Do you know what a group of hawks is called? It’s called a cast. I learned this because I was out enjoying my coffee and watching my chickens peck about in the garden early one morning, when suddenly a wild cacophony of bird noises erupted from the opposite end of my yard. I walked over to see what was going on, and I spotted not one, not two, but three red-shouldered hawks in the trees, a mere 15 feet above me. We are used to seeing a hawk or two (which often seem a little too interested in our chickens…), but three was unusual. Then I spotted what they were making all of the banging, blaring commotion over: a huge barn owl was trying to stake a claim to a branch in one of the trees. These hawks were not having it. They screeched and they squawked and pecked and poked, and finally the owl took flight across the road, with a cast of hawks in hot pursuit and a not-to-be-left-out scold of blue jays close in tow. I’m not going to lie, it was a wild morning in the garden.

And it made me realize how much fun it is to have a bit of a wild garden. I don’t mean doing anything too crazy, but the garden doesn’t have to be a place where everything is neat and perfect, spick and span. It’s a place for mud pies, leaf stew, dirty boots, and grass-stained pants. Let a few plants grow taller than they should be, leave a hedge untrimmed. Because one common answer to “Why do you garden?” is to attract wildlife. And all wildlife loves a garden that isn’t absolutely perfect. So fill your garden with plants that attract butterflies, bees, or wildlife and get outside and embrace your wild side. The critters in your garden will love you too.