2017 deadlines..."I love the sound they make as they go whooshing p...

Those ferns with those leaves!! Gorgeous! Im behind too Lori. I got stopped on my tracks prolongued frosts so my tidy up and weeding wasn’t completed. But it will get done before the bulbs push up.....I hope!

Hahah! ;-) I had a shock when I saw how well plants like it when I don't remove the leaves. Your little bulbs will likely thank you for the blanket! Makes the spring work necessary but I rather like getting out there raking and sprucing in the warmer weather. Autumn is so dreary sometimes that I just don't bother being scrupulous! (did I just admit to that?)

Yes, I can see what you mean Lori. Actually, I have cut back a lot less this autumn and am still enjoying the russet leaves of my hakonechloea grass. The thing with leaving it though is the slugs really thrive, and I hardly ever see a blackbird or a thrush in my front garden....sigh.

Lovely photos Lori glad you got your Hosta seeds love the vine and fluffy seeds grest capture of the Monarch lol perhaps the Woodpecker has a pudding to lol

Lovely photographs Lori, woodie was determined to have his feast wasn't he, I love the pic of the ferns with the leafy protection, looks so much more natural, in fact I deliberately threw lots of leaves onto my new stumpery, when I was clearing my lawn, nothing like your surrounding woods but I'm still pleased with it, I don't like to be too tidy for the winter, too many creatures need protection, I remember the times when I didn't garden hardly at all between late Oct through until beginning of April (pre -greenhouse days) had loads more ladybirds and other friendly creatures in those days, so many struggling to survive these days so like you I try to do my bit to help them. Lovely shot of the caterpillar...

Great idea everyone about leaving all the tidying up for later. Looking out the window this morning onto the VERY untidy bit of garden, there was a Goldfinch on the Teasel heads which I thought had all been emptied and had intended to cut down. Last week there was a Dunnock scuttling about under the leaves of the Montbretia which hadn't been cleared and it's a joy to watch the Blackbirds turning over the leaves which should have been cleared.
Whenever I do clear anything there always seems to be something disturbed, Ladybirds and such, so it's my excuse!
Great photo's Lori, and the Milkweed hopefully will soon attract loads more butterflies. You can keep the deer though as they eat so much! I always thought Rhodo's were poisonous to just about everything, so was surprised that the deer was sampling it. Must be hard for them in your hard winters. Have a good New Year.

Oh Lori, really like your comment about the little bulbs liking their blankets of leaves. For the first time ever we have not cleared all the fallen leaves. They look messy but no way is my OH going to be allowed to go out in the cold. He has actually seriously thought about getting help in 2018!

The birds rather ignore the leafy mounds ; they just sit on the bird table and stare at us, willing us to get more food for them. They really need it this weather.

No deer in the garden yet but OH saw a BIG stag on nearby land. Wonder if it's our little stag. Haven't seen him for quite a while.

Thanks Karen, 3d, Lincs, Honeysuckle and Eirlys!
I was reading through some old pamphlets and fact sheets that I unearthed while clearing clutter in the computer porch/room. Apparently oak leaves are excellent insulation and break down into soil pH modifiers. I also have wood ashes to distribute too. The wood stove has another benefit besides warming up the house!
I've been learning the ways of nature, mostly because the garden is larger than I have time or energy to address it's many "needs"...and every time I think I've fluffed it, I find that nature is ready and willing to step in and smooth over my mistakes or soften the effects of my unintended consequences! witness my pond... and the yellow water iris.
I wasn't sure about the rhodo being poisonous, Honeysuckle...thanks for that. probably accounts for the limited damage to the plant. hope the deer is ok. we don't see them at all... they come in the early evening when we're indoors having dinner ..or in the very early morning (often the coldest part of the night) and feed on the low growth on the cedars. That surprised me as I thought cedars too strong smelling, if not poisonous!? Have yet to do any research on that. The deer are still here and their tracks are everywhere. We also thought that the wild turkeys had been hunted to extinction but last week we counted 23 trouping across the stream and up into the bush behind the house. single file... clucking all the way! I feed the chickadees and bluejays and the odd flock of juncos and redpolls. There are fewer this year than every before. really is a worry. but they come sit in the cedar and twitter and scold until I bring out the good stuff...(sunflower seeds).
Our deer are whitetails... they are so pretty. This past summer a neighbour had a photo of a pair of twin bucks..
yearlings by the look of them, which was printed in the local paper. with the caption that their whereabouts would not be published or discussed until AFTER hunting season. Now that we have snow, their runways are quite visible. The Whitetail Bucks are larger than the does... would love to see one of your stags, Eirlys. Are they Red Deer? not Muntjacs?

The deer of the New Forest are fallow, roe, red and sika. Muntjac have also been seen.

I have to be honest and say that I can't tell one from the other! The little stag was a red deer, I believe. My OH was the one that saw the adult stag. Years ago we had a white stag around. We never saw him but oddly our visitors did.

23 wild turkey. That must have been an amusing sight.

This year have seen more birds around but numbers have fallen generally.

Hi Lori... happy gardening in 2018.

Thanks Terra... Happy New Year!

Our deer have started coming right into our backdoor yard, Eirlys... Hub was out in the shed...and looked up to see a young doe standing about 15 ft away. He flicked his hand as if to salute and expected the deer to bolt. It didn't! behind her were the others in a line coming down the hill and they were intent on the cedars. He waited while they marched through so he could return to the kitchen. Not sure it's necessarily a good thing as they seem to accept our presence and would probably let a hunter walk right up to them. With snow cover we can see their tracks. Also saw the tracks of a young bear, it was just passing through, I think.