For around 8 months I have been helping at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens with maintenance in the perennial border.We have a great time and once month have a weed and feed session potluck lunch).I love the team work and sense of accomplishment in a garden that is available to all.I was most surprised after joining the NW Perennial Alliance to find myself in this months newsletter.Yes I love that hat !

Happy rainy morning volunteering at Bellevue Botanical Gardens.

We are working to potentially make our garden open in a couple of years as an example of a wildlife friendly urban garden.I have just been editing images from last year our wildlife visitors include deer,rabbits,coyotes,bear (yearling while we where in Hawaii) and a stunning bobcat who it seems was responsible for the destruction of our old fencing.We discovered over the holidays that we had been accidentally feeding a family of raccoons when they visited our deck bird feeder while we were a dinner one evening.We have repositioned the feeder and consumption has reduced significantly.I am currently adding new areas to support birds and wildlife, removing non native species.We have 5 species of woodpeckers visiting and a gang of teenage juncos resident over the winter.My favorite daily visitor is a wren, such a personality, along with our two resident male hummingbirds who guard the feeders to the North and South of the house.

After a long absence I have also started to participate in Postcrossing again.I received a great set of Washington stamps to add to postcards and used them for the first set I sent but they seem to have disappear in the ephemera in the studio – I’m sure they will turn up soon.