is that when you are laying out the garden, to space them about 3 to 4 feet apart, because the do grow quickly. And they did and now I will have to make some decisions that I would prefer not to do!
I’m now coming to the realization that I will probably have to remove a few of them and I’m loath to do that but if I don’t, the garden will look messy and that’s not how I what it to look.
I’m already planning to dig up the CA Buckeye tree while it is still virtually a twig. Because where it is currently located, will not be ideal spot within the near future. And I have three Ceanothus (Far Horizons) in the main part of the garden, too. And they have gotten to become quite large and spreading.
I’ve started to prune them from the bottom to force their growth upright and hopefully become an attractive small tree and get them under control. Then there’s the other one called, Snowball that’s on the other side of the garden. I’m thinking that it will need more space, too but for now, it’s still small so I won’t touch it.
I’m yanking out Seaside Daisy, Erigeron glaucus, as it has become a nuisance. It mounds and starts to cover every plant in the immediate area. And I thought the Poppies were bad, these cute little plants are monsters.
It’s about 90 degrees this morning and I’ve been tackling this stuff for the last two hours. I’m hot, sweaty and ready for a fruit smoothie.
