Look Closer

Slow down. Look carefully. You may be missing out on a lot of wildlife in your garden!

When I travel around the country speaking at conferences about Ecosystem Gardening for wildlife, I teach people that the best garden tool is a lawn chair. Take the time to look closely and observe what is happening in your wildlife garden. You’ll be surprised at all the fun stuff you’ve been missing!

Kevin J. Railsback has also mentioned the joys of taking time to look closer:

Don’t be in a hurry to capture your gardens and the creatures that call it home.

Pull up a lawn chair, a blanket or just sit on the ground and relax. Enjoy the fruits of you labor. Don’t move much, just sit, breath and take it all in.

Once you do, you’ll be come aware of details in your plants and garden that you might have overlooked. Wildlife will no longer see you as a threat and start going about their business. All great things when you’re trying to capture nature at it’s finest.

So I’ve pulled together a series of photos to illustrate many of the wonderful critters you may see when you take the time to slow down, relax, and look carefully.

Can you spot the Great Horned Owl?

But, look closer. Can you see the owl now?

The Brown Thrasher is often difficult to spot because it is a skulker, hiding in dense shrubs.

Who’s hiding behind the grass?

And who’s hiding in this grass?

See the bird butt in the tree?

It may be hard to identify birds by their butts (although many birders are expert at this), but waiting calmly for a few seconds brings many rewards. That butt belongs to a Tufted Titmouse