| 7/25/2023 |
Matt created an incredible new house on the south finish of our property. I dubbed it The Wildflower Walkway as a result of a) it’s apt and b) I preferred the alliteration. I discussed it in my solstice-to-equinox photos, however thought it actually deserved a standalone submit.
A bit backstory: Within the fall of 2020, I efficiently organized my neighbors to cease a improvement venture that was going to negatively impression the neighborhood. All the details are here. One of many outcomes of that entire factor was that our avenue obtained a sidewalk constructed on one facet. It’s a route to highschool and that ought to have occurred lengthy, way back…however higher late than by no means.
 |
| 7/4/2023 |
The soil disturbed by the development led to the realm across the sidewalk turning into a weed patch. The Wildflower Walkway was Matt’s answer to that drawback. It was the worst a part of our entrance yard to start out with…so this was a possibility for enchancment!
 |
| 6/21/2023 |
Matt purchased a half dozen completely different wildflower blends from our native greenhouse/backyard provider and scattered them liberally. There have been mixes for attracting butterflies, for bees, and for pollinators extra usually. There have been sunflowers for the birds and the squirrels. We planted some surplus cabbage seedlings for the rabbits.
Matt stored the weeds at bay. I made a small rock border to 1 facet and a string fence on the opposite to maintain the teeny sprouts from getting trampled whereas they have been so little. We needed to discourage Black Bunny and his mates from consuming all of the sunflower sprouts a handful of occasions. And the flower patch grew and grew and obtained cooler and cooler!
 |
| 7/11/2023 |
Extra varieties blossomed. Extra colours appeared. For a lot of the spring it appeared there was one thing new each day. Matt and I might marvel over every new arrival. It was so cool.
 |
| 7/23/2023 |
It delighted us to see households stopping to actually odor the flowers on their stroll to highschool. I overheard some neighbor kids saying, “Mother stated we’ve got to cease on the flowers and anticipate her,” making it a landmark for our avenue. On a number of events, neighbors out for a night stroll stopped and chatted Matt up when he was on the market weeding. As we sat on the porch, dogwalkers would name out to us in regards to the stunning, new flower array.
 |
| 10/10/2023 |
The Wildflower Walkway was enthusiastically properly obtained by all. It might have been worthwhile even when Matt and I have been the one ones to take pleasure in it a lot. The truth that it introduced pleasure and pleasure to numerous others made it all of the extra gratifying.
 |
| 6/21/2023 |
The bees, birds, bunnies, and squirrels additionally appreciated Matt’s efforts. I watched Bob-the-Bobtail-Squirrel ransacking the sunflowers final month. He’d take the seedy flower heads and eat it like corn on the cob.
 |
| I’m unhappy to report that Bob-the-Bobtail-Squirrel (pictured right here on the entrance fence) was killed by a automobile close to the top of September. He was round our place for not less than three years. I moved his stays from the street to the flower mattress. It was the least I might do. 8/29/2023 |
I’m not savvy sufficient with flowers to have the ability to title all of them, however I do know we had Flax, Zinnia, Cosmos, Sunflower, Neglect-Me-Not, Lavender, Borage, Salvia, Coneflower, Calendula, Dill, Echinacea, and Brown-Eyed Susan.
 |
| 7/25/2023 |
The blossoms are beginning to wind down because the nights develop longer and cooler, however I am impressed with the Wildflower Walkway’s sticking energy. Matt now envisions letting the flowers develop over the entire entrance yard. I assist this imaginative and prescient! That might make the entrance of our property as cool because the again backyard is!
 |
| 10/3/2023 |
