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TIME TO PLANT EVENING PRIMROSE SEEDS
For the past several weeks, my wife and I have enjoyed the beauty of evening primroses. I wish we could say we planted these native plants, but I cannot. They sprang up in some of the driest, poorest soil in our yard. They have taken root in a patch of poor, dry, red clay soil along the end of our driveway. This is a very precarious spot since it is in a zone routinely mowed by the Georgia Department of Transportation. We have come to the realization we are going to have the best chance that primrose will continue to provide the beautiful color and provide food for pollinators, songbirds and others in various spots around our yard, now is the time to act.
The evening primrose is a native biennial. This means the plant has a life span that only lasts two years. During its first year, it germinates, grows roots, short stems and leaves. During the second year it grows tall flower stalks that are festooned with bright yellow flowers. After the plant blooms it dies.
There are several different ways to propagate the plant. We plan on gathering a few of the plants’ dry seed pods. We will then scatter the tiny seeds in two locations. Some seeds will be sown in pots. Others will be scattered on bare soil at various spots around the yard. If you spread the seeds directly on the ground select spots rated as poor to average. We will not make any effort to cover the seeds. By planting the seeds in the fall, the seeds will be exposed to natural stratification.
You might be wondering why we are trying to promote evening primrose. There are a number of reasons why we want to establish a thriving population of primrose in our yard. First of all, we enjoy the beauty provided by the plants’ showy yellow blossoms.
The flowers also provide nectar for a number of moths and butterflies and is also serves a host plant for a number of species of moths.
Primrose also provides food for many species of bees; this list includes sweat bees, carpenter bees and bumblebees.
Both hummingbirds and butterflies also dine on the plants’ nectar.
As for vertebrates, American goldfinches and a variety of sparrows and other songbirds eat the plants’ small seeds. Small mammals also eat primrose seeds.
If the evening primrose seems to be a plant you want to add to your native plant community, I suggest you research the various ways evening primrose can be propagated.
If you are successful in establishing evening primrose on your property, I strongly suspect you will feel that your efforts were well worth it.
WHITE ASTERS – STUNNING AND BENEFICIAL
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.
DON’T TAKE DOWN ALL OF YOUR HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS
My wife and I saw a hummingbird October 9. Since we have during the past five days later, we have probably seen our last ruby-throated hummingbird this year. In spite of this, we will continue the maintain a single feeder. In fact, we take a feeder down.
There are a couple of reasons for this. One reason is, there is always the chance that a rubythroat heading toward its winter home. If one does find our yard, it will benefit from being able to quickly refuel and continue on its migration.
Another reason is a few rubythoats do spend the winter here. If they do, our feeder will supplement the food it collects from feeding at yellow-bellied sapsucker holes, and other sources.
If you do maintain a feeder, you have a chance of attracting a rufous hummingbird. Over the past several decades rufous hummingbirds have wintered here every year. In fact, the rufous hummingbird is the most common hummingbird seen in Georgia during the winter.
A feeder will give you a chance of seeing another species of hummingbirds that visit the Peach State now and then. This includes such as the black-chinned, calliope, Allen’s and others.
If you maintain at least one hummingbird feeder throughout the winter, chances are you will not see one of these birds. If you are lucky, you will be in for a real treat.
BACKYARD SECRET: ONE-WAY CHIPMUNKS WARN OTHERS WHEN A PREDATOR IS NEAR
Chipmunks are common residents in Georgia yards. While they can be regularly seen during the warmer months of the year, at no time are they more often seen than from late summer throughout autumn. This is the time when chipmunks are busy gathering and storing food for winter.
As you might expect, this is a time when they are more likely to cross paths with predators. When one chipmunk sees a hawk, fox or other predator they warn the other chipmunks in the area that danger is close by. Remarkably, they warn their cohorts when a predator is near using two distinct calls. One is uttered when an aerial predator is close by. A totally different call is vocalized when the threat comes from a ground predator.
Now that is pretty neat!
A CROW, A WREN, AND A SQUIRREL – WILD DRAMA
Most of the most memorable wildlife sightings seem to take place when and where we least expect it. Such was the case this morning.
After eating breakfast, my daughter placed some leftover scrambled eggs in a dog bowl sitting on her back porch. In a few minutes, an American crow flew in and walked over to the dog bowl. It then proceeded to pick out all of the scrambled eggs and drop them on the floor beside the bowl. After eating a bit of the eggs, it slowly sundered out into the yard and began eating dog food scattered on the ground. While the crow was eating the dogfood, a gray squirrel showed up and ate a sliver of the eggs. My daughter said that while dining, the gray squirrel held the food like it was eating a potato chip.
All the while the squirrel was dining, a Carolina wren was loudly fussing as it flew between the house and a nearby planter. The squirrel did not seem upset with the wren’s behavior. My daughter said that while eating, the squirrel sat on its haunches and held the food in its front feet like it would a potato chip.
When the squirrel departed, the wren dropped down and picked up the largest piece of the scrambled eggs and flew off.
This drama lasted only five minutes as my daughter and granddaughter watched drama less than 10 feet away through a glass door.
Now that is the way to start the day!
THE VALUE OF LEAVING DRY CONEFLOWER SEED HEADS
With each passing day, the beautiful coneflower blossoms that adorned our gardens throughout the summer wither and die. When this occurs all that remains are prickly brown seed heads. When this happens often your first impulse is to prune cut them off. If you want to help many of the seed-eating birds that have called your yard home throughout the spring and summer, resist the urge to snip them off.
The reason for this is each seed head contains 200-300 nutritious seeds. Since the seed heads persist into winter, they provide seeding-eating birds with a source of food when food is scarce. Indeed these natural seed feeders are an asset to any backyard.
American goldfinches are particularly fond of the seeds; however, other birds dine on the nutritious seeds too. The list of the birds that compete with goldfinches for this bounty include blue jays, mockingbirds, Carolina chickadees brown-headed nuthatches and cardinals.
BACKYARD SECRET – FUELING RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION?
During the past few weeks the hummingbirds that have been visiting our feeders seem are on a feeding frenzy. The reason for this is they are trying to store enough fuel (in the form of fat) to power their fall migration.
Prior to migration, an adult female ruby-throated weighs roughly 1/10th of an ounce (3.5 grams). These long-distance migrants will consume enough nectar and insects to increase their weight to 5.5 grams (0.194 ounces). Each gram of this stored fat enables a hummingbird to migrate 300 miles.
THE TIMING OF THE FALL RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION
If you have been feeding hummingbirds, you have probably noticed that the number of rubythroats visiting your feeders has dropped significantly. This reason for this is rubythroats are heading south on their fall migration. Interestingly, the timing of their departure is dependent on their sex and age. Let’s take a quick look at the timing of the migration in Georgia.
If you take a close look at the birds visiting your feeders, you will notice that currently few adult males are still using your feeders. The reason for this is adult males are the first to leave. While some adult males will begin migration as early as July, most will leave in August. The adult females are the next to leave they begin their southward trek in August. The last to depart are the hummers that hatched this year. Most of these birds migrate in September.
BACKYARD SECRET – KILLDEER CAN FEED AT NIGHT
One evening this week my granddaughter called to ask me, Is it unusual see killdeer feeding in a brightly-lit parking lot at night?” She posed the question because she and her friend spotted two killdeer feeding alongside puddles of water in a large well-lit parking lot.
