If you look closely, you'll see a male cardinal, one of the most beautiful birds ever, according to Ruth Pfeffer of Willow Grove. I spent more than three delightful hours with her yesterday, talking about her love of birds and the outdoors. Ruth's story will be in the paper later this spring and it will be a treat.
I was surprised to see that she doesn't live in the woods. She doesn't really have a lot of property and yet birds flock to her back and side yards. She's got feeders, bird baths, nice white ash trees for nesting and lots of places to hide and be warm. Even containers that held plants last year are left on the deck for birds to plunder for insects and sticks.
Hanging around with Ruth makes you see the world differently, adding another layer to the gardening perspective we already have. It's also striking to experience the joy she exudes, joy that isn't just about birds but is enhanced by them.
And it was a surprise to hear her say that no matter where you travel, you'll find few sights as beautiful as this one - a cherry red male cardinal, perched in a forsythia bush on a cold spring day, looking for the female who isn't yet his mate but will be soon. A few minutes after this (bad) photo was taken, a pale brown female joined him briefly in the bush, then flitted away. Such a coquette.
"She'll be back," Ruth said.
