Wildlife Spotting

So much progress has been made here on Curve Road, and even though we have so much more yet to do… the wildlife has already started moving in!  The number of butterflies flitting over the property is incredible.  It’s almost like they’re as excited as we are.  We are lucky to have a previously existing wet meadow skirting two sides of our property, where many of these butterflies are flying in from.  They’ve quickly homed in on the plants that we’ve only recently installed, and it will only get better for them as time goes by.  Just a few that we’ve seen recently include painted lady, giant swallowtail, black swallowtail, monarch, viceroy, and great spangled fritillary butterflies!

It’s not just the butterflies that have arrived.  We’ve seen and heard quite a few amphibians at our young pond and wetland, including bullfrogs, spring peepers, American toads, and gray tree frogs.  Birds have moved in as well, taking full advantage of the new trees and fence posts to perch and hunt from.  Killdeer, eastern kingbirds, red-tailed hawks, American goldfinches, eastern bluebirds, and northern flickers are just a few that have been common sightings.  One team member even got a quick look at a wild turkey.

Regarding mammals, we recently found a rabbit nest!  The babies, also known as kittens, were nestled down in the grass, and are all happy and healthy.  They were discovered while mowing, which serves as an excellent reminder to mow high to protect wildlife like this little family.  Even though rabbits can present some challenges at a native plant nursery, we are thrilled to see them thriving on our land.

We really feel that our new location will be a wildlife spotter’s dream, showing why planting native plants and creating habitat is so important.  If you’d like to report your wildlife sightings, consider joining our iNaturalist Project, where you can share any observations you make, at: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/scioto-gardens-wildlife-plant-survey.  Let’s see how many species we can find!

Example Gardens

In addition to the habitats being restored here at the new location, we are planting several example gardens to help inspire our community and show how native plants can be used. So far, we’ve installed two rain gardens that hug the entrance into our sales area, as well as a garden that sits up against our covered porch.  Take a look at the progress!

Barn porch garden bed plan

< Installed barn porch garden bed that will grow and fill in over time ^ One of two raingardens

July 2024 Newsletter