Inspiration from Landscaping’s Greatest Hits

BY JANICE F. BOOTH

NOV. 10, 2020

I suspect you’re sitting somewhere cozy, reflecting on the innumerable garden tasks you’ve completed, and you’re ready to dive head-long into preparations for the Holidays. This may be a perfect moment to cast your thoughts to a broader range of gardening ideas. And, with that in mind, I have gathered the names of gardeners and landscape designers who have left their marks on our vision of what is a beautiful garden.

Before wandering among these now-famous, perhaps familiar names, let me review the history, the evolution of gardens, beginning with the colonists, setting up their first dwellings in the new world: 

• They were looking for a practical approach to planting a garden. 18^th Century “dooryard gardens,” as they were called, allowed the colonists to keep a close eye on the small patch of vegetables and herbs planted there. A quick step outside the door allowed for harvesting whatever was needed for the cooking pot, without too much danger from predators or weather. 

• By the early 19^th Century, gardens were expanded to “kitchen gardens.” Fruit trees, veggies, herbs, and a few grape vines were cultivated, climate permitting. Such a garden was still focused on sustenance, though a few flowers, which could earn their keep, were introduced. Sunflowers, Marigolds, Echinacea, and Lavender were useful beauties.

• By mid-century, there were bustling markets and folks had enough leisure and space to cultivate ornamental gardens. The mid-1800s saw rise to a fascination with horticulture, and the development of new varieties of plants as well as methods of disease and pest controls. One such development that has had a lasting impact on gardening, was the development of Pyrethrum, a natural pest control made from dried Chrysanthemum petals.

• The 20^th century’s expansion of urban living produced gardens in small towns and cities that were softer and sometimes grander. Ladies Garden Clubs became popular, as did  professional landscapers and gardeners. English gardens were influencing American gardens, with huge lawns, border beds, shrubbery borders, and ornamental water features.

• Mid-20^th century’s two World Wars led American gardeners to return to feeding the family from one’s own garden. In 1943 there were 20 million “Victory Gardens,” where families grew vegetables, fruit, and herbs. These Victory Gardens were estimated to supply 40 percent of America’s produce requirements. 

• The second half of the 20^th century saw gardening undergo major changes and upheaval. The 1950s and ’60s “improved” gardening by introducing toxins developed to alleviate pests and diseases in plants, both in the garden and on the farm. The long-term results were disastrous. In 1962, Rachel Carson shook the nation with her book Silent Spring. Dire warnings of the destruction of wildlife, and the eventual impact on the planet were heeded, and the first “Earth Day” was held in 1970. Organic gardening became the fashion. 

• The 21^st century has something old, the return of edible gardening. According to the National Garden Association, 1/3 of American households report growing food in their gardens. And there’s plenty of something new. Landscape Architect, Anoushka Feiler lists these qualities of 21^st century garden design as:Expand

1. Healthy-sustainable-ethical design. 2.Adaptive and flexible usefulness. 3. Responsible disaster mitigation, such as permeable surfaces for drainage and irrigation. 4. Recycling and upcycling through the use of sustainable materials. 5. Encouraging an emotional connection with the garden. 6. Socially responsive design that encourages spontaneous interactions with family, friends, and neighbors. 7. Digital accessibility, allowing connectivity in its many forms, in the garden. 8. Immersion, providing both quiet isolation and space for group activities.

So, now we have a simple overview of the development of gardens from Colonial days to the present. But, to see the development of the aesthetics of gardening, I think it’s helpful to consider some of the people who have left their mark on Western or European gardens.

John Tradescant, the Elder and the Younger, were late 16^th and early 17^th century English adventurers and botanists, collecting rare and exotic specimens from the New World and Europe. In the case of Tradescant, The Younger, gardening and garden design were also his passions. Both father and son made excursions to the Colonies to collect seeds and plant specimens from the New World. The Elder devised a collection of artifacts from his travels, “The Ark,” which later became the first museum open to the public. The Younger gained renown for his garden designs, which included exotic flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables from the Colonies. 

French landscape architect, André Le Nôtre (1613–1700) may be familiar to you from Alan Rickman’s 2015 movie A Little Chaos. (Like me, you may be one of the 300 people who wanted to see Kate Winslet as a rough-and-tumble gardener.) Le Nôtre, the landscape architect to Louis the XIV, designed the gardens for Versailles, Fontainebleau, and the Tuileries, among others. His designs were based on Classical theories of order, balance, and symmetry. Expand

Englishman, Lancelot “Capability” Brown (1716–1783) is almost a “household word,” at least among gardeners. His philosophy of garden design—Romanticism—reflected the wildness of nature. Though dead for over 200 years, Capability Brown gained recognition and even fame as a historical figure in the Tom Stoppard 1993 play, Arcadia, wherein Capability Brown’s landscape design plays a significant role. He was known by the nickname “Capability” both for his own abilities and his turn of phrase, “…of course, this property has capability for improvement.” And that argument must have worked; he is recognized for the creation of more than 190 English parks. Brown’s designs used the flowing vistas of English meadows, naturalistic ponds and streams, and copses or clumps of perfectly situated trees. His designs still flourish in several castle and palace gardens, including Blenheim Palace and Harewood House. 

Humphry Repton, (1752–1818) is considered Brown’s successor. Repton began his career polishing and upholding the work Brown had made famous, but later in Repton’s career, his own mark on landscape design was the addition of “Vistas,” or views of distant steeples, hillsides, or buildings. He introduced meandering parkways or carriage roads, focusing on the pleasure ride. Repton was interested in the picturesque. Perhaps Repton’s most permanent mark on landscape design is his “Red Book.” Named for the binding, these books contained detailed drawings and watercolor renderings of Repton’s vision for a particular project. He added “overlays” to show the garden or park’s growth over time. Not only did the Red Book help his business; the idea of a presentation book was soon picked up and used by landscape designers on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Frederick Law Olmstead (1822–1903) is perhaps the most famous American landscape architect. His parks and garden designs are distinguished by his eye for the natural and recognition of the relationship between the visitor and nature. His designs, which stand the test of time, are too numerous to list here, but New York City’s Prospect and Central Parks are among them. He worked on the creation of Niagara Reservation in Niagara Falls, New York, the oldest national park, as well as a gem-like string of public parks and parkways along the East Coast. Olmstead worked tirelessly caring for the sick and wounded during the Civil War as Secretary of the Sanitary Commission, later to become the American Red Cross. You may have read Erik Larson’s book, The Devil In the White City, about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Olmstead provided the landscaping of the Fair. Perhaps most vital of his accomplishments was his early championing of environmentalism and the protection of our nation’s exceptional natural beauty and bounty. Expand

Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932) designed over 400 notable gardens in England and abroad. She wrote more than 1,000 articles on gardening and garden design. She was also a renowned painter and photographer. Her approach to landscape design reflected her artist’s eye and her admiration for the Arts and Crafts movement. The Romantic spirit and detailed craftsmanship were hallmarks of her work. Her influence was felt in both American and Britain, as impressionistic and vibrant flowers and arrangements gained in popularity. Perhaps Jekyll’s most renowned garden was the one she created for her sister, Caroline, in Venice in the mid-1880s. Named the Eden Garden for Caroline’s husband Frederic Eden, it was recognized for its exceptional beauty. Journalists Peter Parker and James Fenton wrote, “The garden featured a large number of willow pergolas covered in roses, and extensive plantings of Madonna lily as well as other English flowers. Paths around the garden were surfaced with local seashells. There were lawns, courts, and a walk lined with cypresses.”

Contemporary “Greats” are a bit harder to identify; however, three names are always included in the short list. Their influences, long-term, are still being measured.

Roberto Burle Marx (1909–1994) was a Brazilian landscape architect and ecologist. He was the first notable voice to champion the protection of the rain forests. He worked in tropical garden design, offering the visitor the lavish beauty of Birds of Paradise, papaya, ferns, and orchids. Marx’s designs often included water gardens. 

Piet Oudolf (1944-present) embraces a naturalistic and ecologically sustainable approach to landscape and garden designs. He is noted for creating the High Line in New York City. “My biggest inspiration is nature. I do not want to copy it, but to recreate the emotion.” Other renowned gardens bearing Oudolf’s distinctive touch are the Lurie Garden in Chicago and the Oudolf Garden, Belle Isle, Detroit. In addition, Oudolf has completed gardens throughout Europe.

Thomas “Tommy” Church (1902–1978) championed the Modernist or California-style in garden design. Outdoor living and the outdoor room were his hallmark innovations. Four characteristics of his work were: (1) function as well as beauty, (2) unity of house and garden, (3) simplicity, and (4) scale, by means of engaging the structure(s) with the surroundings. His legacy comes through his books on garden design rather than specific gardens, Gardens Are for People (1955) and Your Private World: A Study of Intimate Gardens (1969).Expand

We are fortunate to have many famous public and private gardens along the Eastern seaboard, particularly in the Brandywine Valley region of Pennsylvania and Delaware. I’m compiling a personal list of gardens I can drive to in our region. I plan to see for myself some of the brilliant, timeless beauty created by these landscape and garden designers.

Winter Gardens

BY JANICE F. BOOTH

OCT. 24, 2020

What’s Up? Magazine & e-zine

With winter approaching, our gardens, whatever their sizes, remind us that summer has ended. That pretty, red geranium won’t last past the first frost; our Hellebores will droop and wither.  And what about that cheery, red tomato plant brightening the patio and our salads?  It too is at the end of its season.  

But, don’t be too downhearted.  I have a few suggestions that may lift your spirits and give you a chance to continue gardening all winter long. 

How about bringing just a bit of your summer garden indoors for the cold months ahead?  Or, start a fresh, indoor garden—maybe a few vegetables and herbs.  It might be fun seeing if you can coax some carrots and radishes to flourish on your window ledge and brighten your winter salads. 

So, first let’s talk about bringing some of your favorite plants indoors, and then I’ll go over some of the vegetables and herbs that can be fun to raise indoors.

Relocating Annuals Indoors

Perennial plants are equipped to survive winter and actually need that dormant “cool down” for their roots and bulbs to regenerate and gather energy for spring growth.  Annuals can’t tolerate the cold. But, with a bit of preparation, annuals will keep growing and, in some cases, even bloom indoors throughout the bleak months of winter. 

There are two ways to bring your pretty annuals inside:

#1 Dig up the healthiest specimens of each annual.

• Be careful to dig a few inches away from the plant’s stem, lifting out a pot-size root ball. 

• Check your plant for bugs. Look for things like tiny white aphids on the underside of the leaves and where the leaf meets the stem. If you see any suspicious little specks or crawlies, hose off the plant with a gentle but firm spray of water. Another method, which I prefer to insure I’ve gotten the bugs, is to fill a pail with water and a few drops of dish soap.  Submerge the plant in the water for 10–15 minutes. That will get rid of insects on the plant and among the roots – another hiding place for those pests.

• Using fresh potting soil, situate your specimens in clean pots or bowls, pitchers, or whatever you think will be an attractive container. Be sure there is drainage. You may need to add vermiculite to the soil and/or line the bottom of the pot or bowl with small pebbles so the roots won’t sit in water. 

• When choosing the containers, keep in mind where you plan to place the plants.  If you have narrow windowsills, you’ll want to choose containers that will sit on those narrow surfaces. Or, you might want to buy windowsill extensions or plant stands.

• Thoroughly water the old plants in their new soil nests. You’ll want the soil to settle around the roots to avoid air pockets among the roots.

• Most plants are light sensitive. Some prefer diffused light, others bright sunshine. You’ll know where to place your annuals based on where they flourished outdoors. Try to find steady light for your flowering friends, as they acclimate to being indoors. If they’re happy and you’re lucky, you may get pretty blooms in December and January.

• Speaking of acclimating: After you’ve potted your plants, you may want to help them adjust to their new homes gradually by setting them outdoors, on the deck or porch during the day for a week or so. Be sure to bring them in at night; you don’t want them to get too cold.  The gradual change in climate will make it easier for your plants to feel at home in their indoor surroundings.

• Don’t be alarmed if, at first, the plants drop some or many of their leaves. As long as little leaf buds begin to appear along the stems, they’ll be okay. Expand

#2 Start new plants by using cuttings from your outdoor annuals.  

(This technique is lots of fun, and may make a great project to share with children—your own, your neighbors, and grandchildren. It could even serve as a science experiment if you and your little assistant take photos and keep records of watering, fertilizing, and growth. Think about it as a remote project to share with little ones who are far away. They can participate with the coaxing of the cuttings and watching the plants grow and flourish via the internet.)

• Some of the sure-fire annuals that respond well to reproduction by cutting include: Lantana, Coleus, Fuchsia, Wax Begonia, and Sweet Potato Vine.  If none of those are growing in your garden, there are others, of course, which you can research on-line.

• Take your cutting sheers, a basket or flat box lined with wet paper towels, and wander through your flower beds looking for healthy, happy annuals.  Look for the newish growth and snip a cutting that’s about 6” long; you may want to take 3–4 cuttings of each type of plant. Avoid cutting a section that has a flower or bud on it; the plant will have used its energy producing the flower. If you can only find a piece with a bud or flower, snip off the flower. Carefully lay your cuttings on the damp towel. (If you think you’ll forget which cutting is from which variety of annual, devise some way to make notes. For example, take a picture of the plant with your cutting(s) next to it so you can refer back to the pictures later if you forget which little, sprouting cutting will become a begonia, which a Sweet Potato Vine.  You’ll need to keep track somehow, since the amount of light required by each species will dictate each little plant’s location.) 

• Once you have your cuttings, place the cuttings of a single type of plant in each jar, and add water up to about 2–3” from the base of the cuttings.  You might have one jar with all the begonia cuttings, another jar with all the coleus.  Be careful to submerge only about 1/3 of each piece. You don’t want the cuttings to drown, only to send out shoots/roots to absorb the water and nutrients. 

• Set the jars in windows that have good light but not harsh sunlight. Within two weeks you’ll begin to see delicate tendrils emerging from the cuttings’ bases. (Don’t forget to take photos if you’re sharing the progress with children.)  Over the next week these delicate roots will fill-in and become stronger. 

• When you see a network of these rootlets, it’s time to plant the cuttings in their winter home.  You may want to put several cuttings in one pot, which encourages a fuller plant. Or, you might want to put each cutting in its own pot.  Like Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, each little plant will want a home that is not too big or too small.  You can usually pick up tiny clay pots that will hold these new plants. But, any small container could work.

• Once the cuttings are planted in fresh potting soil and settled in their new homes, water each pot so the soil is moist but not soggy, perhaps adding some light fertilizer. Be sure to give them enough water to settle plant roots.

• Move the new plants to the locations you’ve chosen for them—with just the right amount of light, and plan to water them as needed, usually once a week.  If you’re working with a budding scientist, be sure to keep a record of watering amounts, hours of sunlight, and plant growth.Expand

Setting Up a Winter Vegetable and Herb Garden Indoors

While I don’t recommend you give up trips to the grocer for fresh vegetables and fruit, you may want to experiment with raising a variety of vegetables in your own window garden. Again, this might be a great activity to undertake with young people. You’ll only need a few things to get started:

Location: For most herbs and vegetables, you need windows that provide sunlight 5–6 hours most days. (Failing this, you can invest in grow lights. Some companies produce grow lights that will fit in regular light sockets.)

Equipment: Purchase high-quality vegetable and herb starter plants and seeds, pots that breathe; terracotta, for example, and non-permeable trays to hold the pots and any drainage. You may also want to devise some shelves or cases to hold your garden.

Watering: Obviously, water and fertilizer will be essential. Different herbs and vegetables require different amounts of water, so you may want to prepare some sort of chart or calendar for watering and fertilizing.

Once you have prepared your resources, the fun begins.  Among the herbs and vegetables that lend themselves to indoor gardens are:

Arugula: adds a bit of zing to winter salads and can be “harvested” several times since it grows back after cutting.

Carrots: short varieties such as Little Fingers: be careful to plant the seeds in containers deep enough to allow the root plant to grow.

Culantro (similar to Cilantro): a sweet, not bitter, herb that adds zest for cooking.

Kale: adds color as well as flavor to winter meals. Gardener Tiffany Davis advises you harvest the outer kale leaves as the inner leaves continue to mature outward. 

Leaf celery: (not stalk celery) adds color to a salad; Leaf celery can be pink or lime green.

Lemon grass: a distinctive herb; the plant will grow quite large, so choose a big pot, and keep it in a warm location, away from drafts.

Potatoes: while it’s fun to harvest and eat your own winter potatoes, you may want to buy specially designed bags in which potatoes can be grown. These bags come with rich soil and the seed potatoes ready to be planted. You won’t be raising these potatoes for a quantity harvest. 

Radishes: fun root vegetables that are easy to grow and tasty.

Sprouts: those familiar, nutty little veggies that will grow almost anywhere in almost any substance. They can be bought as sprout kits.

Tomatoes: Ah, how lovely to have some plump, little Cherry Tomatoes to pluck from your own vine. They’ll require patience, but they’ll be worth the wait.

Whatever you decide to grow in your indoor, winter garden, you will have some frustrations, but you’ll also have some triumphs and fun.  Winter is a perfect time for expanding your gardening expertise and enjoying the small, easy challenges of a window garden or veggies and herbs under grow lights. Who knows; you might find it’s almost as satisfying to garden in winter as it is in summer.

Gardening’s For the Birds

BY JANICE F. BOOTH

AUG. 19, 2020

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As summer draws to a close, we can look ahead to autumn’s delights. One of fall’s pleasures may be enjoying your fall garden. The little joys—the unremitting blooms of the Black-eyed Susans, the tender roots of that Boxwood twig you planted, and, hopefully, the call of the Canada geese winging their way south. I hope, dear reader, that you and I can hold onto some of the insights we gained from our months of self-isolation and apply those insights now and in the future—how satisfying it became to simply watch the trees bud and leaves emerge. What a simple pleasure, having the time to watch the squirrels scamper across the telephone wires and the birds nibble at your feeder. 

Let me propose an easy and satisfying project based on our reawakened enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. Why not devise adaptations to our gardens, patios, or decks to make these areas even more welcoming to those songbirds, bees, and butterflies that have entertained us during our long sequestration? Some of those little, feathered balls of energy may winter over here in Maryland while others can be enticed to return next spring to our welcoming gardens. Expand

Why garden with birds, bees, and butterflies in mind? 

There are at least five solid reasons for encouraging these tiny creatures to visit your garden. 

• Birds and butterflies entertain and delight us. (Honey bees, too, can prove entertaining—at a safe distance, of course.) There is the simple pleasure of watching them zoom in to rest on a railing or perch on your feeder. What are they thinking as they select the perfect seed, cooperating with one another or pushing each other out of the way—not unlike kids on the playground. How does that delicate splash of color emerge from its dull cocoon? The minor-key song of the Chickadee, the melodic chirrups of the Song sparrow, the hearty songs of the Robins fill the day. There’s also the particular pleasure of learning to identify the birds that visit our feeders. Is that a House finch or a Purple finch? Am I listening to the Cardinal’s song, or is that a Robin? How does that Nuthatch hang on as he skitters, head down the trunk of that oak? It always takes my breath away, watching a tiny Goldfinch undulate like a yellow snake across the sky. As we learned during our forced confinement, there is a great deal to be observed, if we have the time and the patience. 

• Another compelling reason to provide for the birds, bees, and butterflies is the work they do in our gardens. They are the seeders and pollinators. They carry the potential for new plants and the magic dust that allows plants to flower and reproduce. Without the pollinators our mums and asters would never bloom, our fruit trees would bear no fruit. 

• Tired of swatting at those pesky flies and mosquitoes? Avoiding those smelly sprays and noisy bug-zappers? Well, leave it up to the birds! Their favorite meal may be a juicy fly or a crinkly mosquito! Birds dine on those nasty aphids and mites that can plague our plants. Woodpeckers, finches, chickadees, and (here’s an easy one) flycatchers eat oodles of insects every day; picking off a fly on the wing is a favorite pastime for a swallow. Barn swallows will eat over 1,000 insects per day! But they’re light eaters when compared to the Purple martins which eat 2,000 mosquitoes per day. No wonder folks put up those pretty apartment-birdhouses designed specifically for Purple martins! 

• Birds can also save you some work in the flowerbeds. Ground feeders, like finches, towhees, and sparrows eat the seeds of future weeds, eliminating or at least diminishing the number of weeds you’ll do battle with in your flowerbeds. 

• Finally, some of those more impressive raptors—hawks, owls, and kestrel—will help keep down the rodent population. These sharp-eyed hunters eat mice, voles, squirrels, and snakes. (Sorry about the squirrels.) A nesting pair of Barn owls eats over 3,000 rodents during their mating season. A hawk eats one or two large rodents each day. And for all of us struggling with voles beneath our lawns and in our gardens, hear this! Kestrels eat 4–8 voles each day, depending on the season! (They’re welcome to all the voles in my lawn.) Expand

How can I encourage the birds, butterflies, and bees to visit my garden?

There are only four essentials for making your garden, patio, or terrace a welcoming habitat for these visitors.

Food: You can, of course, set up bird feeders and buy bags of birdseed. This is a great way to draw birds in, so you can get a closer look at them. A few cautions, however: If you are successful, buying seed to keep your hungry guests well fed can get expensive. Also, if you begin supplying a feeder, you need to continue refilling it. The birds that visit will come to rely on your largesse. If your feeder goes empty for too long, your feathered friends might suffer. And, prepare for clean-up duty. The birds will be a bit cavalier in their exploring of your feeder, tossing seeds hither and yon. You’ll have to keep a broom and dust pan handy or your patio floor will look like the floor in a saloon that offers free peanuts—unshelled. Bees and butterflies need only flowers—trumpet vines, sunflowers, petunias, and roses. No clean-up necessary.

Water: A reliable water source will be a valued gift for your visitors. A few plastic flowerpot saucers will do—you’ll have to dump and refill them often. A birdbath is a charming, old-fashioned solution. They’re usually a bit larger and will hold enough water for a few days. Either choice must be shallow. The birds need to be able to stand on the rim or a rock in the birdbath. A major project that offers a lovely solution is adding a pond to your garden. A pond provides essential water for all the small creatures that share your neighborhood—birds, butterflies, foxes, raccoons, and rabbits. 

Shelter: Here’s the excuse for all of us who are lazy gardeners. Resist a too-tidy garden or flowerbed. Birds, bees, and butterflies need places to hide and shelter from predators and weather. You’ll provide essential shelter if you leave a few forsythia to run wild or create a small wood pile with those fallen branches you collect. There are plans on-line for clever insect apartment buildings you can create and install in your garden. 

Safety: Whether you’re figuring out where to hang the feeder or locate the birdbath, consider the safety of the birds as they rest. If there are cats and dogs in your household or neighborhood, you will need to consider height—how tall a base will be needed to keep the cat from jumping into the birdbath? If you hang the birdfeeder from a tree, how far out on a branch should you go to keep squirrels from easily jumping into the feeder? 

And, speaking of squirrels, as we gardeners face the unremitting struggle to keep squirrels out of our flowerpots, birdfeeders, and bulbs, let me offer a few suggestions for squirrel-repellants. 

Nature’s solution: Try planting some or all of the following flowers in your garden. Squirrels are repelled by: 

• Allium 
• Geraniums 
• Hyacinths
• Lilies of the Valley
• Snowdrops 

Kitchen concoctions: 

1. Hot stuff: Mix 1/3 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of Cayenne pepper, and 2 tablespoons of powdered mustard. Sprinkle the powder around birdbaths and feeders. The birds won’t be bothered, but the squirrels may! 2. Wet stuff: Mix equal quantities of water and vinegar. Spray areas where you wish to repel the squirrels. You can also try adding peppermint oil or garlic. 

With over 400 species of birds sighted in Maryland, and almost 300 of them fairly common, what are we waiting for? Hold onto those quiet hours when you can sit and observe the world around you—feed the birds, watch the bees move delicately from flower to flower, catch your breath as a golden Monarch butterfly visits your purple asters. And when winter comes, you’ll still find a few old friends looking to you for seeds when snow and ice blanket the earth.

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August 2020

Summer is passing, if at a pace a bit slower than in years past. I, along with ordinary citizens, have been barred from my usual morning walk around the Naval Academy Yard due to the dangers of spreading COVID-19. And so, I have not been able to observe my old friends, Opal and Oscar Osprey, as they fritter away the summer months rearing their fledglings and preparing their new brood to join the September migration back to regions south – Florida, Central or South America.

Fortunately, for me, I have found another interesting and predictable walk through Annapolis, along the harbor, across the bridge over Spa Creek to Back Creek or the mouth of the Severn River – whether I choose to go straight or make a turn along the water.

Now that I’ve traversed these same sidewalks, around the same time of day, for 6 months, I have found new friends – both human and feathered. There are familiar faces who, like I, walked the Academy regularly and now wander Annapolis, like lost lambs. Also, there are new faces, people who find themselves with time for a walk in the morning – time that was once spent sitting in traffic on the way to work.

Since I walk the same route each morning, I’ve begun noticing the flora and fauna as the summer slips away. In March I observed and was observed by a flashy, young osprey. He perched each morning on one of the masts of the sailboats docked at the yacht club. He often called my attention to himself with his distinctive osprey chirps, not unlike a high-pitched sonar detector. I named him Alfonse.

Apparently, Alfonse’s mating song was persuasive, because before too long he was joined by a plump, young lovely – about half-again his size. I named her Abigail.

Rather than remain on the precarious masts, they took up residence on the other side of the bridge, in a lush copse of maples, poplars and sycamore. In that grove, there is a dead tree that rises above the rest, a perfect perch from which to watch the creek below.

As the summer wore on, I regularly saw one or the other, sometimes both Alfonse and Abigail perched handsomely above the greenery in the dead tree. Until one morning in July. As I started across the bridge I looked up for my friends. And, there, perched grandly on the very tree “owned” by Al and Abby, were two beautiful, big, blue herons. I named them Bluebell and Berry.

Yes, the grove and the creek below are claimed by two pairs of beautiful hunters. Since then, I have seen usually one or the other pair as I cross and recross the bridge. Recently, Abbie and Al Osprey seem to be introducing at least one young fledgling to the creek. Al and Ab fly across the creek in lazy circles, while a small, tentative osprey sits cautiously in the top of a tree – not, I might add, the favored perch of parent osprey and neighbor herons.

I can’t be sure if there is only one fledgling, or if I’m only seeing one-at-a-time. I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m watching to see if I can spot any youthful herons making their way along the shoreline. I often see Bluebell and Berry winging their way over the bridge and into the trees after what I hope was a successful fishing foray. They spend less time perching and more time stalking the creeks’ shorelines for breakfast.

And so it goes… I still get occasional sightings of Oscar and Opal across the harbor, perching on or near their nest. But, I can’t discern whether they’re rearing a new brood. I certainly hope so! I’ll let you know if further details become available.