Category: West Fairmount Park

It blooms, it produces fruit, it dies back, its beautiful branches and luscious leaves left to ruin by the end of every season. We cut it back every year and the next year it grows back again. You can see where we cut off the dead parts.

This one was planted as a small seedling in an effort to keep the species alive. We are successful at that so far. Let us continue this effort – along with all of the efforts of those out there working to save the Chestnut- imagine a world where one species can at one point in time be instrumental in almost destroying another species and then work towards saving and rehabilitating it! As individual specimens of a species, let’s be a part of that! Pretty cool, eh? We can do it!

The Hummingbirds have arrived! This year for the first time we put out a brand new Hummingbird feeder. Usually we rely on our seasonal array of hummingbird-friendly native plants to attract and feed them, but we decided to supplement the plants with a feeder. We filled the feeder with 4 parts water and one part white sugar. For more information on Hummingbird feeding and Hummingbirds in general, please visit the educational, instructional and articulate website of Hummingbird writer Sherri L. Williamson.

O.K. and its up!  Soooooooooo  wheres the Hummingbird? This was yesterday. In and out of the house all day pulling and bagging Garlic Mustard from the adjacent Morris Park, there were no sightings to be had.

Isabelle saw the first one at 7:45 this morning. She was jumping up and down with excitement.

Here is the female one resting on the string of lights in the courtyard. What a better place to rest up after such a long flight!

And here is the Male one doing a strutting exercise. For all youse in Philly is this the Hummer’s Mummers or what? I think this little guy is ready for Broad Street!