10 Groundhog Thoughts: Pondering in the Garden of Nutmeg Designs

Margaret Almon's mosaic bowling ball with sunshine streaming across the top and Black-Eyed Susans in the background. Photo by Wayne Stratz

Ten thoughts on Ground Hogs:

1. There is a groundhog, that has not shown itself to me, but Mosaic Woman has seen it dash about a few times. It seems to like being under our porch.
2. Groundhogs dig spending time in crawl spaces under porches; this I know.
3. Typically a groundhog gives birth to six young. That is plenty if you ask me.
4. Groundhogs enjoy eating plants; this is why I don't dig them very much.
5. A few times this growing season, I have filled in/blocked the entry way the groundhog has created to dash under our porch.
6. Groundhogs weigh in around 13 pounds. That is an excessive amount of plant matter being transformed into a critter. But a moose in my garden would be so much more critter.
7. As far as I can tell, our groundhog has caused no damage to our garden. This baffles me. Living harmoniously with a groundhog has me pondering my life as a gardener.
8. I do believe that a groundhog watching me pull weeds and deadhead flowers from under my porch would be baffled... "What is that two legged critter doing on all fours and why is he not eating anything?"
9. If the groundhog looked up as it it dashed into our yard, then it might have the view I had when I took the above photo.
10. Groundhogs are true hibernators as their body temperature plummets to the temperature of the air in the burrow. I respect animals that snooze instead of driving to work on icy roads.

A Year of Birds starts with a Blue Jay

Blue Jay stained glass mosaic designed and created by Wayne Stratz

In the midst of 2014 a few things came together to inspire me to focus on my passion for birds in 2015.

1. On my silent retreat I read a book of essays on birds.
2. I finally bought a bird feeder.
3. I ended the year with making a white-breasted nuthatch

White-breasted nuthatch stained glass suncatcher designed and created by Wayne Stratz

So I hope to be productive in the studio. The Blue Jay returned. The Goldfinch design needs to be grouted; and a brand new celebration of female cardinals has been designed.

And I hope to see 100 species by graduation.

See all my animals for sale here

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday ~> Candy-striped Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea )

Candy-striped Leafhopper, Red-banded Leafhopper, Red-and-blue Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea

 

Wordless Wednesday