Well this is nice...

 

I have enjoyed just an extra taste of Juneuary we got the last few days (after the latest "heat wave" which is largely just "ugh, August weather")

For one, I can breathe outdoors. For another, the plants are happy. We are in fact watering part of our yard this year. Which is a first. But this year is special. This year, we have a fairy garden

Our fairy garden is largely a collaborative effort with the crows. They like to dig up grubs in unhealthy lawns (yes, if the crows are attacking your lawn, your lawn was already unhealthy, sorry). This essentially tills the soil, leaving an opportunity for sowing. I started last year with some packets of clover seeds. They are not native species (gasp), but they are lovely and they are a fuckton nicer than grass. You don't have to mow it if you don't want to and it stay green without much fuss. I really like our clover. 

While filling crow mounds, I threw some extra seeds in the fairly barren area in the front of the house. The clover popped up within weeks and stayed green long after the surviving grass went "apocalypse: last week!" on our asses. 

This last spring, I decided to take it up a level and scattered a mix of wildflower seeds in our next mound. Figured the birds would just eat them all and everyone would still be happy. But, they took!

 

I'm afraid to report to the pollinator garden advocates that many of the wildflowers are not specifically native to Seattle. However, 90% of Seattleites came from California, so why not their pretty flowers too? 

Never fear, we do embrace our weediest locals. In the front yard, we're encouraging the wild beach strawberry to take over. It's been around since we moved in, but seems to have had a resurgence in the last couple of years. Allan and I have been trying to train the vines to find desirable growing spots. I would say it's working. And, hey, they are starting to form teeny tiny strawberries!

Beach strawberry is forming the teenies little strawberry right now!

In the backyard, we've allowed an expansion of the fireweed that volunteered itself in our yard last year. I quite love them. They're gigantic and very flamboyant. I'm told they are pretty aggressive, which is what I like in a "native weed". We do also have the King Edward flowering currant and Oregon creeping grape. They seem to need a little more love than the strawberries and the fireweed. But so far so good (fingers crossed)

Of our wildflowers, several are indeed California natives - clarkia, baby blue eyes, one spot are all a bit southern coast type flowers that do well here. 

Cornflower was introduced from Europe but has long been naturalized across the US. 

California poppy (that cute orange job) actually is native to Washington. Why not, right? 

I've heard this and that about how you need the absolutely nativest of native plants to sustain your native bees and pollinators, but I actually don't feel the research is that clear, having obsessed over it for a while. Sometimes a quick meal is awesome and dandelions are fantastic fast food for all sorts of bees.

 I also have read a ton of accounts of relatively rapid evolution in species with shorter life spans. And I do wonder if that may occur when the predominate flora shifts in an environment. We can hope. But while it's true that some specific non-native plants are not as nutritive for specific species of local bees, they do seem to attract honeybees and other generalist competitors, theoretically at least freeing up the local stuff for the local dudes. So I'll call it a draw at least. 

 All I can say is that we've counted at least 7 or 8 different bee species (Allan has a Washington State bees poster because this is very important) happily pollinating in our yard as well as several butterflies. And we do make sure that there's a little bit of a buffet for everyone. 

What I do know is that a lot of these plants are bug friendly, which in turn is very bird friendly. 

The outer perimeter of our house is buzzing and chirping with life and I'm here for it!

In general the birds are back in force. For a while, they were hidden away nesting, but the babies are all fledged now and squawking along in the trees. It's a very noisy and very cool time to be out and about. 

Not that anything is quite as delightful as a feeder full o' birds.

A pond with splish-splashing ducks is up there. Especially with all the swallows (not picture and never pictured because they are way too fast to ever catch) flitting about. 

We haven't seen many ducklings this week. 

I'm strongly hoping that's because they all grew up and not because they've been offered to the cruel fortune of nature. There are plenty of young ducks in the pond with female plumage slowly melting into male (they all start with female looking plumage and then the males develop their showier plumage later). 

Anyways, it's been a pleasant low-key girls weekend (the Y chromosome is back in California again!) Allan and I have taken many walks, saw birds in expected and unexpected places...

... went to a gallery show... 

And ended up buying an absolutely gigantic book about bees at the nursery downtown. Allan gave me a deep play by play of the first thirty or so pages and has now decided to devote the rest of her evening to Youtube. I'm assuming the book will be ignored for several months until the next evening she can't sleep (at which point she will give a loud dramatic reading of every page until 4 in the morning or so while I feebly attempt some sleep!)

Good times, good times. 

Happy almost-July!