July 5th, 2006

From: Caroline
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2006 8:14 AM
Subject: July 5th, 2006

By now I have taken down all the feeders outside my computer window so I don’t expect to see much going on, but the other morning coming down the tallest tree helter-skelter, pell-mell, head-first was a chipmunk. I thought he would crash he was going so fast but he scampered safely into the weeds. Later I spotted him running along the top rail of the fence with his little tail sticking straight up. I have decided he is the resident clown as he makes me laugh. There were chipmunks around for quite a few years and all of a sudden they disappeared, so I welcome his return.

I was thinking about skunks and how they too should be welcomed. Unless you have a dog that likes to go out at night, they are really useful to have around as they eat only insects, berries and grubs. Timid and nocturnal they will never bother you unless cornered. Woodchucks on the other hand are devils – if you don’t have prime vegetables for them to gobble, they will eat anything else that is just sprouting. Deer come second on the list of devils, as they will eat lily buds as though they were candy. I have lost all of mine and even the top of my rare and precious Franklinia which was on MY side of the fence.

I knew that Hummingbirds made small squeaks as they were feeding but the other day there was one in the house and when I caught her in my cupped hands she made the saddest sound, like a seagull heard from a great distance. The hummers will soon have a treat as my Crocosmia lilies are about to bloom and the hummers will be there all day, drinking from the scarlet flowers. Crocosmias look like freesias on steroids and are easy to grow in this zone if you get the variety Lucifer. Well worth trying. Caroline.