Pond maintenance is one chore we are able to attend to on your behalf. Although every pond we install is designed to operate efficiently, requiring a minimal amount of maintenance, occasional check-ups and cleaning may be performed to ensure all is runni
At a time of year notorious for inspiring lapses of moderation, who better to herald in the New Year than an uninvited flock of wandering Waxwings that suddenly crash at your doorstep and devour every berry in your garden in a single afternoon?
Bohem
Northern Virginia residents often encounter a less than white Christmas, leaving us faced with a dull gray and brown garden for several months. So what makes a winter garden stand out against the faded winter backdrop?
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December 25 2007  At a time of year notorious for inspiring lapses of moderation, who better to herald in the New Year than an uninvited flock of wandering Waxwings that suddenly crash at your doorstep and devour every berry in your garden in a single afternoon?
Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) are pretty little things with a striking countenance that tend to flock noisily and in numbers. Their eyes are masked in black and their wings, tipped with red... You wouldn't know it to look at them but these sweet, fragile creatures (Waxwings) are comparable to the guest that talks endlessly, ends up wearing the lampshade, eating all the appetizers, and then proceeds to pass out under the Christmas tree!
The smaller and more orange-hued cousin, Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), is attracted by sugary berries and fruits, but most especially the Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Cedar Waxwings are known for overindulgence to the point of drunkenness. Highly gregarious in nature, the birds often flock on the branches and pass around berries until one finally swallows it. If the berries have lasted a wee bit too long on the bow, don't be surprised to spot tipsy Waxwings staggering about and even falling from the trees. Some tipsy Waxwings, having lost all sense of judgment and proportion, have been known to feast on fermented berries to the point of death.
If you have winter-berry trees, vines, or shrubs in your landscape, you may have noticed these masked bandits flocking about but more likely than not, they'll have come and gone before you know it. You may spare the poor, silly Waxwings from an ignoble fate by ensuring your garden is wildlife-friendly and visited by many species of birds regularly so that your garden berries will be long gone before they reach the point of fermentation. A sober Waxwing is just as pleased with a suet cake as a fruit "cocktail".
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