Habitat Hero

My meadow has been recognized as a Habitat Hero garden. Everyone should Be a Habitat Hero.

"it offers an example of restoring habitat crucial to the survival of songbirds and pollinators and meets most or all of these five criteria:

• provides layers, shelter and nesting opportunities,
• offers natural food sources (emphasizing native and regionally adapted plants),
• provides fresh water for drinking and bathing,
• is water-wise and energy-efficient,
• relies on no or minimal pesticide use, including control of invasive species. "

Scroll down to see the post about the Blum meadow on the 2014 Awards page.

Alpine Groundcover

Near Wild Irishman Mine

In the Aspen Grove

Aspen Sunflower, Helianthella quinquenervis, lightens up the floor of the aspen grove. It seems as though the flowers on the long willowy stems are always facing east. In the early morning sun, the lemon color is light and happy!

Helianthella quinquenervis

The Benefits of a Snowy Winter

Antennaria rosea

Eriogonum umbellatum var. majus

Winter Interest

Mahonia repens

Or, just interesting because it is winter and it is cold and almost everything else is a dreary brown, except for the snow.

On the Dry Hillside

Ratibida columnifera

Sunny, hot and dry. The south facing slope down to the road is brutal to plants. The soil is crushed granite, once disturbed by the grading for the road cut. Elk traverse along it in the fall and early spring, browsing as they go. Moose, too. Seeding in early winter is the way to go - I try to time it with the first snow. However, the most creative and fun way to go is to let children throw mud balls made of topsoil and seed down the slopes. We did this with my willing niece and nephew, a bucket of damp soil with native wild flower seed mixed in and the thing that tosses tennis balls for dogs. The Mexican Hats above sprouted from that activity the following summer. It did take a few years for the plants to really show themselves, but we have Penstemon, Gilia, Rudbeckia, and lots of flax now. And, of course, no water but rain.

The Dog and the Meadow

Helenium hoopesii