Gardener captures stunning photo of unexpected backyard visitor: 'I've never seen a non-cartoon one'

Native plant gardens are not only beautiful but they are also wildlife-friendly, providing food, shelter, and nesting sites for native animals. That can give you a front-row seat to observing wildlife in your own backyard. 

That's exactly what happened to this gardener, who shared in Reddit's r/GardenWild community that they spotted a roadrunner near their front yard's native meadow. 

Made famous by Looney Tunes cartoons in the 1950s and '60s, roadrunners are fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests that are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. The OP wrote that this was their second sighting of the bird on their property and shared a picture of the roadrunner and a meadow full of beautiful, tall grasses. 

Rewilding your yard with native plants, trees, and flowers can not only help support local wildlife, but it can also have financial benefits. Native plants require a lot less care than traditional lawns and ornamental plants. They don't need fertilizer because they are adapted to the local soil, and they can also survive mostly off rainwater once established, which means a lower water bill and more money in your pocket. 

You don't need to completely rewild your yard to reap these benefits. You could consider replacing a small section of your lawn with a native plant flower bed, switching out your lawn for more natural options like clover or buffalo grass, or consider xeriscaping, which is a landscaping method that uses a mixture of drought-tolerant native plants, rock, and mulch. This latter technique is great in dry areas that receive little rainfall. 

The commenters on this post were as excited as the gardener at the appearance of the roadrunner. 

One wrote, "Ah I get excited when our roadrunner shows up. Makes me feel special."

Another added, "Wow, I've never seen a non-cartoon one! Neat photo (and nice meadow)!"

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