Deborah Edwards-Oñoro

Whee!

Just saw a Ruby-throated hummingbird feeding on salvia blooms.

Most hummingbirds have left our southeast Michigan area as they migrate south.

I haven't seen a hummingbird for the past four days.

#birding

"Bats, butterflies and birds skim the air; foxes rustle in bluestem and Indian grass.

This is Sibley Prairie, Michigan’s largest remaining lakeplain prairie—a landscape that exists almost nowhere else on Earth."

https://www.detroitbirdalliance.org/news-stories/just-outside-of-detroit-time-is-running-out-to-save-a-globally-rare-prairie

#Michigan #SibleyPrairie #LakeplainPrairie

A puzzle walked into a bar.

The bartender said, “You look like you’ve got a lot going on.”

The puzzle replied, “I’m just trying to fit in.”

#joke

Getting quotes for removing our last Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) has been a learning experience.

One local company told me Bradfords have allelopathic properties, meaning they can impact growth of nearby plants. Similar to black walnut (Juglans nigra) trees.

I searched, but couldn't find any info for Bradford pears allelopathic effects.

Anyone have experience/knowledge of Bradford pear allelopathic effects? I'm hoping to plant another tree near where the pear is now

#gardening

Today's A.Word.A.Day is ideocracy.

"The line between rule by ideas and rule by idiots really can be one letter wide."

https://wordsmith.org/words/ideocracy.html

#dictionary #words #AWordADay

One of my birding goals for the past few years has been birding in areas closer to my home.

Rather than traveling 15-45 miles for birding.

It's been lovely to discover my neighborhood park is home to over 111 species!

A park you can walk through in 8 minutes if you don't stop.

A nearby library sits among large stands of maples & pines, which I've been exploring for the past 2 years.

I still do some long distance birding, but it's been delightful to learn more about our nearby birds.

Helpful soil temperature guide for planting veggies.

https://www.almanac.com/soil-temperature-chart

#gardening

My Michigan lily (Lilium michiganense,) has sprouted for the second year.

The first year I planted it, our neighbor threw their dog's basketball-sized ball over our fence and it smashed the plant.

Had a hard time recovering.

Last year, it sprouted but didn't do much in terms of growth.

I'm hoping this year we may finally see it bloom.

#NativePlants #Michigan #gardening #Zone6b

"At 440 acres, Sibley Prairie in Brownstown Township is conserving some of the last acreage of lakeplain prairie in the world.

Lakeplain prairie, or a Lakeplain Wet Prairie, is a seasonally wet biodiverse landscape in the lakeplains of the southern Great Lakes.

Less than 0.5% of Michigan’s original 160,000 acres of lakeplain prairie remain, according to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory."

https://planetdetroit.org/2026/04/sibley-prairie-conservation-detroit/

#SibleyPrairie #LakeplainPrairie #Michigan

Saw my first-of-year wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) flower bud in my garden today.

#NativePlants #gardening #Zone6b

Why was music coming from the printer?

The paper was jamming.

#joke

The last three nights we've had freeze warnings.

Moved my potted plants into the garage and covered others that were too big to move easily.

No frost to be seen the last two mornings. This morning, there's frost on the rooftops.

My spouse asked how my latest craft project was going.

I replied, "Sew sew."

#joke

Not good.

Lyme disease cases skyrocket in Washtenaw County in Michigan.

https://www.wemu.org/wemu-news/2026-04-27/lyme-disease-cases-skyrocket-in-washtenaw-county

#Washtenaw #Michigan #LymeDisease

For broccoli and cabbage companion planting (to keep white cabbage butterflies away), do you use mint, oregano, dill, or thyme?

Or something else?

https://www.housedigest.com/2160172/mint-herb-keep-cabbage-flies-away/

#gardening