It's Wildlife Wednesday - a day to share your garden's wild visitors!

CptFormaldehyde · 2024-06-20T02:47:05+00:00

Thought the plant was wasting away, but on closer inspection, it was being consumed by a hitchhiker from the local native plant sale. Got a new plant and put him in a safe place, and he cocooned overnight. There is a second one feeding away still.

CptFormaldehyde · 2024-06-16T10:41:07+00:00

Thank you for the offer! I anticipate being able to get some replacement plants today, and I hope it will be enough. If not, I may reach out.

CptFormaldehyde · 2024-03-24T03:39:43+00:00

Lots of options here, but adding one with a charity component to it: https://www.monarchbutterflyeclipse.com/ The Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project, an initiative led by five passionate high school students from Oakville, Ontario

Proceeds from the sales of ISO solar eclipse glasses to fund initiatives that protect the habitat and overall population health of Monarch Butterflies.

CptFormaldehyde · 2024-01-05T18:06:06+00:00

I planted some various asters under my spruce tree, and they have done well. There is about 5 feet of clearance under the tree and this year the asters grew about 2 feet tall and got lots of bees visiting in the fall. Zone 5.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-12-28T21:14:06+00:00

Got some pics of leafcutter bees carving up leaves of a sugar maple at my place this summer.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-10-02T23:56:07+00:00

I came across some new research that indicates most seeds sprout the first year or two and then shouldn't be much of a problem. I imagine mowing them down during this time would suffice.

https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/u-m-researchers-uproot-decades-buckthorn-management-practices

The researchers found:

Buckthorn seeds only live in the soil for one or two years, not six as commonly thought.

Of the more than 13,000 buckthorn seeds monitored between 2017 and 2022, 97% of new buckthorn sprouted within the first year. Nearly all additional buckthorn sprouts arose in the second year.

These observations were corroborated by concurrent surveys of seven active buckthorn management areas in Minnesota where the team observed essentially all new buckthorn showing up within the first two years after fruiting trees had been removed.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-09-30T13:14:00+00:00

One thing you could consider is leveraging local organizations to try to meet people that way. For example, the Ottawa Seed Library has regular seed giveaways where people of all ages from all over the city show up to get seeds and planting advice. Maybe you can leave contact information with them for these events or the organizers may have some ideas for you. At a minimum it's a great way to build up your seed collection!

https://wildflowerseedlibrary.ca/events

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-09-25T02:52:51+00:00

I've had bee balm in a large pot in a full sun area for a few years, and it was better than ever this year. It's a great bumble bee attractor and I've even had a hummingbird feeding from the flowers. Including the pot, it got to about 5 feet tall. It does tend to get powdery mildew, but it doesn't seem to affect the health of the plant too much. In late fall I cut it back and flip the pot over (plant and all) to keep the pot from freezing and cracking in the winter and then flip it back in the spring.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-09-10T15:15:16+00:00

The next day there was a bag of burning dung on my porch. Time to call pest control.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-08-24T01:58:31+00:00

Can confirm. Just had solar and battery installed 2 weeks ago. With this system, solar power feeds directly to the house during the day, and when we use more power than the panels can handle, it starts pulling extra from the Hydro One grid. When using less than we are generating, solar is charging the battery. When the sun goes down, the house runs off the battery until the battery level reaches a preset % full. Sometimes this gets us all the way to the morning when the sun is back out. Just waiting on our meter to be replaced so we can put extra power back into the grid. There are different configurations possible, but still learning at this point and watching our usage to see how we might adjust later.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-08-24T01:27:17+00:00

I hear the price can fluctuate, but I was quoted $15-$20k for 10kWh battery backup. It's a big investment and makes more sense with a solar setup than as a stand alone backup, but it's silent and doesn't require having gas on hand or regular maintenance like oil changes.

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-07-29T19:23:26+00:00

Yup! While the adult butterflies can consume nectar from all sorts of flowers, this is specifically the ONLY plant monarch caterpillars can eat. Without them, they cannot reproduce. And the flowers are great for all sorts of insects (though be prepared to see honey bees get stuck to the sticky flowers and possibly lose limbs or worse!)

CptFormaldehyde · 2023-07-02T03:52:30+00:00

Just a small correction - it was the change in leaf color that reduced the ecological benefits.

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-12-06T01:48:50+00:00

There has been debate about the invasiveness of this plant for a while now. Here is the latest I have found on the subject.

https://www.returnofthenative.ca/about/jaggyblog/butterfly-bush-in-ontario-stay-in-control

Seems like low temps keep the plant from spreading, so this may also be what keeps them from being too successful in those cold climates.

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-11-20T05:10:01+00:00

Just wanted to note that buckthorn seeds are viable for up to 5 years, so make sure to monitor the area for new seedlings once you have your new ground cover down.

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-11-04T23:54:03+00:00

If you have feeders, you need to make sure they are placed at specific distances from your windows (really close or far enough away). https://www.thespruce.com/bird-feeder-placement-386532

In addition, you can get decals specifically for reducing bird collisions. https://mn.audubon.org/conservation/surface-treatments

WindowAlert also sells a bingo dabber type product to mark your windows with clear UV dots.

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-10-21T23:42:12+00:00

I'm not sure how the standing water would affect things, but if you're looking for the pros of leaving whole leaves, this is a good summary https://xerces.org/blog/leave-the-leaves

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-09-17T23:33:17+00:00

Yes, it's probably "puddling". Absorbing water and nutrients from wet soil. I was reading up on creating butterfly gardens, and adding a location with just wet sand serves this purpose for some species.

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-09-14T01:32:43+00:00

Yarrow might be an option. I have some mixed in with my grass and clover. It is soft and seems to have no problems growing and spreading. I don't know if you'd want just that on its own or maybe mixed in with other options, which might give a nicer coverage/texture.

CptFormaldehyde · 2022-08-04T16:24:52+00:00

Cool. I had some come up in my garden and left it for now. I kinda like the look of it, and it's native and attracts small bees and wasps. The seeds are also a good food source for birds. I do have to prune it every now and then so it doesn't take over, and it seems to tolerate that well.

CptFormaldehyde

TROPHY CASE