My husband is making a second one for our yard (I read somewhere that it's good to hang two up), and he's also making one for a silent auction at our school's big fundraiser next weekend. And friends from our neighborhood put in a request as well when they saw him putting it together this afternoon. Ok, little owls, now it's your turn!
]]>Some plants I suspect will soon become officially part of the "Banes of My Existence" list, along with Bermuda and Nutsedge. One is the Velcro Plant. It goes by other names, many equally appropriate for the incredible ability of the plant to stick to everything -- Catchweed Bedstraw, Stickywilly, etc.
I want to admire this plant, I really do. It's not unattractive, and evolutionally speaking it is a master of distribution, with all those little hooks that allow it to attach to anything and everything that attempts to move past it. It's even managed to become a plant that can outdo the oak sprouts under the oak trees. But it's clear that it's found a new home in my yard that it finds most acceptable. So I'll enjoy my admiration for a few moments, and then go pluck it out wherever I can.
And what do I do about the wild onion that has also found a home it likes -- the edge of the wooded areas in the back? It's actually quite pretty, and we enjoy the onion smell that spreads through the air when we run through it or mow it.
But it's spreading rapidly, too. Do I let it? I think occasionally it makes my dogs sick, so perhaps that's reason enough to try to keep it cut down.
Henbit is everywhere. This is a plant I really don't find that attractive.
And these other little tiny flowers, all very adorable, are still ones I admire with caution. I don't know what they are. I just think they're pretty. Probably they are counting on that, and as they get a little bigger and sneak some seeds past me, they know that they'll have an in on spreading through my yard. If anyone knows the actual names for these plants, please let me know.
***This next one I think is a Ten-Petal Anemone, Anemone berlandieri, native to the Edwards Plateau. I think it's a keeper, although it's toxic. Everything else in my yard seems to be, too.
I'm not crazy about mowing. It's one reason why I hope to someday fill in my yard with enough "stuff" that I won't have to mow anymore. But obviously I'll be dealing with transitional stages for awhile. I do have to say that I love my electric mower, even though the cord can be a pain. Maybe someday I'll get to progress to a simple old-fashioned reel mower, once the area I have to deal with is smaller.
And it's nice to be back working on the yard and garden. Spring approaches. :)
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Snow!
And lots of it! Well, lots for us here in Austin. Finally, after years of waiting, we had enough stick long enough and be the right packing consistency to make decent-sized snowmen. The problem is that, as usual, we didn't get enough to make white snowmen. And what snowmen were made usually used up all the snow in the yard.
But without further ado, I give you a parade of snowmen, complete with mud, leaves, twigs, and grass. 'Cause that's how we do it here in Austin!
You can tell which ones got made earlier in the day, before the snow started melting.
It seems that once again, the only way to get a white snowman in Austin is to stick with the ones less than a foot tall.
What do you think, Ernie? Winner?
Hmmm, that judge didn't seem to happy with any of the selection. Let's ask his twin, Grover.
Clearly, our judges have better things to do than look at muddy snowmen. How 'bout frisky-time in the snow?!!
We rescued our husky some 3.5 years ago, and this is the first time we've ever seen him in snow. He loved it.
So did our beautiful Sheba.
Something about the snow today really brought the birds to the birdfeeder. I guess they don't care for the snow covering up the food plants. Here's a cardinal and chickadee.
And a blue jay. Yep, he fussed at other birds nearby. Didn't care much for the photographer, either!
And here's a tufted titmouse and a new beauty.
I feel I should recognize this cutie. Can anyone identify it for me? Turns out it's an American goldfinch in its winter plumage (thanks, Caroline!).
I love those golden feathers around its face.
I've heard all about the wonderful Cedar Waxwings, but until today I hadn't seen them in my own yard. We've had a giant Yaupon in front of our house since we moved here, so I figured this had more to do with me not being around when the birds were migrating, rather than their actual absence from our property each year.
This afternoon, I was on my way out the door when I saw them. And I dropped everything and ran back into the house for the camera. For the next 20 minutes I delighted in capturing picture after picture of these gorgeous birds, and I enjoyed watching their antics.
For one thing, they truly are birds of voracious appetites. When one talks about someone who eats like a bird, most likely they aren't referring to these gluttons. They feasted on berry after berry as a group, flew off to a nearby oak to sing and digest a bit, and then flew right back to the yaupon for more fruity treats.
A few would gather on a berry-laden branch all together, hanging upside-down and enjoying the branch swing until it slowed enough that more berries could be wolfed down.
I'm truly amazed out how gorgeous these birds are. I had no idea. The yellow belly and yellow-tipped tail blend beautifully with their graceful tan, brown, and black feathers, and that mischievous black mask made us tease them about stealing our berries.
They didn't mind us around at all, and they completely ignored the cat, who had slipped outside when I rushed in for the camera. In fact, they seemed a very curious, gregarious bunch. I read that these bold birds will even grab a bit of human hair while building nests in the north. Sometimes they get so intoxicated on the sugary berries that they'll fly drunk and do a bit of a stagger walk -- I was watching, but my birds apparently held their own quite well.
By the time I returned home today, the birds were gone. I hope another flock will pass through soon!
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Here are several of the many facts and tips we learned:
Planting
When planting trees from containers, you really need to look deeper into the soil (pulling the tree out of the container) and look for girdling roots around the stem/trunk and encircling roots around the root mass. There's a method to cutting, but the main thing is that you want to cut girdling and encircling roots and redirect as many roots as you can to radiate out from the center, before you backfill with dirt. Don't be afraid to move aside some dirt to seek out those roots wrapping around the stem and main roots.
Don't amend the soil. This goes against what many old-school methods teach, but when you amend the soil in the planting hole, you discourage roots from venturing into the existing soil, and your roots will start to girdle and strangle each other, trying to stay in the "better soil."
Dig a hole twice as wide and no deeper than the height of the root flare -- it's better to plant high than low -- that root flare of the tree needs to stay visible. Sides of the bowl should be sloping and not smooth like ceramic (typically found when digging in clay soil).
Plant wisely -- learn the height and requirements of a tree before you plant it. Planting large trees under electrical wires or trees in other poor locations only leads to heartache later, not to mention time and money wasted.
Pruning
Every cut is a wound. Only prune when absolutely necessary. Always cut outside the branch collar, not flush against the tree.
There are methods to helping a wound heal better -- not necessarily "sealing" it -- so research this before you harm your tree. One method includes cleaning up the jagged edges of a wound with a sharp knife.
Prune from the outside, NOT from the inside of the canopy -- these inner branches are most critical to the tree's health. In other words, raising the canopy of a tree might be nice for humans, but it is an ill-fated practice in regard to the tree itself. And don't top the tree.
It's best do any pruning and shaping in the first year, and then leave the tree alone as best you can. Prune off suckers and secondary leaders as appropriate for the long-term shape and stability of the tree.
Mulch should extend as wide as the branches of the tree extend -- the root system often extends as far as twice as wide as the canopy of the tree, depending on the species.
Grass and trees don't mix. One affects the health of the other. Grass affects whether the roots of the tree can obtain oxygen and water, and it's the smaller roots farther away from the tree that do this work.
Oak Wilt
Oak wilt spreads via root systems in red oaks and live oaks, but it spreads by fungal spores as well for red oaks. This is why you find major live oak/oak wilt centers with infected trees surrounding them, but it's the red oak that can create the situations to spread out and create new oak wilt centers.
Looking at Trees in the Urban Environment
As a result of this class, our eyes have been opened to the great harm an urban environment causes trees. The way developers place asphalt, sidewalks, curbs, and raised beds shockingly cuts off the root systems of many urban trees, leading to the premature demise of these trees. Damage from lawnmowers and construction vehicles also severely wound trees. And then there's mulch. All around town right now, I'm seeing huge mounds of mulch at the base of trees, smothering the root flare and going several inches up the trunk, and this will lead to weakness and potential rotting of the tree base. Think about the costs involved in dealing with weakening trees, dying trees, and the replacement of once-old and massive trees. Urban development with thought and care might have let those beautiful trees remain healthy and standing for decades to hundreds of years to come.
Graduation and Leaf for a Leaf
After the last class, in conjunction with the Leaf for a Leaf program at the city libraries, we helped plant trees at the Carver Library in Austin. With the planting of about 30 of a variety of trees, we helped turn what was once an open, high maintenance grass lawn into what will one day become a shade-offering "Growth Potential Grove," as the program calls it. Our son got involved and helped.
We really are grateful for the knowledge we gained during this class, which was taught by several different foresters and arborists from Austin Parks and Rec, UT, Austin Urban forestry Board, Texas Forest Service, and other groups. It sure opened our eyes to look at trees in the city, forest, and home environments in a whole new way. And this weekend, we planted five more trees in our own yard. Mmmmm, oxygen.
Hey, little sparrow. You're pretty cute for a pest bird. I'll pick you over the Austin grackles any day.
Just stay away from my pizza (by the way, Austinites -- Eastside Pies has some mighty tasty pizza).
The past 3 days I've been speaking to all the 3rd- and 4th-graders about habitats in central Texas. I've been giving PowerPoint presentations to back-to-back classes -- today's last and final class will make nine total. I think I know this slide show pretty well now! The kids have all been interactive and fascinated and loving all the photos. But it's no surprise that the biggest reactions come from the giant swallowtail caterpillar that looks like bird poop!
I want to thank all my fellow Austin Garden Bloggers who generously sent me photographs of wildlife in their garden so that I could put together a very unique and special presentation. As I go through the slide show each time, I know where each photograph came from, and I feel as though all these wonderful people are right there with me helping our students love and appreciate nature. Thank you, my friends!
Inspired by this day of love, it was a perfect time to complete a long desired project -- bee boxes to provide nesting places for our native Texas solitary bees.
We drilled several holes into an Ashe Juniper log obtained from a friend, and since we had an extra, we decided to replace the decaying hackberry branch holding up the habitat sign with yet another bee box.
We ended up making a third bee box, this time from pine and bamboo, the latter of which we cut down from the yard of our neighbor across the street. She was quite willing to share, as she loathes the bamboo that is encroaching into her lawn from the house next to her.
But won't it make such a nice resting spot and nesting spot for little bees in need?
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Doves, mind you, don't seem to understand the word "sustainable" nor the word "reduce," the little wasteful gluttons. But on occasion, they do lend themselves out for a nice winter picture, so for the moment I'll forgive them.
It warms my heart to see how many bloggers are spreading the word about environmental care by encouraging fellow bloggers to think, act, and make lifestyle changes in regard to taking care of Earth. Suzy at HipMountainMama is leading One Small Change, Dee at RedDirt Ramblings recently hosted a reel mower giveaway, and Jan at Thanks for Today has established the Garden Bloggers Sustainable Living Project.
This post is multi-purpose. One, I need to report on my One Small Change progress for January and February. Two, I want to partake in Jan's Sustainable Living Project, and three, I want to share all these bird photos I just got this morning! I've been trying to find woodpeckers in the trees for months, and I was shocked to finally see one -- at our birdfeeder!
Taking all these shots, I was reminded that our kitchen window could really stand a good vinegar wash.
In my own garden, as many know, I'm dedicated to planting as many drought-hardy Texas native plants with organic methods as I can. My plants are like my children -- I want to nurture them when they are young, help them grow up big and strong, and guide them to being able to make it on their own. Someday, we might move away from this house, and if my plants aren't able to survive without care, they might not make it. I also long to be lazy -- the better my plants can establish, the less I'll have to do... one day.
My biggest project at the moment is guiding our elementary school to become a Certified Schoolyard Habitat. We're putting in a new butterfly-hummingbird garden as Phase 1, and the list of Phase 2 environmental projects is growing -- we'll be putting a water collection system and more. Co-existing with this habitat project is another project for the 3rd- and 4th-graders -- learning about wildlife habitats and then teaching the community about them through 3-D murals. The excitement over habitats is spreading fast, and I feel so good helping our students become environmental stewards.
On my sidebar, I call myself green-blooded. While my blood might *look* red, especially when I cut myself on a thorny spine or do some other clumsy thing in the garden, my heart and soul are always thinking about ways to protect the environment, and so my blood really runs green. If you put on your special Super-Enviro-Power goggles, you'll be able to see it. If you don't have any, then I'll just raise my hand in a Vulcan greeting.
In January, for One Small Change, I did three primary acts for the environment: I removed all remaining nandinas from my property, sending the bushes to city mulch and throwing away the berries. I also took all our old leftover chemical products, bleach, and paint from our past to the Austin Hazardous Waste Facility, and some from two of our neighbors. We've been using natural cleansers for a long while now, and finally the evidence from our former lifestyle is gone, gone, gone. And finally, I've been learning many different organic products to help gardeners stay green. I feel more knowledgable about offering green solutions to problems in the yard. Understanding the soil food web was a big part of this. It all begins in the earth, and truly everyday is Earth Day in my book. (Officially, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22).
This month, my son asked us to make something for the wildlife for our February change. We are going to make a bee box or two and a screech owl house. Looking ahead to March, I think I want to train my family to open blinds daily to let the light shine in, and I want to strategically place mirrors to help get more natural light across our house without having to turn on artificial lights. There's a tendency in this family to become inert in regard to opening/closing the blinds, and the result is way more "turning on the lights" than should be necessary. Right now my study blinds are open, and the cats are on my desk watching the birds outside, and the puppy is occasionally growling and barking at the hanging plant hovering outside. No, pup, it's not an evil threat, but it would look nicer if the plant in it hadn't died this winter.
I feel so hopeful this year that Earth is finally getting the kind of attention it so needs and deserves.
Take care of yourselves and our wonderful Earth this spring, and always. And live long and prosper.
Hugs,
Meredith
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The schoolyard habitat progresses well. The design is approved pending one final signature, fundraising is beginning, the masonry is scheduled, and parents and kids are getting enthusiastic. Dig Day is March 27, and dedication should occur on Earth Day. We'll be needing lots of plants, that's for sure. And lots of springtime rain (after the planting) would be nice! I'm just saying....
I've been collecting lots of seeds I'd like to try to grow into plants -- for my own garden as well as that of the school, and it seems I've got so many that I have no clue how I'm going to manage them all. I suspect that what this will all amount to is me eventually tossing a bunch of seeds into the yard and seeing what happens. But in the meantime, I'm reading about cold stratification, scarification, spring sow, fall sow, do this, do that, keep it dark, keep it warm, give it 4-8 hours of light, wait until last frost, sow before last frost, seed starter mix, sandpaper, moisture, optimum temperatures, and so forth. If there's an insanity flower, I might have already sowed that in myself when I decided to go seed-happy.
What seeds do I have? Laugh at this list, why don't you: Passionflower, Lantana, Lemon Mint, Common Sunflower, Maximilian Sunflower, Hairy Vervain, Indian Blanket, Purple Coneflower, Prairie Blue Sage, Dill, Firecracker Penstemon, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Compass Plant, Green Milkweed, Antelope Horns Milkweed, Pigeonberry, Turk's Cap, Red Columbine, Gayfeather, Black-Eyed Susan, Standing Cypress, Scarlet Sage, Tahoka Daisy, Fennel, Nasturtium, Spanish Flag Vine, Gaura, Scarlet Globemallow, Fleabane, Allium, Yellow Coneflower, Artemesia, Little Bluestem, Cutleaf Coneflower, Leadplant, Hibiscus, Datura, Pride of Barbados, Esperanza, Marigold, Pipevine, and two unknown sets of seeds that I collected at some point and forgot to label. And of course, there are more vegetable seeds to be planted. Some of these seeds were gifts -- the rest I'm guilty of buying.
INSANITY! Now, will all of these make the final selection? I seriously doubt it. The ones that will be for both my garden and the school habitat get priority. Next come those that are easiest to grow. Ones with wildlife value are right up there. Non-natives come last, except that Spanish Flag Exotic Love Vine -- it made it to my must-have-at-all-costs list. Besides, who could resist a name like Exotic Love Vine? Between Exotic Love Vine and Passionflower, it's going to be a mmmmmmarvelous year.
Your best bet for healthy plants starts with a healthy soil. But what exactly is healthy soil? Good soil is teeming with life. Many people have heard of food webs that show the relationship between plant-eaters and the animals that eat them, on up the food chain to humans. But did you know there is a whole food web just for what occurs in soil? Healthy soil contains organic matter to feed the little tiny creatures within the soil, and those creatures in turn break down nutrients into materials your flowers, trees, and shrubs can use.
Take a look at this diagram from the USDA website on soil.
It shows that not only is it important to have a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, it all starts with organic matter in the soil. You simply have to have organic material in order to feed all the little guys that will do their part to take care of your plants naturally. Bacteria and fungi help retain nutrients in the soil, and protozoa consume the bacteria, releasing the nutrients into a form that plants can use. From there, beneficial nematodes consume bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, releasing even more nutrients for the plants. And while all these happy little beneficial creatures are eating their goodies, making their poop, and doing their part, they are denying nutrients to icky, disease-causing bad-guy creatures. Your soil is more protected with the presence of all those good guys, and your plants are happily reaping the benefits.
On up the food chain, arthropods, nematodes, and earthworms get consumed by larger predators, such as birds. And you can probably take the food web from there.
How do you know whether your soil is healthy? Well, one, you can have your soil tested, particularly if you are concerned about the mineral content of your soil (nutrient level) and whether you have any more serious concerns. But also consider whether you see many earthworms.
Earthworms are one of the best indicators of a healthy soil system. They consume bacteria and protozoa in the soil as organic material passes through their system, and their feces are rich with other microorganisms to help convert nutrients into a state plants use. They shred organic matter (making it more accessible to the microorganisms), loosen soil, create passages for oxygen and water to get into the soil, and their poop, or castings, are incredibly beneficial to the soil and your plants.
If you've been using chemicals on your yard for years, chances are that your plants are chemical dependent, or you might be starting to find that no matter how many times you spray, you just can't fix those brown spots in your lawn or resolve problems with fungus, etc. The chemical usage has disrupted the ecosystem, and getting your soil healthy again is the key to solving all those problems. You can help your plants transition off the chemicals simply by adding compost to your soil and taking advantage of multiple organic products out there that will boost your soil with microorganisms and/or natural nutrients, such as compost tea, seaweed, fish emulsion, and any number of organic mixtures and powders that provide microorganisms with food as a base. Leave your grass clippings and fallen leaves where they lay to decompose, resupplying the soil with the organic matter it needs.
And when you start to see earthworms, rejoice. Do a little worm dance, because you have happy, healthy soil. We are starting to have so many earthworms here that it's hard to dig a hole for a new plant without worrying we might hurt a worm. We protect them, we love them, and yes, we do our little worm dances.
Doesn't that mix look rich? My garden wants some! All those wonderful little microbes and nutrients, ready to work their magic in the earth.
The kids decided that for grandparents they wanted to make seed mosaic art, and it was truly a family affair. The boys made the drawings and did a bunch of the gluing, with Mom giving guidance and filling in where necessary. Dad made the frames with old branches from our yard.
This fish is a rainbow trout, fly fishing being my dad's favorite outdoor pasttime.
And, of course, hummingbirds seemed the perfect choice for other art subjects, because all our kids' grandparents love hummingbirds!
We used all sorts of beans and seeds, including kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, white beans, pumpkin seeds, safflower seeds, millet, flax seed, black beans, lentils, and green split peas. These we glued onto a thick piece of off-white paper with good old-fashioned white glue, following a lightly pencilled outline of our drawing. Next we glued the paper onto a slightly larger wood board, and to that we attached the frame pieces my husband had carefully cut. To ensure the frame dried how we wanted it, we carefully clamped the pieces in place after the glue was applied. And prior to all the gluing, we nailed a small picture hanger on to the back of the board.
Ah yes, we added in a little popcorn for color variation.
For other family and friends, we tried our hand at making seed ornaments, as often in the past we've enjoyed giving purchased seed gifts for others, to hang out for the birdies.
We used a recipe that I found online -- it used unflavored gelatin as the ingredient to stick together the black oil sunflower seeds, safflowers, peanuts, corn, cranberries, raisins, thistle, flax, and other bird-happy foods, hopefully holding the intended shape. The best cookie cutter I had for the project was a large star, and we used it to shape most of the ornaments. We also used some round plastic storage containers for larger seed wheels -- these were much easier to shape, but much worse for drying time! Twine through the ornaments served as the hangers.
I want to say that the birdseed ornaments were a success, and in some ways they were. Once dry, the ornaments held their shape fairly well, but the key was definitely to let them dry fully, flipping when necessary. Overall I didn't allow enough dry time, thanks to the recipes I looked at being vague. They weren't just vague in dry time, they also were vague in the gelatin/seed ratio and recipe. Any of the ornaments that didn't get to air-dry well quickly turned to moldy ick, so I couldn't give more than a few out. SO... I'll need to work on this to perfect it. The idea was good! Once I improve on the project, I'll post details of the new and better recipe.
We attempted one other earth-friendly project for kids' gifts, but they were far more time-consuming than we expected. So this secret project will be on hold for next year!
I'd love to hear what you made for gifts this year, or what you've done in the past. We're already looking forward to our next projects!
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It's been a relatively dry cold front, but doggy water bowls, birdbaths, and ponds still show us the effects of the temperature drop. I thought our pond would be fine, given that it has a substantial waterfall, but I was surprised to find fat icicles hanging like stalactites under the falls.
On the side of the pond where the lilies hang out in better temperatures, a thin icy cover delighted the kids, who poked at an edge to crack it and discovered their fingers didn't care for the freezing water. And in the remaining bits of Ruby Red Runner, full frozen water drops glittered like diamonds in the sun.
I hope in the deep areas of the pond, we still have 9 little goldfish awaiting warmer times. ]]>
