A Hawk Tale and the February Garden

A peek into a wild part of Deb's Garden, February 2012:

I have a question for those whose children have left the nest: Do you expect them to someday provide for you? Sort of as repayment for all those years of feeding, clothing, providing shelter, mentoring, and encouragement? If the answer is yes or maybe, then don't judge too harshly when I tell you the following story.

Lou recently watched as a young female hawk caught a mouse and carried it to a limb in a tree near our patio. The bird had just begun to enjoy her meal when another, larger hawk flew up and landed beside her. This larger hawk was also female, and Lou supposed them to be mother/daughter. Well, no sooner had Mom landed when she knocked against the younger hawk, then reached with her beak and grabbed the mouse for herself. Daughter glared at Mom for a moment, then flew off, no doubt to find herself another lunch!

When Lou told me about it, at first I was offended that a mother bird would treat her offspring that way. But then, maybe she thinks she deserves it after all she did to incubate and then care for her daughter when she was just a nestling!Hawk flying high

Soon spring will be here and Mom and Dad Hawk, who mate for life, will be preparing for a new family, and I suppose daughter will be looking for her own mate. There's a lot going on in the garden! Spring is leaking though the seams of winter and is about to burst through with full force. However, February is still winter, and we had some of our coldest temperatures this past week. But the subfreezing temperatures didn't last long, and I was relieved that most of the blooms in my garden came through OK. Here's a quick look at some things in my February garden:

Some recent scenes in the Front Garden:

This little rabbit stays in a pot by the front parking court:

Some random flowers and foliage:

Some woodland scenes:

I will end with moss and lichen, for winter is always a good time to appreciate these often overlooked denizens of the garden:

 Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you all have a great week!  Deborah