

GARDENER IN WINTER
I’m back to blogging after AWOL for a year. With a lot of things going on aside from the pandemic and a full-time job, I’ve been doing easy posting on Instagram instead of blogging. But I do miss writing, researching and taking photos with a camera instead of iPhone. Here I am… With snow covered garden and frigid cold outside, it’s the best time to … Continue reading GARDENER IN WINTER
Happy New Year 2021
May your 2021 be filled with joy and happiness. May you prosper in anything you set out to do. May you and your loved ones be healthy and safe. Continue reading Happy New Year 2021

Raising Monarch butterflies
We had a very productive last summer. We raised and released 48 Monarch butterflies. We took in 50 eggs but only 48 made it to butterflies. The whole process was much more time consuming than beekeeping. To prevent disease, we changed Milkweed leaves and cleaned the nursery tanks daily. Once the last butterfly fluffed it wings out in the garden, a sense of accomplishment and … Continue reading Raising Monarch butterflies
New Year, New Chapter
My annual ritual- watching the New Year’s 1st sunrise. Sitting in the dark, waiting for the first rays of the sun to breach the horizon gives me a sense of renewal and hope. My own spiritual practice, not associate with any religions. Now, I also capture its image too. Here is January 1st, 2020 sunrise. Continue reading New Year, New Chapter

The Resilient Bluebird
A Bluebird family had a hard time this year. They had tried to nest in the garden since April but the House sparrow chased them out of the first nest box even though they had finished building their nest. Then they picked another nest box on the other side of the garden. She, female is the one who does the nest building, finished the nest … Continue reading The Resilient Bluebird

Wrens
This year we have a surplus of Wren families. Both types of Wren, Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) and House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), decided to raise their families in the garden. House Wren is the one who always raise their young here while the Carolina Wren stays with us during the winter then goes back to the wooded areas in late spring. But this year the … Continue reading Wrens

Late Spring
Spending time in the last couple of months on family affairs exhausted me both physically and mentally and didn’t leave much time left for anything else. I retreated to Instagram @petalsandwingsimages as my outlet since I didn’t have to spend time correcting images on PhotoShop. Now, as the dust settled, I’m back. With plenty of rain in early spring, the garden has grown pretty fast … Continue reading Late Spring

Happy Father’s Day
To all the Dads who have nurtured a child on this Earth. Continue reading Happy Father’s Day

Fish Pepper
Another couple weeks and I can start germinating tomatoes and chili peppers inside the house. We live in the northeastern part of the US, roughly USDA Zone 6, so we have around 6 months or less of warm weather to grow our vegetables. If we don’t start the seedlings in the house around the end of March there will not be enough time for them to bare … Continue reading Fish Pepper

Early Crocuses
Spring is just around the corner. This year it seems like winter and spring have been taking turns in our neighborhood weekly. The temperature has gone from below freezing to close to 50F and back down again every week. Our tulips have started to push themselves above ground. I wish they wouldn’t do that. There is at least a month and a half of winter … Continue reading Early Crocuses