Gail at Clay and Limestone has a meme for the 4th Wednesday of each month about the wildflowers in your garden. I often like to participate and I hope you will too. This month I am cheating a little bit because I saw a sight I just had to share with some of you that appreciate wildflowers.
While out driving through a mine reclamation area we found a couple of miles of fields full of Queen Anne's Lace. I realize it is an introduction to the States but it has been around so long that most people consider "one of ours".
It was quite a sight. It appears as a monoculture but if you look closely there are some other colors in this mix. A tall purple thing in front and some clover mixed in. This area of the reclamation has been used for cattle grazing and there are farmers making some of this into crop fields.
It wasn't only the plants that drew us here. It is a place where there is enough space unmown and not used for agriculture that there are specialty birds to seen.
This Henslow's Sparrow is one of the most rare sparrows in Indiana. It is actually becoming rare in many places. It needs this type of area to breed in.
While driving down the road we saw at least four of them in this area.
Please excuse the quality of pictures. It was high noon and the bird was really out of range for our little camera.
I was so thrilled at finding such a large cache of these sparrows I wanted to sing along with this lusty male defending his little swathe of territory. Now when I say large cache, I meant there were four of these sparrows that we saw/heard here. You don't find them in many other places in the state.
Grasshopper Sparrow and Upland Sandpipers also nest in this area. We also saw and heard several Grasshopper sparrows, it is a rare sparrow in Indiana too. The Upland Sandpipers weren't to be seen at this time of day. It just means another trip to try to see them.
This goes to show that we need places where the wildflowers can grow to sustain the wildlife that we all love not to mention our selves.
Happy Wildflower Wednesday.
Lovely wildflowers (which I love) and love the sweet little bird ~ great photos ~ ^_^ ~ Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting ~ ^_^
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome. I am glad you stopped by here.
DeleteI love the photo of the grasshopper sparrow singing!
ReplyDeleteThey are sweet little sparrows. They can be very territorial. I have seen them charge the truck.
DeleteI love these kinds of places! They're becoming rare, as you say, but oh so important to wildlife and humans, alike. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth. I was so surprised to see such a large field full of the Queen.
DeleteQueen Annes Lace is lovely, isn't it? It brings back childhood memories. I like the pungent scent and birds and insects must, too!
ReplyDeleteFor sure Sally the wildlife love it.
DeleteI love Queen Anne's Lace and this field of it must have been a sight to behold. What sweet little birds and what an eventful drive! Happy WF Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteThe Queen was holding court this day.
DeleteI've always loved Queen Anne's Lace and until recently, thought it was a native, too. Your post is a great reminder of how important these undisturbed areas are to wildlife.
ReplyDeleteIt also shows how nice it is now days when the mines reclaim the land.
DeleteWhat great capture of that rare sparrow. I'll never know why Queen Ann's Lace is so maligned. It's absolutely gorgeous in this context.
ReplyDeleteDear Lisa - what a sweet bird. It looks just a bit smaller than our sparrows here in Ohio. Don't you love Queen Ann's Lace? It is always a favorite of mine. Hope you are having a delightful summer.
ReplyDeleteAs if the view were not enough, how lovely to see the sparrows. We always thought we'd get better at identifying birds but it hasn't happened yet.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post. How fortunate to find the sparrows. How great to know they are thriving!
ReplyDeleteHappy Wednesday to you ~ ^_^
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that there are still wild spaces for these birds! I love Queen Anne's Lace. I grow the annual ammi, which looks similar but isn't invasive.
ReplyDeleteYou have hit upon two of my favorite things--Queen Anne's Lace and birds. I'm partial to Queen Anne's Lace because it was my Mom's favorite. It makes me think of her. I think it is beautiful. Also, there isn't much I enjoy more than watching the birds at my feeders. I've even made a couple of art quilts featuring the birds. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! All those little brown sparrows are probably my favorite birds to see in the garden. I can't tell one from the other but they're the reason I don't mind the dandelions and other seedy weeds in the lawn. they make good use of the seedheads and make the lawn worth something more than just a place to walk on!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful sight! I have always loved Queen Anne's lace and have occasionally had it in my garden. I wish I had a meadow like that! The little sparrows are a joy to see.
ReplyDeleteSuch romantic images. Wildflower meadows always take me back to childhood.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to see the birds amongst the flower. Such a delightful post.
Yep Frankie is singing Fly Me to the Moon ~ thanks for commenting ^_^
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog. I have enjoyed my reciprocal visit to your blog and seeing the beautiful wild flowers. I wondered about the tick situation since I am at this moment suffering from tick bites.
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