At times there were between 30 and 50 hummingbirds swarming the feeder. All of them were competing for a spot for a cool sugary drink. I was amazed how close I could get with them. At times i could hold the feeder in my hands and the birds were not deterred. Very exciting!
Winter can be a difficult time for most gardeners. It's considered to be an off season - washing containers, checking equipment, and other random tasks. What projects could I do to add some winter interest to my garden? Start with something simple like bird feeders. Before installing your bird feeder, consider the location. Place the feeder away from high traffic areas, including cars and pedestrians; near to an area of cover like bamboo or an evergreen; and near a source of water. After getting your bird feeder to the best possible spot, it is time to pick up some feed. During the winter birds are interested in gaining some serious fat. So provide them with feed that is high in protein.
Another thing you could add to your project is a bird bath. At Compton Gardens we decided to create our own bird bath using trunks of fallen trees and a chainsaw. After scooping out the bowl, we added a mossy rock (for a landing pad), and some plants to give it a natural, living aesthetic.
After doing these few things at our garden, the result has been dramatic. I've counted 15 or more species of birds at a time in the area providing a winter garden with an abundance of color.
Over the past several days, my comrades and I have been removing Euonymus fortunei-common name is wintercreeper-which is an invasive plant species. It may look harmless, but it will easily choke out native plants and limit the biodiversity of an area very quickly. The garden staff and I devised a way of removing the plant by starting at the top of a slope and rolling it over itself similar to rolling carpet. As we were rolling the wintercreeper, many creatures would come out to greet us: worms, various insects, spiders, and a lovely little salamander.
Mr. Salamander was upset because the worms were eating all his food. I told Mr. Salamander that we would relocate the worms to another place if he would have a wrestling match with one of the worms. He agreed.
Eurycea lucifuga, which is the scientific name for Mr. Salamander, is a rare find in the wild. The common name for this species is the cave salamander. Its habitat is usually in caves where light can be found and near springs. In Arkansas, the animal is limited to the Ozarks in the northern part of the state; however, the cave salamander can be found in many central and eastern states. Even though this salamander is rare, it is not on the federal endangered species list. 
Hello everyone! Aren't things warming up a bit in Arkansas? Well, while your baking in the hot sun, my tomatoes are staying cool in the garden. Since I don't have room for much in my tiny garden, I have planted my tomatoes a bit too close together. They may seem a bit crowded, but with the right pruning job they will be just fine. I've also planted them near a fence to help with support rather than dealing with those circular wire frames. 
Have you heard of a rice-paper plant or rice-paper tree or Tetrapanax papyrifer? It's a wonderful specimen that adds great foliage interest to the garden. At the corner of my house there was once a Lonicera maackii - needless to say, I chopped that down with a axe made from the fires in hell. (*Hint* If you paint a coat of roundup on the stump it wont come back.) After the Amur honeysuckle was removed, I installed the rice-paper plant as a replacement. Once established the plant will mostly take care of itself. It will grow into a nice mounding screen; however, it will die back to the ground in the winter in Arkansas. It might be possible that southern Arkansas might get away with having it year-round. Before you think that you want one, keep in mind that this plant loves to spread from the base. Many of my colleagues are against having the rice-paper plant in their garden, but I've always been pretty rebellious when it comes to following the crowd.
Another little accent to my garden is Polemonium pauciflorum aka. Hickley's polemonium - I like to call it skunk plant, because the foliage smells horrific, which I think is terrific! By the way, its flowers are nice too.
It's the summer! People enjoy relaxing in the shade next to a cool, clean pool with an ice cold summer drink. I believe that was my father's idea a few weeks ago as he stepped out onto the veranda and mosied on over to his large, green umbrella. It never occurred to him that he would disturb the rest of a peaceful creature. As soon as he popped open his shade providing machine... "AHHHHH! A BAT!" Then he screamed for his wife, "Chotsie, there's a bat! Help." After careful review of the pictures, I have no idea what kind of bat this is. Could it be the very rare Small-footed Bat? I just don't know.
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