We have much to be thankful for in the Cherokee garden as Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Just around the corner from our color bed our future Monarch waystation has been seeded and planted with milkweed and our bird feeders are filled (except the yellow one I couldnt get it open, someone with a stronger grip might try) and the scouts from Troop one from First Presbyterian Church have planted 2 River Birch a Live Oak a Redbud and a cottonless Cottonwood, the latter with much heavy equipment! It was great fun to watch them work. These scouts obviously have great leaders and it was wonderful to watch them interact with mutual respect and encouragement as they learned about planting trees and community service. We were lucky to be a part of the 100th anniversary celebration of First Presbyterian and troop one which they celebrated by planting 100 trees from Up With Trees at schools around town. Also the Warren foundation donated the big Cottonwood which will provide a shady spot next summer. This area south of the school should become a haven for bird watchers so first it must become a haven for birds. The trees will provide shelter and food and a place for birds to perch as they take turns at the feeders. The bird seed is in an ice chest behind a shrub and help keeping the feeders full is welcomed. Also I recently planted a deciduous holly which provides food in late winter when birds are most desperate, when most seeds and berries are already gone and insects are not yet plentiful. I didnt do much bird watching while working on the bird garden but I did notice 2 mockingbirds watching me! I wonder if they recognized the birdseed bags or the feeders I was carrying, they seemed intent on watching me!
Benches, a cone flower bed for finches and a bed of hummingbird plants would be great additions to this area. Lets plan on participating in the Audubon Society bird counts in the future as well as doing our own wildlife surveys.
http://www.troop1tulsa.com
http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/kids
