About three years ago I asked you all to help me identify a certain bird that was making its home in my back woods. You can read it here.

Ever since then, we’ve enjoyed seeing many more of them flying around and even hanging out on the kids playground. Their high pitched shrills are endless and we love every minute of it.

Ironically, we’ve now discovered that the red tailed hawk is an endangered species in New Jersey and that this will be a factor in our fight against the proposed pipeline potentially coming our way. If the 50 foot wide easement becomes a reality, the red tailed hawk’s home will be gone.

The plot thickens.

As you may have observed, I’ve been a bit re-energized with the garden this past week and in keeping with that theme, here are a few photos to power us into the weekend.

There are a ton of “volunteer” Rudbeckia that have become borderline invasive in my garden and I’ve religiously removed them all summer. The only exception are the ones below that nicely filled in a gap and look quite handsome through the Karl Foerster grass.

What a frickin color on Panicum ‘Ruby Ribbons’.

I know nothing about tropical plants but this one was given to me by a plant loving uncle and I some how managed to keep it alive in a container. What a bloom on this one.

The Sneezeweed have arrived and hopefully will stand their ground and not topple over as they are want to do.

And they have appeared mysteriously throughout the garden this summer.

I am completely sold on the dwarf Sneezeweed by the way. Phenomenal even after having been planted as recently as this spring.

Have a great weekend.