Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - 65
SINGING IN THE GARDEN
soggy area in front of my house which I've let stay wild.
It's filled with cattails, sweet flag, marsh marigold, willow
and alder. Red-winged blackbirds build their nests in the
supple stems and feast on leftover seeds. The ditch that
brings water to it is full of crayfish which are a prized food
source for raccoons. Once a blue heron stopped by for a
visit.
I also created a small pond out of a discarded bathtub.
I planted it with rushes and water lilies, allowing muck
to accumulate on the bottom. Salamanders lay eggs there
and I keep the ice on top open so migrating birds can stop
for a sip.
Clay pots turned upside down on top of a few small
rocks near the pond's edge attract toads and keep them
moist and safe. Once, a toad took up residence in one of
my houses and trilled love songs every evening at dusk
until he found a mate, or gave up. I was never really sure
which.
The one thing I learned the hard way is that the pond
is also a pet magnet. My beagle thinks the mucky water
tastes better than any other drinking source on the farm.
Of course this is the dog that also licks up chicken poop
and rolls in dead possum, so there is no accounting for
taste. My cat, on the other hand, is attracted by the frogs.
One day, she managed to snag one. When she brought
it to me, I grabbed a sewing needle and some thread and
sewed its belly shut before tipping it back into the water.
Then I built a small fence around the pond.
In 1984, Harvard naturalist, Dr. Edward O. Wilson,
proposed that humans are genetically wired to love all
that is alive. My wetlands, natural and otherwise, are the
first place in early spring, where animals can find something to eat. But, they are also the first place, after a cold
winter, where I can love on all that is alive. Water is the
beginning of life.
ROCK & ROW
LEXINGTON | BUENA VISTA | ROCKBRIDGE VA
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MARCH/APRIL 2021
65
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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021
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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - Cover2
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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - Cover3
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