Happy new year! I was back in Massachusetts with family for the holidays, which was wonderful, although I missed my daily walks to check on the plants. It was so nice to come back with fresh eyes after 8 days. Everything is so green!

One of the first things I tackled when I got back was putting some wildflower seedlings in the ground. I had started a tray of seeds (from california_native_plants) when the rains first started in the fall, and they’ve been growing beautifully. This photo is from a few weeks before the holidays:

When I got back from Massachusetts, these little ones had grown up through the wire grate I had placed above to keep the birds away. So, I carefully separated the mass of seedlings into clumps and placed them around the front yard, next to native plant friends.

Note: It’s generally recommended to sow wildflower seeds right into the soil, and I did that too, but the tray method worked pretty well for me last year, so I gave it another try.

As I prepared spots in the soil for the clumps, I was amazed at the difference in the dirt compared to a few months ago. And I’m not even talking about the moist vs. bone dry factor. No, the soil just felt … better in my hands. It looked healthier and richer. And, there were earthworms! I don’t remember ever seeing an earthworm in the yard before. I can’t tell you how happy that made me!

I know that a lot of the earthworms in North America are non-native, and some are driving out the native earthworms. But I needed to take a small moment to celebrate the fact that there were earthworms at all.

I’m sure the tons of rain we’ve had for the last few weeks is mostly responsible for the improvements I’m seeing in the soil. But I like to think that the native plants that are already in the ground have started healing the soil, too. And that the soil itself is excited for the return of the roots it remembers from many decades ago.

I checked on the clumps today, and they are looking so well! Some of the stems are really beefing out and getting strong, after only a few days!

Now I just have to keep the neighborhood kitties from stepping on them (or worse).

Lots more updates to come, but since photos of seedlings may not seem all that exciting en masse, here is a pic I took yesterday while working at the front patio table. (And, yes, I have been tempted to run across the street to the neighbor’s grassy area and throw down native wildflower seeds, guerilla style, but I’ve restrained myself. So far.)