Prairie Winds Farm

Today as I peered outside a window, I saw this young hawk resting upon our fence. We have lots of hawks in our neighborhood and I enjoy watching them soar. I have made a large brush pile in order to house wild animals, skunks, snakes, rabbits etc. It sounds awful that I should expect the hawk to find food from my brush-pile but that is indeed one reason that I made it. It serves nature in that it is a home and a food source for wildlife. I had the privilege of seeing the mother of this hawk swoop down and carry off a two foot garden snake to feed upon. She was only a few feet away from me when she made the landing upon the snake. She carried it off dangling below her talons. That was a surprise... Here is a photo of brush-pile.

Here is a photo of a monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus that I raised. Sept. 2009 Planning and site preparation are the two most essential things to do when you want to have a successful butterfly garden. You might want to consider researching information provided to you by your local Agricultural Extension Office, butterfly gardening books specific to your region, or websites devoted to gardening instruction. When you have located the website for your county Agricultural office, look up wildscapes , gardening for wildlife or butterfly gardening and read the informative brochures on line. The individuals who wrote them have experience in the planning and procedural aspects of all types of gardens. Second, be sure you are aware of your specific plant hardiness zone map; you can find one on the National Arboretum Web-site. From there, it will be easier for you to see which plants do well in your zone. Another method of research can be easily found in your neighborhood family owned an...