1 COWBIRD DOVES CARDINALS FOUNTAIN PASSION FLOWER VINE MARCH 25, 2021

The cowbird is a bit of a bully, they showed up in late February 21 and bullied the goldfinch brigade right off the feeder. Still they are dark beaties with their black bodies and brown heads - a very strange looking bird - I had never seen them up close before they muscled in on the feeder in February 21.

The passion flower vine was grown from seed harvested from a wild plant growing on the north side of Tallahassee. I brought the seeds to the south side and got them going. Now passion flower has taken over the lot. Passion flower is not only one of the most beautiful of flowers but one of the most intelligent and preferred as a larval food by the Zebra Longwing butterfly - the longest lived and most intelligent butterfly - and my personal favorite butterfly - when I see the Zebra Longwing my heart flies with them. They are not the flashiest butterfly but their unique coloring and "aura" causes me to love them so.

Passion flower demonstrates intelligence by growing in almost any soil, by waiting to germinate when conditions are correct, by keeping itself alive through difficult times and traveling underground to find the best spot to come up. Once established almost impossible to kill.

Many birds are walking around on the ground, visiting the fountain. The cowbird stays a long time chowing down, no one dares mess with the cowbird. When cowbird comes to feed the other birds leave town, get on the ground or go to the water.