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ADVICE FROM A HUMMINGBIRD FANCIER

Feb28

      One of my responsibilities is to evaluate the applications for various categories in the Community Wildlife Project, sponsored by the Garden Club of Georgia, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, and TERN (the division’s friends’ group).  Recently, one of the applications was seeking certification for a yard. The homeowner wanted to register as a Hummingbird Haven. This applicant went well beyond simply meeting the standards for certification.  In addition, to meeting the criteria with regards to providing hummingbirds with nectar-rich plants, cover, and feeders, she listed four additional actions that she employs to promote hummingbirds.  Below you will find a list of four simple things that each of us can do to promote hummingbirds in our yards too.  Perhaps they will give some to putting into practice some of these actions in your yard.  If you would like to receive an application for the certification for certifying your yard as a Hummingbird Haven, contact Melissa Hayes at Melissa.Hayes@dnr.ga.gov.

  1. We are sure to leave spider webs on plants and flowers so hummingbirds can use them for nests.

  2. We deadhead blooms to keep flowers blooming.

  3. We plant annuals at different times to assure constant blooms.

  4. We encourage friends and family to put out hummingbird feeders.

THE GRAPE LEAFFOLDER –- its NAME SAYS IT ALL

Jul10

       Unlike many animals, the grape leaffolder moth (Desimia funeralis) has a name that clearly relates to the critter.  The caterpillars of this moth commonly live on grape leaves.  In addition, they do fold grape leaves.

       The grape leaffolder lives in all of Georgia’s 159 counties. This moth flies during the daylight hours but you can also see it at night. Your best chance of seeing one is to spot one clinging to the outside wall of your home below a security light.

       Sometimes one will even show up inside your home.  Such was the case with the moth depicted in the accompanying photo.  My granddaughter recently found it on the wall of the hallway outside her bedroom. As she does each time she finds a plant or animal she is unfamiliar with, she sent me a picture of her discovery in hopes that I could identify it.

THE GRAPE LEAFFOLDER; PHOTO CREDIT: Anna Leverett

 Fortunately, the insect’s distinctive white blotches and black wings make it one it one of our most recognizable moths.  Consequently, I was able to identify it without any trouble.

       In addition to grapes, the grape leaffolder moth also uses redbud and evening primrose as host plants.  However, when it lays its eggs on grape leaves it can sometime become a pest.  For example, in states such as Oregon and California, grape leaffolders are pests that feed on grape leaves.

       Grape leaffolder caterpillars fold the edge the grape leaf that are feeding on over to create a safe haven from predators. Once folded, the leaf forms a tunnel where the caterpillar can safely feed throughout the day.  When the caterpillar has consumed as much as it wants within its safe haven, under the cloak of darkness, it moves on to another leaf and repeats the process. A large number of caterpillars feeding on the same vine can weaken the plant to the point where it is likely to produce fewer grapes the next year.

       Eventually, the leaves begin to dry out. When this occurs the caterpillar folds over the edges of the leaf on which it was living.  Eventually the leaf housing the caterpillar falls to the ground.  There the caterpillar pupates in preparation for winter.  At the end winter, it emerges as an adult.

       If you happen across a grape leaffolder, I hope you take the time to examine it. It is truly a handsome insect.  It demonstrates it is possible to find a vast array of amazing animals without having to leave your own backyards.

WHICH CAMOUFLAGE METHOD WORKS THE BEST?

May24

       A wildlife friendly backyard provides homeowners with the opportunity to study wildlife without having to leave home.  For example, our yards give us the opportunity to watch predators trying to capture prey as well as the techniques prey animals employ to avoid becoming a meal for a predator.  With that in mind, have you ever wondered which method works the best?

       In an effort to answer the age-old question, Joao Vitor de Alcantara Viana and his colleagues at Brazil’s State University of Campinas reviewed all of the scientific studies published between 1900 and 2022 that dealt with at least one concealment technique.

       After perusing all of reports, they found that predators spend almost 60 percent more time finding camouflaged prey than prey that is not camouflaged.  The researchers went on the say prey that mimic leaves, sticks and the like are less likely to be eaten by predators than those critters that simply blend into the background.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS HOARD INSECTS

Nov6

       I find the behavior known as hoarding fascinating.  Hoarding simply refers to an animal storing food for future use.  Fall is a great time to watch hoarding.   Over the years, I have enjoyed seeing blue jays, chipmunks, gray squirrels and red-bellied woodpeckers store caches of food in my yard.  However, I have never been lucky enough to see a red-headed woodpecker hoard food.  One of the main reasons I would like observe this behavior is that it hoards insects.

       Like the other hoarders that hoard feed throughout my yard, red-headed woodpeckers store a wide variety of nuts and other seeds.  They are, however, especially fond of beechnuts and acorns.  The birds stash these bits of food away in traditional places such as under the bark of trees, cracks in railroad ties, wooden fence posts, and dead trees.  However, on occasion, they will even slip food beneath the shingles on barns and houses.  One of their favorite places to hide food in the cracks found on the flat surfaces of tree stumps.  Interestingly, it is our only woodpecker that covers stored seeds with bits of bark or wood.

      However, what I find most interesting is the fact that they will store both live and dead insects.  They are especially fond caching grasshoppers and crickets.  Often live insects are crammed into holes and cracks so tight that it is impossible for them to escape.  I find that truly remarkable.

       Perhaps this will be the year that I will witness the seemingly unbelievable hoarding habits of this intriguing bird.

       In the meantime, if you have been lucky to witness red-headed woodpeckers hoarding food in your backyard, I would like to hear about it.

BACKYARD SECRET—YELLOW JACKETS ARE MOST APT TO STING IN FALL

Oct9

      Yellow jackets are common backyard residents.  Throughout the warmer months of the year, they actively hunt for food throughout our yards.  If we leave them alone, they rarely sting us.  However, if we are going to have a bad encounter with them it will most likely be in the fall.

       One reason that you are more likely to incur a painful yellow jacket sting in autumn is there are simply far more yellow jackets around at that time of the year.  All summer long yellow jacket numbers increase to the point that by the time autumn rolls around a colony may number anywhere from 2,000-4,000+ individuals.

       Another cause is during the fall yellow jackets change their diet.  During the spring and summer, their diet consists, in large part, of spiders, caterpillars, flies, and other invertebrates. Remarkably, yellow jackets are capable of capturing more than 2 pounds of insects and other invertebrates from a 2,000 square-foot garden plot.  The protein that they bring back to their nest benefits the young that continually hatch throughout the summer.    

       However, as they days get shorter, yellow jackets begin switching to a diet rich in carbohydrates. Yellow jackets locate these sweet foods in tree sap, nectar, and the juice of fruits and berries.  Much to our chagrin, they are also attracted to foods and beverages served at picnics and other outside gatherings.

       At this time of the year yellow jackets, become more aggressive toward one another as well as people and pets.  Consequently, they are more prone to sting without provocation.  Since this behavioral change coincides with a switching from a predominantly protein diet to one rich in carbohydrates, some researchers suggest this may be the main reason for their aggressive fall attitude.

       With that in mind, don’t go near yellow jacket nests in the fall.  In addition, if one does sting you, just remember that a painful sting might be a small price to pay for an insect that helps control insects pests that prey on the food an ornamental plant growing in your yard.

       I tried do take my own advice recently when I was the victim of an unprovoked yellow jacket that zeroed in on my arm.  I must admit immediately after I was stung, I was not harboring kind thoughts regarding yellow jackets.  However, as is often the case with many things, over time I got over it.

      

BUMBLEBEES HAVE BEEN FLYING ON COOL MORNINGS

Oct5

        I am sure you have recently been enjoying waking up to temperatures in the low 50s as much as I have.  On these special early fall mornings, I love stepping out on the deck and take in the sights and sounds that surround me.

       One thing that I have noticed is no butterflies are visiting the globe amaranth, zinnias, garden balsam, and scarlet sage growing in pots on the deck.  However, each day I have spotted small bumblebees visiting scarlet sage blossoms.

       Being able to begin feeding before butterflies and other pollinators arrive is a definite advantage to the hard-working bumblebees.

        Remarkably, bumblebees can fly when it dips down as low as 40º F. As such, since the temperatures in my neck of woods should not drop below 40º F for a few weeks, I will be able to enjoy a cup of coffee while watching bumblebees are hard at work for some time to come.

 

     

MEET GEORGIA’S LARGEST WASP

Oct2

     To say the least, Georgia’s largest wasp is intimidating. Indeed, it is two or more inches long. Although it can inflict a painful sting, it only does so when provoked.

     While it is big, the insect prefers to dine on fermented sap and nectar.  However, its young have a far different diet. 

     The cicada killer gets in name from its habit of hunting down and catching cicadas.  Often it latches on to these large insects in flight.  Since its prey often weighs more than it does, when it attempts to fly back to its nesting burrow it more often ends up hopping for short distances than actually flying.

     The female cicada killer paralyzes its hapless victims and places them in burrows (5-10 inches deep).  Once she positions a cicada in just the right spot, she lays an egg on it. Next, she leaves, sealing off chamber before heading out to search for another cicada.  She will sometimes repeat this process more than a dozen times.

   The eggs hatch in only two to three days.  Upon hatching, each larva begins eating its own paralyzed cicada.

     The cicada killer overwinters as a larva.  In the spring, it emerges and begins hunting down its own cicadas needed to produce a new generation of these formidable predators.

     Female cicada killers live for a couple of months or so.  On the other hand, males die shortly after mating.

     You can go for years without ever seeing one of these large insects in your yard.  I personally cannot remember the last time I spotted one.  However, during the past couple of weeks, my niece saw one grab a cicada in mid-air and ride it down to the ground.  Then this weekend my granddaughter found a dead cicada killer on the floor of her garage.

     Both of the young women had never encountered a cicada killer before.  Both found spotting one an eye-opening experience.  If ever see one, I am sure you will be astonished to learn such a large predatory insect patrols your backyard.

 

BLOGGER CONCERNED ABOUT THREAT TO HUMMINGBIRDS POSED BY JORO SPIDER

Aug17

       Recently I received a post from one of our fellow bloggers that lives in the Athens area voicing concern that spiders might pose a threat to hummingbirds.  In response to her communication, I have tried to uncover any reports of hummingbirds being caught in the large, sticky webs constructed by Joro spiders. 

       For those of you that that are not familiar with the Joro spider, this large spider is native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China.  It first appeared in the United States in Hoschton, Georgia in 2013.

       This long-legged foreign invader has spread rapidly and is now weaving their large, sticky webs in at last 25 counties in North Georgia.  The spider has also been found in nearby South Carolina.

       Experts tell us that Joro spiders do not eat birds.  However, it is well known that hummingbirds are caught in the webs fashioned by a variety of native spiders.  In such cases, unless an unfortunate hummingbird can break free or rescued, it dies of either from starvation or dehydration.

       To date, I have not found any documentation of a hummingbird being caught in a Joro spider web.  However, that does not necessarily mean that this does not occur.  If you have seen and perhaps photographed such an event, please let me know.

SPIDER-JORO-2-Dorothy-Kozlowski-UGA-Sept-2021

       Since the joro spider has not been in the country very long, experts are unable to determine the impact, if any; this spider is going to have on native animals. In the meantime, Richard Hoebeke, an entomologist and curation with the Georgia Museum of Natural History, offers this advice, “Spiders are beneficial, they are feeding on insects that a log of people consider pests, yellow jackets, stink bugs, mosquitoes, other insects that people don’t want to see around the house, they would be happy to have them in their webs. And a lot of them do end up in their webs.  So, I consider them beneficial, I would just simply leave them alone. Don’t get in their way. Don’t aggregate them.  Just let them be.”

       For more information on the Joro spider, go to Search on the right side of this Blog and type in either Joro spider or Spider alert.

THE HERCULES BEETLE IS BIG BUT NOT DANGEROUS

Aug7

       Whenever you encounter the eastern Hercules beetle (Dynastes tityus), you may be astonished at it size and perhaps fear it might bite you. 

       The eastern Hercules beetle is indeed large, in fact, since it can attain a length of around 2.5 inches, it is probably the largest beetle you will see in your backyard.

       However, while it appears dangerous, it will not bite or sting.  It much prefers to eat rotting fruit or the sap exuded from ash trees than human flesh.

       Both male and female eastern Hercules beetles range in color from olive green, to tan and gray.  Their exoskeletons display multiple black spots. No two beetles have the same number and distribution of spots.  Consequently, researchers use the spots to identify individuals.

       As you can see from the photos that accompany this blog, males sport two pronotal horns that some described as looking like the horns of a rhinoceros. The males use these horns when fighting for the opportunity to mate with females.  Females lack horns.

       Although they are found throughout Georgia, the homeowners that are most apt to find one of these giant beetles are those have yards that feature scattered hardwood trees, especially those where rotten limbs have be allowed to remain on the ground.  Eastern Hercules beetle larvae feed on rotting wood, especially oak.

       Since eastern Hercules beetles are nocturnal, it is unlikely that most of us spot one unless it is drawn to an outside light.

       The strength of eastern Hercules beetles is legendary.  Perhaps that is the reason we sometimes refer to it as the ox or elephant beetle.  It is said that it can lift an object 850 times its own weight.  This is the equivalent of a human lifting nine fully-grown elephants.

       I hope you will have the opportunity to spot this gentle giant in your yard.  It represents one of the countless animals that are hiding in plain sight in our backyards.

        

A NOVEL WAY TO KEEP FIRE ANTS OUT OF NEST BOXES

Feb16

       Here in Georgia fire ants can threaten birds that nest in nesting boxes.  These pesky ants will enter nesting boxes and actually kill hatchlings.

       Several decades ago Jackson, Mississippi resident R.B. Layton came up with a novel way to keep these dreaded imported insects from reaching his nesting boxes.  Layton soaked either wood thread spools or sweetgum balls with the oil additive STP and placed them between the boxes and the poles that held them aloft.  Supposedly, this formed a barrier over which the ants would not pass.

       If you decide to try this technique, since thread now comes on plastic spools, you will have to find them at a craft store.  They are available in a variety of sizes.  I would imagine that you need to buy spools that are unpainted; an unpainted spool would probably retain more STP than those that are painted.  As for sweetgum balls, they can be located beneath sweetgum trees across the state.

       Since I have never had a problem with fire ants entering my nest boxes, I have never tested this technique.  However, if you try it, I would love to know if it worked for you.