Domain > nadiasyard.com

More information on this domain is in AlienVault OTX

Whois

Property	Value
Email	n7919g@gmail.com
NameServer	NS2958.HOSTGATOR.COM
Created	2011-06-07 00:00:00
Changed	2016-05-24 00:00:00
Expires	2017-06-07 00:00:00
Registrar	LAUNCHPAD.COM, INC.

DNS Resolutions

Date	IP Address
2025-01-22	192.232.249.156 (ClassC)

HTTP/1.1 200 OKDate: Wed, 22 Jan 2025 13:11:12 GMTServer: ApacheVary: Accept-Encoding,CookieLink: https://nadiasyard.com/wp-json/>; relhttps://api.w.org/Upgrade: h2,h2cConnection: UpgradeTransfer-Encoding: chunkedContent-Type: text/html; charsetUTF-8

!DOCTYPE html>html langen-US>head>meta charsetUTF-8 />title>Nadia's Backyard | Photography and musings about nature, native plants, and keeping the wild in the city.	/title>link relprofile hrefhttps://gmpg.org/xfn/11 />link relstylesheet typetext/css mediaall hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/themes/twentyten/style.css?ver20241112 />link relpingback hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/xmlrpc.php>meta namerobots contentmax-image-preview:large />	style>img:is(sizesauto i, sizes^auto, i) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }/style>	link relalternate typeapplication/rss+xml titleNadia's Backyard » Feed hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/feed/ />link relalternate typeapplication/rss+xml titleNadia's Backyard » Comments Feed hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/comments/feed/ />script typetext/javascript>/* !CDATA */window._wpemojiSettings  {baseUrl:https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/,ext:.png,svgUrl:https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/,svgExt:.svg,source:{concatemoji:https:\/\/nadiasyard.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver6.7.1}};/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t{supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var tnew Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return ert})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){caseflag:return n(e,\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f,\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f)?!1:!n(e,\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3,\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3)&&!n(e,\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f,\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f);caseemoji:return!n(e,\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b,\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b)}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var rundefined!typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement(canvas),ar.getContext(2d,{willReadFrequently:!0}),o(a.textBaselinetop,a.font600 32px Arial,{});return e.forEach(function(e){oet(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var ti.createElement(script);t.srce,t.defer!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}undefined!typeof Promise&&(owpEmojiSettingsSupports,sflag,emoji,n.supports{everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},enew Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener(DOMContentLoaded,e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var nfunction(){try{var eJSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if(objecttypeof e&&numbertypeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()e.timestamp+604800&&objecttypeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if(undefined!typeof Worker&&undefined!typeof OffscreenCanvas&&undefined!typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&undefined!typeof Blob)try{var epostMessage(+f.toString()+(+JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString().join(,)+));,rnew Blob(e,{type:text/javascript}),anew Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:wpTestEmojiSupports});return void(a.onmessagefunction(e){c(ne.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(nf(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supportstet,n.supports.everythingn.supports.everything&&n.supportst,flag!t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlagn.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supportst);n.supports.everythingExceptFlagn.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady!1,n.readyCallbackfunction(){n.DOMReady!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(en.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings);/* > *//script>style idwp-emoji-styles-inline-css typetext/css>	img.wp-smiley, img.emoji {		display: inline !important;		border: none !important;		box-shadow: none !important;		height: 1em !important;		width: 1em !important;		margin: 0 0.07em !important;		vertical-align: -0.1em !important;		background: none !important;		padding: 0 !important;	}/style>link relstylesheet idwp-block-library-css hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver6.7.1 typetext/css mediaall />style idwp-block-library-theme-inline-css typetext/css>.wp-block-audio :where(figcaption){color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-audio :where(figcaption){color:#ffffffa6}.wp-block-audio{margin:0 0 1em}.wp-block-code{border:1px solid #ccc;border-radius:4px;font-family:Menlo,Consolas,monaco,monospace;padding:.8em 1em}.wp-block-embed :where(figcaption){color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-embed :where(figcaption){color:#ffffffa6}.wp-block-embed{margin:0 0 1em}.blocks-gallery-caption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .blocks-gallery-caption{color:#ffffffa6}:root :where(.wp-block-image figcaption){color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme :root :where(.wp-block-image figcaption){color:#ffffffa6}.wp-block-image{margin:0 0 1em}.wp-block-pullquote{border-bottom:4px solid;border-top:4px solid;color:currentColor;margin-bottom:1.75em}.wp-block-pullquote cite,.wp-block-pullquote footer,.wp-block-pullquote__citation{color:currentColor;font-size:.8125em;font-style:normal;text-transform:uppercase}.wp-block-quote{border-left:.25em solid;margin:0 0 1.75em;padding-left:1em}.wp-block-quote cite,.wp-block-quote footer{color:currentColor;font-size:.8125em;font-style:normal;position:relative}.wp-block-quote:where(.has-text-align-right){border-left:none;border-right:.25em solid;padding-left:0;padding-right:1em}.wp-block-quote:where(.has-text-align-center){border:none;padding-left:0}.wp-block-quote.is-large,.wp-block-quote.is-style-large,.wp-block-quote:where(.is-style-plain){border:none}.wp-block-search .wp-block-search__label{font-weight:700}.wp-block-search__button{border:1px solid #ccc;padding:.375em .625em}:where(.wp-block-group.has-background){padding:1.25em 2.375em}.wp-block-separator.has-css-opacity{opacity:.4}.wp-block-separator{border:none;border-bottom:2px solid;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto}.wp-block-separator.has-alpha-channel-opacity{opacity:1}.wp-block-separator:not(.is-style-wide):not(.is-style-dots){width:100px}.wp-block-separator.has-background:not(.is-style-dots){border-bottom:none;height:1px}.wp-block-separator.has-background:not(.is-style-wide):not(.is-style-dots){height:2px}.wp-block-table{margin:0 0 1em}.wp-block-table td,.wp-block-table th{word-break:normal}.wp-block-table :where(figcaption){color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-table :where(figcaption){color:#ffffffa6}.wp-block-video :where(figcaption){color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-video :where(figcaption){color:#ffffffa6}.wp-block-video{margin:0 0 1em}:root :where(.wp-block-template-part.has-background){margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:1.25em 2.375em}/style>style idclassic-theme-styles-inline-css typetext/css>/*! This file is auto-generated */.wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none}/style>style idglobal-styles-inline-css typetext/css>:root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #fff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--color--blue: #0066cc;--wp--preset--color--medium-gray: #666;--wp--preset--color--light-gray: #f1f1f1;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;}/style>link relstylesheet idtwentyten-block-style-css hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/themes/twentyten/blocks.css?ver20240703 typetext/css mediaall />script typetext/javascript srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver3.7.1 idjquery-core-js>/script>script typetext/javascript srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver3.4.1 idjquery-migrate-js>/script>link relhttps://api.w.org/ hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-json/ />link relEditURI typeapplication/rsd+xml titleRSD hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd />meta namegenerator contentWordPress 6.7.1 />script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){iGoogleAnalyticsObjectr;irir||function(){  (ir.qir.q||).push(arguments)},ir.l1*new Date();as.createElement(o),  ms.getElementsByTagName(o)0;a.async1;a.srcg;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,script,https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js,ga);  ga(create, UA-55095105-1, auto);  ga(send, pageview);/script>style typetext/css idcustom-background-css>body.custom-background { background-color: #ede1c7; }/style>	script typetext/javascript srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-spamshield/js/jscripts.php>/script> /head>body data-rsssl1 classhome blog custom-background>div idwrapper classhfeed>	div idheader>		div idmasthead>			div idbranding rolebanner>								h1 idsite-title>					span>						a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/ relhome>Nadia's Backyard/a>					/span>				/h1>				div idsite-description>Photography and musings about nature, native plants, and keeping the wild in the city./div>				img srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/cropped-DSC_0024-1.jpg width940 height198 altNadia's Backyard decodingasync fetchpriorityhigh />			/div>!-- #branding -->			div idaccess rolenavigation>								div classskip-link screen-reader-text>a href#content>Skip to content/a>/div>				div classmenu>ul>li classcurrent_page_item>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/>Home/a>/li>li classpage_item page-item-23>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/about-nadias-back-yard/>About Nadia’s Backyard/a>/li>li classpage_item page-item-388 page_item_has_children>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/>Image Gallery/a>ul classchildren>	li classpage_item page-item-1453>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/fauna/>fauna/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1455>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/flora/>flora/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1465>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/natures-colors-2/>Nature's Colors/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1454>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/on-the-land/>On the Land/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1467>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/scanning-nature/>Scanning Nature/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1466>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/image-gallery/weather/>Weather/a>/li>/ul>/li>li classpage_item page-item-113 page_item_has_children>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/>Our Native Plants/a>ul classchildren>	li classpage_item page-item-2109>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/american-dittany-cunila-origanoides-magic-in-this-medicine/>American Dittany (Cunila origanoides): Magic in This Medicine/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-558>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/aster-sky-blue-symphyotrichum-oolentangiense-autumns-goddess/>Aster, Sky Blue (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense): Autumn’s Goddess/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-785>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/bloodroot-sanguinaria-canadensis-caustic-beauty/>Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis): Caustic Beauty/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-268>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/river-oats-chasmanthium-latifolium/>River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-491>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/blue-sage-salvia-azurea/>Blue Sage (Salvia azurea): Better Late than Never/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-2066>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/common-dogbane-apocynum-cannabinum/>Common Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-357>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/boneset-late-eupatorium-serotinum/>Boneset, Late (Eupatorium serotinum): No Respect/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1677>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/goldenrod-solidago-spp-nothing-to-sneeze-at/>Goldenrod (Solidago spp.): Nothing to Sneeze At/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-984>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/leeks-wild-allium-tricoccum-missouris-little-stinker/>Leeks, Wild (Allium tricoccum): Missouri’s Little Stinker/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-870>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/milkweed-common-asclepias-syriaca-uncommon-versatility/>Milkweed, Common (Asclepias syriaca): Uncommon Versatility/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1107>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/partridge-pea-chamaecrista-fasciculata/>Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata): Pioneering Pollinator Pleaser/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1172>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/pawpaw-asimina-triloba-delicious-but-smelly-anachronism/>Pawpaw (Asimina triloba): Delicious (but smelly) Anachronism/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1369>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/persimmon-american-diospyros-virginiana-tree-of-a-thousand-suns/>Persimmon, American (Diospyros virginiana): Tree of a Thousand Suns/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-300>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/american-pokeweed/>Pokeweed, American (Phytolacca americana): The Jekyll and Hyde Plant/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1805>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/eastern-poison-ivy-toxicodendron-radicans-our-accidental-enemy/>Eastern Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans):  Our Accidental Enemy/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-1407>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/spicebush/>Spicebush (Lindera benzoin): Spring’s Early Gold/a>/li>	li classpage_item page-item-680>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/sumac-aromatic-rhus-aromatica/>Sumac, Aromatic (Rhus aromatica)/a>/li>/ul>/li>li classpage_item page-item-181>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/privacy-policy/>Privacy Policy/a>/li>/ul>/div>			/div>!-- #access -->		/div>!-- #masthead -->	/div>!-- #header -->	div idmain>		div idcontainer>			div idcontent rolemain>				div idnav-above classnavigation>		div classnav-previous>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/page/2/ >span classmeta-nav>←/span> Older posts/a>/div>		div classnav-next>/div>	/div>!-- #nav-above -->				div idpost-2197 classpost-2197 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-insects category-native-plants category-photography category-wildlife tag-enchenopa tag-insects tag-speciation tag-treehoppers>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/12/21/two-marked-treehoppers-its-complex/ relbookmark>Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/12/21/two-marked-treehoppers-its-complex/ title2:24 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>December 21, 2023/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>There is a curious thing going on in our backyard.  /p>p>Well,  okay, there are many curious things in that yard, truth be told,  but this one came to my attention relatively recently.  It didn’t jump out and grab hold of me like some things do—like, say, a Mississippi kite nesting in one of our trees did last year.  /p>div classwp-block-image>figure classaligncenter size-medium>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC9357.jpg>img decodingasync width225 height300 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC9357-225x300.jpg alt classwp-image-2226 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC9357-225x300.jpg 225w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC9357-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC9357.jpg 783w sizes(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Mississippi kite nesting in our sweet gum tree. (But that’s not why we’re here…)/figcaption>/figure>/div>p>This one was quieter and more subtle and only revealed itself when I was attempting to identify an insect in some photographs I had taken.  /p>p>We have a few wafer ashes (em>Ptelea trifoliata/em>) in our backyard, ranging from young twiggy things to one that is quite tall and mature.  /p>figure classwp-block-image size-large>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WaferAsh_015_b-1-scaled.jpg>img decodingasync width981 height1024 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WaferAsh_015_b-1-981x1024.jpg alt classwp-image-2230 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WaferAsh_015_b-1-981x1024.jpg 981w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WaferAsh_015_b-1-287x300.jpg 287w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WaferAsh_015_b-1-768x802.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WaferAsh_015_b-1-1472x1536.jpg 1472w sizes(max-width: 981px) 100vw, 981px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Wafer ash leaves and flowers/figcaption>/figure>p>One of the middling sized ones had many of its smaller branches and twigs covered with white masses that I first mistook for scale insect colonies.  Then I noted that wherever the white stuff was, these perky little treehoppers were, too.  The hoppers were quickly identified as Two-marked treehoppers (em>Enchenopa binotata/em>), with their distinctive double-dash marks on their backs and their prominent “horns”, and a little more searching identified the white masses as a hrefhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1980.tb04800.x>“egg froth”/a>, which serves to cover up the slits that the hoppers lay eggs in and protect the eggs from predators and the elements./p>figure classwp-block-image size-large>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync width1024 height683 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-1024x683.jpg alt classwp-image-2232 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-300x200.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-768x513.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5214-2048x1367.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Two-marked treehoppers and egg froth on wafer ash./figcaption>/figure>figure classwp-block-image size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync width1024 height784 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-1024x784.jpg alt classwp-image-2200 stylewidth:670px;height:auto srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-1024x784.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-300x230.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-768x588.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-1536x1176.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5260.NEF_-2048x1568.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>More Two-marked treehoppers  on a Wafer Ash./figcaption>/figure>p>So far, so good.  But at the same time I discovered that my hopper friends were actually considered to be one of a group of species that are differentiated, not by their looks, distance from each other, or even their habits, but rather by the plants they chose to live on once upon a time.  It seems that two groups of these insects living side-by-side on trees or shrubs of different species, might also be different species themselves.  Enter the so-calleda hrefhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchenopa_binotata_complex> em>Enchenopa binotata/em>  “Complex”./a>/p>p>One of the other host species (there can be nine or more, depending on your sources) is the redbud (em>Cercis canadensis/em>) tree.  Well, guess what?  One of our smaller wafer ashes is nestled in the loving twigs of a mature redbud tree in our backyard, actually in physical contact with it.  The wafer ash had a bunch of treehoppers and egg froth, but I had to search pretty carefully to find any in the redbud.  I succeeded finally, but I could count the hoppers on one hand, and they looked lonesome, they did, standing hopeful watch over a couple scanty patches of egg froth./p>figure classwp-block-image size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync width1024 height676 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-1024x676.jpg alt classwp-image-2228 stylewidth:670px;height:auto srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-300x198.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-768x507.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC5305.NEF_-2048x1351.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Lonely two-marked treehopper on a redbud tree./figcaption>/figure>p>So, I wondered, how could this strange state of affairs come about?  How could several identical-looking populations of an insect in close contact with each other end up on the road to becoming separate species? (In the jargon scientists love soooo much, this is called “sympatric speciation”, I just found out. Now you know, too.)/p>p>Well, it seems, once an insect gets used to living and reproducing on a certain species of plant, especially when they lay their eggs in that same plant, things start happening that aren’t so easily undone.  Plants don’t always run on the same schedule, for example.  Different trees may leaf out at different times in the spring, or their sap might starting running on different timetables and have different types and levels of nutrients.  And on and on. /p>p>“Life histories of this species vary according to thea hrefhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchenopa_binotata_complex> phenology/a> of their host plants. These treehoppers lay their eggs on its host plant’s branches, as well as spend their juvenile and adult life on one plant.  Egg hatching of these treehoppers are tied into the sap flow of their host plants….Species on different host plants have developed a hrefhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allochronic_speciation>allochronic/a> phenologies. This means that species on different host plants have evolved different timing in their life history.”/p>figure classwp-block-image size-large>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync width1024 height667 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_-1024x667.jpg alt classwp-image-2244 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_-1024x667.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_-300x195.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_-768x500.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_-1536x1000.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC4943.NEF_-2048x1334.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Freshly hatched treehopper nymphs/figcaption>/figure>p>If hopper eggs on one tree hatch when the sap starts running, then, at any given time, those insects’ life-cycles will be at a different stage than their relatives on a different host that wakes up sooner or later.  Then, one tree’s population may start mating before the other tree’s population even gets interested in all that stuff, and, since the females only mate once, the local boys have the advantage.  Add in possible nutritional differences and other, maybe unknown, factors affecting life on one plant differently than on the other, and those two hopper populations can start to split apart, even if they can wave hello to each other./p>p>But, hmmmm.  Since males can mate many times, what’s to stop those hoppers from hopping on over to a different tree when the females there go courting?/p>p>Ah, the power of a love song./p>p>Seems like becoming a new species can be a complicated thing, involving different processes and, of course, enough time to happen.  One such process with Two-marked treehoppers seems to be learning new “songs” to serenade each other with—a sort of musical “drift”./p>p>a hrefhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1599876/>Female and male hoppers call back and forth/a> to each other, using the twigs they are parked on as carriers.  Now, we’re not talking transatlantic cables here, but this does seem to work up to a meter or so.  As populations separate on different plants, it seems that, just like with people, language starts to change a bit and so do the songs they sing.  A male hopper that serenaded his way to success on a redbud tree a hrefhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17002943/>might strike out totally/a> on a wafer ash, because none of the ashy females are going to fall for such an uncool line. And if they don’t reply, he can’t find them.  /p>p>Eventually, these and other isolating processes can reduce interbreeding to the point where the genetic make-up of different groups drifts apart enough that mating, even if it happened in the first place, wouldn’t be successful, . /p>p>Love calls from hoppers on different hosts have, of course, been recorded, because there is no such thing as privacy, anymore.  Below are some graphs of the sounds made by males on different host plants:/p>figure classwp-block-image size-full>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Varying_male_signals_that_species_of_Enchenop_binotata_make.png>img loadinglazy decodingasync width425 height481 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Varying_male_signals_that_species_of_Enchenop_binotata_make.png altEnchenopa binotata male calls. classwp-image-2219 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Varying_male_signals_that_species_of_Enchenop_binotata_make.png 425w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Varying_male_signals_that_species_of_Enchenop_binotata_make-265x300.png 265w sizesauto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Cocroft, R. B., Rodríguez, R. L., & Hunt, R. E. (2008). Host shifts, the evolution of communication, and speciation in the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers. Specialization, speciation, and radiation: the evolutionary biology of herbivorous insects, 88-100./figcaption>/figure>p>And here’s an a hrefhttps://brill.figshare.com/articles/media/Supplementary_audio_file_to_BEH_3774/20712457>example /a>of what one sounds like:/p>figure classwp-block-audio>audio controls srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/BEH-3774-Supplementary-audio-file-2.wav>/audio>/figure>p>Here’s another:/p>figure classwp-block-audio>audio controls srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Male_signal_2.wav>/audio>/figure>p>Romantic, hey?/p>p>Our em>E. binotata/em> complex in Eastern North America is a hrefhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5817127/>estimated to have split off/a> from em>Enchenopa/em> species in Central America somewhere around 17-18 million years ago in the Miocene age.  The known members of the complex seem to have been splitting off from each other from about 0.62 million years back, for the ones choosing walnuts to live on, to as recently as 29,000 years ago for most of the rest.  And it still is going on./p>p>Books could be and have been written about this whole complicated process, but, relax, I’m not going to write one here.  I just find it fascinating that Nadia and I can step out of our back door into our little backyard and find things going on with a direct line to other continents and unimaginably far-off times, things that shape and are shaped by everything else in the world.  /p>p>Our humble and messy patch is one tiny place in one tiny slice of time, but it has so much in it, including, in this case, an example of how new species form./p>p>Right in front of our eyes.  /p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/insects/ relcategory tag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/ relcategory tag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/photography/ relcategory tag>Photography/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/ relcategory tag>Wildlife/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/enchenopa/ reltag>Enchenopa/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/insects/ reltag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/speciation/ reltag>Speciation/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/treehoppers/ reltag>Treehoppers/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/12/21/two-marked-treehoppers-its-complex/#comments>1 Comment/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-2197 -->							div idpost-2165 classpost-2165 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-birds category-wildlife tag-behavior tag-birds tag-missouri tag-nature tag-photography tag-wildlife>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/10/03/birds-of-a-feather/ relbookmark>Birds of a Feather?/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/10/03/birds-of-a-feather/ title11:52 am relbookmark>span classentry-date>October 3, 2023/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>/p>blockquote classwp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow>p>“Birdes of a feather will flocke togither.”br>kbd>The Dictionarie in Spanish and English/kbd>, em>compiled by English lexicographer John Minsheu/em>, 1599/p>/blockquote>figure classwp-block-image size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-1024x684.jpg alt classwp-image-2193 stylewidth:665px;height:444px width665 height444 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-300x200.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-768x513.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9225-2048x1367.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 665px) 100vw, 665px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>em>Quiet out here today./em>/figcaption>/figure>p>Sometimes, when I head into the backyard in seach of peace and quiet, I get more that I bargained for. Way back in the day, we began to notice a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/10/07/natures-pauses/ data-typelink data-idhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/10/07/natures-pauses/>periods of quiet/a>, when wandering back there in our mini-woodland was like meandering through a held breath, when the trees were empty of birds and the only noise was the city-rush of traffic off in the background.  Maybe a rustle of leaves, if a breeze happened by, but no chirps, twitters, tweets, or cheeps to be heard.  Sometimes even the usually ceaseless tumble and buzz of insects would pause for a bit./p>p>These hiatuses were, I’m happy to report, temporary states of affairs, and if we waited them out we would soon see a flicker of motion at the edge of vision, then another, then another, until the trees and feeders and watering holes came alive again and the circus resumed./p>p>Sometimes, rarely, careful searching during the pauses might reveal the presence of a hawk, whose hungry gaze enforced a precautionary silence while the raptor lurked, but those times were the exceptions, not to mention the equal likelihood that the presence of a hawk, or wandering cat, would trigger cries of alarm and harassment until the predators gave up and moved on./p>figure classwp-block-image size-large>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync width705 height1024 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-705x1024.jpg alt classwp-image-2188 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-705x1024.jpg 705w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-207x300.jpg 207w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-768x1116.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-1057x1536.jpg 1057w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-1410x2048.jpg 1410w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9393-001-scaled.jpg 1762w sizesauto, (max-width: 705px) 100vw, 705px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Broad-winged hawk eating small bird./figcaption>/figure>p>/p>p>For years, I just chalked these calm periods up to coincidence, thinking that everybody out there had their quiet times and sometimes everybody had them at the same time by chance, like conversational lulls at a house party./p>p>But maybe not./p>p>Turns out that birds aren’t always those independent little flashes of color and charm that they might seem to be.  They don’t always stay true to their own little patches of leafy turf and hang out with buds of their own species. Sometimes they like to party and forage wide—and in groups of several to many different “feathers”, making up what are termed “mixed species flocks”./p>p>I first got suspicious when I began noticing, often in quiet interludes of lazy watching out back, that the calm pauses could end fairly quickly, with one or a couple birds showing up, then more following hard on their tailfeathers, until the yard was active again with many birds of different kinds.  I noticed that the first birds to show up were almost always tufted titmice, followed pretty quickly by Carolina chickadees.  Then came more—including, but not limited to, house finches, downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, nuthatches, goldfinches, and cardinals, among others, depending on season, time of day, etc.  Bluejays and Carolina wrens, sometimes, or robins (not reliably).  /p>p>So, one day I typed “mixed species flocks”, which seemed like a pretty good place to start, into my search engine and, bam!, the floodgates opened, along with my eyes.  a hrefhttps://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Mixed-Species_Flocking.html>Like this/a>, for example:/p>blockquote classwp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow>p>strong>“It is not uncommon to find birds of several species flocking together. One reason may be that such flocking increases the number of eyes and ears available to detect predators and may confuse them as many individuals flee at once. Also a mixture of species can take advantage of different abilities. Just as nearsighted zebras with keen hearing associate on African plains with species such as wildebeest and giraffes with keen eyesight, so nearsighted gleaning birds such as Red-eyed Vireos move in groups (on their tropical wintering grounds) with farsighted salliers like Yellow-margined Flycatchers. The former lose some prey to the latter, but apparently are more than compensated by the latter’s early detection of approaching danger. Similarly, it has been shown experimentally that chickadees and titmice are used as sentinels by Downy Woodpeckers foraging in mixed-species flocks.”/strong>/p>figure classwp-block-image size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-1024x737.jpg alt classwp-image-2189 stylewidth:574px;height:413px width574 height413 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-1024x737.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-300x216.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-768x553.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-1536x1106.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9415-001-2048x1474.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>Tufted titmouse–leader of the pack./figcaption>/figure>/blockquote>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignleft size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9296.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9296-830x1024.jpg alt classwp-image-2192 stylewidth:331px;height:408px width331 height408 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9296-830x1024.jpg 830w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9296-243x300.jpg 243w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9296-768x947.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DSC9296.jpg 1183w sizesauto, (max-width: 331px) 100vw, 331px />/a>figcaption classwp-element-caption>em>Downy woodpecker/em>/figcaption>/figure>/div>p>Chickadees, titmice, and downies!  Wow, did I call it or what? Not only that, but the article (and others) identified titmice as among the leaders of these roving bands.  Considering that both titmice and chickadees have distinctive alarm calls, this shouldn’t have been a surprise.  So, when I thought our yard had just gotten quiet, it was because the party was on the move in other yards around the neighborhood.  a hrefhttp://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?pidS1794-12372013000100005&scriptsci_arttext&tlngen>Some observers found/a> “that chickadee/titmouse-led flocks are irregular in their movement, with no clear pattern of speed or direction. In a particularly careful study of flock movements, Powell (1979) found that flock movement approximated a random walk with a bias toward forward motion”.  Just a stroll through the ‘hood to rustle up a snack!/p>p>Sentinel duty, however, may not be the only a hrefhttps://avianres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40657-015-0023-0>benefit of mixed flocking/a>.  The ‘nuclear species”, like titmice and chickadees, that often make up the core of these flocks also tend to be generalists in their foraging behaviors, searching up and down trees and other vegetation at a variety of heights for their lunch.  Because they disturb insects as they move around, other birds tag along, hoping for an easy snatch./p>p>Also, birds that use em>different/em> kinds of hunting/foraging patterns often scare up prey that other birds who do it differently might miss.  This is sometimes called “a hrefhttps://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Mixed-Species_Flocking.html>commensal feeding/a>“.  A woodpecker or trunk-gleaning bird might scare up an insect hiding under a leaf, which could be grabbed by a chickadee, or vice-versa, and who’s going to miss a purloined bug here or there?  Really./p>p>As usual, though, the no-free-lunch law kicks in.  There can be downsides to all this diversity. Seems that these very active and noisy flocks might not just harvest more food, but a hrefhttps://avianres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40657-015-0023-0>also unwanted attention/a>. It might be that flocks themselves attract more enemies, but the individuals in those flocks are still safer than they would be all by themselves.  Safety in numbers.  But, in foraging, as in war, the ones who plunge into the fray first are also the most vulnerable.  a hrefhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/228496309_Leadership_of_Winter_Mixed-Species_Flocks_by_Tufted_Titmice_Baeolophus_bicolor_Are_Titmice_Passive_Nuclear_Species>Guess who usually takes the hit?/a>/p>blockquote classwp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow>p>strong>“/strong>…strong> we have witnessed that the only species in actively foraging mixed ﬂocks that reliably get killed during hawk attacks are titmice (T. A. Contreras and K. E. Sieving, unpublished data), suggesting that the presence of ﬂocks may be an important ﬁtness cost to titmice.”/strong>/p>/blockquote>p>The high cost of leadership, I guess.  I bet titmice don’t intend to lead at all, but when other birds see them on the move, they decide to tag along for the action. /p>p>As they say, “More research is called for.”/p>p>This discovery was yet another example to me of how there is a huge amount going on “out there” that is not immediately apparent—behaviors, sounds, meanings, patterns. A lot. It was humbling to find out–again–that something I stumbled across with amazement was already common knowledge among folks smarter about birds than me, which is a lot of people./p>p>The wonder of our backyard–and yours–is that behind the veil of the obvious lies endless amounts of interrelated detail that makes up the bulk of what is actually going on, like birds listening in on each other for clues about food and danger, or mycorrhizal networks connecting myriads of plants and fungi into an “internet” of communication, or the unheard (to us) sounds of treehoppers drumming on stems to talk to each other. Endless. Infinitely connected./p>p>They say that any part of infinity is also infinite.  If so we’ve got enough infinity in the small yard outside our door to last many lifetimes./p>p>/p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/birds/ relcategory tag>Birds/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/ relcategory tag>Wildlife/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/behavior/ reltag>Behavior/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/birds/ reltag>Birds/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/missouri/ reltag>Missouri/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/nature/ reltag>nature/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/photography/ reltag>Photography/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/wildlife/ reltag>Wildlife/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/10/03/birds-of-a-feather/#comments>2 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-2165 -->							div idpost-2016 classpost-2016 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-insects category-landscaping category-native-plants category-seasons category-wildlife tag-lawns tag-neighbors>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2022/02/11/the-promise-of-disorder-in-a-winter-yard/ relbookmark>The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2022/02/11/the-promise-of-disorder-in-a-winter-yard/ title2:01 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>February 11, 2022/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p classhas-drop-cap>Here at the front end of February, our yards, back and front, are looking a mite shopworn and forlorn, dressed in sodden grays and browns, rather than the riot of colors they show in spring, summer, and into even late autumn.  The ground out front, and what little turf-grass we have, is covered with leaves—mostly pin oak and sweetgum, with some birch for good measure.  Out back is a mix of maple, oak, ash, redbud, persimmon, and a few more. /p>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignright size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC2475.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC2475-1024x684.jpg alt classwp-image-2040 width676 height450 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC2475-300x200.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC2475-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC2475.jpg 1600w sizesauto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px />/a>figcaption>strong>em>A wild yard in summer…./em>/strong>/figcaption>/figure>/div>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignleft size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716-1024x677.jpg alt classwp-image-2041 width672 height444 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716-300x198.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716-768x508.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716-1536x1016.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8716.jpg 1600w sizesauto, (max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px />/a>figcaption>strong>em>…can look like this in winter./em>/strong>/figcaption>/figure>/div>p>/p>div classwp-block-image is-style-rounded>figure classalignright size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-1024x728.jpg alt classwp-image-2029 width448 height318 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-300x213.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-768x546.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-1536x1091.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5361-2048x1455.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px />/a>figcaption>strong>em>Purple Coneflower Seedheads/em>/strong>/figcaption>/figure>/div>p>This can be a challenging season for the caretakers of a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/15/going-native/ target_blank relnoreferrer noopener>natural, wildlife-friendly yards/a>, because, well, they just aren’t so pretty any more to most passing eyes.  The plants of summer are looking  tattered and bedraggled.  Flowers have given way to spiky seed-heads or just bare stems, often fallen over and tangled. Passers-by who sometimes cross the street in summer to show their disapproval of our rowdy pollinator- and bird-filled premises will now occasionally stop and scowl openly at the messy stands of plant stems and leaf-cluttered ground.  We have signs explaining exactly why we keep leaves down and stems up, but for people that still believe lawns should be modeled after golf courses, our explanations likely don’t pass muster./p>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignleft size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768-684x1024.jpg alt classwp-image-2042 width314 height470 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768-684x1024.jpg 684w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768-200x300.jpg 200w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8768.jpg 1068w sizesauto, (max-width: 314px) 100vw, 314px />/a>/figure>/div>p classhas-drop-cap>If we happen to see folks unhappily perusing our domain, we could, I guess, go out and tell them about the butterfly and moth larvae and pupae likely slumbering in the leaf litter.  We might be able to show them plant stems that are hosting bee nests or point out the goldfinches feeding happily on the seeds of purple coneflowers and other treasures that they actually seem to prefer to the bird seed we buy and keep offering them throughout the cold months.  With our help, they might notice the small birds of various species—native sparrows, chickadees, juncos, house wrens, titmice, Carolina wrens and others, that take full advantage of our clumpy winter plants for cover and windbreaks./p>p>/p>p>/p>figure classwp-block-image size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-scaled.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-1024x525.jpg alt classwp-image-2033 width904 height463 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-1024x525.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-300x154.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-768x394.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-1536x787.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DSC5337-2048x1050.jpg 2048w sizesauto, (max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px />/a>figcaption>strong>em>Leaf-cutter bee nest (Megachile sp.) in plant stem./em>/strong>  br>em>(Cells had already hatched.  FYI./em>)/figcaption>/figure>p>/p>p>We could do all that, I suppose, but we don’t, preferring to engage with the people who stop by to ask questions, read Nadia’s signs identifying the different native plants and, sometimes, tell us how much they enjoy our yard on their daily walks./p>p classhas-drop-cap>Now don’t think that we never do ANY tidying at all!  We do, especially after our milkweed forest has died out above-ground, and its various inhabitants have gone elsewhere (or at least out of sight).  Dead milkweed stems are especially unpleasing to most human eyes, so we pull or cut them, carry them into our backyard, which is protected by a privacy fence, and stack them carefully in a corner, in case they are sheltering insect young, eggs or larvae under their brown, raggedy exteriors.  We sometimes clean up other fallen stems, too, and pile them alongside the milkweeds, to wait for weather warm enough to trigger the awakening of whatever might be living in them.  We always make sure to leave enough plant material to provide cover and shelter in the yard, though, and we leave almost all the seeds the birds like./p>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignright size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783-684x1024.jpg alt classwp-image-2043 width323 height484 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783-684x1024.jpg 684w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783-200x300.jpg 200w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8783.jpg 1068w sizesauto, (max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px />/a>figcaption>strong>em>Milkweed and other stemsbr>waiting for spring./em>/strong>/figcaption>/figure>/div>p>/p>p>Because, you see, we have chosen a different standard of beauty than most yard-viewers have been conditioned to see since a hrefhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Law_Olmsted>Frederick Law Olmstead/a>, born 200 years ago this year, decided that proper urban landowners should emulate the British  upper classes and public gardens and create yards, especially front yards, of grass, a tree or two and a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttps://www.popsci.com/story/environment/first-american-lawn/ target_blank>a uniform landscaping style/a>.  I won’t go into the failings and merits of the conventional lawn, because we have all been exposed to these arguments before, and we have mostly chosen sides by now, I reckon.  But I will point out that at least there is now a competing paradigm that is becoming increasingly acceptable.  Those on both sides of this divide eye their opponents’ yards with varying degrees of tolerance and/or distaste, and sometimes open hostility, but there is now a growing opportunity to try different options without ending up with fines and legal hassles./p>p classhas-drop-cap>We manage our property for biological diversity—life—and not necessarily societal acceptance, although we are always open to suggestions from our  neighbors, who have been tolerant and kind.  We try to maintain the wildest bits behind our backyard privacy fence, where we have things like a dead log or two on the ground, a couple of standing snags, a small brushpile for birds and rabbits, two compost bins, some broken plant pots on the ground as shelters for small things like frogs and toads, a rudimentary rain garden, and so on.  The benefits for us and our “guests” have been many./p>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignright size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771-684x1024.jpg alt classwp-image-2044 width335 height502 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771-684x1024.jpg 684w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771-200x300.jpg 200w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8771.jpg 1068w sizesauto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px />/a>figcaption>strong>em>Standing stump of a wind-toppled persimmon tree./em>/strong>/figcaption>/figure>/div>div classwp-block-image>figure classalignleft size-large is-resized>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782-1024x684.jpg alt classwp-image-2045 width547 height365 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782-300x200.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782-768x513.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DSC8782.jpg 1600w sizesauto, (max-width: 547px) 100vw, 547px />/a>figcaption>em>strong>Small brushpile for habitat and shelter./strong>/em>/figcaption>/figure>/div>p>Nadia and I find quite a lot of beauty and joy in observing the complex messiness of nature across the seasons, as our yard changes drastically in form, color, and content throughout the year.  Plants come and go, with or without showy blooms.  Birds, insects, and other wildlife wander in and out of our lives at will, generally finding something of value here during their visits—food, water, shelter, relative safety, even places to homestead and reproduce.  /p>p>Those under Olmstead’s continuing and considerable influence will see our yard as an eyesore in the the neighborhood.  But, under the apparent ruin and disorder of our winter yard, we have learned to see the seeds of renewal and the natural slumbering of what we have helped to preserve, until the warmth comes again to urge it forth./p>p>/p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/insects/ relcategory tag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/landscaping/ relcategory tag>Landscaping/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/ relcategory tag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/seasons/ relcategory tag>Seasons/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/ relcategory tag>Wildlife/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/lawns/ reltag>Lawns/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/neighbors/ reltag>Neighbors/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2022/02/11/the-promise-of-disorder-in-a-winter-yard/#comments>2 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-2016 -->							div idpost-1901 classpost-1901 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-hiking category-musings category-photography>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/12/06/rerun-men-of-rice/ relbookmark>Rerun:  Men of Rice/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/12/06/rerun-men-of-rice/ title11:18 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>December 6, 2016/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>Feeling nostalgic tonight, looking over our almost frozen backyard, so I decided to rerun this old post from 2012.  That trip was one of the formative experiences of my life./p>blockquote classwp-embedded-content data-secrettogpChKmk1>p>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/01/14/men-of-rice/>Men of Rice/a>/p>/blockquote>p>iframe loadinglazy classwp-embedded-content sandboxallow-scripts securityrestricted styleposition: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); title“Men of Rice” — Nadia's Backyard srchttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/01/14/men-of-rice/embed/#?secretJX95KyTvs4#?secrettogpChKmk1 data-secrettogpChKmk1 width600 height338 frameborder0 marginwidth0 marginheight0 scrollingno>/iframe>/p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/hiking/ relcategory tag>Hiking/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/musings/ relcategory tag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/photography/ relcategory tag>Photography/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/12/06/rerun-men-of-rice/#comments>1 Comment/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1901 -->							div idpost-1885 classpost-1885 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-books category-musings category-uncategorized tag-books tag-dictionaries tag-memories tag-writing>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/11/30/where-the-words-live/ relbookmark>Where the Words Live/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/11/30/where-the-words-live/ title4:13 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>November 30, 2016/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>div idattachment_1890 stylewidth: 1005px classwp-caption aligncenter>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1890 classsize-full wp-image-1890 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7528-001.jpg altAn old friend.  width995 height1024 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7528-001.jpg 995w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7528-001-292x300.jpg 292w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7528-001-768x790.jpg 768w sizesauto, (max-width: 995px) 100vw, 995px />p idcaption-attachment-1890 classwp-caption-text>An old friend./p>/div>/p>p> /p>p>Writing about our backyard requires words.  Lots of them, of high quality.  So I keep a supply of all the best words handy, and, in this house, they mostly live in the book up above, which, as you may or may not be able to make out, is Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary./p>p>It has seen better days./p>p>I bought this particular piece of word habitat in 1983, from 710 Bookstore in Carbondale, Illinois.  I was just returning from a couple years living a more or less simple life in the African nation of Malawi and preparing to embark on the new adventure of graduate school.  I figured a grad student might need words.  I don’t remember what I paid for it, but I seem to recall that it wasn’t much.  It quickly became my constant companion, being carried around in a student backpack wherever I went, even though at about 1565 pages, give or take, it has some weight and takes up space, but I felt lost without it.  Still do.  Now it sits next to my main reading chair and also serves to support my coffee cup or wine glass, depending on the time of day.  As you can see, sometimes it absorbs spills and dribbles and has become warped and stained over these many years, but the words remain safe and dry inside./p>p>It is one of my favorite books.  I seldom run across a word that I can’t find in it, although new tech lingo is lacking (not that I care much).  It is skimpy on word origins, but otherwise pretty darn reliable.  There are, I’m sure, better dictionaries out there, but this one has served me well.  /p>p>It may even have helped save me from injury once, when I was biking to my student office one day and hit a piece of pink Tupperware with my front wheel.  The offending bowl had been lost or tossed and when I ran across it a vehicle was on my left, so rather than dodge and get hit by a car, I chose to bump the Tupperware out of the way.  But it did not bump away.  Instead, it somehow wrapped around the bike tire, making it skid, and I went down in a heap, right over the handlebars, doing a somersault with a backpack holding said dictionary and a full thermos of coffee.  I came up on my feet and reassured a very scared and concerned pickup truck driver than he really hadn’t hit me and that I was fine.  Except for a tiny scratch on one hand, I was unscathed, and I suspect that the dictionary provided just enough cushioning to keep the thermos from bruising the bejesus out of my back.  But anyway./p>p>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7531-001.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync classaligncenter size-full wp-image-1896 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7531-001.jpg alt_dsc7531-001 width1600 height1068 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7531-001.jpg 1600w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7531-001-300x200.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7531-001-768x513.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC7531-001-1024x684.jpg 1024w sizesauto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px />/a>I mark every word I look up, as you can see, making a sort of history of my puzzlings and curiosity.  It is extremely hard to find a page in this book without at least one mark, and there are usually several.  1565 pages.  Do the math.  I think I have gotten my money’s worth out of this old tome, and it’s still going strong.  It’s a long-time friend./p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/books/ relcategory tag>Books/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/musings/ relcategory tag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/uncategorized/ relcategory tag>Uncategorized/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/books/ reltag>Books/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/dictionaries/ reltag>Dictionaries/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/memories/ reltag>Memories/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/writing/ reltag>Writing/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/11/30/where-the-words-live/#comments>8 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1885 -->							div idpost-1848 classpost-1848 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-gardening category-landscaping category-musings category-native-plants category-society category-uncategorized category-wildlife tag-birds tag-gardening tag-insects tag-landscapes tag-missouri tag-musings tag-hative-plants tag-nature tag-plants tag-pollinators tag-wildflowers tag-wildlife tag-yard-work>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/15/going-native/ relbookmark>Going Native/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/15/going-native/ title9:53 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>October 15, 2016/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>div idattachment_1870 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PICT3462.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1870 classwp-image-1870 size-full srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PICT3462.jpg altKONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA width800 height558 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PICT3462.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PICT3462-300x209.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PICT3462-768x536.jpg 768w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1870 classwp-caption-text>A view from the front (with purple coneflowers and more)./p>/div>/p>p>Our yard—front and back—is a curious place, located at a cultural and environmental crossroads.  Depending on one’s point of view, our yard is a treasure, an eyesore, an oasis of biological diversity, a blight on the neighborhood, something to be celebrated in the local press (this has happened), or something to be reported to the local authorities for code violations (this has also happened)./p>p>Ah, the times they are a’changin’, but sometimes it feels like they are a’changin’ awful slow./p>p>The decision to dedicate a yard to native plants, rather than turf-grass, is a decision with many facets.  One the one hand, we have said goodbye to fertilizers, frequent waterings, hours of mowing, soil aeration and those little yellow signs informing the world that our yard is a toxic place after being treated for weeds and/or critters.  On the other hand, we have said hello to lots of variety in plant, insect, bird and other life.  We have greeted a different type of yard maintenance, as a switch occurred from encouraging one kind of plant to grow so we could mow it, to keeping exuberant growth from taking over completely.  There is a loss of control involved in letting natives do their thing.  Indeed, that is a big part of the fun, but a native yard is NOT a maintenance-free yard, at least in the city, and if anyone says it is they don’t have one.  The truth of the matter is that we spend more hours working in our native yard than we ever did in our turf-grass.  The good news is that we enjoy it way more./p>p>And that’s one cool thing about our yard full of natives—we spend a lot of time out there, because, well, there’s a lot to see and do, what with about 150-plus Missouri native plants (aka “weeds” to some) and their associated retinues of pollinators and other inhabitants (aka “bugs and pests” to some)./p>p>div idattachment_1877 stylewidth: 310px classwp-caption alignright>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0015.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1877 classwp-image-1877 size-medium srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0015-300x215.jpg altNadia taking yard notes. width300 height215 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0015-300x215.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0015-768x551.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0015.jpg 800w sizesauto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1877 classwp-caption-text>Nadia taking yard notes./p>/div>/p>p>Part of that time is spent thinning and pruning, but more is spent watching and recording, as life marches along its seasonal route and old friends come and go./p>p>This is in stark contrast to almost everywhere else within walking distance in our part of town, where it is extremely unusual to see anybody out in their yards at all, unless they are mowing, and even that is more and more done by lawn service professionals.  We can literally walk a couple miles along the surrounding streets and not see another soul, except for people in cars and other walkers on the sidewalks, even on weekends.  The yards appear deserted (but well kept!).  An visitor from another planet could be excused for thinking that this region was uninhabited, except for the streets and sidewalks./p>p>The decision to go native takes, or should take, some thought.  It may not even be an option for those living under the wise and benevolent protection of a homeowner’s association, where every detail of what a yard is may be specified in excruciating legalese.  But barring that, there are still considerations./p>p>We, for example, live in a nice, conventional neighborhood with green , well-kept lawns all around, which is to say our yard sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb.  Fortunately, we have tolerant neighbors who are truly nice people, and we live in a city with a fair amount of tolerance of its own.  This is not to say that all of our neighbors LIKE our yard, but they do accept it gracefully and remain friendly, and this is a wonderful thing for which we are grateful./p>p>div idattachment_1866 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0028.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1866 classwp-image-1866 size-full srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0028.jpg altA view in the back. Theres a rain garden in there somewhere. width800 height547 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0028.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0028-300x205.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0028-768x525.jpg 768w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1866 classwp-caption-text>A view in the back. There’s a rain garden in there somewhere./p>/div>/p>p>There is a dynamic that must take place when “cultures” collide, of course.  As members of a neighborhood, we must be aware of such things as property values—our neighbors’ more than our own, truth be told.  If our native yard becomes too “weedy”, for example, it might signal to potential buyers that we are bad neighbors, or maybe they just don’t want to see our kind of landscaping outside their windows. This can have a real effect on the finances of nearby friends trying to sell their property.  The perception of “weediness” varies, of course, along a continuum, dependent upon the viewer.  Our yard may sometimes push the boundaries for many people—or not.  Hard to tell./p>p>There are other practical considerations, too.  If moles, for example, show up in our little ecosystem, they will certainly not pay much attention to property lines, digging their way happily over to the neighbors’ lawns and doing their probably unwelcome thing.  How do we deal with this in a critter-friendly, non-toxic yard?  Do we have a responsibility or liability for damage to other people’s lawn?  Dialogue might be in order, including perhaps an offer to help pay keep them under control on adjacent property./p>p>Also, there might be times when neighbors want to use herbicides and pesticides on their own yards, as they have every right to do.  Sometimes drift happens and some of our natives suffer or even die.  What to do?  I advise tolerance and willingness to accept some compromises for the sake of peace and harmony.  After all, they may have to deal with our plants and fauna spreading into their territory, and a little understanding on both sides goes a long way.  Fencing may be called for—a hrefhttps://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44266>just ask Robert Frost/a>./p>p>Native yards have other issues which may contribute to culture shock in the ‘hood.  A yard full of natives can be gorgeous when in full bloom, filled with blossoms and alive with butterflies, bees and birds.  But when the flowering stage is done for many plants, they may not seem so attractive to passers-by.  They may look weedy and unkempt, and in point of fact, they probably will.  But the neighbors’ yards will still look tended and neat.  Their plants look perfect, unchewed and whole, because nothing eats them.  They are pretty because they are purposely unpalatable to the local wildlife.  Ours are breakfast, lunch, dinner and housing.  They are paying taxes to the neighborhood ecology, and they can get pretty shopworn after a while.   Hmmmm…../p>p>div idattachment_1863 stylewidth: 310px classwp-caption alignleft>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC1093.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1863 classwp-image-1863 size-medium srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC1093-300x227.jpg altDamage from broom moth caterpillars. width300 height227 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC1093-300x227.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC1093-768x581.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC1093.jpg 800w sizesauto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1863 classwp-caption-text>Damage from broom moth caterpillars./p>/div>/p>p>Another thing—not everyone appreciates the abundant wildlife that accompanies native plantings, meaning mostly insects and birds, but also including squirrels, rabbits, amphibians, spiders, lizards, turtles and other citizens of the untamed world./p>p>div idattachment_1862 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption alignleft>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0013.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1862 classwp-image-1862 size-full srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0013.jpg altA visiting possum. Probably eating persimmons. width800 height744 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0013.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0013-300x279.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC0013-768x714.jpg 768w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1862 classwp-caption-text>A visiting possum. Probably eating persimmons./p>/div>/p>p>People passing by on the sidewalk can be intimidated by the sight of myriads of bees and wasps that hang out on the flowers, even though Nadia and I mingle with them on a daily basis, often at very close distances, and have em>never/em> been stung or bothered by them./p>p>div idattachment_1868 stylewidth: 310px classwp-caption alignright>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0094.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1868 classwp-image-1868 size-medium srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0094-300x181.jpg altGolden digger wasp. width300 height181 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0094-300x181.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0094-768x464.jpg 768w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0094.jpg 800w sizesauto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1868 classwp-caption-text>Golden digger wasp./p>/div>/p>p>Not everybody is convinced that leaving them alone will assure that they will leave you alone.  What I mean is, not everybody is fond of bugs and critters.  Some folks are downright disgusted and/or scared by them./p>p>What to do?  Nature is untidy.  Nature doesn’t much care what the neighbors think or what the city regulations are.  We have to do that part.  So far we have not had mobs with torches and pitchforks rioting in our front yard, so we hope we’re walking an acceptable line, especially when we see walkers stop often and explore the plants, reading our labels and enjoying our little ecosystem.  This seems to happen on a regular and increasing basis, and it’s fun and rewarding to talk with the passersby who like this sort of yard./p>p>We like our yard, too, and interact with it daily.  It can be hard to control and is often a lot of work, but, for us, the benefits are many. For us, it is an endlessly fascinating, always evolving, sometimes almost mystical, place.  We’re keeping it./p>p>div idattachment_1876 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0180.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1876 classwp-image-1876 size-full srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0180.jpg altA mystical place. width800 height536 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0180.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0180-300x201.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DSC_0180-768x515.jpg 768w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1876 classwp-caption-text>A mystical place./p>/div>/p>p> /p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/gardening/ relcategory tag>Gardening/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/landscaping/ relcategory tag>Landscaping/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/musings/ relcategory tag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/ relcategory tag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/society/ relcategory tag>Society/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/uncategorized/ relcategory tag>Uncategorized/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/ relcategory tag>Wildlife/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/birds/ reltag>Birds/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/gardening/ reltag>Gardening/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/insects/ reltag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/landscapes/ reltag>Landscapes/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/missouri/ reltag>Missouri/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/musings/ reltag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/hative-plants/ reltag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/nature/ reltag>nature/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/plants/ reltag>Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/pollinators/ reltag>Pollinators/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/wildflowers/ reltag>Wildflowers/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/wildlife/ reltag>Wildlife/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/yard-work/ reltag>Yard work/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/15/going-native/#comments>10 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1848 -->							div idpost-1786 classpost-1786 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-cooking category-native-edibles category-foraging category-native-plants category-photography category-recipes tag-cooking tag-food tag-gardening tag-native-edibles-2 tag-hative-plants tag-photography tag-recipes>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/06/17/backyard-gooseberries-are-saucy-little-things/ relbookmark>Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/06/17/backyard-gooseberries-are-saucy-little-things/ title4:48 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>June 17, 2015/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>The gooseberries in our backyard try to get our attention with their tart little green offerings every year in the mid- to waning days of spring, but mostly they end up being overlooked as contributors to our partly wild larder.  Why?  Mainly because I could never get enthusiastic about the taste, which is mostly just tart.  I’ve tried letting the berries ripen past the green stage into their ruddier maturity, which tones down the tartness a bit, but doesn’t seem to replace it with anything better./p>p>div idattachment_1795 stylewidth: 650px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5879.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1795 classsize-large wp-image-1795 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5879-691x1024.jpg altGooseberries (Ribes missouriense) width640 height948 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5879-691x1024.jpg 691w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5879-203x300.jpg 203w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5879.jpg 1080w sizesauto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1795 classwp-caption-text>Gooseberries ready for the picking!/p>/div>/p>p>These are not, in my book at least, munching-off-the-bush berries.  Something must be done to them.  In most recipes that seems to involve copious amounts of sugar and calling it pie filling or pudding, which gives a sweet-sour contrast that can be really tasty (ah, the rhubarb puddings of my youth!), but that never seemed to tempt me enough to get moving./p>p>This year, however, Nadia came home with a small supply of gooseberries from somewhere else, so I determined to figure out something to do with them other than making sugar bombs out of them.  I set out to do some research and expand my gooseberry horizons, as it were, and found that there really are a few things to do besides pastries, puddings, jams and preserves./p>p>In particular aa hrefhttp://www.food.com/recipe/gooseberry-ketchup-314061 target_blank> recipe I found online/a> for gooseberry ketchup caught my attention.  It was easy and fast, with a short list of ingredients.  Great place to start!   So I marched out the back door and harvested more berries from our own bushes and got to work.  Mind the stickers!/p>p>div idattachment_1796 stylewidth: 650px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5881.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1796 classsize-large wp-image-1796 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5881-1024x684.jpg altGooseberry bush (Ribes missouriense) width640 height428 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5881-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5881-300x200.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC5881.jpg 1600w sizesauto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1796 classwp-caption-text>Gooseberry bush (Ribes missouriense)/p>/div>/p>p>div idattachment_1798 stylewidth: 650px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC2319.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1798 classsize-large wp-image-1798 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC2319-684x1024.jpg altRibes missouriense width640 height958 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC2319-684x1024.jpg 684w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC2319-200x300.jpg 200w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DSC2319.jpg 1068w sizesauto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1798 classwp-caption-text>Prickly stem of the gooseberry bush./p>/div>/p>p>I said the recipe was fast and easy and so it is, as you will soon see.  Getting to the cooking point, however— not so much, since the tough little fibrous ends and stems of each berry have to be removed.  Gooseberries are small and it takes several many to make a cup, so I recommend parking thyself in thy backyard and observing nature while cleaning the berries or putting on a video— preferably something educational, to make yourself feel virtuous.  A cooking show maybe!  Back in the day farmers/gardeners would make a family affair (well, women and kids, mostly) out of shelling peas or dry beans and similar tedious tasks, making a social occasion out of it, maybe around the family radio.  You can try that, I guess./p>p>At last, however, the berries were beautiful and the fun began.  I piled a cup of the berries into a saucepan with a bit of sugar (not much), some cider vinegar, chopped onions, a little salt, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato juice and cooked the whole concoction down for about fifteen minutes at a good simmer./p>p>And it was not bad.  Not bad at all.  Nadia agreed and so did some of her colleagues who got samples.  So I got ready to make another batch and did some tweaking.  Here is where the recipe stands at this point—a little, but not too, different from the original./p>p>1 cup cleaned gooseberriesbr />1/4 cup sugarbr />2 tbs. red wine vinegarbr />1-2 minced garlic clovesbr />~3 tbs. chopped onionsbr />~1/3 cup tomato sauce or paste (too much seems to make it too tomatoey and less   gooseberry-ey.br />1 tbs. plus a glug Worcestershire saucebr />1-3 splats soy sauce (splats are glugs through one of those pour spouts)br />1/4-1/2 tsp. salt/p>p>Throw all into a saucepan and simmer for 10-20 minutes.  The gooseberries should get soft and start to break down.  Stirring helps to do that.  Taste and adjust ingredients as desired and continue to cook uncovered until sauce thickens.  The original recipe called for pressing the mixture through a fine sieve and discarding the pulp.  Well, not in this house.  We like the pulp and we’re keeping it./p>p>This is a good sauce for meats and, Nadia discovered, is also really tasty on one of our easy snacks—melted cheese on crispy toast.  I expect that a grilled cheese sandwich would be great with this stuff.  I also expect it would be great to baste with on the grill./p>p>So.  Now that I’m curious I’m ready to tackle more gooseberry cuisine, depending on the supply of berries.  For example, I found aa hrefhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/dining/a-chicken-tagine-that-gives-rhubarb-the-last-say.html?refdining target_blank> recipe for Moroccan chicken tagine/a> that had been adapted to replace the preserved lemons with rhubarb.  Rhubarb to gooseberry doesn’t seem like such a quantum leap, now does it?/p>p>We’ll let you know./p>p> /p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/cooking/ relcategory tag>Cooking/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/native-edibles/ relcategory tag>Edible Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/foraging/ relcategory tag>Foraging/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/ relcategory tag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/photography/ relcategory tag>Photography/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/recipes/ relcategory tag>Recipes/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/cooking/ reltag>Cooking/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/food/ reltag>Food/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/gardening/ reltag>Gardening/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/native-edibles-2/ reltag>Native edibles/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/hative-plants/ reltag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/photography/ reltag>Photography/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/recipes/ reltag>Recipes/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/06/17/backyard-gooseberries-are-saucy-little-things/#comments>6 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1786 -->							div idpost-1753 classpost-1753 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-cooking category-native-edibles category-foraging category-gardening category-native-plants category-recipes tag-cooking tag-fermented-foods tag-food tag-kimchi tag-native-edibles-2 tag-hative-plants>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/04/27/spring-rerun-kimchi-from-your-backyard-to-you/ relbookmark>Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/04/27/spring-rerun-kimchi-from-your-backyard-to-you/ title3:02 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>April 27, 2015/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>Spring is sprung and we have cup plant and lamb’s quarters in our backyard, with goldenglow within an easy hike (soon to join our other natives around the house).  In honor of this wealth of native edible greens, we are doing a rerun of an earlier posting on the making of kimchi, or fermented Korean vegetables, from whatcha got around ya.  It’s easy, it’s tasty, and, with wild ingredients for the asking, it’s almost free!  Plus, it can made in hundreds of variations—just check the web for recipes and switch in your own ingredients and preferences for spiciness, etc.  (I would imagine that an enterprising person could adapt this to make a native greens sauerkraut without too much difficulty.)/p>p>div idattachment_1754 stylewidth: 686px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DSC_0036.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1754 classsize-full wp-image-1754 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DSC_0036.jpg altNative edible greens, korean kimchi width676 height800 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DSC_0036.jpg 676w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DSC_0036-254x300.jpg 254w sizesauto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1754 classwp-caption-text>Korean-style kimchi made from native edible greens/p>/div>/p>p>So here’s the link:/p>h1 classentry-title>a titleKimchi on the cheap hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/07/21/backyard-haute-or-at-least-hot-cuisine/>Backyard Haute (or at least, Hot) Cuisine/a>/h1>p>Go thou and ferment likewise./p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/cooking/ relcategory tag>Cooking/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/native-edibles/ relcategory tag>Edible Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/foraging/ relcategory tag>Foraging/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/gardening/ relcategory tag>Gardening/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/ relcategory tag>Native Plants/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/recipes/ relcategory tag>Recipes/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/cooking/ reltag>Cooking/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/fermented-foods/ reltag>fermented foods/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/food/ reltag>Food/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/kimchi/ reltag>kimchi/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/native-edibles-2/ reltag>Native edibles/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/hative-plants/ reltag>Native Plants/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/04/27/spring-rerun-kimchi-from-your-backyard-to-you/#comments>2 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1753 -->							div idpost-1682 classpost-1682 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-insects category-musings category-wildlife tag-bees tag-hymenoptera tag-insects tag-leaf-cutter-bees tag-musings tag-pollinators>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/01/27/a-seagull-named-emma/ relbookmark>A Seagull Named Emma/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/01/27/a-seagull-named-emma/ title12:13 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>January 27, 2015/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>We have never had a seagull in our backyard, at least to my knowledge. So let me be clear up front that if you are expecting a heartwarming tale of an errant seabird squawking its way into Nadia’s heart or mine, you will be disappointed and probably wondering why someone would call an article “A Seagull Named Emma” and then not bother to put a seagull in it. Well, we’ll get to that./p>p>Instead, let’s talk about names and naming, because I seem to spend an incredible amount of time trying to do that for the things we find in our little urban wilderness. During photogenic times of the year, we might take hundreds of photographs a week out there. That’s the fun part. What is sometimes less fun, and occasionally frustrating, is trying to put names to what we see, even though tools abound to help with this, from nature guidebooks, to invaluable websites with interactive identification tools, to myriads of phone apps to carry with you in the field (or yard), to friends smarter than me./p>p>I started to wonder why this was so important. I mean, it seems obvious that we would want to know what it is we are observing, right? But must we be so obsessive about it? I recall a conversation with friends years ago about local grasses, and someone pointed out some attractive specimens nearby. “Indiangrass”, she said, to which someone replied, “em>Sorghastrum nutans/em>?” At that point, someone else snorted and exclaimed “Ah, you people drive me nuts when you do that!”./p>p>His point, as I understood it, was why not just appreciate what we’re seeing and experiencing, without trying to label it and stuff it into a dusty mental museum case? Fair enough./p>p>But that is much, much harder than it sounds. In fact some folks spend years, even lifetimes, in intensive training in how to experience the universe directly without filters and overcome their tendencies to name and categorize. The rest of us spend years, even lifetimes, learning how to name things. In fact, this is the training that starts before any other./p>p>When we first pop into the world we are probably as close to pure non-intellectual experience as we are ever likely to get. My memories are a little foggy from those days, but I expect that the feeling we later name “wonder” is routine for some time after first taking breath. Then along come these warm patterns of sight, sound and feeling called “parents” and the first thing they do is start telling us what things are called./p>p>Well, actually, that’s not the first thing they do. Theem> first/em> thing they do is to name em>us/em>, and then they start by telling us what our own names are and that we should call em>them/em> “papa” or “mama”. At this point, all this is just vibrations traveling through air impacting our delicate newborn eardrums, but soon the damage is done. Meaning arrives on the wings of sound and sight, and the slippery slope of categorization has begun. Soon we’re perched on Mama’s and Papa’s laps looking at books with pictures of dogs, cows and birds. Pretty soon after that, we’re expected to know this stuff cold and show it off for Mama’s and Papa’s friends./p>p>How could it be otherwise? How else could we survive without constant care from Those Who Name? How else to know what to eat, what to run away from, how to communicate anything at all to others, who those others are and how they relate to us?  I mean, naming stuff was one of the first tasks Adam was given, back in the day!  There was a reason for that./p>p>div idattachment_1686 stylewidth: 650px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Dublin_Christ_Church_Cathedral_North_Aisle_Window_Cain_and_Abel_Detail_Adam_Naming_the_Animals_2012_09_26.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1686 classsize-large wp-image-1686 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Dublin_Christ_Church_Cathedral_North_Aisle_Window_Cain_and_Abel_Detail_Adam_Naming_the_Animals_2012_09_26-1024x702.jpg altAdam naming the animals.  Photo of stained glass in Dublin Christ Church Cathedra by Andreas F. Borchert width640 height439 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Dublin_Christ_Church_Cathedral_North_Aisle_Window_Cain_and_Abel_Detail_Adam_Naming_the_Animals_2012_09_26-1024x702.jpg 1024w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Dublin_Christ_Church_Cathedral_North_Aisle_Window_Cain_and_Abel_Detail_Adam_Naming_the_Animals_2012_09_26-300x206.jpg 300w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Dublin_Christ_Church_Cathedral_North_Aisle_Window_Cain_and_Abel_Detail_Adam_Naming_the_Animals_2012_09_26.jpg 1735w sizesauto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1686 classwp-caption-text>Adam naming the animals. Photo of stained glass in Dublin Christ Church Cathedral by Andreas F. Borchert/p>/div>/p>p>I said that it seems a no-brainer that we want to know what we are observing. That “what” entails knowledge about the properties of the observed thing and how those properties potentially affect us, an amount of knowledge that can be encyclopedic for any given item we confront. We abbreviate all that with names, shorthand for volumes of information about what those names represent. When someone says “Indiangrass”, I get a mental picture of a type of grass, what it looks like and where it grows, and when someone says “em>Sorghastrum nutan/em>s”, I’m pretty sure that she and I are talking about exactly the same grass, avoiding much confusion. For most people, I think it’s fair to say, the “what” of an object em>is/em> its name, as in:/p>p>“What is that?”/p>p>“That is a bug.”/p>p>“Ah!”/p>p>(Along these lines, in an historical aside, there is a group of Christians known as the “a titleName Worshippers hrefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imiaslavie target_blank>Name Worshippers/a>” who believe that the name of God is the same as God himself. This got some influential folks so worked up that once upon a time an archbishop backed by a small Russian naval fleet with armed troops invaded a monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, beating and imprisoning some name-worshipping monks. But since this article is not about Greek monks, any more than it is about seagulls, I won’t mention this again.  Sorry.)/p>p>It is not just a staple of fantasy and folklore to assert that naming things gives us power over them (a titleGed and the Dragon hrefhttp://www.victorianweb.org/courses/fiction/65/leguin/mcintire6.html target_blank>even dragons!/a>). Like the wizard Sparrowhawk in Ursula K. LeGuin’s famous a titleEarthsea Series hrefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthsea target_blank>Earthsea/a> Trilogy, we spend many years in our towers learning the names of the things in our lives, because knowing these names allows us to understand them, manipulate them and communicate with others about them. It even helps us get at things that we don’t know the names of, because we can use names we know to describe things we don’t know in ways that help us put names to them, too./p>p>“What kind of bug is that?”/p>p>“I don’t know. But it kind of looks like a stink bug.”/p>p>“Ah! I’ll get my book and see if I can find one that looks like that!”/p>p>Then there are names that give us some information about things, even if we know nothing else about them. Can you spell “a titleOnomatopoeia hrefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia target_blank>onomatopoeia/a>“? (I couldn’t, but my computer’s auto-complete could.) Onomatopoeias are words which “sound like” the things they describe, and these words abound. We all know some and it’s not hard to imagine that describing things by imitating the sounds they make may be one of the origins of human language. If I think of a “whip-poor-will” it brings back the sounds of that bird calling during night-time fishing expeditions in deep Southern Illinois. Or my favorite, “njinga” (pronounced like enjinga), the word for bicycle in the Bantu language of Chichewa. Does a bike make a sound like that? Sure does if its got a warning bell on the handlebars! Later, as motorbikes became more popular, this was modified to include “njinga ya moto”. See how it works? An existing name was used to lever a new thing into a category that could be put on people’s mental maps. Genus:em> Njinga/em>. Species: em>ya moto/em>./p>p>Finally, some names just fit, even if it’s hard to say why. Psychologist Wolfgang Köhler made up two names,a titleNames and figures hrefhttp://books.google.com/books?id-jgN7PpjR1AC&pgPA224&lpgPA224&dqmorgenstern+poet+all+seagulls+emma&sourcebl&otsxSruFqfm9r&sigpJ4oellVvW1mZ-lr_0sTwUTzwGs&hlen&saX&ei_ceoUcqaEba34APcioCIBw&ved0CDcQ6AEwAQ#vonepage&q&ffalse target_blank> “takete” and “maluma”/a>, then showed people two drawings, one spiky and angular figure and the other rounded and curvy.  Then he asked them to decide which name went with which figure./p>p>div idattachment_1691 stylewidth: 522px classwp-caption alignright>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/3485837_i-perception-3-410-g0001.png>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1691 classsize-full wp-image-1691 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/3485837_i-perception-3-410-g0001.png altTakete and maluma.   width512 height187 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/3485837_i-perception-3-410-g0001.png 512w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/3485837_i-perception-3-410-g0001-300x110.png 300w sizesauto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1691 classwp-caption-text>Takete and maluma./p>/div>/p>p>Overwhelmingly, and I bet you’re not surprised, subjects chose takete for the angular figure and maluma for the curvy one. This is called the “a titleBouba/Kiki Effect hrefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect target_blank>Bouba/Kiki Effect/a>” (you heard it here first, folks) and basically says that somewhere down in our wiring we can consistently map types of sounds to categories of shapes. This may be yet another clue to origins of human speech. Some things just sound right./p>p>Which brings me finally to Emma the Seagull. The a titleNonsense Poems by Morgenstern hrefhttp://www.alb-neckar-schwarzwald.de/morgenstern/morgenstern_poems.html target_blank>German poet Christian Morgenstern /a>wrote that, “The seagulls by their looks suggest that Emma is their name…” (This was also translated as, “All seagulls look as though their name was Emma”.)  I mean, come on. Now that you’ve read this, will you ever be able to see another seagull without thinking “There goes Emma!”? It just fits./p>p>Why? Who knows? In fact, maybe to you it doesn’t, but it did to me./p>p>All of this seems trivial at first read, but the more I think these things over, the more they seem to be about the bedrock, scaffolding and framework of our conscious experience in the world. Trying to imagine living in a world without using names is a near-impossible task. Trying to imagine oneself being nameless is frightening. Both of these conditions would seem to take us back to newborn status or maybe into the state of Zen consciousness that monks spend years and decades trying to capture through meditation. Direct experience. Things as they are, without the baggage carried by labels./p>p>At any rate, when I spend hours going through a titleBugGuide.  You need this site. hrefhttp://bugguide.net/node/view/15740 target_blank>Bugguide.net/a> trying to decide if the bee in my pictures is a em>Megachile mendica/em> or em>M. brevis/em> (see the last two postings), I am trying to discover the essence of that bee. Knowing the name opens doors to all kinds of published information about that particular bee. It lets me talk about it unambiguously with colleagues. It gives me a certain level of acquaintance with the next one I see in our backyard./p>p>It gives me a little control over that part of my world./p>p>And that sounds right./p>p>div idattachment_1684 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DSC4792.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1684 classsize-full wp-image-1684 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DSC4792.jpg altMegachile mendica at nest. width800 height745 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DSC4792.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DSC4792-300x279.jpg 300w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1684 classwp-caption-text>em>Megachile mendica/em> at nest. Meg, for short./p>/div>/p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/insects/ relcategory tag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/musings/ relcategory tag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/ relcategory tag>Wildlife/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/bees/ reltag>Bees/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/hymenoptera/ reltag>Hymenoptera/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/insects/ reltag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/leaf-cutter-bees/ reltag>Leaf-cutter Bees/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/musings/ reltag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/pollinators/ reltag>Pollinators/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/01/27/a-seagull-named-emma/#comments>2 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1682 -->							div idpost-1639 classpost-1639 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-insects category-musings category-photography tag-evolution tag-hymenoptera tag-insects tag-leaf-cutter-bees tag-missouri tag-musings tag-photography tag-pollinators tag-reproduction>			h2 classentry-title>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/29/the-long-travelers-leaf-cutter-bees-part-ii/ relbookmark>The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II/a>/h2>			div classentry-meta>				span classmeta-prep meta-prep-author>Posted on/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/29/the-long-travelers-leaf-cutter-bees-part-ii/ title1:21 pm relbookmark>span classentry-date>September 29, 2014/span>/a> span classmeta-sep>by/span> span classauthor vcard>a classurl fn n hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/author/admin/ titleView all posts by Randy Tindall>Randy Tindall/a>/span>			/div>!-- .entry-meta -->					div classentry-content>				p>Life travels, and a lot of it has made the journey to our backyard.  That includes Nadia and me–a few hundred miles from my point of origin for me and considerably more for Nadia.  Some of this life travels north to south and back each year and passes through on the way to grace us with its presence for a time, and some has meandered here haphazardly from far-off climes in all directions, welcome or not.  Some of it stays here pretty much all the time, but all of it has journeyed through vast distances of time and evolution, those other dimensions of change that we can only peruse indirectly and with awe./p>p>a titleLeaf-cutter Bees hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/23/cutting-up/>Our last post/a> described such a traveler: a Leaf-cutter Bee, em>Megachile/em> em>mendica,    /em>plying its trade and reproducing in our yard./p>p>div idattachment_1660 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC3145.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1660 classsize-full wp-image-1660 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC3145.jpg altMegachile brevis or mendica width800 height613 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC3145.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC3145-300x229.jpg 300w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1660 classwp-caption-text>Leaf-cutter Bee (em>Megachile/em> em>mendica/em>) cutting leaf disk for nest cell./p>/div>/p>p>Now this particular specimen probably didn’t travel far to get here, since both of these species are native to Missouri, but a little research led to the discovery of some immense journeying indeed.  Back into the mists of time.  Way off yonder to a continent that split apart long, long ago.  To a time and place where huge reptiles made the earth tremble and plants were just learning how to make flowers./p>p>It is thought thata titleBee origins hrefhttp://www.pnas.org/content/103/41/15118.full target_blank> bees originated/a> around 125-150 million years ago in Cretaceous times, splitting off from wasps and chasing the promise of the rise of angiosperms, the flowering plants  (em>“Let’s hustle, guys!  New niche!  Snooze and lose!”/em>)  and in turn fueling the rapid spread and diversification of these new and wondrous plants.  This eventa titleGondwana and the bees hrefhttp://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/04/12/rspb.2011.0365.full target_blank> probably happened on the fabled continent of Gondwana/a>, before it separated into the South American and African continental plates, and it left the world a very changed place./p>p>div stylewidth: 569px classwp-caption alignnone>img loadinglazy decodingasync classdecoded srchttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Laurasia-Gondwana.png/559px-Laurasia-Gondwana.png althttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Laurasia-Gondwana.png/559px-Laurasia-Gondwana.png width559 height480 />p classwp-caption-text>Old Gondwanaland and Laurasia (From U.S. Geological Survey)/p>/div>/p>p>The group that eventually gave us our leaf-cutter seems to have been one of the earlier bee groups to develop—the Megachilidae, an event which a titleLeaf-cutter Bees hrefhttp://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/04/12/rspb.2011.0365.full target_blank>some researchers/a> believe happened about 126 million years ago (making the case for an earlier origin for bees proper than was originally thought).  But it was still quite a hike to get from down yonder in old Gondwana to our Missouri backyard.  How did they do it?  Possibly by developing the very behavior that they are named for—cutting leaves.  It seems that bees have been making nests and laying eggs in them for a very long time, but bees that simply dig holes, lay eggs and provision them tend to be restricted to areas where moisture is not a problem.  Exposure to moist conditions can result in microbes and fungi infecting the eggs, larvae and provisions, killing the young bees or reducing their chances of survival.  The meant that the safest places to reproduce were in very arid deserts with little chance of rainfall during breeding season./p>p>But then, somewhere along the line, some bright bees came up with the strategy of lining their nests to protect their contents.  Some used  a titleDufours Gland hrefhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3032.1987.tb00749.x/abstract;jsessionid2024BBEAB159FCB406E4B9FB31E69A43.f02t03 target_blank>Dufour’s gland /a>to coat the nest and/or its contents with antimicrobial and antifungal secretions and some got the bright idea of using foreign materials, such as mud, plant resins or, a titleLeaf-cutting behavior hrefhttp://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/04/12/rspb.2011.0365.full target_blank>like our little friend, leaves/a> (fossil evidence for thata titleFossil evidence for leaf-cutting bee behavior hrefhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00787.x/pdf target_blank> here/a>).  They were off to the races after that: vast new areas were opened up for colonization by these clever pioneers, who could now waterproof their nests and guard against organisms that would attack them.  It was time to see the world!  Wherever flowering plants spread, the bees followed in a symbiotic frolic that we enjoy watching daily in our own yard, sitting outside our own lined cells (3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, etc.)./p>p>Fellow travelers, all of us.  And now our Leaf-cutter Bee has been a titleGiant Resin Bee hrefhttp://www.aaes.auburn.edu/comm/pubs/highlightsonline/fall00/bee.html target_blank>joined by another immigrant–a Giant Resin Bee/a> (em>Megachile sculpturalis/em>) that has made the trip from Asia relatively recently, first being reported in this country from North Carolina in 1994.  This large interloper uses plant resins to line and seal its nests, instead of rolling segmented cigars to lay eggs in.  The result is the same.  The kids are snug as bugs in rugs./p>p>div idattachment_1659 stylewidth: 628px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4821.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1659 classsize-full wp-image-1659 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4821.jpg altMegachile sculpturalis.  Giant Resin Bee. width618 height800 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4821.jpg 618w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4821-231x300.jpg 231w sizesauto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1659 classwp-caption-text>The Giant Resin Bee (em>Megachile sculpturalis/em>) with a mouthful of resin for its nest in a dead tree./p>/div>/p>p>div idattachment_1658 stylewidth: 810px classwp-caption aligncenter>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4807.jpg>img loadinglazy decodingasync aria-describedbycaption-attachment-1658 classsize-full wp-image-1658 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4807.jpg altMegachile sculpturalis nest width800 height543 srcsethttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4807.jpg 800w, https://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC4807-300x203.jpg 300w sizesauto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px />/a>p idcaption-attachment-1658 classwp-caption-text>Capped nest of the Giant Resin Bee (em>Megachile sculpturalis/em>)/p>/div>/p>p>There is one more twist in this story.  Bees had something in common with the dinosaurs, being present when a comet or asteroid bumped into what is now the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the a titleCretaceous Extinction hrefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous%E2%80%93Paleogene_extinction_event target_blank>Cretaceous Extinction/a> that wiped out maybe 75% of all the world’s species (but also see a titleCretaceous Extinction II hrefhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/opinion/sunday/the-death-of-the-dinosaurs.html target_blank>here/a>).  Fortunately,a titleBee extinction hrefhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131024121158.htm target_blank> some bees/a>, some flowering plants and at least one shy little mammal squeaked through, unlike the non-avian dinosaurs which soon thundered no more across the landscape.  If they hadn’t our world would be a vastly different place./p>p>Descendants of all of them, echoes of cosmic events and epic history, now share our backyard, carrying on as best we can, journeying on to wherever and whatever is ahead, all connected forward and back./p>p>Life travels./p>							/div>!-- .entry-content -->				div classentry-utility>									span classcat-links>						span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links>Posted in/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/insects/ relcategory tag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/musings/ relcategory tag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/photography/ relcategory tag>Photography/a>					/span>					span classmeta-sep>|/span>												span classtag-links>					span classentry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links>Tagged/span> a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/evolution/ reltag>Evolution/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/hymenoptera/ reltag>Hymenoptera/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/insects/ reltag>Insects/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/leaf-cutter-bees/ reltag>Leaf-cutter Bees/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/missouri/ reltag>Missouri/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/musings/ reltag>Musings/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/photography/ reltag>Photography/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/pollinators/ reltag>Pollinators/a>, a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/tag/reproduction/ reltag>Reproduction/a>				/span>				span classmeta-sep>|/span>								span classcomments-link>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/29/the-long-travelers-leaf-cutter-bees-part-ii/#comments>2 Comments/a>/span>							/div>!-- .entry-utility -->		/div>!-- #post-1639 -->							div idnav-below classnavigation>					div classnav-previous>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/page/2/ >span classmeta-nav>←/span> Older posts/a>/div>					div classnav-next>/div>				/div>!-- #nav-below -->			/div>!-- #content -->		/div>!-- #container -->		div idprimary classwidget-area rolecomplementary>			ul classxoxo>li idsearch-2 classwidget-container widget_search>form rolesearch methodget idsearchform classsearchform actionhttps://nadiasyard.com/>				div>					label classscreen-reader-text fors>Search for:/label>					input typetext value names ids />					input typesubmit idsearchsubmit valueSearch />				/div>			/form>/li>		li idrecent-posts-2 classwidget-container widget_recent_entries>		h3 classwidget-title>Recent Posts/h3>		ul>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/12/21/two-marked-treehoppers-its-complex/>Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/10/03/birds-of-a-feather/>Birds of a Feather?/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2022/02/11/the-promise-of-disorder-in-a-winter-yard/>The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/12/06/rerun-men-of-rice/>Rerun:  Men of Rice/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/11/30/where-the-words-live/>Where the Words Live/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/15/going-native/>Going Native/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/06/17/backyard-gooseberries-are-saucy-little-things/>Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/04/27/spring-rerun-kimchi-from-your-backyard-to-you/>Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/01/27/a-seagull-named-emma/>A Seagull Named Emma/a>									/li>											li>					a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/29/the-long-travelers-leaf-cutter-bees-part-ii/>The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II/a>									/li>					/ul>		/li>li idrecent-comments-2 classwidget-container widget_recent_comments>h3 classwidget-title>Recent Comments/h3>ul idrecentcomments>li classrecentcomments>span classcomment-author-link>Randy Tindall/span> on a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/blue-sage-salvia-azurea/#comment-13900>Blue Sage (Salvia azurea): Better Late than Never/a>/li>li classrecentcomments>span classcomment-author-link>Gina M/span> on a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/blue-sage-salvia-azurea/#comment-13898>Blue Sage (Salvia azurea): Better Late than Never/a>/li>li classrecentcomments>span classcomment-author-link>Lydia Cowles/span> on a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/boneset-late-eupatorium-serotinum/#comment-13896>Boneset, Late (Eupatorium serotinum): No Respect/a>/li>li classrecentcomments>span classcomment-author-link>a hrefhttps://www.latebloomershow.com/ classurl relugc external nofollow>Kaye Kittrell/a>/span> on a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/boneset-late-eupatorium-serotinum/#comment-13890>Boneset, Late (Eupatorium serotinum): No Respect/a>/li>li classrecentcomments>span classcomment-author-link>a hrefhttps://www.latebloomershow.com/ classurl relugc external nofollow>Kaye Kittrell/a>/span> on a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/boneset-late-eupatorium-serotinum/#comment-13889>Boneset, Late (Eupatorium serotinum): No Respect/a>/li>/ul>/li>li idarchives-2 classwidget-container widget_archive>h3 classwidget-title>Archives/h3>			ul>					li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/12/>December 2023/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/10/>October 2023/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2022/02/>February 2022/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/12/>December 2016/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/11/>November 2016/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/>October 2016/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/06/>June 2015/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/04/>April 2015/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/01/>January 2015/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/>September 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/06/>June 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/05/>May 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/04/>April 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/03/>March 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/02/>February 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/01/>January 2014/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2013/09/>September 2013/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2013/06/>June 2013/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2013/05/>May 2013/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2013/02/>February 2013/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/12/>December 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/11/>November 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/10/>October 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/09/>September 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/08/>August 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/07/>July 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/06/>June 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/05/>May 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/03/>March 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/02/>February 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2012/01/>January 2012/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/12/>December 2011/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/11/>November 2011/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/10/>October 2011/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/09/>September 2011/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/08/>August 2011/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/07/>July 2011/a>/li>	li>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2011/06/>June 2011/a>/li>			/ul>			/li>li idcategories-2 classwidget-container widget_categories>h3 classwidget-title>Categories/h3>			ul>					li classcat-item cat-item-100>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/art/>Art/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-357>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/birds/>Birds/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-243>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/books/>Books/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-43>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/cookies/>Cookies/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-45>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/cooking/>Cooking/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-41>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/native-edibles/>Edible Native Plants/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-61>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/farming/>Farming/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-60>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/foraging/>Foraging/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-44>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/fruit/>Fruit/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-37>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/gardening/>Gardening/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-89>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/hiking/>Hiking/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-71>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/insect-pests/>Insect pests/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-5>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/insects/>Insects/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-40>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/landscaping/>Landscaping/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-3>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/musings/>Musings/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-17>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/native-plants/>Native Plants/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-33>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/natural-areas-2/>Natural Areas/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-78>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/pets/>Pets/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-8>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/photography/>Photography/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-34>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/natural-areas-2/prairies/>Prairies/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-42>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/recipes/>Recipes/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-94>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/seasons/>Seasons/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-68>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/society/>Society/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-84>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/spiders/>Spiders/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-1>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/uncategorized/>Uncategorized/a>/li>	li classcat-item cat-item-6>a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/category/wildlife/>Wildlife/a>/li>			/ul>			/li>li idlinkcat-2 classwidget-container widget_links>h3 classwidget-title>Blogroll/h3>	ul classxoxo blogroll>li>a hrefhttp://natureismytherapy.com/ titleNature is My Therapy>Nature is My Therapy/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://www.roundrockjournal.com/ relcontact noopener titleA little bit of the forest on the edge of the Missouri Ozards target_blank>Roundrock Journal/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://allisonjvaughn.blogspot.com/ titleBotany, books, wine, and the Ozarks!>The Ozark Highlands of Missouri/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://pgtnaturegarden.org/ relnoopener titleRestored prairies and natural landscapes in central Missouri. target_blank>The Prairie Garden Trust/a>/li>	/ul>/li>li idlinkcat-18 classwidget-container widget_links>h3 classwidget-title>Links/h3>	ul classxoxo blogroll>li>a hrefhttp://columbiaurbanag.org/ relacquaintance met neighbor titleFarming in the city of Columbia, MO.>Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://www.moprairie.org/ titleDedicated to preservation and appreciation of Missouri’s prairies.>Missouri Prairie Foundation/a>/li>	/ul>/li>li idlinkcat-312 classwidget-container widget_links>h3 classwidget-title>Native Plants/h3>	ul classxoxo blogroll>li>a hrefhttp://www.grownative.org/ relacquaintance met titlePromoting native plants for landscaping>Grow Native!/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://www.missourinativeplantsociety.org/ titleFor the appreciation of Missouri’s native flora>Missouri Native Plant Society/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://www.for-wild.org/ relnoopener titlePromotes native plants and native landscaping target_blank>Wild Ones/a>/li>	/ul>/li>li idlinkcat-77 classwidget-container widget_links>h3 classwidget-title>Sources of Native Plants/h3>	ul classxoxo blogroll>li>a hrefhttp://www.hamiltonseed.com/ titleSource for Missouri native plant seed>Hamilton Native Outpost/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://millpondplants.wordpress.com/ relfriend met colleague noopener titleSource for aquatic and wetland plants for Missouri and nearby states target_blank>Millpond Plants/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://www.mowildflowers.net/ relcontact met titleSource for plants native to Missouri and nearby areas of the Midwest.>Missouri Wildflowers Nursery/a>/li>li>a hrefhttp://www.prairiehillfarm.biz/page0006.html relnoopener titleWholesale nursery for Missouri native plants. target_blank>Prairie Hill Farm/a>/li>	/ul>/li>li idrss-3 classwidget-container widget_rss>h3 classwidget-title>a classrsswidget rss-widget-feed hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/?feedrdf>img classrss-widget-icon styleborder:0 width14 height14 srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-includes/images/rss.png altRSS loadinglazy />/a> a classrsswidget rss-widget-title hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/>Nadia’s Backyard/a>/h3>ul>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/12/21/two-marked-treehoppers-its-complex/>Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex/a> span classrss-date>December 21, 2023/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2023/10/03/birds-of-a-feather/>Birds of a Feather?/a> span classrss-date>October 3, 2023/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2022/02/11/the-promise-of-disorder-in-a-winter-yard/>The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard/a> span classrss-date>February 11, 2022/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/12/06/rerun-men-of-rice/>Rerun:  Men of Rice/a> span classrss-date>December 7, 2016/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/11/30/where-the-words-live/>Where the Words Live/a> span classrss-date>November 30, 2016/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2016/10/15/going-native/>Going Native/a> span classrss-date>October 16, 2016/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/06/17/backyard-gooseberries-are-saucy-little-things/>Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things/a> span classrss-date>June 17, 2015/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/04/27/spring-rerun-kimchi-from-your-backyard-to-you/>Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you/a> span classrss-date>April 27, 2015/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2015/01/27/a-seagull-named-emma/>A Seagull Named Emma/a> span classrss-date>January 27, 2015/span>/li>li>a classrsswidget hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/2014/09/29/the-long-travelers-leaf-cutter-bees-part-ii/>The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II/a> span classrss-date>September 29, 2014/span>/li>/ul>/li>			/ul>		/div>!-- #primary .widget-area -->	/div>!-- #main -->	div idfooter rolecontentinfo>		div idcolophon>			div idsite-info>				a hrefhttps://nadiasyard.com/ relhome>					Nadia's Backyard				/a>							/div>!-- #site-info -->			div idsite-generator>								a hrefhttps://wordpress.org/ classimprint titleSemantic Personal Publishing Platform>					Proudly powered by WordPress.				/a>			/div>!-- #site-generator -->		/div>!-- #colophon -->	/div>!-- #footer -->/div>!-- #wrapper -->script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){iGoogleAnalyticsObjectr;irir||function(){  (ir.qir.q||).push(arguments)},ir.l1*new Date();as.createElement(o),  ms.getElementsByTagName(o)0;a.async1;a.srcg;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,script,https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js,ga);  ga(create, UA-55095105-1, auto);  ga(send, pageview);/script>script typetext/javascript>/* !CDATA */r3f5x9JSescape(documentreferrer);hf4Nc248fd7d4abd0a3795e88c6ce53bc739;hf4V4fe646760123d41af0850c768224a0e9;jQuery(document).ready(function($){var e#commentform, .comment-respond form, .comment-form, #lostpasswordform, #registerform, #loginform, #login_form, #wpss_contact_form;$(e).submit(function(){$(input>).attr(type,hidden).attr(name,r3f5x9JS).attr(value,r3f5x9JS).appendTo(e);$(input>).attr(type,hidden).attr(name,hf4N).attr(value,hf4V).appendTo(e);return true;});$(#comment).attr({minlength:15,maxlength:15360})});/* > *//script> script typetext/javascript srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-spamshield/js/jscripts-ftr-min.js idwpss-jscripts-ftr-js>/script>script typetext/javascript srchttps://nadiasyard.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js?ver6.7.1 idwp-embed-js deferdefer data-wp-strategydefer>/script>/body>/html>!-- Dynamic page generated in 0.140 seconds. -->!-- Cached page generated by WP-Super-Cache on 2025-01-22 07:11:12 -->!-- super cache -->

View on OTX | View on ThreatMiner

Data with thanks to AlienVault OTX, VirusTotal, Malwr and others. [Sitemap]

Domain > nadiasyard.com

Is this malicious?

Whois

DNS Resolutions

Port 443