The Fauna category celebrates the many creatures who share life with us at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary. From birds and butterflies to cats, chickens, and woodland visitors, the animals here are not viewed as background scenery, but as fellow participants in the sacred ecology of the land.

At the Sanctuary, we observe wildlife not only with appreciation but with attentiveness. Each creature reveals something about balance, adaptation, interdependence, and divine design. A bluebird reaching for dogwood berries, a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar feeding on prickly ash, or barn cats burrowing into warm straw during winter storms — these are not random occurrences, but expressions of a living system working in harmony.

Many posts in this category explore practical stewardship: habitat restoration, holistic animal care, natural feeding practices, and ways to support pollinators and native species. Others reflect on symbolism and the deeper meanings animals carry within the Mystery tradition — reminders that the patterns we see in nature mirror patterns within ourselves.

Fauna at Crossing Hedgerows is also about responsibility. To care for animals well requires knowledge, humility, and a willingness to learn from both tradition and experience. Whether tending to domestic animals or observing wild ones, we seek to cultivate reverence rather than control.

Here you will find stories, reflections, practical guidance, and moments of quiet beauty — glimpses into a sanctuary where creatures great and small help teach us how to live in alignment with the order of creation.

Holistic Feline Care

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Sanctuary Cats|

Hello Friends, As you probably know, we have lots of cats at the sanctuary. Stray cats find their way to us and we take in as many as we can. We currently have eight cats, with another couple who come regularly to eat food we leave out for them. I have slowly been becoming more knowledgeable about how to care for them in a more holistic way. This video covers some of the most important aspects of ...

Sanctuary Cats

By |2026-03-08T02:06:57+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Sanctuary Cats|

Hi everyone! This winter has already been very cold and snowy, and it's not even officially winter yet! We hope you are all staying warm! The farm cats have been greatly appreciating the heat lamps we have set up for them inside the hoophouse, as well as straw to burrow down into. In the video above you can see and hear the wind gusting outside, but Charlie the cat is completely cozy and undisturbed. Following are a ...

Event: Work Day 🪴

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Events & Celebrations, Insects|

  July 19th, 9:30 a.m. to noon - refreshments following Hi everyone, we're looking forward to seeing some of you at this Saturday's Work Day! Please let me know if you would like to attend so that we can keep an eye out for you! Come join us in making like these busy bumblebees tending to the bee balm in front of our house... A time to connect with the land and each other through ...

Rescue Cats at CHS Homestead

By |2026-03-07T04:17:38+02:00January 31st, 2026|Sanctuary Cats|

We currently have eight cats at the CHS homestead that have all shown up on our doorstep with no owners to be found. Our local township rescue is full and overflowing, and they haven’t been able to take any of them. So we do the best we can for them.Last summer, Brennah built a “catio” for the two who live in our basement, so they can get outside a little bit.The video shows them going out in ...

Cozy Chickens 🐓 (and a wee rant)

By |2026-03-09T18:35:27+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Holistic Health, Musings|

Hello from CHS Farm on this frigid day! Though it is quite cold (imagine that in February in Michigan!), the chickens are doing well and staying warm. I thought you all might enjoy a video to see our set-up of how we keep the coop warm in the winter, yet we built it to be adaptable for also keeping it cool in the summer. This is what permaculture design is all about ...creating harmonious spaces that work ...

Natural Bird Feeder

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna, Flora|

https://youtube.com/shorts/JZtsGGHV-hA?feature=share A video of birds feeding on dried crabapples at Crossing Hedgerows Farm and Sanctuary in late January. Crabapples Wishing each of you peace and blessings, Jean

Seasonal Card Sets from Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna, Flora, Insects, News|

  We are happy to announce that we're now offering seasonal note card sets with photos taken at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC. 🐝✨ Each set comes with five different cards related to one of the four seasons.   honey bee in peach blossom   Brennah's photography is taken with a professional Nikon DX camera. She uses a macro lens and a telephoto lens for various shots. All her photos are completely ...

We Are Also a Cat Sanctuary 🐈‍⬛

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Sanctuary Cats|

As many of you know, we have frequent stray cats finding sanctuary at Crossing Hedgerows. Most of them are not feral, and don't have microchips, and are not claimed by anyone. This summer we found a mama cat who had given birth to 5 kittens in our chicken yard. We have found homes for two of them, but still would like to find homes for the other 3 plus the mama.     We have taken in ...

The Giant Button Bush – An Update

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Flora, Insects|

In July of 2023, Brennah made a post here about the importance of our native button bushes to the pollinators at Crossing Hedgerows. Of course it has beautiful photos, including the incredible blossoms: https://www.patreon.com/posts/86598986   button bush - after the flowers have faded   It's hard to do justice with pictures to show the size this particular one has grown to now, but it has grown quite large indeed! And I want to give a ...

Our Beautiful Sanctuary

By |2026-03-03T17:04:12+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Flora, News|

As we come to the close of this year, I want to thank all who have supported our beautiful Sanctuary this year. Here are a few photos that Brennah took (and identified) recently at Crossing Hedgerows. Oftentimes the small and inconspicuous are overlooked and under appreciated, but what important roles they each play in the ecosystem.   Wild geranium leaves   Liverwort (probably fringed treewort)   Bonfire moss   Dandelion ...

A New Space for You

By |2026-03-03T17:37:42+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Events & Celebrations, News|

Our hen, Peck, would like to show you a space that we’re in the process of preparing for gatherings. Go ahead and follow her down the path into the hoophouse. She’s waiting for you.         Because the flood wiped out most everything we had planted in there, we decided it would be a good opportunity to reevaluate the best use of the space. So what we’ve decided is to use half of the hoophouse ...

Samhain at the Sanctuary

By |2026-03-03T18:26:02+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Flora|

As we begin the season of Samhain here at the Sanctuary, please enjoy a few photos of the land. We are so excited and grateful for all that is, and all that is to come. ✨                  

Crossing Hedgerows Cat Sanctuary 🐈‍⬛

By |2026-03-03T22:04:00+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Sanctuary Cats|

Though we have not used any of the nonprofit funds directly for this, I wanted to share with you that your support does indirectly provide assistance for the many cats that are regularly dropped off at the farm. We have a steady stream of them that we feed, and we find homes for as many as possible, because our local shelters are all full.     Last night we found a mother cat and her kitten sheltering ...

Flood – This Sunday’s Meet Up Cancelled

By |2026-03-03T23:32:06+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, News|

Hi Everyone, Last night we had the biggest flood event we've had here to date. Most of the land is flooded, including our chicken coops, hoop house, sheds, and some of our garage. But thankfully NOT our house or basement. We spent a good part of the day getting our chickens situated as best we could, by adding tables into the coops (with their food and water on them), for them to stand on, along with their ...

Buttonbush

By |2026-03-07T04:17:32+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora|

By Brennah Cavanaugh, Board Member of Crossing Hedgerows SanctuaryButtonbush is a bush with very unique looking flower clusters that are almost perfectly spherical. Its flowers are adored by pollinators of all sorts, but due to the long tube-like shape of the individual flowers in the cluster they are especially attractive to pollinators with longer tongues, like butterflies, bumble bees, and hummingbirds. (The unusual shape of the flowers make them attractive to humans, too!) It is also a ...

Into the Woods

By |2026-03-04T03:14:18+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora, Musings|

Today I took a short video so you can see what the woods are looking like right now. At the end you can hear a plane flying low overhead, as the Sanctuary is not too far from Detroit Metro airport.   https://youtu.be/y7gwtDCswo4   Our world is constantly becoming more and more developed even in areas that are zoned for agriculture. Farm fields across the road from the Sanctuary are currently being partitioned off and sold for ...

Interbeing

By |2026-03-07T04:17:30+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Flora, Musings|

Sunrise - July 1st, 2023: A distinctive purple glow over the stone circleAs we head into July, I want to thank you all for your continued support of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary. Though we haven't been having as many events this year, the land continues to heal and is teaming with ever more life. Sometimes the bird song is almost deafening around here, and the varieties of insects, and animals passing through are too many to list. Yet ...

Enchanted Forest and Stone Circle Photos 🌺🪨

By |2026-03-04T19:44:17+02:00January 31st, 2026|Events & Celebrations, Flora, Insects|

Last week's gathering was a magical time coming together with old friends and new. We didn't have a chance to take pictures during the event, but wanted to share a few of the photos that Brennah has taken this spring in the woods, as well as photos that I took of the stones that were collected and placed into the stone circle as offerings.   Trilliums with mossy log   Wild Geraniums (also known ...

Native Plant Spotlight : Blue Flag Iris

By |2026-03-07T04:17:30+02:00January 31st, 2026|Flora, Insects|

A new native plant that has appeared at the Sanctuary this year is the Blue Flag Iris. It grows in wet areas, often along the edges of water. So unsurprisingly it has begun growing along the edge of the creek bed, not far from the beautiful buttonbush, another amazing plant which I will highlight in a later post.Blue Flag Iris provides nectar for native pollinators, and is also forage for muskrats. It likewise attracts hummingbirds, which we already ...

Native Plant Spotlight: Prickly Ash

By |2026-03-07T04:31:08+02:00January 31st, 2026|Fauna, Flora|

While we were pulling out some trash (old tires and such, left by the previous residents) from the woods on our work day this week, there was a particular plant whose thorns wanted to grab at us as we passed by it. This is one of the reasons why we have trails, because these shrubs can make it nearly impossible to pass through certain areas. However, they are another of our beloved native plants that grow in ...

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