Sacrifice

This is the lovely fern outside my front door. Notice how it's thriving!

Let's look a little closer:

Gorgeous, isn't it? Doesn't it make our entryway look warm and welcoming?

You may wonder why I'm not taking better care of this fern, by trimming off the dead fronds, or maybe by watering it just a bit more. You might even wonder why I don't just take this lovely fern out to the compost heap and start over with a new one.

There is a good reason: for the third year in a row, a pair of house wrens have built a nest in my hanging plant. When I try to water it, there is an angry fluttering of wings from within.

And because the babies who came from the eggs that Mama Wren laid have now hatched, the fern is really noisy. Whenever we go outside to get the mail, or to walk this dog:

the wren babies are cheeping really loudly for more food. (Mom and Dad must be working hard to provide for them--I know just how they feel :-)

But in the last day or so, I have noticed that although a cacophony of chirps still erupts whenever we're in the vicinity, it dies down almost immediately. You can just picture Mama hushing her brood, who are now big enough to follow instructions and wait a minute for the next bite of worm. She's teaching them manners. (Or maybe how to stay hidden.)

In any case, because of the wren family, I am allowing this fern to waste away. It's a dilemma, because if I can't get any water into it, it may die back enough that it won't provide camouflage for the nest. But if I disturb the babies too much by watering, they may hop out before they're ready. (That happened the first year, and although the little guy was okay, I still have not forgotten the trauma.)

So far I'm batting .500--one year the babies flew in time for me to save the plant, and one year they didn't. I don't know what will happen this year.

But I bet the fern likes the company, and is okay with it either way.