Archives

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.

     

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.

 

 

BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PLANT TRUMPET CREEPER

Jun7

       One of my favorite native vines is the trumpet creeper. The problem is experience has taught me you have got to be careful where you plant it.

       Trumpet creeper is a great wildlife plant.  Its thick foliage provides nesting and escape cover for birds and other wildlife. In addition, the vine’s large showy blossoms are a great source of food for a variety of pollinators ranging from bumble bees, moths, and butterflies to orchard orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds.  It sounds like this is a plant that all wildlife gardeners would like to see growing in their yards; unfortunately, this is not the case.

       The problem is that the trumpet creeper aggressively spreads for the spot where it is planted.  In fact, it is not uncommon for trumpet creeper to spread 35 feet or more.  Consequently, I would recommend that you never plant trumpet creeper close to your home, barn or other structures.  If trumpet creeper reaches a building, it will quickly attach itself and potentially cause damage to the structure.  It matters not whether the exterior is covered with brick, wood or siding, trumpet creeper will attach itself to the material.

       That being said, it does well growing along fences, arbors, and the like.  I have even seen it grown beside poles to create a trumpet creeper tree.

      

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-WEBSITE THAT PROVIDES INFORMATION ON NATIVE PLANTS IN YOUR AREA

Apr23

       The number and variety of native plants that grow in your yard plays a key role on determining what species of wildlife will inhabit your yard. The problem is trying to determine which plants will grow in your neck of the woods.

       The National Audubon Society has simplified the task of trying to identify which native wildlife-friendly plants grow in the county where you live.

       If you want to access this information, go to the National Audubon Society’s website.  Once there scroll to the window labeled Plants that Grow in your Area.  You will see a place where you enter your zip code.  Type in your zip code; press the Enter button and the plant list for your area will appear.

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.

CAMELLIAS HELP WINTERING HUMMINGBIRDS SURVIVE DURING GEORGIA WINTERS

Dec4

       It is easy to believe that winter hummingbirds are totally dependent on our feeders to survive.  Although feeders hanging in backyards have helped hummingbirds winter throughout the Southeast, wintering hummers such as the rufous have other sources of food.

       One of these foods is the sap that wells up in active sapsucker holes.  Although yellow-bellied sapsuckers excavate these shall reservoirs to provide food for themselves, a variety of critters such as other birds, squirrels, butterflies and even hummingbirds dine on the sugary sap found their excavations. Since the shrub also produces pollen, they attract the some of the few pollinators that also dine on pollen during the winter.

       Another underappreciated source of food is the nectar is produced by winter blooming camellias. One of the best is (Camellia sasanqua).  This flowering shrub blooms from fall throughout the winter.

       These glossy-leaved thick shrubs also provide the tiny birds with much-needed roost sites.
If you know of any other varieties of camellias that attract winter hummingbirds to your yard, please let me know.

AFTER FREEZE NECTAR SOURCES

Nov16

       This week much of Georgia suffered through the first freezing temperatures of the season.  At our home in Monroe County, the temperature fell to 27º.   Realizing that spelled trouble for many pollinators my wife and I brought in two plants (scarlet sage and pineapple sage) that have been hosting cloudless sulphurs for the past few weeks.

       When the weather returned to normal, we put them back on our deck. In a matter of minutes, they were once again being visited by cloudless sulphurs, syrphid, and hover flies. While our efforts did not benefit many pollinators, they did provide a few with much-needed food. In addition, we extended the time we can enjoy watching pollinators at work in our yard.
Based on our success I decided to visit our local nursery (Mossy Creek) to see if any of their plants had survived the cold and were hosting pollinators. 

       I no sooner got out the door of my vehicle when one of the nursery’s staff called me over to look at a stunningly beautiful butterfly. The butterfly turned out to be a zebra longwing; it was the first I have seen this year.  The whole time that I was there, the butterfly fed at lavender pincushion blossoms.

       While I watched, an American lady joined it.  Nearby, an Ocola and fiery skippers, and a couple of American ladies visited marigolds.  All of these plants had survived the severely cold weather.

       Later, our daughter told us that a hover fly was feeding on a late four-o’clock bloom beside her house.  She also saw several pollinators visiting coneflowers at a nursery in Columbia County.

       Admittedly, the weather was not kind to our gardens this year consequently; we did not have many sources of nectar available deep into the fall.  However, we pledge to do better next year.

       If you want to help late pollinators in your yard, the first thing you need to do is find out which pollinator plants can survive cold weather in your neighborhood.  One great place to learn find this information is your local nursery.  There is no better time do so than after our recent freeze.  Armed with this knowledge you will be better able to address the food needs of the pollinators living close by.

       When I returned home, I was carrying four pots containing cold-hardy plants that we are going to add to our yard.