Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Nature Rules- Part 2

        Now that you have assessed your yard and checked your strengths and weakness you can decide on the next step. What do you want to attract? Would you like to see cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches and the more common yard birds? You may not have seen many birds but what might you see once you create the right habitat? Don’t forget those migratory pass through visitors who need to refuel on either their northern or southern legs of the trip.  Cedar waxwings are a prime example of migrants who will appreciate a meal in any of your berry producing bushes, strip the berries and leave in a couple of days. They put on a wonderful show and you and the bushes will reproduce next year.
       I can still recall seeing a bright speck of red in our Holly and assuming it was one of resident Cardinals. I was lucky enough to have a birder friend visiting and she was so excited to see the Scarlet Tanager, which I never seen. A Scarlet Tanager is a brilliant red which is so much brighter than a Cardinal and once you have seen one you will not forget it.  It was on its northern migration, yes we do have some local residents now but they arrive later. These first sitings are always the first week of April and then approx. 3 weeks later the residents arrive. Every year we are watching as they come through and it never ceases to make me smile. After all isn’t this isn’t this why we do all this work?

        I have decided to focus on Butterflies but that doesn't mean I don't get excited when I find the first frog eggs or even salamander eggs in the pond. The peepers are almost deafening at the moment and  we have eggs everywhere, so lots more of the frog and toad chorus to come.  We have eggs wherever we have water, even a small 60 gallon water source which Gregg installed for the deer in our wildlife area. Here on the left is a shot from that tiny water source. You don't need a perfect water garden or even a huge pond.  On our Facebook page I have added more pictures of some of the other egg masses including ones in our irrigation pond which at the moment it is an algae filled mess. Now I am saying it is a mess, to me it looks wonderful because it is natural and all the critters love it. Birds, mammals and amphibians are there so if they are happy we can ignore the algae, which will be gone in a couple of months anyway.
        If you don't want to attract frogs or toads that is fine, just keep in mind a complete ecosystem is a healthy one. These amphibians are veracious insect eaters and  mosquitoes are their favorites. Why not have a wide variety of critters? The more the merrier and then the healthier for you and them.    
        If you know anyone who has a certified habitat garden go see what they have done; Beagle Ridge is such a site and we will be having classes this summer if you need help. Otherwise feel free to ask questions, sharing is what we do. Check out what plants attract insects, which plants produce bird edible nuts, grains or berries and which plants are needed for shelter.
      
       Education as to what grows in your area is the most important step. If you do not know what plant zone you live in, contact your local extension agent and ask about what publications they can provide. Local folks always should be your first stop and the local Master Gardener group would also be huge pool of folks to get involved with. In addition, in Virginia we have a Master Naturalist Program and if you are local be sure to come by and see our habitat areas and we will be glad to provide lots of info to get you started. In addition we have a Master Naturalist Chapter at Beagle Ridge so again are you are local come join us.
  
        Depending on your location, zone and what you want to attract, check with local nurseries for your plant materials too. Even though we are all sucked in by the photos in the national magazines, they usually show us a myriad of plants we are unable to grow in our area. Beagle is in zone 6 and our list of hardy plants is quite small compared to those of you snow birds which live in Fl. Don’t let pretty pictures dissuade, you with a little education and elbow grease will turn anywhere into a birding habitat. By providing container plantings, bird baths, feeders and some houses, even balconies on the 17th floor NYC have been certified by the National Wildlife Federation.

       Hope you are enjoying these writings and it inspires you to get out there and create your own oasis,

Ellen