The Gardens at Little Ferry

05/24/2026

What’s blooming and beautiful today!❤️

05/22/2026

Granddaughters enjoying native honeysuckle nectar…that is why I plant natives❤️and leave ecosystems natural where I can. 🦋🐝🐞🐍🐜🐛🐠☘️🌎

04/19/2026

04/02/2026

You planted the flowers. The bees came. Then they left.

Because flowers feed bees. They don't house them.

Most native bee species nest in the ground — in bare, undisturbed soil. The rest need hollow stems, dead wood, or sandy banks. A garden with perfect flowers but no nesting habitat is a rest stop, not a home.

Here are the six habitat features native bees actually need to stay.

🌿 Six plants you grew and what the bees still needed:

- You planted lavender — they came for nectar. But Mason Bees need hollow stems to nest. They lay one egg per chamber in dead plant stalks or drilled wood, sealing each cell with mud. Leave dead flower stalks standing through winter. That's not neglect — that's bee housing

- You planted sunflowers — they came for pollen. But Mining Bees need bare soil. They dig tunnels into unmulched undisturbed ground to lay eggs underground. That patch of bare dirt you keep meaning to cover is the most valuable bee habitat in your yard

- You planted coneflower — they came all summer. But Leafcutter Bees need soft leaves to build nests. They cut neat circles from rose, redbud, or hosta leaves to line their nest chambers. Those semicircular holes in your rose leaves aren't pest damage — they're nursery construction

- You planted bee balm — bumblebees worked it for weeks. But Bumblebee queens need abandoned rodent burrows to start colonies. They search for underground cavities — old mouse holes, gaps under sheds, undisturbed grass tussocks. A tidy yard with no hidden cavities is a yard with no bumblebee colonies

- You planted borage — sweat bees covered every flower. But Sweat Bees need compacted clay soil banks to tunnel into. South-facing slopes, path edges, and undisturbed clay patches host dense groups of tiny iridescent green bees that return to the same spot for generations

- You planted goldenrod — it was covered in fall. But Carpenter Bees need soft dead wood to bore into. They chew tunnels into unpainted weathered wood — old fence posts, dead branches, standing deadwood. That old stump you keep meaning to remove is an apartment building

🌿 The simplest way to keep them:

- Leave bare soil patches unmulched — especially south-facing spots near garden edges
- Leave dead stems standing through winter and into spring — cut them in May after nesting bees have emerged
- Leave at least one section of lawn or garden edge unmowed and undisturbed year-round
- A dead log, an old stump, or a weathered fence post left in place is carpenter bee habitat that costs nothing
- A small pile of clay-heavy soil on a south-facing slope creates sweat bee nesting sites within one season

The most bee-friendly action in most gardens isn't planting more flowers. It's doing less 🌿

03/02/2026

Most people hear “seed treatment” and picture something minor — a little coating, a little protection, nothing dramatic. But these coatings can carry neonicotinoid insecticides, and when they’re used at scale, they don’t just affect crop pests. They can move through the wider landscape, exposing pollinators and other wildlife far beyond the field edge. That’s why Vermont’s new law matters so much: in 2024, the state enacted Act 182, which restricts several neonicotinoid uses and sets a future ban (with conditions and exemptions in the law) on many neonic-treated field crop seeds, including common uses on soybeans and cereal grains. Under the act, some outdoor neonic restrictions took effect in 2025, while the treated-seed provisions are scheduled for 2029 and are tied to New York’s corresponding law timing.

What makes this story powerful is that it’s not just about “one chemical” or “one state.” It’s about finally treating habitat loss and pesticide exposure as connected problems. Birds don’t only need nesting space — they need insects to feed their chicks. Pollinators don’t only need flowers — they need those flowers, soils, and field margins to be safe enough to survive. Vermont’s move is part of a bigger shift in how states are thinking about agriculture and conservation: not as enemies, but as systems that have to work together if we want healthy farms and living landscapes. New York had already passed its Birds and Bees Protection Act, including limits on certain neonic-treated seeds, and Vermont’s law builds on that momentum rather than starting from scratch.

So the real headline isn’t just “a ban.” It’s this: lawmakers are starting to respond to the science that says tiny, routine choices — like what a seed is coated with before it ever hits the ground — can ripple outward into pollinators, birds, and entire food webs. It’s a policy story, yes. But it’s also a backyard story. A bird with fewer insects to feed its chicks. A pollinator on a bloom at the edge of a field. A farming system that can be redesigned, not abandoned. That’s why this feels bigger than one state line. It’s what change looks like when we stop treating wildlife decline as inevitable and start changing the inputs at the source.

02/20/2026

Frogs, toads, and salamanders survive winter buried alive. One afternoon of yard work can end months of survival in seconds.

Turning compost piles crushes American toads burrowed into the warm center since November.

Draining low spots in the yard strands wood frog eggs already laid in shallow February pools.

Moving stacked firewood drops spotted salamanders hibernating between the logs to frozen ground.

Edging garden beds slices through spring peepers buried just two inches below the soil surface.

Cleaning out window wells drowns gray tree frogs wedged into corners using antifreeze proteins to stay alive.

Flipping landscaping stones exposes red-backed salamanders frozen in suspended animation underneath.

These animals endured the entire winter. They only need you to wait a few more weeks.

02/19/2026

Squirrel babies are being born THIS WEEK.

Right now — mid-February — in attics, tree cavities, and leaf nests across America:

Tiny, hairless, blind squirrel kits are entering the world.

THE TIMELINE:
- Mating: December-January ✓
- Gestation: 44 days ✓
- Birth: Mid-February ← WE ARE HERE
- Eyes open: 5 weeks from now
- Leave nest: 10-12 weeks from now
- Independent: Late spring

A mother squirrel is giving birth in your neighborhood today.
Her babies are the size of your thumb.
They can't see. They can't hear. They can't regulate their own body temperature.

For the next 10 weeks, she'll nurse them, warm them, protect them.
She'll leave to eat and be back in minutes.
She'll fight off hawks, cats, and other squirrels.

If you see a squirrel moving slowly right now...
If she seems tired, protective, defensive...

She might be a new mom.
Be kind. She's doing the hardest job in nature.

02/15/2026

Good information about our loved opossums❤️

THE "WOBBLE" IS A METABOLIC CRASH.
If you see an opossum staggering across your patio in broad daylight this February, do not reach for the shovel.
He is not "groggy." He is not "acting crazy." He is in the final stages of a physiological shutdown.

The Myth: The "Daylight Rabies" Panic
In the United States, we are culturally conditioned to view any nocturnal animal active during the day—especially one moving unsteadily—as rabid.
The Reality: For the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), this diagnosis is statistically improbable. Opossums have a naturally low body temperature (roughly 94°F-97°F) which makes it difficult for the rabies virus to survive and replicate in their systems.
If an opossum is wobbling in February, the culprit is almost certainly Metabolic Collapse, not a virus.

The Scientific Reality: Hypoglycemic Shock & Ataxia
The staggering gait you are witnessing is clinically known as Ataxia (loss of motor control). In late winter, this is a critical alarm bell indicating that the animal's blood glucose and core temperature have dropped below the threshold required to coordinate its own muscles.

The Tropical Hangover: Opossums are evolutionary migrants from the tropics (South America). They lack a thick underfur and do not hibernate. They are biologically ill-equipped for American winters.

The Brain Starvation: The brain is a glucose-dependent organ. When an opossum spends days sheltering from a February freeze without eating, it burns through its fat reserves. When blood sugar plummets (Hypoglycemia), the cerebellum—the part of the brain controlling balance—fails to function.

The "Wobble": The stumble isn't aggression; it is the visible symptom of a brain starved of fuel.

What is Happening Right Now (February)
We are in the "Starvation Moon."
Right now, food sources (insects, fruit, carrion) are at their absolute seasonal low.

Forced Foraging: Extreme hunger forces opossums to forage during the day when temperatures are slightly higher, breaking their nocturnal habit.

Frostbite: You may see damage to their naked ears and tails (necrosis). This physical pain, combined with starvation, puts them in a catabolic state—they are breaking down their own muscle tissue just to keep their heart beating.

Why This Matters Ecologically
The opossum is the "sanitation engineer" of the forest. They consume thousands of ticks per season (reducing Lyme disease risk), eat cockroaches, and clean up carrion.
Losing a breeding-age individual to preventable starvation right before spring creates a gap in this crucial cleanup crew. A "wobbly" opossum is not dead yet; it is salvageable.

Practical Action: The Triage Protocol
This is a medical emergency. Time is the enemy.

Stop Filming: Do not watch to see if he "walks it off." He won't.

The Capture: Opossums are generally non-aggressive when weak. Use thick gardening gloves or a heavy towel to gently scoop him into a high-sided box or cat carrier.

The Heat Protocol (CRITICAL): You must provide external heat. Fill a hot water bottle (wrap it in a towel so it doesn't burn the skin) or use a heating pad on "Low" under half the box. This arrests the hypothermia.

No Food Yet: Do not force-feed. A cold animal cannot digest; food will rot in the stomach or cause aspiration. You must warm them up before they can metabolize calories.

The Call: Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. They can administer subcutaneous fluids and dextrose (sugar) injections to reverse the crash.

The Verdict
A stagger is not a walk. It is a biological SOS.
The battery is empty.
Pick him up. Warm him up. Make the call.

Scientific References & Evidence
Rabies Resistance: Krause, W. J., & Krause, W. A. (2006). The Opossum: Its Amazing Story. (Details the low body temperature mechanism that inhibits rabies replication).

Winter Physiology: Kanda, L. L. (2005). Winter energetics of Virginia opossums. Journal of Mammalogy. (Documents the metabolic limits and high mortality rates of opossums in northern winters).

Hypoglycemia/Ataxia: National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA). "Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation." (Protocols distinguishing metabolic collapse from neurological disease).

02/05/2026

February is the cruelest month for wildlife.

Not December. Not January. February.

HERE'S WHY:

- Fat reserves from fall are GONE
- Cached food is running out or frozen solid
- Natural food sources are at their lowest
- But cold temperatures still demand maximum calories
- And daylight is just long enough to raise metabolic needs

This is the bottleneck.
The animals you see in March survived THIS.

A chickadee that made it through December might not make it through February.
A deer that looked healthy in January is burning muscle now.

The squirrel fighting at your feeder isn't greedy.
It's in survival mode with no backup plan.

February isn't the end of winter.
It's the final exam.