In the thick of it

If you are trying to sell your house, the real estate agent will undoubtedly want the garden looking neat and tidy. But I leave some corners of my garden unkempt and tangled, because that is what nature likes. Here are some of the things that flourish in my thicket, about ten feet square, and composed of ancient lilacs, honeysuckle, a large hydrangea, old wild grapevines, and chokecherries. All of these are either native wild shrubs, or were planted by the early settlers when they built our house in 1810.

In early spring, the bloodroot flowers deep in the shade:

followed by the Red Trillium buds (complete with jumping spider):

The Northern House Wrens arrive, (and will eventually nest, as I blogged recently), and the male spends hours singing very loudly indeed from any available branch.

The chokecherry flowers:

A Northern Cardinal pokes around in the middle then chooses a lookout:

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird finds the perfect perch to dry himself after pouring rain:

A Magnolia Warbler puts in a brief appearance:

A chipmunk rummages in the dead leaves then pauses on the wall to check the coast is clear:

A Chestnut-sided Warbler find nesting materials in the vines:

and rests amongst the chokecherry flowers:

And a female American Redstart just hangs out:

And all that is just what I both saw and photographed in spring 2025.

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