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TIPS THAT HELP OFFERING HUMMERS FRESH NECTAR
With heat indexes almost daily soaring above 110°F, the nectar we offer our hummingbird neighbors can quickly spoil. With that in mind, here are a couple of simple tips that help ensure that rubythroats will be dining on nectar that has not spoiled.
While summer temperatures soar, the hummingbird nectar we provide in the feeders’ spoils more rapidly than it does when temperatures are not excessively hot. With that in mind, if you are using large feeders that take hummingbirds days to drain, put them away and use smaller feeders. In addition, it is a good idea to replace the unused fluid in your feeders every couple of days.
If you notice that the nectar in a feeder is cloudy, immediately discard it. That is a sure sign that it is no longer fresh.
THE HACKBERRY GALLS – PROVIDES IMPORTANT WILDLIFE FOOD
Most of us recognize that the hackberry is a fantastic wildlife food plant. It is a caterpillar host for a variety of butterflies including the hackberry emperor, tawny emperor, snout, mourning cloak, question mark and comma. The tree’s berries are eaten by at least 48 species of birds and other wildlife. The importance of the hackberry’s berries is compounded by the fact they remain on the tree throughout the fall, winter into the next spring. And yet the tree’s value does not end there. It is a little-known fact that the galls that appear on the tree’s foliage are also fantastic sources of food.
Although the galls are not pleasing to the eye, they do not cause any real harm to the tree. These odd unsightly growths are made by insects known as the blackberry psyllids. Hidden inside the galls are tiny grubs packed full of protein.
Many birds peck into the galls and dine on these tiny morsels of food hidden there throughout the year. The tiny insects housed in galls from late summer into early fall are a great source of food for southbound songbirds.
During rhea winter insect-eating birds also dine on the insects living inside the galls. In spring, when the adult psyllids emerge, they are an important source of protein and fat for breeding songbirds and migrants heading north through the state.
Wow! It is astounding that galls that we commonly overlook are so important to so many.
BACKYARD SECRET – THE BIRD THAT MAKES THE SOUND OF A SQUEAKY FAN BELT
From time to time, we hear sounds that sound like they are made by human devices. For example, several years ago a mockingbird learned to imitate the ring call of my flip phone. When you hear such noises, it seems impossible that birds can make them.
For example, I recently received a text from a friend that asked what bird makes the sound of a squeaky fan belt. My first impression was it might have been uttered by a mockingbird. When I told her this, she wrote back and said she did not think so.
This prompted me to do a little research on the odd sounds made by blue jays. To make a long story short, I discovered that blue jays often make sounds that mimic a variety of devices such as rusty pump handles, and gates, as well as squeaky fan belts. I am now convinced that the sound my friend heard was probably vocalized by a blue jay.
Whenever we hear unusual sounds such as these, we can never be sure what makes them unless we actually see the bird calling. Since she never saw the bird, it may have actually been produced by a vehicle with a squeaky fan belt.
My friend told me she is going to try to get to the bottom of this mystery. I cannot wait to hear what she learns. In the meantime, I know it is a sound she will never forget.
MOCKINGBIRD SANG DURING FIREWORKS
Both male and female mockingbirds sing, however, by far the male sings the loudest. These birds sing both day and night; however, young males are more apt to sing during the nighttime hours than adults. Last night I learned that loud noises do little to deter them from singing.
For several days, a mockingbird has been loudly singing in the neighborhood. For the past few days, I heard him singing both during the day and at night. When I got up went outside the each morning, he was still singing. These vocalizations continued throughout the day.
Last night the whole neighborhood celebrated the 4th of July by setting off firecrackers and fireworks. Prior to the beginning of the celebration the lone singer continued to sing. When the sun finally set, I was certain the bird would stop sing. Boy was I ever wrong! In spike of the fact some of the explosions were so loud literally shook the house, and the skies full of beautiful fireworks the bird continued to sing. When the lights and sounds finally faded away, he was still singing.
When I got up and greeted the day, the tireless songster was still at it. If this mockingbird was not deterred by all that went on the night before, what will?
CONFLOWERS – A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR GARDEN
One of our favorite garden plants is a native called purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
This native perennial is a magnet for butterflies, bumblebees and other pollinators. In addition, its seeds devoured by a number of birds such as sparrows, eastern towhees, nuthatches, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, and northern cardinals.
One of things I like best about the plant is that it blooms from May until September.
While it will make a great addition to most Georgia flower gardens, when you purchase purple coneflower plants you need to know if you are buying true native coneflowers or one the many cultivars on the market. These plants bear fanciful names such as Secret Affair, Avalanche, Coconut Lime, cotton candy, Fatal Attraction, Lilliput, Meringue, and milkshake.
While these variety might be of value to wildlife, far too often cultivars are showy but lack the ability to produce nectar, pollen and seeds. I can attest to the value of native purple coneflower, however, I know nothing about any of the cultivars sold in nurseries across the state.
If you have found any of the cultivars of value to wildlife, please let me know.
HOW MANY NATIVE PLANTS DO I NEED IN MY YARD?
Since urban/suburban areas are the fastest growing habitat in Georgia many homeowners are adding native plants to their yards in hopes that local food webs will be reestablished. While some people have replaced all of their introduced ornamentals with native plants, most folks choose to slowly replace their noninvasive introduced ornamentals with native plants. While most gardeners realize that adding a smattering of native plants will not recreate a self-supporting natural habitat, they want to know how many natives they need to incorporate in their landscape to begin making a difference.
According to noted ecologist Doug Tallamy, our gardens need to be composed of a minimum of 70% native, noninvasive plants. This threshold is needed to support native insect populations. One of the reasons this is important is these small critters are eaten by 96% of the nation’s terrestrial birds.
It is often best to have a goal in mind when you embark on such a project. Since most of us will not try to accomplish this goal in a single season. Each time you replace ornamentals replace them with an equal or greater number of natives. Over time, you will eventually reach the 70% goal.
GEORGIA’S LARGEST GRASSHOPPER MAY BE IN YOUR BACKYARD
Recently while walking across the Augusta University Campus my granddaughter spotted the largest grasshopper, she had ever seen.
Since she knows her grandmother and grandfather are interested in wildlife sightings, she took several pictures of the huge insect using her smart phone and later shared them with us.
It turned out that she had photographed the largest grasshopper found in Georgia. This gigantic grasshopper is the eastern lubber (Romalea microptera). The critter is sometimes called “The Georgia Thumper.”
This grasshopper measures 2½ to 3½ inches long.
Fortunately, my granddaughter did not try to handle the insect. The reason for this is, if the grasshopper feels threatens, it defends itself by launching a horrible-smelling toxic spray.
If you find a lubber grasshopper, you will notice it is equipped with extremely small wings. In fact, they are so tiny, it cannot fly. As such, it moves from place by walking or crawling.
Since this native grasshopper ranges throughout the Southeast, there is a chance you might see one in your yard. If you do find one, please let me know the city and county where it was seen.
BACKYARD SECRET – LEAVING HUMAN SCENT ON A BIRD NEST WILL NOT CAUSE BIRDS TO ABANDON IT
Most of us have heard that, if we touch an active bird nest or young birds, the scent we leave behind will cause the nesting birds to abandon it.
This advice is false. The reason why this is the case is most birds have a poor sense of smell.
While we will never know where or why this myth originated, some feel it was perpetrated by adults to discourage youngsters from disturbing bird nests.
CONTAINER GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE MADE EASIER
Gardening for wildlife is being adopted by an increasing number of gardeners each year. One form of wildlife gardening that is growing by leaps and bounds is gardening in containers.
While container gardening is nothing new, growing plants that are of value to wildlife is. Container gardening for wildlife allows gardeners to attract wildlife to small places. In addition, is allows people that are physically unable to engage in traditional gardening to continue their hobby.
One of the problems that plagues container gardening is moving large pots from one spot to another. A large container full of soil is very heavy and difficult to move about. In addition, it can be quite expensive to buy enough soil to fill a large pot.
An excellent way to solve this problem is to fill third to half of the pot with a lightweight filler. Innovative gardeners are using variety fillers such as plastic bottles, bags and nursery pots as fillers Some even employ large chunks of Styrofoam. Others are using organic fillers such as pinecones, and wood chips.
If you want to make container gardening for wildlife less expensive and easier, you should consider using lightweight materials as fillers.
If you have used this technique, I would appreciate it if would let me know if your efforts proved to be successful.