| This time of summer is especially peaceful. Birds
and mammals have birthed and reared their young,
many flowers have come and gone, leaving their seeds
for next year and most trees have produced seeds and
fruits. And now there is a rush to get enough food
stored before winter or for the long flight south.
Still, the pressure to reproduce has slowed down and
a certain calmness to the environment seems to
reign. I notice that the pair of robins in the trees
outside of my unit have raised two batches of
youngsters, and while they are active at dawn,
chirping and letting the world know that they are
present, this is nothing compared to the raucous
noise in spring when they were hoping to find a mate
and stake a claim in a certain area. The mornings
are quiet now. The diets of the Robins have changed
as well, from work and insect seeking to fruit
seeking. And they are getting fatter. I have often
wondered just how many ounces of fat a robin uses to
fly sough and exactly how that compares to our more
familiar miles per gallon. A few ounces of fat will
take birds thousands of miles. We can only envy such
fuel efficiency. |
Robin
Info Link
|
Their brains are well-suited to flying.
The cerebellum portion of the brain of a bird is
proportionately much larger than that of a human. This
ancient portion of the brain relays information to the body
as to where one is in space In a human being, and unless a
person has suffered a CVA or other brain insult to that
portion of the brain, can walk across the room with ease
when their eyes are shut. We are able to perceive planes
motion to the front and sides and remain upright and we know
where our arms are in space even without the use of sight.
None the less, even when we take up sports such as
basketball and broad jumping, we are returned firmly to the
earth by gravity. Not so the bird whose brain must be able
to deal with space with no reference point of earth below
its feet. Hence the cerebellum is one of the largest parts
of the brain of a bird. Birds will fly straight and true as
though it was walking on a path on the earth even through
clouds and fog to Florida or, in some cases, all the way to
South America. The natural world continues to amaze me.
| Now I'd like to consider a more earthbound
subject. The container gardens and other flower
gardens are beginning to look a little ragged, leggy
and less than attractive. Fall presents a new season
of container gardening and flower gardening. There
are several advantages to gardening this time of
years. The days are cooler and nights even cooler
making watering a much simpler task. A container can
go days without needing water. The growth of the
plants slows as well so there is less need for
trimming back and dead heading. A good choice for
containers is the cushion chrysanthemum. These mums
come in beautiful fall shades from rust to magenta,
from gold to bronze. These plants are good for one
season and then are best thrown away. The buds don't
awaken to bloom until the summer is nearly over and
the sun is on the wane. The very lack of sun
triggers these plants to bloom. These plants will
sustain more than a light frost. It will take the
hard freeze of November or late October to kill
these plants.
|
Cushion
Chrysanthemum |
| So, too, pansies will sustain frost with hardly a
blemish. These plants prefer the very early spring
and the fall. Pansies become leggy and unattractive
n the heat of summer.
Asters are another excellent choice for fall. The
wild versions of these plants will soon provide
purple and white flowers along our roadsides even up
to the mountain tops. While they will non sustain
frost quite as well as mums will, they will add a
feathery look to any container. Another perennial, a
sedum such as Autumn Joy, will provide color and
variety to any container. Also available are purple
and green cabbage and kale which can provide a good
anchor for a design as well as a unique look in a
container. Cabbage and kale are nearly frost proof
until almost November. Because of the shorter fall
season, the main thing that I think makes containers
look best is several plants packed in together,
especially when several textures and colors are in
one container. |
Asters
link
here for info on Asters |
We, in New England, try to make the most out of our
short growing season. Even if you don't want to
spend the time and money on a new container full of
plants, or new plants in the garden, a few cushion
mums placed on the front porch can provide a lot of
color and beauty to the fall. Have a happy autumn.
It is unquestionably one of our most beautiful
seasons. |
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