Berkshire Landscapes

Columnist Bill Danielson finds the blossoms to be so beautiful, he spares them from his mower's wrath.

In the afternoon, birders congregate at various houses where there are multiple feeder stations set up especially for the hummingbirds. Some birder-hosts have created ponds and pools for avian bathing and drinking. 

A green mulch is a carpet of mingled, low-growing plants that cover the bare earth between your shrubs and other garden features. 

The elusive great kiskadee became columnist Bill Danielson's "vacation nemesis" as he tried to photograph the bird while on vacation in Bermuda. 

When an event strips the vegetative cover from the land, exposing it to erosion and the sun, annual seeds lying dormant in the soil sprout and grow up to provide a Band-Aid.

My camera was readied in the briefest of moments and I was absolutely spellbound by what I saw through the viewfinder. There, in all of its glory, was a white-tailed tropicbird.

Annuals, routinely, are viewed by gardeners as second best — what you resort to when your perennial flowers have failed. That’s a mistake because if they offer unique potential for self-expression and beauty.

During the winter months these lakes are full, a haven for thousands of sandhill cranes, hundreds of snow geese and many species of duck and shorebirds. At this time of year, the trees are dripping with small migrating birds.

When I mentioned the idea that different birds sing different songs it seemed to resonate in the minds of my students. But then, I mentioned the idea that different frogs also sing different songs and that produced blank stares and puzzled looks. One student even asked, “Don’t frogs just say ribbit?”

I learned that by applying a “balanced” synthetic fertilizer for the past many springs, one that supplied all three of the major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), I had poisoned my soil.

The bluet is a magical little plant with absolutely gorgeous flowers. The only thing that might interfere with your enjoyment of these beautiful blossoms is the fact that they are so small.