Rosedale oasis

I can't get out of the city very often, so I wanted a place where I could feel close to the natural world in the middle of the city. I have always had a vegetable garden, so the first thing to do when I moved to this house over 20 years ago was to dig up a good part of the lawn and prepare beds for vegetables. As as the years went by, I added flowers, mainly native species, to attract birds and pollinators, dug a pond in an area that always flooded in the spring, which brought more birds (and raccoons and skunks and groundhogs). The garden is my oasis, and it attracts so much life--so many birds all year round, even in the dead of winter, they find sustenance in the flower heads I leave, and in the feeders I put out (although, with the squirrels, it is a battle!). I leave the grass fairly long, and there are always lots of bugs and worms for them to forage for in the warmer months. I usually have a lot of butterflies and in the past could always count on seeing several Monarchs, but this year, I have seen none, despite the biggest crop of milkweed ever! I have only seen a few either Painted Ladies or Admirals, and lots of little white cabbage butterflies, but I did have Black Swallowtail caterpillars munching on my parsley, carrot leaves and dill. My garden brings me joy and a deep feeling of peace, and satisfaction that I am growing my own food and doing my small part in helping other critters survive in the urban jungle!