Welcome to my zone 9 garden. My roots are deeply planted in the sandy soil of sub-tropical central Florida, where the summers are long and hot, but the rest of the year is paradise!

Friday, October 21, 2011

An Unexpected Treat


We had a can of mealworms left over that were used to feed a baby woodpecker found on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, the woodpecker was injured and did not survive. So, not wanting to waste a can of perfectly good mealworms, I put them in our birdfeeder. And, boy-oh-boy did the birds love their "unexpected treat."

This little Tufted Titmouse was the first to discover them.


It wasn't long before Mrs. Cardinal chased him off.

But he quickly returned with a friend.

As I looked down to turn the camera off I noticed this cute little yellow ground orchid was about ready to bloom ~ ~ An "unexpected treat" for me!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Those are the kind of surprises I love in the garden!Titmouses are so much fun to watch.My ground orchids never seem to bloom.

Lona said...

I bet it did not take long for them to be eaten up once the word was out. LOL!

Susan said...

Chris..This particular ground orchid has never bloomed either...probably because it's in the shade...so it was quite a surprise.

Lona...There was definitely a lot of traffic to the feeder today. I'm sure they've gobbled them all up.

Dani said...

I wish I had more Titmouses in my yard. They're just the cutest.

daisy g said...

Treats all around!

NanaK said...

Love to see bird activity in the garden. Your feathered friends must have been so happy to find such a treat. Can't wait to see that ground orchid when it opens all the way.

Kimberly said...

Hi Susan! Nice treat for us, too, that you shared your pics of the sweet birds. I'm not able to have feeders as they are charged by squirrels who eat my offerings instantly. I love the tufted titmouse(s)!

Steve Asbell said...

What a neat idea! I used to feed mealworms to my pet lizards as a kid but never thought to feed insectivore birds in the same way! Titmice are some of the cutesy birds in my garden... Maybe it's time I give them a treat.

Brando said...

So wonderful to get surprises! We were down in January for vacation. I stopped in to check on my little tropical oasis and to my delight right by the front door, underneath a big split leaf phal was a ground orchid blooming. The mild winter was kind to my garden in my absence. That was a wonderful treat on my visit. I also got to see some traveler's parrots at Ft DeSoto which I'd never seen before in the wild. They were making a big fuss and gathering lots of attention. Lovely how nature surprises us.

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