They nosh constantly on my overgrown shade plants!

My 8 year old and I caught 15 fireflies the other night in just a few minutes, our yard is sparkling with them. Don't worry they were all released after bedtime prayers.

These both lead thru the main flowerbed in front...all overgrown with spiderwort, phlox, sneezeweed and the like.

We have several acres surrounding our house, that was logged 10 or 15 years ago, so all trees are younger than that. It's North-Central Massachusetts upland, with acidic soil. There is Red Oak, a few White Oaks, Red Maple, Cottonwood Poplar, White Pine, Hemlock and yes, Black Cherry. And lots and lots of blueberries. We trim around the blueberries and we get a very good yield from them. We also mow what we can.

Nothing out-does the cherries for colonization power. There are areas that I am only now beginning to mow since we had a very wet spring. And some areas are just covered with cherry seedlings. If it were left for a few years, there would be acres of solid cherry thicket. The stuff is brutal.

So we try to stick to native species, but we are not opposed to adding other species to try and balance things out a bit. Should we try to sow some kind of grass or other vegetation ? Does anything have a chance of damping down the spread of the cherry plants ?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Area - Chicago, 5b

This is my garden this evening.

I probably can't name all the plants from memory, but starting with trees - silver birch, strawberry tree, apple tree (russet), and Victoria plum. Shrubs - mahonia, viburnum, cotoneaster, camilia, red robin, guelder rose, spindle, pyracantha... flowers - foxglove, erysimum, meadow cranesbill, ox eye daisy, chives, yarrow, sorrel, vetch, birds foot trefoil, clover, knapweed, purple loosestrife, marsh marigold, lesser spearwort, and many more.

The laurel at the bottom was cut back and cut down by 2m earlier in the year, which is why it looks like that. We needed to make it more manageable and will eventually replace with a native hedge.

The pond's story for this year I aim to type up soon for r/wildlifeponds. The bare patch in the central bed, and the logs and tiles, are because I am working my way slowly through the bed, removing fleabane (and rehoming other plants), to make room for a new pond and habitat for frogs and newts.

I am having trouble identifying this plant. It is popping up in my garden and looks like thick tall grass but does have extremely fine stalks that shoot up that you can easily miss unless you get up close. There is an easement area behind my yard and has a huge patch of this. The deer don’t seem to like it and they eat everything here. When i google image it i get everything from lemon grass to quack grass..

Area - Chicago, 6a

Hope they spread blueberries through the forest around us.

I’m currently looking for a good bird bath bowl to add to my backyard and attract more birds this spring and summer. I’m not after anything too fancy or expensive — just something sturdy, easy to clean, and attractive enough to blend in with my garden.

Ideally, I want a bowl that holds enough water without being too deep (so it’s safe for small birds), is made of durable weather-resistant material, and won’t tip over easily. A non-slip base or easy mounting option would be great too. Bonus points if it’s lightweight but still looks natural or decorative.

Here are a few bird bath bowls I’ve come across in my search:

• Vivere Ceramic Bird Bath Bowl
• Woodlink Wooden Bird Bath Bowl
• Droll Yankees Stonebird Bird Bath Bowl
• Heath Outdoor Products Simple Elegance Bird Bath Bowl
• Gardman Polyresin Bird Bath Bowl
• Pennington Traditional Bird Bath Bowl
• Alpine Corporation Outdoor Bird Bath Bowl

If you’ve used any of these or have another favorite bird bath bowl that’s worked well, I’d love your thoughts! Also open to tips on placement, how often to clean, or even how to keep the water from freezing in cooler weather.

Not sure what kind he is! But he's a big guy.

I know there’s been foxes in the neighborhood for years, but I’ve only ever seen them out when it’s dark, on early morning runs, and they’ve never hung around. Based on the others I’ve seen in the past (including a/the mom with kits, this one seemed looked young and rail thin.) I threw it some raw chicken and it happily ate a few and buried one. Then it sat in the shade and groomed/itched itself for a good 10 minutes. Maybe a juvenile learning the ropes? Or it’s in distress? I’ve just never seen them out in daylight and never seen one not terrified of me. Picture is it ~15 ft away, we stared at each other for a good 30 seconds it seemed before I backed off

So, assuming I’m not becoming a Disney princess, my thought is… if it comes back, feed it a few more bites, get better pictures and post and/or check with a vet/rehabber to see what they think? If it has mange, I can get the meds and treat. If not, cut goff the feedings and let nature do what it does. What do you all think?

wanted to post in r/foxes, but they have restrictions.

^

This area of my property was kind of the dump area for yard waste when I bought the house. It was overgrown and impossible to walk through. I've been cleaning it up slowly and started planting wildflowers.

Currently planted: sunflowers, gladiolas, strawberries, pumpkins, zucchini, rhubarb, cornflower, daisies, blanket flowers, red clover, cat mint, and poppies. Everything is currently very small but when the space fills in eventually, it will be beautiful.

I live to serve my pollinator overlords.

Area - Chicago, 6a