Red Barn 216

06/06/2026

05/25/2026

We are beginning to admit baby skunks, as this is the time of year when the kits start to venture out of the den with their mother close by. When we find kits this small without their mother nearby, we know they are in trouble. Skunk mothers are very attentive and keep their kits close since the kits do not see very well but can follow their mother's scent.

Recently, a kit was found in the middle of the finder’s backyard, which is dangerous and makes it an easy target for predators. The finder wore leather gloves, placed the kit in a box with a towel, and called us immediately. The kit had clearly been alone for some time, as she was lethargic and dehydrated. Thanks to critical care from our team, she is making a great recovery and is now exhibiting her sassy personality. She is learning to eat from a bowl and clearly communicates that she doesn’t want help or to be cleaned up.

These are amazing little creatures, and their big attitudes make them even more interesting. After getting cleaned up, she returned to her warm incubator and promptly fell asleep. Kits are typically born in litters of four to six during the spring and weigh only a few ounces at birth. They are born with their signature black-and-white stripes but are entirely blind and helpless for the first few weeks of life. They cannot use their famous defensive spray until they are several weeks old.

Baby skunks (kits) are known for being playful, sassy, and fiercely confident. Despite their gentle nature, they have plenty of personality packed into their small bodies, often displaying a dramatic "big attitude."

Some of their notable behaviors include:

- **Foot Stomping:** Kits will aggressively stomp their tiny front feet to warn potential threats or express frustration.

- **Scoot & Spray:** When upset, they may arch their backs, scoot backward, and even attempt handstands to line up their spray.

- **Playful Tantrums:** During playtime, they wrestle, squeal, and hiss. If they don’t get their way, they might throw tantrums, vocalizing or pouting.

- **Bossy Demeanor:** Whether raised in captivity or interacting with siblings, young skunks love to assert dominance and act as if they own the place.

Please remember, while they may be cute and sassy, in Pennsylvania, they are considered a rabies vector species and must be handled cautiously, with gloves and without contact with pets or people. Feel free to contact us with any questions or for guidance.

05/05/2026

The hummingbirds are back, and we couldn’t be more excited! 🌿✨
Now’s the perfect time to get your feeders cleaned, filled, and ready for these tiny powerhouses.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe (no red dye needed):
1 cup white sugar
4 cups water
Bring to a boil, cool completely, and fill your feeder. That’s it—simple and safe.

A huge thank‑you to Bob Reiter, who shared this incredible shot of a hummingbird building their nest at one of our parks. These nests are marvels of engineering—about the size of a walnut, held together with spider silk, and decorated with lichen for camouflage.

Do you have your feeder up yet? Share your photos or sightings—we’d love to see who’s visiting your yard this spring.

05/04/2026

Five spiders most homeowners remove on sight. Each one is working a shift nobody hired them for.

The same animal shows up in two categories — horror and pest control — and most people don't connect the two.

- Yellow garden spider — the black-and-yellow giant building webs across walkways. Eats grasshoppers, mosquitoes, flies, and aphids through the season
- Wolf spider — the large hairy one running across a patio at night. Doesn't build a web. Hunts crickets, beetles, and cockroaches on foot like a ground patrol. Females carry over a hundred babies on their backs
- Jumping spider — the tiny one with oversized eyes staring directly at you. Has near-360-degree vision and hunts leafhoppers, aphids, and mosquitoes that web-builders miss
- Crab spider — hides inside flowers and appears without warning. Changes color to match the petals. Ambushes pest flies and beetles right at the bloom without spinning a single thread
- Cellar spider — the wispy thing filling a garage with messy cobwebs. Catches and wraps black widows and brown recluses in silk from a safe distance. The spider most people sweep out is often the one keeping the dangerous ones away

The garden that tolerates the web gets the pest control. The one that reaches for the shoe gets the aphids.

05/04/2026

She's behind the shed. She has been for years. The color of dead leaves. Doesn't move unless she has to.

But something found her. A dog. A boot too close.

And now she's performing.

Act One — she flattens her head into a broad cobra-like hood. Hisses. Lunges forward with her mouth closed. The whole display says venomous. She isn't.

Act Two — she strikes again. Harder. Mouth still closed. She's swinging with the safety on.

Act Three — she rolls onto her back. Mouth open. Tongue out. She may release a foul smell. She goes completely limp.

She is playing dead. And she's committed to the role.

Flip her back over and she immediately rolls onto her back again. She cannot break character.

🐍 What she actually is:

- Eastern hognose snake — completely harmless
- Eats toads, digs them out with an upturned snout
- Rear fangs carry a mild venom that works on toads, not people
- The drama is the only defense she has

Too small, too slow, and too gentle to fight. Every performance is one nobody was meant to see 🌿

05/03/2026

Jelly available 4 oz and 8 oz jars

04/29/2026

Wild violet and Dandelion Jelly for sale. 4 oz and 8 oz jars available.

04/29/2026

If you see butterfly bush for sale at the garden store, don't buy that s**t. Get butterfly w**d instead.

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is from China. It produces enough nectar to attract every butterfly in the neighborhood, which is why it's marketed as wildlife-friendly.

But there's a catch.

Not a single native North American caterpillar can eat its leaves. Butterflies that lay eggs on it produce zero offspring.

You're feeding the parents and starving the babies.

It also escapes. A single flower spike produces over 40,000 seeds. The seeds blow into roadsides, riverbanks, and forest edges, where they outcompete native shrubs that DO support caterpillars. It's invasive in over 20 states.

Plant butterfly w**d instead.

Butterfly w**d (Asclepias tuberosa) is a native milkw**d. Bright orange flowers, 2-3 feet tall, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant.

It's a host plant for monarch caterpillars, which means a female monarch can lay eggs on it and the caterpillars actually grow into butterflies.

It also feeds adults. Bees, swallowtails, fritillaries, hummingbird moths. Same nectar magnet, but the caterpillars survive.

Do you have butterfly w**d growing in your yard?

04/21/2026

Coming to the stand....dandelion jelly and wild violet jelly.