It’s that time of year again, when I’m setting up little water features in each of the gardens to help the bees and birds stay hydrated, as well as making sure that our livestock and dogs have the freshest healthiest water too.
I’ve been setting up “summer water features” for many years and have used so many different kinds. It’s always been a small bit of Magic that I can perform to demonstrate to the land and its spirits my commitment to caring for it. Being able to make Magic right at home, too, is so powerful that I encourage you to look at how you can partner with the birds and the bees by providing them a drink of water.
The photos above show a variety of ways to provide water. We went really big this year and dug a pond. Thanks to the generosity of friends, who really were key in making it happen, we were able to get some extra livestock water storage and a new goose habitat. The geese will not be the only ones using it however, you know those honey bees (who will be the spotlight of my next chronicle entry), dragon flies, frogs, and the like will be hosted there as well. We seeded it with native grasses, sedge, and wild flowers and can’t wait until we can reveal it to our Trio of Geese and their future goslings (almost that time ~ 10 days).
But being in a place where we could dig a pond has been a lifetime of work. Before that I used simple and easily approachable methods to make sure my local fauna had little water bars about.
In picture four you’ll see one of the simplest ones that I use – an old clay pot tray and some marbles or small stones. Fill it with water and you’ll notice bees stop by like it’s the local coffee shop. I have noticed (#ObserveAndInteract) that keeping these water features mostly away from the house keeps the bee highways no longer dissecting our house. You can put together similarly with that lid from the giant Costco-sized M&Ms you and the Fam just finished. Glass beads from a craft store, or as pictured, just small rocks from around the property work well.
There’s always commercial bird baths. My Viking got me the one pictured above for Mother’s Day back in 2021. But I also find creative ways with different things I find when we ‘treasure hunt’ and turn those into water features. Repurposing things in the garden is something I’ve done for decades. Currently here at Villa Westwyk, I’ve turned an old coffee maker into a little feature in my Birch Garden. An old bird feeder whose important pieces were long ago forgotten has been upcycled into a critter hydration station in our North Orchard (which is slowly earning its ‘food forest’ stripes). Or the giant shell that the covenstead’s former owners left; I turned it into a little fountain with the help of an inexpensive solar-powered float.
This season we’ll be continuing to create the habitat around our new horseshoe-shaped pond. The frogs have already moved in, as many of you may have seen the photo on my IG. However, we have just created a Moon garden (another post on that to come) and the Crow Garden is in need of a water feature. Both of these places I’m looking for particular things in the water feature. The moon garden feature should be highlighted in the moonlight. The Crow Garden water feature should be simple and sturdy but help our Corvid partners in keeping our livestock safe from the Eagles and Hawks easily hydrated. I have some ideas and can’t wait to get those employed. Of course I’ll share those when we have them completed. Who knows it may take until next year. #SmallSlowSolutions have always been the best problem solvers when it comes to the practice of Permaculture.
Connecting with Water was one of the first “craft” practices I learned way back in my Witchling years. Every time I attend to one of these features, including blessing them during regular maintenance (hello Moon work!), I am recalling that connection and how this element has blessed my life so much. It reminds me how much of my body is water; how it is vital and sacred. And my respect grows in that micro moment of making sure the bees have water, or the hummingbirds have water, or pointedly that my dear familiar crows have water. And in my small witchy way I am making one small impact in a small space on this wondrous planet. But it is an impact and a big ol’ positive, even mystical, one.
My Water Connection Exercise, that I still do often, will be published in my upcoming book – for which you dear Patreon Covenstead members will get all the scoop way earlier than anyone else. So stay tuned.
In the meantime, how can you help the wildlife thrive during the heat of summer? How can you connect to them through water? If you’re in the mood for a water blessing (outside making your moon water), here’s a little chant to make any water more Magical:
Oh blessed water
That Swims Within My Soul
That flows around my bones
And makes the Earth a Bowl
I bless this water
As daughter of Earth
And All of Her Blessings
Move from my heart, hand, and gut
Back to this liquid of life
I pray my ancestors and the spirits of the land
Aid me in the mission to heal the land and all its inhabitants
My gratitude pours into this water
The Blessings of the Ancients pour into this water
May it be healthy; pure, and sacred
Always.
This or better, So It Is.
Then sit outside and watch the birds and bees come and have a drink with you. Maybe pour yourself some sweet violet lemonade and watch your good Magic spread.