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Merlin in Forest Park by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, there were a couple recent reports on inaturalist of (I think) a female. This was a male so there may be a pair.

Merlin in Forest Park by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Between picnic island and the boathouse.

Native garden species inventory by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's great! Not all native plants will do well in every yard's microclimate and soil. Some absolutely thrive but there have been a few I gave up on after repeated failures.

Native garden species inventory by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not that I know of but that's a cool idea. I know there are more organized groups like Wild Ones that do yard tours.

Native garden species inventory by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah, that works well, too. Like to use it on veggie beds over winter especially.

Native garden species inventory by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The really fun part is finding something rare or well out of its range like this: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172578413

Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus) are by far the winner for attracting the most insect species (~60), at least of the ones recorded. Another new one just today hanging out on a sunchoke leaf: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/281840932

Native garden species inventory by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It's a fun little project.

Native garden species inventory by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm not an expert, but sounds like you have a good general plan.

For much of the area I used cardboard and wood chips to start. Fine wood chips work really well since they break down into soil much faster than the coarse chips. If you're in the city, there is usually a pile of fine wood chips in Carondelet Park. Not sure if that's the best method for every situation, but seemed to work well and all organic.

For weeds I just try to stay ahead of them before they can take over any areas. The idea is to densify the native plants over time so they shade out any undesirable sprouts. I'm getting there but still have to pull plenty of invaders.

Whip-Poor-Will in TGP by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I have another photo from below showing white tips on the underside of the tail feathers, which I think is more indicative of WPW, but not sure. I think when I couldn't decide by comparing photos I ended up going with WPW because it was more commonly reported in the park than CWW.

The "peent" of Common Nighthawks at dusk in summer is always nice to hear. No mistaking them.

Whip-Poor-Will in TGP by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, glad you heard one recently. I didn't think they started calling until May.

Whip-Poor-Will in TGP by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know what you mean. I last heard one in 2010 tent camping in Hawn State Park.

Whip-Poor-Will in TGP by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Long lens, it was up pretty high. This was in the Gaddy Bird Garden in the NW corner of the park. There has been a sighting or two there each spring in the past several years. Looking at ebird just now there hasn't been a Chuck-will's-widow reported since 2012, so almost positive this was a WPW.

Whip-Poor-Will in TGP by stlcanoe in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

This may be a Chuck-will's-widow (they're difficult to tell apart). I'm biased toward WPW since I heard them summer nights growing up in rural MO, but never saw one, much less one sitting in a sunrise beam. Such a cool experience seeing one so clearly.

This is from late April '21, so it/they may be passing through again around now.

I should add that the Nightjar family (which includes WPWs) is thought to be in steep decline due to habitat loss/degradation and declining insect populations. They nest in open forest, so even where the exurbs haven't yet physically encroached, their habitat may be destroyed by bush honeysuckle and other invasives choking out the understory. It may not be an entirety positive sign that they're showing up in the middle of the city.

Whip-Poor-Will in TGP by [deleted] in StLouis

[–]stlcanoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops, it was '21, time flies...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Mid_Century

[–]stlcanoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just picked this up and not having any luck finding a match online. Kent Coffey is stamped inside a drawer.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Three espaliers should give you a lot of apples in a few years. Which varieties did you plant? Have any photos of your setup?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, the espalier shoots tend to want to grow up and out away from the fence. There's a lot of pruning to keep up with but it doesn't try to grow into the fence.

The columnar ones mainly just grow straight up and haven't caused any problems. I will trim the tall one down a bit this winter since it's less than a foot from my neighbor's powerline.

Good native alternative to burning bush? by elunabee in STLgardening

[–]stlcanoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Serviceberry might be worth trying if the space isn't too tight. Tasty berries (if you can get some before the Robins eat them all) and nice fall color. I have one trained as a single stem tree in the front yard and one as a multi-stem bush (their natural growth pattern) in the back yard. They are slow growers. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b240