One NH Yard
What's this all about?
I’ve been fascinated with nature my whole life. As a kid, I spent my summers outdoors, catching bugs, frogs, snakes, and anything else I could. Now, I spend summers playing in my yard. Over the years, I’ve been collecting pictures of the animals I see, and that’s what you’ll see on this website. This is my grown-up version of catching bugs in jars. I also hope to help illustrate the incredible biodiversity that can be found right outside our doors. Read on to learn more about this project.
About Our Yard
Our yard is about 1/3 of an acre and is located in a suburban neighborhood near the seacoast of New Hampshire. The front yard is bordered by a sidewalk and road. A patch of woods sits behind our backyard. There’s a fence on either side of the yard. We have gardens (mostly perennials) scattered throughout the property. There’s a decent amount of grass that has plenty of “weeds” (natural plants) mixed in.
About The Pictures
Unless otherwise noted, the pictures on this site are ones I’ve collected in or around our yard. I use an iPhone and a Cannon digital camera with a zoom lens. I also have a game camera set up in the backyard and a bird feeder with a built-in camera. As you can see, I’m having fun!
One spring, my wife and I were vacationing in London. In several public parks there were “bug hotels.” These are spaces designed to attract pollinators and give places for beneficial bugs to hide and nest in the city. I thought, “I could build something like that.”
Here’s my attempt. I used cedar and pine (not pressure treated wood). Compartments are full of straw, pinecones, bark, blocks of wood (with holes drilled in them) and bee tubes, which I bought online.
Within a few weeks, there were already customers. Quite a few solitary bees laid eggs in the wood blocks and bee tubes. I could see holes stopped up with mud.
This Microbeast Microtel attracted more than insects and bugs. A lot of people walking by stopped to ask questions!
