Hidden Nests

I am one of those that snoops gently around in the bushes in the spring looking for those secret nests. But, I’m not usually very successful, so one of the things I love about fall and winter is finding those hidden nests that were so painstakingly made and camouflaged so well. I am always so surprised when the leaves fall off the bushes and there they are! How did I miss them?

We walk right under this crabapple tree to get to the backyard. We could tell that birds were hanging out in this spot because of the mess on the bricks below, but the leaves were too dense to spot the nest until the leaves dropped.

This one was in a fairly young Redbud.

A friend needed a nest for a classroom project. Luckily she asked in the early fall so I knew just where to get a perfect one for her. It had been abandoned in a Blackhaw Viburnum.

Then there’s the ones you stumble upon out in the forests and fields.

There’s actually two nests in this shrub. Pretty unusual to be so close together, so maybe one was from a prior year.

And of course, there’s the squirrels who need to nest as well.

Air Plant Terrarium

As I mentioned in a previous post (Blog-Themed Christmas), in addition to my gardening and bird feeding Christmas gifts, I also received a cute little Tillandsia air plant terrarium from my daughter. She went Christmas shopping for me at a very unique garden and gift shop, Alaplash in the North Center area of Chicago. Thank goodness it survived the train ride home with her.

I’ve never owned an air plant before. They seem so easy to take care of that I may be looking for more if this goes well. Tillandsia are in the Bromeliad family and grow natively in South and Central America, and some regions of the southern US. They need bright, but indirect light, and don’t seem to be able to handle direct sun. I thought the kitchen window would be a perfect spot. Now it hangs over the sink and I can look at it and the bird feeders all at the same time.

The care of air plants seem pretty easy. Sometimes this can be deceiving, but I hope not. The instructions say every 10 days or so, take the plant out of the terrarium, spray it heavily all over with a sprayer or faucet and then let them sit out for a while to dry. They live where it rains, so like to get soaked, but not to stay soaked. For more detailed care instructions, you can visit the Alapash website.

Do you have any experience with air plants or terrariums?

If you are in the area, Alapash was named one of the best gift shops in Chicago by Chicago Magazine in 2013. I can see why.

It smelled so good in there, I had to buy one of their fig and ginger candles for my house.

If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit and there’s lots of other cute shops and great restaurants and pubs in this “off the beaten trail” area of Chicago. I’d recommend The Fountainhead and Glenn’s Diner if you find yourself hungry around there.

Winter Visit to the Morton Arboretum

The other day, before the polar vortex descended into the Chicago area, Steve and I went out for a walk and lunch at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. The Arboretum is a real local treasure where we can always find something interesting every time we visit. Today we walked around one of the very snowy and quiet trails, and then took time to walk through the Children’s Garden. Even though we had no kids with us today, it’s a beautifully laid out garden, easy to explore on a snowy day.

You never know what you’ll find when walking around. I’m still not sure who made these beautiful nests, but I’m leaning towards a Red-Eyed Vireo. The nest is pretty small, would fit in the palm of my hand, and was about 6 ft off the ground. Any thoughts?

Once we had enough outdoors, we were lucky enough to get tickets to the last day of the 12th annual Enchanted Railroad Model Train display. It’s definitely for all ages, no kids are necessary to enjoy.

Thanks LGB Model Railroad Club of Chicago for such interesting displays every year.

And of course, the trip was topped off by lunch in the Gingko Cafe and a trip to one of the best gift shops around. Whenever I stop in there, I am reminded that the book “Man of Salt and Trees: The Life of Joy Morton” by James Ballowe is on my “to read” list.

More Grocery Store Cheer

What to do when it is dreary, cold and snowy outside and no inspiration is to be found. Plus the roads are a mess, so it’s hard to get anywhere. Time for Peggy to go back to Meijer’s, pick up a few staples and see what’s in the flower section.

Photos by Peggy (in Michigan)

Sub Zero Window Art (It’s Cold Out There)

As the snow finally subsided, the temperatures dropped and the winds picked up. We went to sleep with temperatures already below zero and that was to be the high for the day. We were at -18 in the morning and it hasn’t become much better.

So of course I had to go out and try to take a few pictures, but it was honestly so cold I could only snap a few before my fingers became painfully cold. That was enough, back inside to enjoy the sun from the warmth of the house. Watching the TV news, it is obvious that not everyone was able to make it home last night. Many highways and roads became closed from blizzard conditions, black ice is making open roads treacherous and the airports are still a mess. Hopefully this passes soon and everyone is home safely.

Outside this morning, the snow was squeaking under my feet and the sun was shining brilliantly. Snow drifts had formed in the driveway and everything had a smooth, wind blown look to it.

Outside one of the porch windows there was this beautiful frost.

Snow and More Snow

The last couple of weeks we have already had what feels like, and may turn out to actually be, a whole winter’s worth of weather here in Chicago. The problem is, it’s only early January. I grew up in the snow belt of Buffalo, so I should be used to this. But, over the last 20 years, I’ve become a bit more used to the weather here. And the weather we’ve had lately is highly unusual both in low temperatures and snowfall. In some cases even record breaking and we I know we aren’t alone!

Storms all seem to be needing a name these days. The Weather Channel has officially named this storm “Ion”. But, really, I find the whole concept of officially naming snowstorms like hurricanes odd. The US NWS Chicago is using #chiberia to tag photos and comments. That’s actually fun since you can easily follow storm reporting from everyone on Facebook and Twitter. Then there’s #windchillmageddon. That’s my husband Steve’s contribution. Do you have a name to add? Whatever the case, this has been quite a couple of weather weeks, and I’m sure this will be a stretch of weather we’ll all remember.

I finally got all my feeders and seed out there just in time. I wish I had already picked up the heated birdbath my mom is passing on to me since she got a new one. I think the birds could be using some spa time. She says hers is busy all the time.

The feeders are all full.

The arborvitae and other shrubs are providing the birds with some winter protection from the snow and wind. They collect in the shrubs, then pop out to the feeders. Back and forth all day, until something invisible scares them off for a bit.

Daisy spends most of her time outdoors staring at the tree…

..and the squirrel quite boldly staring back.

Here’s some more storm images from my yard. Doesn’t look quite as inviting as in the summertime.

As of Sunday night (1/5/13), we’ve had about 8.5 inches in the last 24 hours, and about 21 inches since New Year’s Eve when this all started. The water content has averaged about 8%, making it nice and fluffy snow. While I am writing this Sunday night, the temperature has just dropped below zero with significantly dangerous wind chills. It’s not expected back above zero for about 34 hours. Brrrr. The kids are getting and extra day off so they are happy. Hope you are all warm and safe!

ICYMI Top Posts of 2013

In case you missed it, these are the posts that got the most views in 2013.

It’s a Great Day to be Red! November 2013
Whoops-Giant Zucchini August 2013
Holes in the Mountain Ash September 2013
An Unwelcome Visitor October 2013
My New Rain Boots November 2013
Pelicans in Illinois September 2013
July Garden Photos July 2013
Time to be Thankful November 2013
Visiting a Glass Pumpkin Patch October 2013
Birdfeeder Cams December 2013

and if that’s not enough, here’s the next 10…

Ominous Weather November 2013
New Bird Feeder November 2013
A Little Civic Duty August 2013
Wildlife on the Golf Course August 2013
Tomato Season = Fruit Fly Season September 2013
Purple Beautyberry Bush October 2013
My Michigan August 2013
Hens and Chicks July 2013
Kiawah Island, SC-Overview August 2013
35 Pounds of Tomatoes September 2013

Blog-Themed Christmas

The gifts under the tree this year from my kids definitely had a outdoor theme to it. My daughter has been one of my first blog followers, and even a photo contributor to my site, but who knew my 17 yr old boys paid attention at all? (To be honest, I may have given the boys some hints, but they put their own spin on it)

First, I already get a few gardening and cooking magazines, but now I can add Organic Gardening (sorry no longer in print) to my reading list. I already follow it on-line, and I’m sure it’ll come in handy as I expand my gardening skills and knowledge. Then, they got me a new bird tube feeder, a suet feeder and suet to go with the nyjer sock feeder. I’m enjoying the visits from the goldfinches, but I hope I’ll be seeing more birds arriving in my yard with these new feeders. I also put the feeders out just in time too, with the frigidly cold weather and snow settling in for a while. The cute snowman feeder I saw on the Feeder Cam, also mysteriously made it under the tree.

Luckily we had a couple of days above freezing and I could get this pole moved into the right spot.

Then, I added the suet feeder and moved the snowman to the area. I filled his brim with seed and hope we don’t have any winds to knock him over. This area has the added bonus of being visible from the kitchen window. But, this was the view and as soon as the birds started showing up, I knew there was a problem.

The screens were going to have to go! Now the view is much better! Cardinals, Juncos, a Downy Woodpecker are already visiting. Being at the sink is going to be much more fun now.

My daughter surprised me with a very cute air-plant terrarium from a garden shop near her apartment. I’ll show that in an upcoming post.

Hope you had a lot of fun things under your tree, too.

Happy New Year

As we celebrate the New Year, I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has supported me over the past year as I started blogging here at Stephi Gardens.

So,

to my family and friends who gave me the confidence to start this adventure,
to my early followers who have stuck with me and helped me grow my audience,
to all who have taken the time to offer kind words, make comments or answer questions,
to my family who puts up with all my new projects and picture taking,
to my mom Peggy for all her help with photos and ideas,
and to all my Blog, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter followers–

THANK YOU and I wish you all a very happy and wonderful 2014!

Stephi

Winter Birds

I showed you my mom Peggy’s bird feeders in a recent post (Peggy’s Feeders). A natural follow up is to show off some of the birds that visit her in Northern Michigan in the winter. Enjoy!

Junco