The Ways of Blue Jays…and Others

The Blue Jay family has spotted our feeders. Each day they plop their hefty bodies on one perch or another and munch away. Larger than a robin though smaller than a crow, they have presence. The smaller birds like the finches and sparrows scurry off to settle on our roof until the feeders stop shaking when the jays arrive. Watching from my kitchen window, I am quite taken by these birds.

One morning I took a photo when the Blue Jay was feeding. I could not tell if it was the male or female as they both have the same coloring. I watched for a while until the bird flew off. I put my camera away, prematurely it seems, because when I looked back the Blue Jay was there again and then a male Cardinal with its bright red feathers came along. And then a bright yellow male Goldfinch joined them. There was a bird rainbow right outside my window! I was glued to the sight. I finally ran to get my camera again but they were gone. The Blue Jay returned for another meal later in the day.

The colors and markings of birds are riveting. They add to the sense of the various species. Yet it is more the way they act that defines them. Birds have personalities both as a group and as individuals. Kind of like people. We often identify with groups that have similar interests but act individually within those groups. Blue Jays, for instance, will eat eggs of other birds but they will vigorously defend their own nestlings. People can be adamant about politics but can set aside dogma to help a neighbor in need. I guess we all, birds and humans, show our colors in different ways.

Some general Blue Jay facts:

http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/bluejay.htm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/blue-jay/

For you true birders who want to identify Blue Jay calls:

http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=5

African Violets

My mother-in-law loved African violets. Over the years she propagated hundreds, if not thousands, of plants. She had grow lights above rows and rows of pots. The flowers glowed in various shades of pink, purple, lavender, and blue. Some plants had white flowers with purple ruffled edges, some had double pedaled blossoms. I was surprised at the variety of possibilities that existed. She insisted on keeping the plants small, though I have seen plants that bloomed in twelve-inch pots, diligently removing any stray outcroppings and paring the stems to keep them contained. She was a faithful member of the African violet Society where she lived in Arizona, attending their shows and displaying her plants. Raising the violets was less of a hobby than a passion.

I can’t say that I am as enamored of African Violets as she was, but I have come to appreciate their delicate beauty. I have one plant out of the many she gave me over the years that still survives. It was doing well and then I moved it to another space in the house that it didn’t seem to like as much. It drooped and I thought I would surely lose it. I took leaf cuttings and am trying to resurrect it. When roots sprout I will repot it and return it to its original location. In the meantime, I have a store-bought plant is flowering and makes me smile. I don’t think I will ever be as good an African violet cultivator as Mom was but I am grateful that she helped me to see the fine quality of this tiny bit of nature.

Here is just about everything you need to know about the care and cultivation of African violets. Feel free to share your experiences with this lovely plant. http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/africanviolet.html http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/rg322.pdf

Daffy for Daffodils

I’m daffy for daffodils. When their leaves peek through the crusty winter soil I am reminded that warmer weather is approaching, that spring is about to kiss the waiting bulbs and early blooming flowers into life, and the earth is renewing itself once more. The tall, spiky deep green leaves that defied snowflakes and sudden cold snaps are fuller and robust now. The buds, elongated hints of anticipated blossoms, tempt me to get out my gardening tools and play in the dirt. And now…voila! The daffodils are open. The corona reaches out like a trumpet to herald spring. There is nothing quite like that golden yellow to perk up the spirit.

Of course, there are other colors to delight us as well. There are even miniature daffys, if you prefer. According to the American Daffodil Society there are between 40 and 200 daffodil species and over 25,000 hybrids! The ADS puts out a lot of information about daffodils on their website http://www.daffodilusa.org/daffodils/faq.html and they also have a journal. I learned that narcissus is the Latin or biological name for daffodils but there is no difference.

But there are many things that excite me about daffodils. The color, yes. The early blooming, certainly. Then there is their persistence. I thought I had raised all the bulbs in my side yard to replant in another location but they are back through bulb division that I didn’t catch and I’m glad; they are so cheerful. And even better, the squirrels (I apologize for talking about them yet again) don’t seem to eat them! We don’t have tulips but we always have daffodils. How great is that?

Here is a picture of my daffodils. Feel free to post photos of your own.