Native Plants

Douglas Tallamy was recently interviewed on one of the local public radio stations (WHYY, my favorite radio station here). Tallamy is the chair of the University of Delaware's department of entomology and ecology and the author of the book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens.

Tallamy talked about the importance of native plants to wildlife. Only insects that evolved with plants are able to eat them, so the native insects are unable to eat non-native plants. Many of our favorite plants are not native. Initially, I was thinking that this would be a great way to avoid insects eating the plants without using pesticides; however, wildlife (particularly birds) depend on insects for food. He thought one reason for the declining bird populations is the decline in the insects, because of non-native plants. Since we're having to landscape our small yard, I'm hoping we can use native plants -- which has the added benefit of attracting wildlife by providing them with food.

Abby Moves In

My better half observed that our last cat (Samantha) "owned" the house immediately after she arrived. Our latest pet, Abby, has only just now moved in. She had previously claimed only the area beneath the beds, although she would emerge for food and playtime.

Now, Abby has claimed places throughout the house. One of her favorites is the top of the radiator cover (this house uses hot water radiators for heat) in the hall bath, where the heat from the radiator (and the sunbeams from the window) lull her to sleep.


Downstairs, one of her favorite spots is the top of the wingback chair, where she can view three windows as well as the living and dining rooms:


And in our bedroom, she likes to perch on the dresser near the bathroom sink, so she can supervise our morning preparations (although this picture sees her somewhat distracted):


If we sleep too long, Abby starts dumping everything stored on the top of the night stands onto the floor.

Abby has definitely moved in. :-)

Philly Destinations

The Academy of Natural Science was one of our recent destinations. I love dinosaur fossils, and theirs were no exception. Many of the skeletons had huge teeth making me glad they were extinct. They also had a visiting display of the hair of former Presidents (including Jefferson and Adams) which made me marvel at the things some people collect.

The Philadelphia Flower Show was our destination on Saturday. Filling the convention center, it was well attended. They had a Louisiana theme, so we were familiar with many of the flowers, shrubs, and trees (such as daffodils, azaleas, camellias, and dogwoods). They had beautiful displays, but my better half had as nice a display in the garden at our Atlanta home.

We ate at the Reading Terminal Market, which is filled with shops and restaurants and conveniently located across the street from the convention center. The best food was a slice of double chocolate triple layer cake from a Mennonite bakery. I'm already planning a return trip for another slice!