Whereiwander… I just returned from a quick walk around our three-plus acres of meadow. A quick walk may take an hour or several hours, depending on the time of year and what is blooming. I mentioned in previous columns that the Monarda and Common Milkweed, and Goldenrod consume the greatest amount of the acreage, but there are many more species of wildflowers that also find a haven on this property. Today I found numerous plants of Queen Anne’s Lace, Yarrow, Black-eyed Susan, Clovers, both Red and White and Chicory, plus a plethora of other lovely species. All of these wildflowers attract numerous pollinators. Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, bugs, flies, grasshoppers, and an abundance of other insects and spiders all thrive in this meadow. In addition to wildflowers and insects, many species of wild birds depend on the meadow throughout the year. Many of the migratory birds build nests in the different shrubs, and “Blue Bird” houses the five of them, house not only Eastern Blue Birds but also may house nests of House Wrens, Black Capped Chickadee, and Tree Swallows. Additionally, Song Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroats build nests in the Shrubs. Other species like Gray Catbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Indigo Buntings, and Scarlet Tanager have nests close by the meadow and may be seen hunting for food within the meadow. Quite often, I have seen small flocks of Cedar Waxwings gleaning berries or hunting some of the numerous dragonflies that are also hunting insects within the meadow.