Getting ready for winter (+ a birthday giveaway)
Celebrating one year of the Dwindle River Garden (3 minute read)
MĆrena, good morningâ
This weekend marks one year since the Dwindle River Garden newsletter began, mostly because I needed an outlet to share my excitement over all the new things I discovered in our garden (and my husband was getting weary of looking enthusiastic when I told him Iâd found yet another bagmoth).
There are now over 100 of you reading this newsletter. A huge thank you to ALL of you for letting me take up space in your inbox, and an extra thanks to those of you who have supported my work with a paid subscription, or buying me a coffee (or, in some cases, both!). Thereâs a wee giveaway at the end of this newsletter to celebrate.
So today is a bit of a round-up post, with some of the most popular posts from the Dwindle River Garden, and some other pieces from around the internet that I think youâll find interesting.
Helping our overwintering insects
We got the fire going yesterday for the first time, with the temperatures dropping to just 10â (50â) and starting to feel wintery. We still see plenty of butterflies on sunny days, and I can hear the crickets and cicadas, but there is notably less going on in the garden.
The Otago Daily Times recently shared a fabulous article about how we can help our garden wildlife prepare for their over-wintering period. Itâs thorough and informative, and specific to New Zealand.
A Woodpile for Winter
The pÄ«wakawaka (fantails) and riroriro (grey warblers) love me for these woodpiles! Theyâre exactly what they sound like: a pile of wood. Placed under a tree is perfect, because the birds get to forage amongst the logs and then perch up in the tree to enjoy their kai (food).
For the love of forests
is one of my favourite newsletters on Substack, and this particular piece encapsulates perfectly the feels and fascination with a good forest walk. Winter is a great time for bush walks, with the canopy filtering out the rain and the dense tree growth providing protection from the wind.What moth is that?
With shorter days we have our lights on earlier in the evenings, and are seeing moths around the porch and windows more (although they generally overwinter as larvae1). The Moths & Butterflies NZ Trust now have a fantastic resource to help you identify our unique moths.
Enter the Draw
Recently I released a selection of my wildlife photographs as wooden photo blocks which you can see here. You can win one by leaving a comment with which one you like best - or suggest an image from my Instagram account that you think would look great as a photo block. Blocks are 4x6â and printed in New Zealand.
Prize will be drawn Friday 19 April.
If youâd like to support my work & receive member-only posts & specials, join with a monthly or annual subscription.
If you would like to support The Dwindle River Garden with a small one-off donation, tap the button below.
https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/where-do-butterflies-and-moths-go-in-winter
The little piwakawaka is adorable - but I'm also a bit of a fan of the monarch butterfly!
I really love the Pepe Para Riki photo đ