Ep 219. Curiosity about Cardinals Brings Wisdom

As a sequel to the last episode, Mary Stone updates the progress of a late-season cardinal nest that she thought was taken by a predator. Later, she learns that the fledglings are likely on the ground, honing their flying skills while being tended by their parents. 

She concludes with a reflection based on a plaque passed down by her mother: "Wonder is the Beginning of Wisdom," encouraging listeners to cultivate acceptance and a curiosity to learn about different things, both in nature and among others, because we are all one in this world, in this Garden of Life. 

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Curiosity About Cardinals Brings Wisdom - Blog Post

Ep 218. Nature Teaches Endings Bring Beginnings

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I'd love to hear your stories about your garden and Nature, as well as your thoughts on topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.

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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
                                           AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 219. Curiosity about Cardinals Brings Wisdom

Sat, Aug 30, 2025 1:09PM • 10:56

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Cardinals, fledgling, nest, predator, barred owl, juvenile feathers, mating, diet, garden pests, wasp nest, pollinators, nature's lessons, curiosity, wisdom, garden dilemmas.

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Mary stone, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:26

Hello there. It's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and it is nighttime, and you probably hear the nighttime chorus in the background. We spoke about the intriguing creatures in Episode 177 if you missed that episode, I'll put a link in the show notes. Thanks to those who wrote back after our last chat. I so appreciate the words of encouragement. Debbie wrote, I am certain that with your wonderful observational skills and lovely way with words, your book will be published at some point. Keep on making the world more beautiful. Thank you, Debbie. And thanks to all of you who sent such kind words and support. It really means so much. The rest of Debbie's note leads to this week's story, and it starts like this.

Mary Stone  01:16

 Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. A few of you asked for updates on the late-season Cardinals nest mentioned last week. Debbie wrote, I am so excited about your cardinals, although they don't look so pretty right now, we all know how they will turn out in time. It's true. Like most bird hatchlings, their bulging eyes make them look alien. My heart sank on Thursday morning when I found the nest vacant and a bit disheveled, did a predator snag the hatchlings? I heard the barred owl calling in the night, and so I wondered if they were the ones that snagged the babies. Surely the little guys couldn't have fledged so quickly. As I gazed at the nest, I listened to the gentle chirps of an adult Cardinal nearby the same chirps that they sang during the Hatchling stage to coordinate their care and feeding with their mate. Yet I looked several times and couldn't find either parent. Jolee helped investigate below the nest during our first call over the footbridge; no babies to be found. I felt sad, wanting a happy ending for the young family - we all do.

Mary Stone  02:25

 It wasn't until this morning's curiosity that I dug in to learn that baby Cardinals fledge nine to 10 days after hatching. By comparison, the American Robin fledged their nest in 13 days. So perhaps it was a happy ending after all, and the soft, subtle chirps that sounded like took -took were the ongoing coordination of the communication between the parents taking care of the young out of the nest. For the first week or so after fledging, the young spend time on the ground or low branches to hone their flying skills. The male Cardinal continues to feed and care for the young birds for several weeks, allowing the female to build a new nest and incubate a new clutch of eggs. Although now I would think, with the nights getting cooler, and they really have been, I've been out here on the porch enjoying like 58 degrees, 55 degrees at nighttime. So I'm thinking, are they really going to have another nest? This one was so late in the season, after all. But that will be up to Mr. And Mrs. Cardinal to decide. Right? 

Mary Stone  03:35

The babies become fully independent between 25 and 56, days old. So it's very likely that they are feeding the new baby birds on the ground. I also wondered why they weren't this, you know, colors yet of a male or female, they weren't at all different. Cardinal fledglings have fluffy, buff, brown plumage, sometimes with reddish streaks. The male and female look similar for a few months. It's not until they are juveniles, at three or four months old, that the male feathers will become mottled with red as new feathers emerge, the female's feathers grow into mottled sandy brown colors. They both have a significant molt in the fall, replacing most of their juvenile feathers. In time for winter, they'll have their full adult color at one year old. The male is bright red, and the more subtle camouflage female has light brownish gold feathers with red accents. They both are so beautiful. And of course, the female camouflages so beautifully amongst the trees and shrubs, and the male is red to attract its girl, at least that's what I read. 

Mary Stone  04:52

Northern Cardinals mate for life, though primarily seeds, fruit, and green eaters such as grasses and tree buds, insects can comprise 30% of the Cardinals' diet, including garden pests. Beyond that, their color decorates our world all year round, as they do not usually migrate. You can keep them in your yard in the winter by providing sunflower seeds and a water source. There are nifty water heaters you can buy for your birdbath to keep it from freezing. 

Mary Stone  05:22

Speaking of cardinals, I came across a few observations that I jotted down in my morning pages inspired by Julia Cameron's creative exercise described in her classic book The Artist's Way. The first reflection was from Fall of 2021, a female Cardinal was cautiously looking at me through the window above the kitchen sink as I witnessed her grab one of the viburnum berries, enjoying its sweetness. The next day, a chipmunk climbed into the shrub for his portion. I wondered if it was the same little fellow that's destroying the roots of the chrysanthemums in the rock garden. We can't blame it on them, though, can we? As they have to feed their young, too. I have to say, Jolee is angry at the occupation of these chipmunks and has caught a few not to kill. But there have been injuries. We have a routine that has unfolded in the five years that Jolie has been with us, and that is to not put the screens in on the front and back doors. We keep the storm windows on. We open the door so she can look out, because we surmised, and it was proven, very quickly, that she will plow into the door going after the critters. It's happened more than a few times. 

Mary Stone  06:38

My instinct was to shoo the little chipper from out of the viburnum, a ridiculous remedy, given how many live amongst the rocks. Besides, there's plenty of bounty to share with our furry and feathered friends. The other musing was in mid-summer that same year, 2021 when a male Cardinal was visiting frequently, and I would see the female from time to time. I hoped that they were nesting in the viburnum outside of the kitchen window. I saw a nest, but it resembled a light gray upside-down umbrella. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a wasp nest, not a Cardinal's nest. Isn't it interesting how we marvel over birds nests and not so much wasps' nests. Garden Dilemmas, AskMaryStone.com.

Mary Stone  07:31

 Although I have to admit, I am intrigued by bees and wasps and hornet's nests, but not when it's so close to home that can be a problem. And I'll admit, I considered destroying the developing home for the wasps as it was above the stone patio where we dine. However, I learned that the abode was a northern paper wasp nest, which are unlikely to sting unless you disturb or threaten the nest, and they are predators of undesirable garden and crop pests, including cabbage worms, tomato hornworms, corn earworms, tent caterpillars, and grubs. Plus, they are pollinators feeding on nectar and transferring pollen from plant to plant, though not as efficiently as bees. We can't hold that against them, that they don't have hairy legs and fuzzy bodies that transport pollen more readily. While paper wafts are attracted to food and drinks, we can opt to entertain inside or on this lovely screen porch that I enjoy visiting with you on each week. 

Mary Stone  08:36

As I'm wrapping up here, I was just thinking how interesting it was, how heavy my heart was when I saw that the nest was empty, and I literally had a low day, most of the day, assuming that a predator had taken the babies, only to learn that it was likely a successful fledge of the hatchlings. I heard the sweet chirps of the adult Cardinal again this morning. Toot, toot, toot. And I listened to the barred owl again last night as well. So maybe there are cohabitating, and there weren't any babies taken. That's a beautiful thought.

Mary Stone  09:14

Last week, we shared how nature teaches that endings bring beginnings. May I add that nature also teaches that things aren't always as they seem. I have a plaque that my mom passed along to me when she moved out of the home in Florida after my dad had passed away. It's a plaque that I cherish, and it says wonder is the beginning of wisdom, and it makes me think that we should not assume certain things of animals and creatures and the world that we share with others who may have different points of view. We should have acceptance and a curiosity to learn about different things, because we all are here as one in this world and in this garden of life, and we can all live peacefully amongst each other, truly, truly. So thank you again for visiting with me and for all the kind words of encouragement to follow my dreams. I encourage you to do the same, because you can make a difference in this world just by being you. It's a beautiful thing. See you next time on the screen porch. You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag. Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.