Fox and Fern Yardscapes

06/15/2026

The green light has been given to kill 450,000 Barred Owls. Sign the petition.

Stop the Kill Plan — Hoot for Justice

06/15/2026

Why would people do such a cruel and inhumane thing? Humans - never cease to disappoint.

06/14/2026

With extreme drought and very little time and energy for me to water, these plants thankfully don’t need much attention.
The catnip has never been happier (silver leaf plant). The coneflowers are popping through the Mexican feather grass, which I do nothing for, and it rewards me with its wispiness and seedlings wherever it wants to.
I planted nepeta and heuchera as some filler, and the sage plants require nothing much from me. I want to add some more tall spiky perennials next year that will tolerate the drought, so I’m thinking about what that might be.
Yoda greets visitors on the gravel path that has now become more feather grass, sheep grass, and blue fescue with some weeds tossed in.
A barred owl parent and its owlet recently visited my deeper birdbath- really means there is little water around, and I feel privileged for their visit to my wildlife habitat.
It’s been over 100 degrees with heat index for the past few days, so I have kept birdbath and critter water fresh, but then I have to dart inside to stand at the AC vent.
I have a busy work schedule this summer, but things will get done, and it’s nice knowing I don’t need to baby these plants.

06/07/2026

This! We moved in on them. Be kind to our wildlife neighbors.

A raccoon in the yard. A skunk under the shed. An opossum passing through after dark.

It's easy to see wildlife as an inconvenience when it shows up close to home. But most of these animals aren't looking for trouble. They're looking for food, water, shelter, and a safe place to raise their young.

The truth is that many species are adapting to landscapes that humans have changed dramatically. Forests become neighborhoods. Fields become parking lots. Natural habitats become smaller and more fragmented every year.

That doesn't mean every wildlife encounter is harmless or that animals should be encouraged to depend on people. Healthy boundaries matter. But understanding matters too.

🐾 Raccoons help clean up natural food sources and carrion.
🐾 Opossums eat insects, snails, and other small pests.
🐾 Skunks help control grubs, beetles, and rodents.

Most wildlife would rather avoid us than interact with us.

The next time you spot an animal in your neighborhood, consider this: it may not be invading your space. It may simply be trying to survive in the only home it has left.

A little patience. A little understanding. Sometimes that's all it takes to make room for both people and wildlife.

❤️ Because the world needs more people who see animals not as nuisances, but as neighbors.

06/06/2026

This all day long, y’all.

You'll rarely find me chasing the crowd. Give me a cozy porch, a glass of sweet tea, a garden to tend, and furry companions to love, and I'm perfectly content.

06/05/2026

Not much going on in my yard. Where I live we are in an extreme drought. All of my trees, shrubs, and grasses are showing it.
I’m going to try the 5-gallon bucket method (tiny holes drilled in bottom to slowly drain) around my old-growth Oak tree. Other than that, I’m watering some. But this will be yet another unplanned experiment to see what lives and what doesn’t.

Each morning for two weeks I had a lone sunflower greet me every morning. It turned away from the sun toward my view from the house. Amazing. It cheered me up every day. The gold finches are now enjoying the seeds. My Mexican feather grass is doing great. The lemon balm is okay, but the catnip is loving it. They are about to bloom and have seeded all around my patio. I have a patio kitty that comes to roll around in it almost daily.

The coneflowers are doing okay if I can keep the catnip from overtaking them. I plan to plant some Nepeta in the patio bed as matrix plants. They are doing great! I’m going to give them their first Chelsey Chop next week for a new flush of blooms. But I’ll stagger how many I cut so the bumbles won’t be without their purple blooms.

I’m very tired. I’ve taken on too much work for this summer, and I need to slow down. Alas, if I want to retire soon, work is necessary before I can retire to getting my house and gardens in order. But really, I’m enjoying the prairie look my garden is taking on. And so is the wildlife. I’ve had more this year than in the last few years. We’ll see at the end of summer how it goes. And of course I am supplying fresh water and bird seed daily.

Best of summer to you. Can’t wait to see your pictures.

05/14/2026

11/08/2025

Nothing like pansies, violas, beautyberry, cosmos, pineapple sage, coneflower, and catnip on a crisp autumn day… Monday, most will fade away with our first freeze. But Yoda “watch he will” over the garden this winter. May the Force be With You this winter. And cheers for Orion’s Belt rising over the chiminea 🔥