Mary
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Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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I was letting the grass and weeds grow up at the base of the feeders for the birds, until the cats moved in. I have the whole area around the feeders open so there is nowhere for the cats to hide, and it gives the birds a clear view so they can retreat before a cat can sneak up on them. So far that and the baffles are helping. There are still trees and brush for them at the edges of the yard. My bird count is low so far, but we also are in a drought and the farmers harvested late this year so there is a lot of food out in the fields.
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@Darlene I figured it out with my Birdfy camera. She's a little Nija. She jumped up past the baffle, grabbed the feeder with one paw. Then grabbed the feeder with the other paw and pulled herself up and into the feeder. I cut old half inch PVC pipes and put them inside the feeder so there isn't enough room for her to fit, but the birds can come and go.
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We used to have a lot of pollen produces as we were beekeepers. Our yard has the same issues with invasive species like multiflora rose and honey suckle. Finding someone to clear the stuff is next to impossible. We did get a lot of stuff removed late this summer, but they left roots and little stumps. I spent 3-4 weeks in the sun digging it up so my neighbor could mow her yard. Got a good batch of poison ivy for my efforts too. All the reading I have done with the honey suckle is cut and poison. I am going to use the new open space for a Purple Martin box next year.
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Ecoregion North America Eastern Temperate Forests Central USA Plains Eastern Corn Belt Plains Loamy High Lime Till Plains Look up your hardiness zone by ZIP code or by municipality name. 6a Try a squeeze test of your soil to find out if it has a lot of clay, sand, or loam. Lots of clay ,limestone and stones. We are on the edge were the glaciers stopped. An old limestone quarry is on our north side. Create a map of the growing conditions of your space. Note where it’s very wet, or dry, or gets a lot of sun, or is mostly shady. I have found a blowup map from google helps with mapping the yard. The hard part is getting a most recent picture. With this information in mind, is there a place you might like to start your naturescape? Note it on your map!
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Include Native Plants: I can make some improvements here. Virigina Creeper grows well here, almost too good. I have some goldenrod, but it isn't as plentiful as it used to be. I will have to continue the war on the invasive honeysuckle. Invite Biodiversity: I think we are good here. Create Vertical Diversity: Same here. Embrace Some Messiness: Offer Year-Round Abundance: Keep Bird Visitors Safe: Needs work. My windows are old schoolhouse windows and hard to reach without a ladder. I have given thought to making paint ballons if they wouldn't break the windows. The cats are a problem. They were dumped and were not feral cats. I can't take them in the house. I have put up large squirrel baffles up which seem to help. It doesn't help the ground feeders or birds in the brush. I have no idea how she got up there. The tree is too far away, no hanging branches and the pole is inside a pvc pipe balanced on a nail.
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Seeds and nuts? I have some grass seeds. Lots of thistle for the finch's. We have a good oak tree for acorns. Wildflower seeds not so much. Had a row of Echinacea for a couple of years and it died out. I have thrown wildflower seeds into the grassy areas, but only a few plants came up. Berries and fruit? Wild berries are invasive honeysuckle, bad thing, and Polk berries. Nectar, flowers, and sap? Needs work. Have lost several maple trees. Insects and spiders? Plenty Other tasty invertebrates, like snails, slugs, or woodlice? 2 tree stumps and several downed tree limbs and brush piles. Water? 5 ponds behind us. A small creek on our north side and a large flowing creek across the street. I put out several pans and a solar bowl after freezing. Spots for shelter and nesting? Small woods and brush west and north of us. I have 5 blue bird boxes out. I want to add more for other birds like the wrens who try to build on the back porch until the cats moved in.
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We live in the northern part of Southwest Ohio. My husband had a stroke two years ago and no longer help take care of the yard. I have left parts of it go to "weeds". I want to add color and food to my wild areas. The deer like them and stop to eat. I have made small brush piles and left tree trunks for perches. I had cats dumped here last spring and now my feeders are kind of bare looking as I had to start trimming the grass around the bases.
Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)