This is the Place

This is "My Place"

I just began a year-long online project, "Journey in Place" with author, Janisse Ray. The purpose of the project is for the participants to create connection and relationship with a place-- a yard, a park, a city or a region. As Janisse explains, we have become "placeless people" who have lost our ties to the earth we live on and the natural processes around us. We will be going through weekly exercises designed to help familiarize ourselves with a place, whether it be a yard, a park, or a region, and form deeper connections. (You can sign up too by subscribing to her "Trackless Wild" Substack newsletter.)

Woodsy Trail

I'm excited about this project because "place" has been on my mind for some time now. In fact, I wrote a blog about this nearly 10 years ago when I lived in Florida. ("A Sense of Place"--click here to read) I now live in Georgia, very far from where I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and after 8 years here, I still feel like an outsider. I have not lived in Utah for 35 years, yet, when someone asks where I am from, I always want to say "Utah". My roots are there. But Utah is not my home any more. Many of my people that connected me to the state have died or moved away. The city and region have grown so much that I hardly recognize it. The Great Salt Lake is drying up, which breaks my heart. I don't think I could ever move back because the place has changed and I've changed. But there's still this familiarity and the memories. The mountains. The smell of summer. The hard, dry dirt. It's complicated. I live in Georgia but I'm from Utah.

Wasatch Mountains behind the Salt Lake Valley (Taken through a window--excuse the glare)

I will never be able to match the ancestral yearning that I feel when I look at the Wasatch Mountains that rise behind the Salt Lake valley in another place. But I want to get to know rivers, stone outcrops and red clay where I live now. I want to know about the rainfall and temperature patterns. Is this a hard winter? When is the typical rainy season? I want to know the plant, animal and insect cycles. I want to internalize the history of the land, the geology and the people. I want to grow deep roots. 

A Snail Eating Fungus

Curled Oak Leaves that look like clasped fingers

Cranefly Orchid Leaf--Greenery in Winter

Fungus rings an old log

My 1st task was to pick "my place" that I'll be coming to and getting to know throughout the year. I've read comments from other participants and some chose the land they and their families have lived on for generations, or their yard, or a river gorge. I decided to pick a recreation and nature park on the UGA campus, "Lake Herrick and Oconee Forest Park". It is special to me because it is part of my neighborhood, but also because of what it meant to me during Covid. In the early months of the pandemic, our city, like many others, shut everything down. The university closed and sent the students home, and they closed the State Botanical Garden, which is operated by the university. The City made the decision to close the parks and playgrounds to keep crowds from gathering. In the early weeks of the shut down, Lake Herrick was one of the only nature areas in town that was open to the public, and I walked there most days. In times when it felt like the world was falling to pieces, I found connection, refuge and solace walking through the woods and around the lake. As things eased up a bit, the other parks opened again for walking because we realized how important exercise and nature therapy were for us. People started venturing out again, and the university opened the parking garage next to the lake as a safe, socially distanced practice space for brass and woodwind musicians. I'll never forget the lonely sound of a trombone wafting over the lake as I walked one morning in December. It was a weird and difficult time.

Barred Owl Watching

Bloodroot Patch

Within our "place" we were instructed to find what I'm calling my "comfort spot"--a place that draws me and where I can come back to over and again for contemplation and reflection and close examination. I picked a spot on a hillside overlooking tall trees, with the lake in the distance. On one of my walks near here, I discovered a beautiful patch of white Bloodroot blooming on a quiet trail. It was like a finding a treasure.  Another morning I spotted a Barred owl perched near the Bloodroot trail. A couple of hawks were unhappy that it was there and made a noisy fuss. Nearby I watched as a Brown Creeper moved up and down the trunk of a pine tree, and across the road Pileated Woodpeckers tore chunks off of a log looking for grubs. I visited this spot the other day and saw a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. It was the first time I'd seen them in these woods for several years and I took it as a sign that this would be a good choice for my "comfort spot". As we say in Utah, "This is the Place". I look forward to getting to know it better. 

Wintery Steam

Mossy Log in my "Comfort Spot"

Looking through the trees at the lake below

Reflections on the Water

"This is the Place" Monument, Salt Lake City

Wild Thing

Blossoms and tufts of green leaves are sprouting all over in our garden. I've got spring fever and want to be outside as much as I can be! I've been cleaning out last year's old growth from the front yard flower patch and realized that I needed to be sure that the seedlings I was thinning out were not from the Georgia Asters that I want to encourage. So yesterday I headed to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, which is just a short trip from home, to take a look at their aster patch for reference. I'm so lucky to live close to one of my favorite places to hike and photograph, as well as a source for gardening and botanical advice!

I think these are the leaves I was looking for

I made my way to the garden and found and photographed what I believe to be the aster leaves so I could compare at home. And since I was already there, and it was supposed to rain in the afternoon, I took the opportunity to try to get some photos of birds and wildflowers. The woods are teeming with color and life, brought about by warmer temps and spring rains. I was just heading off toward a nice trail to catch a look at a heron rookery I had discovered last week, when I heard a wild ruckus from a group of people walking up from that area. Weekends at the gardens are very busy, which is both good and not so good. Good for lots of people to be out enjoying a wonderful nature area, and not so good for people (like me) who are hoping to quietly observe the wildlife. But it's a big place and there is room for all of us. I am always happy to see families who allow their children to explore and experience nature. Quiet observers and rowdy explorers can easily compromise and even share some teachable moments. The kids were hollering and having a great time, shouting "hup, two, three, four" at the top of their lungs as they marched. It was pretty clear to me that the birds and wildlife would scatter for a while in their presence, and I didn't want to lose time before the rain. So instead of heron hunting, I turned around a took a walk through the wildflower garden, which I wanted to visit anyway.

Common Blue Violets (Viola sororia)

Eastern Redbud popping out all over (Cercis canadensis)

Trillium trio (Trillium maculatum)

As I entered the garden, something small scurried up a tree up ahead of me. It seemed too big for a chipmunk but too small for a squirrel, so I followed it and found, to my surprise, that it was a squirrel after all, just a very tiny one. A baby squirrel!

Cute little guy

I wondered if it had fallen out of a nest, but it seemed fully able to climb and scurry away, however awkwardly. It was young enough that it really didn't know what to do when faced with danger. First it froze. Next it scuttled maniacally around in the leaves at the base of a tree, like it had no idea where to go. Then it climbed just a little higher up on the trunk and stared at me. I looked around for upset parent squirrels and didn't hear or see anything. Usually, when I startle squirrels, they scamper to a high branch and screech and bark at me. But this baby was new to the whole stranger thing. He moved to the back of the tree trunk and peeked at me from first one side and then the other. It was adorable. I was having so much fun with this tender baby animal encounter.

So curious!

Right then, the loud kids arrived at the garden gate and were soon rumbling up the path toward me and the baby squirrel. Surely the quiet, tender moment was doomed. But thinking quickly, I stepped back and caught the attention of the three chattering teenage girls. I waved at them and made the "shhhh" sign while gesturing to come closer. They heeded my warning and quietly hurried over to me, intrigued. When I whispered, "baby squirrel" and they saw where I pointed, we became a nature observation team. The young humans and the young squirrel studied each other carefully for a long while. The little squirrel stayed on its tree, about 2 feet off the ground, peering from side to side as before. The encounter generated lots of "awwws" from the girls and parents. Definitely a good nature moment. As they were leaving, the parents and I discussed that it was unusual to see such a young squirrel out on its own and that it had better watch out for hawks. Indeed, there are plenty of hawks in the garden, and a pair of red-shouldered hawks have built a nest a short way up the path in this very section.

Red-shouldered Hawk with a freshly caught vole that I saw in the garden last week

I felt happy to have shared a sweet nature moment with the family, and to have salvaged my own photo op! Everyone was happy. Win! And the baby squirrel stuck around for me to take more pictures. He seemed wary but did not scamper away. I kept waiting for him to climb up high to his nest (wherever that was), but he seemed interested in me and would climb up a bit but then would come back down. Then up again, then down.

Climbing up

Then down

Then back up

Then back down again

After a few minutes curiosity got the best of him and he began inching closer and closer to me. And before I knew it, the little rascal was at my feet, and then climbing my leg! As cute as it was, I realized that this was not good for either of us, and I shouted. The baby squirrel scurried back to his tree, and I knew it was time to walk away. For 1 or 2 seconds afterwards, I entertained the idea of taking him home and rescuing him. But I quickly came to my senses and remembered: 1) wild animal, 2) illegal, 3) pets at home, and 4) squirrel. What was I thinking? So I finished off my afternoon with lots of fun photos and no new mouths at home to feed. Thank goodness reason prevailed. I hope my little furry friend gets a bit more wary of humans and that he doesn't climb the legs of any other people. I also hope that he quickly learns some hawk smarts. He'll need it--it's a wild world out there. But he sure was cute.

Inching closer

Closer still

Ready to jump on me!

Happy Pollinator Week!

I've talked about this in prior posts, but when I moved away from Florida 2 years ago, one of my priorities for getting settled in the new house was to recreate our native plant/butterfly/bird/pollinator garden. It took me 10 years to get the old garden the way I wanted it and I didn't want to wait that long to get one going in Georgia, so we hired a native plant landscaper to prepare the soil, pick the appropriate plants and plant everything. It took a while to find the right location and then to get the project started, but after we had to remove a big water oak in the front yard, this created a big, open, sunny spot, perfect for garden needs.

The yard when we bought the house--trim grass and dying tree

First plantings last June

Finally, last June, the first plants went in. Over the following months, we added more plants as they came available or when it was the right time to plant. And at last, 2 years after moving here, we have everything planted and the garden has had time to establish and we are enjoying the full effect of our new urban nature habitat. It has been so fun! I don't have as much experience with native plants here as I did in Florida, so when the landscaper, Jeremy, suggested something, I looked at the photos and trusted his judgement. This has led to some fun surprises. I never grew Echinacea successfully in Florida, but it thrives here, growing taller than I've ever seen. The Joe Pye Weed was popular with the pollinators last summer, but after a year in the ground, it is gigantic and I can only dream about the butterfly photos I will be able to shoot this year. And the Nodding Onions have been a delight. Then there is the Mountain Mint (Picnanthemum pilosum) hedge along the front of the yard. When Jeremy first suggested it, I was intrigued, but I didn't have much experience with the plant other than with the Florida version I learned about in a roadside wildflower class. But he insisted that I would love how it attracted pollinators of all kinds with its numerous tiny flowers, so I said yes. The plants went in the ground in December and sat low and dormant for months. My husband and I were so curious about how this would turn out. But suddenly when the weather got warmer and the summer rains started, the Mountain Mint shot up and bushed out. About a month ago the first flowers opened, and now we have a buzzing smorgasbord for pollinators and we are thrilled.

Happy Garden

Mountain Mint Hedge

Anyway, that is a long introduction into the little project I did this weekend. In honor of National Pollinator Week, and in fond memory of the people who studied the pollinators in our old yard, I spent a couple of hours and took photos of different insects that I found feeding in the Mountain Mint, just to demonstrate how diverse the population of pollinators in my neighborhood is, and what a difference a pollinator friendly plant can make. We all are aware of the plight of pollinators that we depend on in order for our crops to grow, and yet are constantly in danger due to our use of agricultural chemicals and loss of habitat. If more people planted pollinator gardens and built bee houses for the solitary native bees, it could make a huge difference. Some people are afraid of having bees and wasps around, but really they pose no danger if you leave them alone. I work all the time in the garden next to flowers and bees and climb in close for photos, but the insects don't care at all about my presence, other than to fly away if they feel threatened. We love having so much life in our yard and it just feels good to be providing a much needed habitat.

Here is my "guest book" of the insects I found in the hedge last night and today. I was hoping to see a Firefly, but they were hiding. They have been abundant in the yard this summer, no doubt thanks to the healthy habitat. I saw no spiders or dragonflies either, but I imagine they will make their way to where the food is. The birds have already caught on and I see them scurry in and out of the bushes, chasing bugs and digging for grubs. There are a lot of photos because these plants are indeed popular! But that is the point of this exercise. I am not an expert on bees, flies and wasps, so I can only identify a few. If you can help me out, please feel free to comment. And a Happy Pollinator Week to us all!

Bee, possibly a Leaf Cutter

Leaf Hopper

Tachinid Fly

Furry Bee

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

Green Bottle Fly

Pale Green Assassin Bug Nymph 

This may be a Stink Bug Nymph. 

Small Parasitic Tachinid Fly. They lay their eggs on stinkbugs.

Camouflaged Looper caterpillar that has covered itself with dead Mountain Mint blossoms

Leaf Cutter Cuckoo Bee

Small Wasp

Predatory Stink Bug

Fiery Skipper

Scoliid Wasp

Thick-headed Fly, Wasp Fly

Another Scoliid Wasp

Fly

Mud Dauber Wasp

Honey Bee

Leaf Cutter Bee

Red-banded Hairstreak

Asian Lady Beetle

Bee, possibly a Leaf Cutter

Tachinid Fly

Great Black Wasp

Half-black Bumblebee

Flower Bee covered with pollen

Possibly another Scoliid Wasp  Reader Correction: Probably a Sand Wasp. Thank you!

Gray Hairstreak

Bee with very furry front legs

Carpenter Bee all covered with pollen

Great Golden Digger Wasp

First Monarch Butterfly of the year! (to left of sign)