Summer is Here, School is out and it's Sunny and Hot in the Carolinas!
Who doesn't love the lush evergreen leaves and uber fragrant flowers of a prolific Sweet Olive A birdhouse set in a carefully pruned spot for birds to shelter or just dawdle on hot Summer days adorns my wildlife garden. Not a day goes by that I don't see at least one bird lounging on top in the shade or basking in the sun like this one. The bush is also very popular to Mockingbirds who enjoy it's shelter from all elements and hiding their nests beyond the leaves in a less dense spot just past the leaves. Thrashers and Robins also covet this prime real estate, but so far, duking it out with the bossier and brazen Mockers has not proven successful for them. Even though their beaks are longer and bodies slightly larger, the Thrashers who have laid claim to this backyard have carefully fashioned their nests only to lose it to the bully Mocker. For this and a few other reasons, no garden is complete in my book without a Sweet Olive!