No sunrise to view this morning… A grey sky just became slightly brighter over time. But the birds woke up in turn, and the bees š came out and went to work as usual. This is my favorite part of the day! When I have the whole world to myself it seems… No phones, no demands, just the birds and the bees and some plants to attend too. Sunday morning and Iām in the right place…
Outside, there was that predawn kind of clarity, where the momentum of living has not quite captured the day. The air was not filled with conversation or thought bubbles or laughter or sidelong glances. Everyone was sleeping, all of their ideas and hopes and hidden agendas entangled in the dream world, leaving this world clear and crisp and cold as a bottle of milk in the fridge.
~ Reif Larsen
More coffee āļø
Have a blessed day šš»
Mark C.
I love nature! Rivers, streams, lakes, flora & Fauna… Thatās why today I thought I would share the call of this nesting mother Osprey (fish hawk). Sheās on her nest, feeding her brood. We just happened to be taking some pictures from the boat and saw her on the nest. There is nothing more āZen Likeā to me than a true moment of nature.
Itās Monday! We are leading up to Memorial Day and I Love Ospreys š¦ I hope you enjoyed this little moment of Zen. Have a great week š
Mark Carter
Carterās Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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We donāt get āBIGā snow like this very often… Thank God! So many arenāt prepared for it! Power goes out, heat goes out, no water, etc, etc… I myself even lost one of my main greenhouses from the sheer weight of the snow… But, today Iām gonna try to focus on the Beauty of it all. Much of it from my window š Its COLD out there š„¶
I just thought I would share a few pictures of what I think is a Beautiful, Winter Landscape. The āEntertainment of the dayā the last few days has been sitting in front of the French doors and watching the birds eat the seed weāve been throwing out. Even our dogs are glued to the āTheater of Lifeā thatās just on the other side of the glass.
Enjoy your snow day! And stay warm š„
PS: Spring is Coming!
Mark Carter
Carterās Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.#Ā 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
After work yesterday, we got out on the water to see how the Fall color show was progressing. I Love ā¤ļø Fall š I am blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world and I know it š In a few shorts weeks we will be looking at Thanksgiving š¦ And all the reds and oranges and golden color will be gone for the year… Get out and see it now because it wonāt stay around long… Time flies by šØ
āNatureās first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafās a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.ā
~ Robert Frost
Breakfast š³ is calling me…
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Mark C.
It rained almost all day on Easter Sunday, but it finally quit and the sun came out and the clouds were moving right along, beautifully reflecting the setting sun. You can hear the wind and the birds… I was thinking how quiet and peaceful it was, very Zen like…
Ā I hope you have a peaceful day!Ā
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Just a quick piece of advice from my viewpoint. Stop watching the news! The 24 hour news cycle will drag you down and steal your hope!Ā
Instead, do something you donāt normally get to do while at home.. Do a puzzle! Play a board game ā Read a book š Draw or paint šØ or go outside on the porch and listen to the birds sing š¦Ā
The birds are out in force feasting on seeds, berries & worms š Itās Springtime in Tennessee!
Ā ~ Emily DickinsonĀ
Stay positive and keep your hope. This will be over sooner than later ā¤ļø
Ā Mark Carter
I got out in the gardens a little bit yesterday. It was such a beautiful day! Warm-ish and sunny, it strangely felt like a breezy Spring day… The soil is so soft from all the rain & warm temps & the robins and other birds were pulling worms šĀ out of the ground and singing.
The birds were out in force feasting on seeds, berries & worms š
I took this short video from above one of my Waterfalls looking down the stream as it flows away.
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Our first snow āļøĀ came a bit early this year! Pre-Thanksgiving snow is a rareity in the South for sure šĀ But donāt let it get you down! I try to enjoy the blessings and the opportunityās as they come!
A snowy landscape is Beautiful! Get out andš
Snow is very beneficial for our gardens too! Ā Just a few things that snow does –
Snowy weather brings the birds to your feeders! They come all day to eat, to get a drink and even bathe. I LOVE to photograph birds in our landscape and at our feeders. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
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I LOVE to watch the birds bathe and drink from my pond! The water is like a magnet to birds and other wildlife. But if you really want to draw in the birds – you need to feed them š It’s easy! To attract a variety of birds to your backyard, put a assortment of feeders at various height’s and placements in your Landscape and watch them show up in numbers.
Platform feeders are great! You can use a wild bird feed mix OR just use black oil sunflower seeds. They ALL love them!
Black oil Sunflower seeds are great! Most birds LOVE them and if you buy in bulk they are very inexpensive.
I also love to feed the Gold Finches! They flock to our feeders and sometimes come in flocks that number in the dozens.
Gold finches are one of my favorites! Black thistle seed is their preferred food. If you put it out, they will come!
Even in the Winter when most of the plants are dormant, the birds are still here. They still visit our Ponds and Water Features to get a drink or bathe and if you feed them, they will put on a show.
Birds come all day long to get a drink and even bathe. Try setting up some feeders in your viewing area and watch them flock to the WATER!
I hope you enjoy feeding our little feathered friends as much as I do!
Happy Pondering!
Ornamental Gardening and āBackyard Livingā are at an all time high in popularity. It seems that everyone wants to get āoutsideā and enjoy the simpler pleasures. Nothing is better to me than sitting in my backyard by my water garden and watching the birds and butterflies at play. Many different types of birds visit my garden on any given day and in the summertime the butterflies abound! They eat, play, nest and bathe… and in the process my family and I get to enjoy the gifts of nature.
Zebra Swallowtail nectaring on Milkweed.
Living and Working with Mother Nature
Like ALL living things, these beneficial creatures need certain basic things to live and prosper. This basic list is simpleĀ – food, water, shelter & places to raise young.
If you provide these things, you will see your new friends moving in almost overnight.
I want to walk you through a few simple things that you can do right away to increase the number of birds and butterflies in your landscape.
– Plant some native Trees, Shrubs and Flowers. Using the right plants will provide places for shelter, nesting and food & will add beauty to your landscape! The great thing is, many of the plants that shelter and feed the birds and butterflies are native plants. Most of these natives are long lived, drought hardy and insect and disease resistant.
Ā Here areĀ a few Low Maintenance Plant ideasĀ for your landscape that the Birds and Butterflies will LOVE :
– Put in a Water Feature. Water is the āStuff of Lifeā! We must ALL have water to live. Your water feature can be as simple as a bird bath or as large as a custom Pondless Waterfall, Water Garden or Rainwater Harvesting Feature. The main thing to remember is birds like shallow water for bathing and drinking (2″ to 4″). Think about your overall Landscape Design and get some water in the mix!
Your kids will really engage with a Water Garden.
– Put up some Feeders. Putting up a few feeders will almost immediately draw in some new visitors. Platform feeder are great for black oil sunflower seeds, fruit, bread, nuts and more. Tube feeders and socks are great for Black Thistle ( A Finches Favorite). A large hopper type feeder is great for general feeding and can be filled every few days with an inexpensive song bird mix. Suet feeders are great and you can hang or mount them almost anywhere. AND donāt forget the Hummingbirds! In the Spring and Summer season I have 6 Hummingbird feeders going constantly. I have to fill them everyday ! There are even Butterfly feeders that you can put nectar and fresh fruit in to attract and feed butterflies.
Spread your feeders out a bit around your outdoor living/viewing area. It will give you multiple viewing opportunities and it will give the birds a bit of room to move around. I have over a dozen feeders up at any given time and I just LOVE them!
– Put up some Bird and Butterfly Houses. Some birds require housing to get their attention! Bluebirds and Martins are at the top of the list. Not only do these birds require housing, they are real particular on the placement, color and construction of these houses.
– Martins like to be on a high pole ( 10′ to 20′ high ) in an open area, with no high trees within 40′ to 60′ from the their house! They like their houses painted White too!
– Bluebirds like to be 4′ to 5′ above the ground with a 1 Ā½” hole for a door! They also like open areas within view of their perch for easy hunting and feeding.
If you get it right, you will be blessed with some AWESOME birds that will eat their weight in insects and will thrill you daily with their beauty and grace.
Ā And donātā forget the Butterflies! A butterfly house makes for a great conversation piece and is a really unique addition to your garden.
– Think Green !
Want to help your environment and make your little critters healthier and happier? Think Organic! Pesticides and other garden chemicals are VERY harmful to Birds and Beneficial Insects! Itās not easy being green, BUT itās not that hard either. Try to use some organic alternatives like Neem Oil, Insecticidal Soap, Dormant Oil and Non-Chemical fertilizers. You will notice a difference in the quality of your garden AND in the quality of your life! I guarantee it!
You Can Do It !
Enjoying the abundance of nature is Awesome and itās not all that difficult! In fact, if you do some of these things you will see an immediate increase in the number of birds, Butterflies and beneficial insects in your landscape. These beneficial creatures will make your flowers more beautiful, your vegetables more productive and your Life more Abundant !
Hereās to the āLife Abundantā !
Mark Carter
