Archive | November 2017

GREAT LATE SEASON NECTAR PLANT

Nov30

        If you are like me, in spite of the fact it is late November, butterflies are still flying about your backyard.  During the past few days I have seen or have had heard of zebra heliconians, cloudless sulphurs, sleepy oranges, fiery skippers, common buckeyes, common checkered skippers, pearly crescents and both American and painted ladies feeding in backyards in Middle Georgia.

       Remarkably, I still have a few plants that are still providing these butterflies and other wild pollinators with food.  However, one of the plants that has proven to be one of the best sources of late season nectar and pollen is a butterfly bush named sky blue (Buddlea davidii).

       This is a miniature butterfly bush that anywhere from three to four feet tall and three feet in diameter.  This makes it ideal for large and small gardens as well as large pots.

       In my area, the plant has extended blooming season from late spring well into late fall.  In fact, right now it has as many blooms on it as it has displayed all year.

       The purple flowers are both beautiful and fragrant.  In fact, the blossoms’ fragrant honey scent is especially pleasing.

       It grows in zones 5-9 and does well in a variety of soil types ranging from loam to the clay-type soils found in my yard.  It does best in soils with a pH ranging from 5.5-7.0.

       This small butterfly bush has been a pollinator magnet for weeks on end.  However, its nectar and pollen are perhaps more important to the wild pollinators right now than at any other time this year.

       Try sky blue and let me know how it does in your backyard.

 

A WEALTH OF INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Nov28

When you visit the blog, are you experiencing difficulty finding information about a particular backyard animal or plant?  If so, whenever you log on and follow the simple procedure described below, you will be surprised how much information regarding a myriad of subjects is ferreted away in the blog’s rapidly expanding files.

       Instead of scrolling through the scores of blogs that have been posted on the blog so far, all you have to do to locate information about any subject covered by the blog is go to the search bubble on the right side of the current blog.  Once there, type a word the best describes your area of interest. 

       For example, if you want to know what has been written about bluebirds, type in the word bluebirds.  After a brief wait, all of the blogs that mention bluebirds will appear in the left column.

       I think you will agree it would be difficult to make a search any simpler.

      And if you ever have a question or interest that you would like for me to blog on, send your email request to backyardwildlife@yahoo.com

BACKYARD SECRET: EARTHWORMS

Nov21

Would you believe that most of the earthworms found in the United States are not native to North America?  It is true.  Most of these invaders hail from Europe and began wiggling their way through our soils as early as 1620.  It is thought that they either inadvertently hitchhiked they way in the ballast of ships or in the soil the accompanied plants brought to the New World.

LOOK FOR CAROLINA CHICKADEES HIDING SEEDS

Nov16

Now that temperatures are finally beginning to drop, activity around our bird feeders is on the rise.  When this happens, we have the opportunity to witness the fascinating feeding behaviors of our feathered guests.

       A behavior I particularly enjoy watching is caching.  One bird that routinely stores seeds in my backyard is the Carolina chickadee. 

       If you feed birds, you are undoubtedly familiar with this feathered sprite.  It is particularly fond of black oil sunflower seeds.  Typically, a Carolina chickadee will fly in, pluck a single sunflower seed from a feeder, and fly off to a nearby branch.  Once there it firmly holds the seed, between its feet and quickly chisels the seed’s hull open, and swallows the exposed fat-rich seed.  The bird then returns to a feeder and repeats the process.  This behavior is replayed countless times throughout the day.

       However, if you are patient, and watch Carolina chickadees feeding in your backyard, you just might be lucky enough to see a chickadee store a seed. 

NOVEMBER IS A PERFECT TIME TO PUT UP A BIRD BOX

Nov12

       I would venture to say most people would not think of putting up a bird box in November.  However, if you stop and think about it, it is the perfect time to take on this labor of love.

       This is a great idea because cavity nesting birds such as eastern bluebirds, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice and the like use tree cavities and nest boxes for roosting and nesting.  Consequently, by erecting a box at this time of the year you box will serve as a winter roosting site and be available for nesting next spring.

       There are rarely enough winter roost sites available for the birds that use them.  Take eastern bluebirds, for example.  At this time of the year, your neighborhood can serve as the winter home for adult bluebirds that nested this year, their young and migrants from points north.

       The ability of cavity nesting birds to find a winter roost site prior to a frigid winter night can be critical to their survival.  Those that cannot locate such cover stand the chance of freezing to death before morning.

       If you are going to erect a new box, here are a few things you can do to make it a bit cozier for winter occupants.  First, place an inch or so of dry wood chips or dry grass in the bottom of the box. 

       Some folks even go to the trouble of covering the bottom of the box with a piece of Styrofoam.  If you do so, bore a few holes in the Styrofoam for water to drain out of the box.

       Another modification you might consider is plugging the box’s vent holes this prevents warm air from escaping the box.  If you add a piece of Styrofoam and/or plug the vent holes, remove the insulation before spring.

       You can also drill a couple of holes on either side of the box.  A wooden dowel can be inserted through the holes.  By so doing, you are providing roosting birds with a perch.  At the end of the winter, the dowel can be removed before nesting season.  Since upwards of 20 or more birds will sometimes roost in a bluebird nesting box on a cold night, the dowel will make it more comfortable for the birds escaping the cold.

       If you are curious as to whether or not your box is being used as a winter roost site, simply inspect it for signs of use.  If birds are roosting there, they often leave behind feathers, droppings, and sometimes food.

       A word of caution: do not check a box at night.  Birds disrupted during the night will often stop using the box from then on.

       Finally, before putting up a box, place a metal hole guard around the entrance hole.  This prevents squirrels from enlarging the hole and ruining the box.

IT TAKES TIME TO GROW AN ACORN

Nov10

Oaks are among the very best native wild food plants.  The trees themselves are used as a host plant by well more than 500 species of moths and butterflies.  If that is not enough, their seeds (acorns) provide food for scores of birds and mammals, many of which inhabit out backyard.

As such, it is not surprising many homeowners want one or more oaks growing in their yards.  The problem is it takes a long time to produce a crop of acorns.  Laurel oaks usually do not produce their first acorn until they are 15-20 years old.  Water oaks bear acorns in around 20 years.  On the other end of the scale, scarlet, southern red and white oaks can take 50 or more years before they sport their first acorns.

With that in mind, when clearing a lot for a new home or simply opening up an existing yard, try to leave an oak that might shortly or already bearing acorns.

If you do not already have an oak on your property, go ahead and plant one.  Although it might take what seems like a very long time before you will see its first acorn, realize time flies by quicker than you might think.  In the meantime, think about all of the moths and butterflies that will be raised on your tree before it matures.

 

MONARCH VISITS HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER

Nov5

I have used hummingbird feeders for more than four decades.  During that time, I have spent countless hours watching the comings of and goings of literally thousands of hummingbirds.

I have also witnessed Baltimore Orioles and house finches drinking nectar at hummingbird feeders.

Earlier this year I posted a blog and picture of a downy woodpecker visiting a feeder in McDonough.

As for butterflies, red-banded hairstreaks and cloudless sulphurs are most often seen making brief visits to my feeders.  I have even spotted an American snout or two drop in for a visit.  However, I cannot say for sure the snouts were actually feeding on nectar.

After having logged untold numbers of hours watching my hummingbird feeders, you can imagine how surprised I was about a week ago when a monarch fed at one of my feeders for most of an afternoon.  One visit lasted over fifteen minutes.  During that time, the monarch had the tip of its proboscis dipped into the reservoir of sugar water at the base of the feeder.

Interestingly, there was one other monarch in the yard throughout this time.  However, it did not even attempt to drink at the feeder. 

I should also mention that a specially designed butterfly feeder hung a few feet away and neither butterfly paid it any attention.

Records of monarchs visiting hummingbird feeders are few and far between.  With that in mind, I will always wonder why this particular butterfly chose to feed at my feeder on a warm Saturday afternoon.

A week has passed now and no monarch has made another visit to my feeder.  I hope I do not have to wait years for another monarch to discover a bounty of nectar in one of my feeders.

In the meantime, please let me know if a monarch has ever visited a feeder in your backyard.