Plant Sales and Garden Tours Hopefully you’ve been getting in shape and building up stamina during the last few months, because May and June in the gardening world are packed with opportunities, activities and lots of time out in the garden. Be sure to check out all the local garden tours and plant sales. The […]
wildlife
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Get Ready to Get Your Feet Wet!
Leadership. Example. Educate. Stewards. Mentor. These are words you hear over and over when talking with the staff and dozens of volunteers who make Harbor WildWatch the first-rate, local, marine environmental, nonprofit organization it has become. In less than a decade, Harbor WildWatch has gone from one person’s dream to create awareness and sustainability of […]
Posted inBlog, Gardeners Corner
Gardening Happily with Hungry Wildlife
I expect you’ve heard that the only way to protect your plants from hungry deer is a good fence. The deer in my neighborhood illustrate this point perfectly. Before I built my current fence, I kept my treasured deer “candy” covered in black netting. Harvesting strawberries from under the fencing was tedious, and as plants […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
The Secret Love Life of Birds
Birds have almost as many strategies as people do for getting together. Avian mating styles have been a topic of recent research and ornithologists now recognize how subtle and diverse bird partnerships really are. Monogamy: The most typical type of partnership is monogamy, where one male and one female mate and stay together during the […]
Posted inBlog, The Outdoors
Spring Surprises — Shorebirds on West Sound’s Beaches
Every spring, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds moving up the West Coast make coastal birdwatching exciting. Some of these migrants will spill onto shorelines throughout the West Sound region. The headline-making numbers flood coastal beaches and estuaries, but there will also be interesting birds found throughout the “Inland Sea.” Even a handful of shorebirds can […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Learn About Bees, Beekeeping
West Sound Beekeepers Association is a longstanding group of people interested in learning about bees. The members maintain an apiary as well as educational facilities, and meet monthly at Stedman’s Bee Supplies in Silverdale. Local beekeeper Frank Wilson’s story is very similar to other members of the club. “I was at a dangerous point in […]
Posted inBlog, Featured, Gardeners Corner
Dueling Hummingbirds
Even before March arrived hummingbird enthusiasts were keeping an eye out for the first returning Rufous hummingbird. March is the month when these tiny bits of feather and bone return to the Pacific Northwest. They have spent the winter in the Southwest United States and Mexico. Rufous hummingbirds are the most adventurous members of this […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Get The Dirt — On Home Gardening
Gardening Chores Chores is often such an unpalatable word. It seems it’s something people love to put off if they can. But for gardeners, doing chores outdoors is often delightful because it means well-spent time outside, leading to future enjoyment in the garden during the other seasons, especially during harvest. Tackle all the shotweed, a.k.a. […]
Posted inBlog, The Outdoors
Enjoying the Beach and Nature at Manchester State Park
We have to be grateful for this amazing winter weather we have been experiencing. For many of us, this sunshine makes us want to jump ahead to spring! As the weather continues to get warmer, it will be time for people to head back to our local beaches to explore. I would like to highlight […]