January 2024—Bee Better Naturally Naturally with Helen Yoest
Let us welcome 2024. Are you hoping for more…or less? I’m hoping for less…It seems like I’ve had too many medical issues in 2023. I’m good, but I want to be gooder in 2024!
Since 2008, I’ve written my annual '“I’m Gonna, “so why should this year be any different? In the past, I always registered ten and followed them, if you can believe it. Since I’ve grown wiser in the last 16 years, I think I only have the focus to write four for 2024; here we go:
Monarchs in their Mexican winter habitat.
After Christmas through New Year 2024, Lily spent six days in Iceland. It was beyond expectations, and we had those very high!
1) Travel more. My last trip was to see the monarch butterflies in their winter habitat in February 2020. Well, that was before Iceland last month. I plan to do more in 2024.
The winter views are the islands best!
2) Continue going to EI every other weekend. I love it down there. I love it here!
3) Continuing to refine the Mixed Border.
4) Spend more time studying ecology and conservation.
I’ve been busy getting winter projects done. It feels good doing so!
Beautiful, but can’t remember which one it is!
Back (40 ft) North to South & Back (4 ft) South to North
Gazebo Corner—no photo
Epimedium Patch—Epimediium spp.
Mixed Border—Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
Mixed Border before mulch.
Wildflower Patch—no photo
Wildflower Patch Extension—no photo
South Side—Fatsia japonica
Ostrich Fern Patch, Matteuccia struthiopteris
Fountain Garden- no photo
Food Forest Extension—no photo
Food Forest—American beauty berry, Callicarpa americana
Celeste fig buds in the Food Forest
The Parterre—no photo
The River Bed/Muscadine/Raspberry—no photo
The Chimney Swift Tower—no photo
The Front Entrance Garden—no photo
Pollinator Bed & North Side
Rock Garden, photo taken from the back
The Girl’s Garden—The new six girls should be laying by next month. I got them on August 28th. They were four weeks old. I never had these breeds, but in the past breeds, I start getting eggs at about five months.
The Pond