Archives

WHITE ASTERS – STUNNING AND BENEFICIAL

Oct18

          If you ride down a country road in Middle Georgia right now the blossoms of two native plants grab your attention. These plants are goldenrod and white aster.

       Goldenrod is by far the showstopper.  In many locales yellow plumes of goldenrod blanket fields and roadsides.  In some areas, however, goldenrod is sharing Mother Nature’s late summer/early fall floral stage is white aster.  These plants can reach a height of 3 or more feet and during their blooming season this perennial is covered with untold an  untold number of snow-white daisy-like blooms.  A singe plant can literally display a hundred or more of these tiny floral jewels.  At least five species of these native asters grow in Georgia.  Needless to say, separating one species of aster from another can be perplexing, however, the two asters we are apt to see along roads and fields in this neck of the woods are named the smooth oldfield aster or small white aster.  The other plant is called the hairy oldfield white aster or frost aster.     The plants are deer resistant, and often grow in poor, dry soil.   In addition, they bloom up to six weeks.

       In addition to being attractive, they are valuable wildlife plants.  Those asters that bloom in late summer and beyond provide nectar well after many pollinator plants have ceased blooming.  While they are particularly popular with native bees and wasps, they also provided food for butterflies, and even beetles.

      These asters serve as caterpillar host plants for the silvery checkerspot and pearl crescent butterflies.  On top of that, their tiny seeds   are devoured by sparrows and other songbirds.

     The next time you spot mounds of tiny white blossoms festooned on plants growing  along the roadside, stop and admire these native beauties.  After you see them up-close, it is next to impossible not to take a bevy of photos that you will want to share with others.

 

         

BACKYARD SECRET – GOLDENROD IS VALUABLE TO POLLINATORS

Sep27

     

       In my yard and through much of Georgia, goldenrod is just beginning to bloom.  Unfortunately, most Georgians consider goldenrod a weed.  The truth of the matter is goldenrod is a host plant for than 100 species of moths and butterflies. In addition, hundreds of species of insects dine on goldenrod nectar and pollen. 

       Indeed, this secret needs to be told and we need to the share this secret with everyone who shares a love for the natural world.

BACKYARD SECRET – BUTTERFLIES HAVE AN ODD WAY OF TASTING THEIR FOOD

Aug23

          We taste food by placing it in our mouths; such is not the case with butterflies. Unbelievably, butterflies taste food with their feet. It seems that when a butterfly lands on a flower, before it unrolls its straw-like proboscis and begins dining on the flower’s nectar, they taste the potential source of food through their feet.  They are able to accomplish this amazing fete because their feet are cloaked with cells (chemoreceptors) that let a butterfly know whether the flower contains sugary nectar.

     

BACKYARD SECRET – HOW MUCH NECTAR DOES AN ADULT E. TIGER SWALLOW EAT IN A DAY?

Aug19

         The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is one of the largest butterflies commonly seen in Georgia yards.  In spite of its relatively large size (wingspan -3.5 – 5.5 inches), this colorful butterfly consumes only 0.0014 – 0.0105 ounces of nectar daily.  To put this in perspective, a standard-sized paperclip weighs only 0.04 ounces.

SPURRED BUTTERFLY PEA – AN ATTRACTIVE WILDLIFE FOOD SOURCE

Jul27

          Whenever I discover a new native plant or animal in my yard it is a great day.  My latest discovery took place this morning when I stumbled across a new native plant growing on my property within minutes of the time I set foot outside.  As I began my daily walk around my yard, I spotted a handful of attractive lavender blossoms blooming inches above the ground.  As it turned out, I had found a couple of native perennial vines that had just begun flowering.  This plant is the spurred butterfly pea (Centrosema virginianum).

          Spurred butterfly pea vines attain a length only seven feet or so. A single plant will only spread over an area measuring one to three feet in diameter.  My two plants cover far less of the dry, clay hillside where they are rooted.

          Although the plant is much smaller than many wildlife food plants, it provides food for a wide range of wildlife.  Two species of butterflies (northern cloudywing and long-tailed skipper) use it as a host plant.  Its foliage is consumed by white-tailed deer and other herbivores. Even gopher tortoises will devour the plant’s leaves. The butterfly pea’s seeds are eaten by songbirds, and quail.  While such uses are important, is perhaps more valuable as a food source for many native bees and other pollinators.

          Since this fascinating native plant is a source of wildlife food and is also attractive, you should consider adding it to the list of the native plants growing in your yard.

CONFLOWERS – A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR GARDEN

Jun21

       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.

 

 

CONTAINER GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE MADE EASIER

May27

          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.

 

BACKYARD SECRET – PLANTING GROUPS OF PLANTS BENEFIT HUMMINGBIRDS AND OTHER POLLINATORS

Apr1

     

        If you are looking for a simple way to benefit hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators, plant nectar plants in groups of the kind.  You will find that mass plantings enhance the beauty of your yard and makes it easier for these valuable backyard neighbors to locate plants bearing nectar. 

       With that in mind, plant no less than 3-5 of the same variety together.  If have enough room for larger plantings, masses of plants measuring two to three are even better.

       I hope you will try this simple technique this year.  I suspect that, if you take this advice, the pollinators will love it and you will wonder why you have not adopted this gardening trip before.

BACKYARD SECRET – BUTTERFLIES ARE SOMETIMES SMALLER IN THE SPRING

Mar23

       Recently my wife and I were walking about our backyard on a recent March after noon we noticed that one of our native azaleas was in full bloom.  When we stopped to admire the beautiful blossoms displayed by the large native azalea, an eastern tiger swallowtail flew in and began nectaring at the shrub’s stunning blooms.  As we watched the butterfly feed, we both noticed that it was much smaller than the tigers we normally encounter.  This begged the question, “Why is this individual so small?”

       One possible reason for this is eastern tiger swallowtails overwinter as pupae in a chrysalis.  If a butterfly emerges earlier than normal due to unseasonably warm weather, it may be smaller because it pupated before reaching its normal size.

BACKYARD SECRET – BIRDS PREFER AMERICAN HOLLY BERRIES

Dec17

      Nowadays, homeowners are including hybrid and exotic hollies in their home landscapes more often than American holly (Ilex opaca).  However, if you are interested in adding an attractive evergreen tree that bears shiny red fruit that is relished by 29 species of birds, you would be better off, planting America holly than an exotic or hybrid holly.

       In addition, American holly berries typically have more nutritive value than the berries of nonnative hollies. This can be critical for birds that birds that forage for food throughout the winter.

       While some hybrid cultivars may be an exception to that rule, based on my experience the berries found on other hollies are often ignored or only eaten when American berries have all been eaten.

       Another reason why the berries found exotic and hybrid hollies are not consumed as often as American hollies – they are too large for some birds to swallow.

       Finally, American holly is an important addition to backyards because it serves as the primary host plant for the Henry’s elfin butterfly and is often used a host plant for the holly sallow moth.