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blooms for birds/butterflies



I have gotten quite a few responses to my bloom report. (Thank you!) It seems to be a consensus (from various regions in both states), that bee balm is thriving and lantana is lagging. It is interesting to hear about the varying stages of flower across the states. Quite a lesson in geography, really! My lantanas have always died back completely in winter. They usually reach a good size (2-3') by this time of year, and they are under a foot high this year. Oddly enough, the lavendar creeping lantana is fairing better than the others. (And yes, lantanas abhor rich soil! My boyfriend was adding soil amendments to various shrubs around the yard and wasn't aware of this fact. My lantanas have not been the same since!) My grandmother lives right along the brackish Coosaw river in Beaufort, SC; her lantanas do not die back in winter and typically reach about 5-6' high. (I saw lantanas in Trinidad 12' high and wide!)

Saw a yellow-billed cuckoo this evening! (I hear them often and RARELY see them.) I tried to move in for a closer look and POOF -- he vanished. I heard him call again as I was returning to the house. Do you ever get the feeling that they're laughing at you??? Cheshire cat of the bird world, the cuckoo.

Leah

Leah Campbell
Cornwell, SC
faeriemaiden@hotmail.com

"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence." Robert Lynd

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