I created this website as a way to share photos and updates on the garden, including the bees, our dogs, and cooking.

In October 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic, we moved from Salisbury, MD to Harrisburg, PA because we wanted to be closer to our parents, families, and old friends we grew up with. It was also important to have space to garden and to provide a good home for Ben’s bees. I looked for an old house on a large property for 3 years until I found Willowdale Farm.

The original part of the house was built in 1831, and the kitchen and family room were added later. From what we’ve been told, the property was originally part a working celery farm, and a local church was founded in our living room! We don’t currently have a working farm, but we do have multiple raised veg and flower beds, various patches, and flower gardens, including wildflowers for pollinators.

I hope you enjoy my photos (all images are mine) and posts. Some of the insect photos are not as clear as others, but I wanted to document some less common species. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me via the contact form.

To the left is Eddie, our resident male Northern Flicker. He and Harriet nested in the maple outside the kitchen door our first spring here. I wish they would again.

~Angie Hartley