An adorable little tree frog enjoys the shelter of Laura Berlage’s peace pole at Farmstead Creamery.

An adorable little tree frog enjoys the shelter of Laura Berlage’s peace pole at Farmstead Creamery.

“You have so many hummingbirds!” has been the exclamation all summer as folks pile out of their vehicles to snag a scoop of gelato or a bakery fika treat and coffee. And indeed, in early August we were swarming with so many hummingbirds that it seemed the pollinator gardens were a veritable beehive of buzzing mini birds.

Wild bees were plentiful then, too, buzzing and bumbling about from flower to flower, not caring if I gave them a friendly brush on the back as they worked their pollen magic. Animals of all sorts have a way of knowing if you mean good or ill.

Planting our pollinator gardens and keeping the sugar water feeders full are just a few pieces of how we show love to our nature friends on our farm. Their kind were here long before us, and they play an integral part of keeping the greater ecosystem in and around the farm vibrant and flourishing.

I got a wonderfully good laugh when one particular lady hopped down from her SUV, only to have her presence loudly announced from the greenery.

“What was that?” she exclaimed, almost as if she thought she might need to hop back into her vehicle for safety.

I giggled but managed to reply, “That is a toad, and a very joyful-sounding one indeed!”

She got quite a good laugh, too, realizing she had been startled by a singing toad.

Amphibians like toads and frogs are excellent indicators of the health of an ecosystem, as they are sensitive to both chemicals and changes in climate. One particular amphibian has become quite the celebrity at Farmstead all summer — a gray tree frog (even though she’s very green) that Jan, one our farm members, has lovingly named Mabel.

Mabel has decided that she loves the bistro lights that hang on the front canopy of Farmstead Creamery. She likes them not because of their light but because the light attracts insects at night, upon which she continues to feed her already-chubby froggy body. She’s taken perches on the barn-themed Little Free Library, beneath the lip of the front counter, on the top of the front counter and even under the wing of the crocheted dove atop the yarn-bombed peace pole I redecorate every year.

Then for a few days, it seemed she had disappeared. The weather was growing chillier, so I thought perhaps Mabel had decided to snuggled down into the leaves and soil to stay warm. It appears, however, that Mabel had another plan.

“There’s a frog up there!” Jim, a visiting friend of the farm, exclaimed as he waited for me to finish his order.

I looked up and there, in a little gathered spot at the corner of the canopy itself, sat a contented (and very fat) Mabel, meditating from her plastic hammock. Obviously, we’d made that little spot just for her.

I just went out to change the flavors of gelato on the sign out front (Kara just made a fresh batch of triple berry and blueberry lavender), and Mabel is happily perched on the peace pole again, beneath the wing of the dove.

Many wild creatures receive extra love on our farm. The other morning, Kara and I were moving the chicken tractors as part of our usually daily routine. The hens were quite excited for the fresh grass (and crickets), and we were almost finished when Kara noticed a large monarch caterpillar crawling on the water bucket that sits atop the tractor pen.

“Goodness, how did you get here?” I enquired, scooping up the soft, wriggly creature.

We were quite aways from any milkweed. I hopped back into my trusty chore-time golf cart and headed over to the robust milkweed patch that rings a little wetlands area in the middle of the pasture. The caterpillar rode calmly on my hand, feeling about. As soon as I held it up toward a milkweed leaf, it reached out its little feet as if to exclaim, “Hallelujah!” Munching was underway immediately, before the back feet had left my hand. Hopefully the little one found a safe place to make its chrysalis and become a butterfly.

Even though nearly all of our hummingbirds have headed south at this point, our resident sandhill cranes are holding out a little longer. Tristan and Eleanor, my friends of the pasture, still want to stop by for their morning handful of chicken food for treats, waiting a safe distance until I move onto the next poultry group before accepting the offering. They preen afterward, leaving me a few token gray-blue feathers for the tapestry I’m weaving with a cranes theme.

This week, especially as our nature friends prepare to head south or begin preparations for wintering over here, think on how you can share love with our wild friends. They appreciate our kindness, too! See you down on the farm sometime.

Laura Berlage is a co-owner of North Star Homestead Farms, LLC and Farmstead Creamery 715-462-3453 www.northstarhomestead.com

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