B A C K Y A R D N A T U R E N O T E S!
by Carolyn Allen
Published every Tuesday and Thursday.
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I enjoy reading your nature newsletter but I question your comments
about one poisonous plant--lamb's quarter. We have lots of that in
the garden, and I have been eating it and serving it to my family for
years with no ill effects (unsprayed, of course!) Are you talking
about the true lamb's quarter, or pigweed? Some people don't know the
difference.
I used to grow spinach but didn't like it going to seed so quickly,
and then I learned about the "free" stuff growing, tried it,
and like it even better than spinach. Of course, one must be sure
of what you are eating, and good identification is available, usually
through your County Agent's office. I just pick it while fairly small
and tender, rinse well and steam it a short time in the microwave,
with only the water remaining after I rinse off and shake a bit. Like
it with a bit of salt and plain steamed rice.
Enough of the plants go to seed to ensure a continuous crop(unless you
are a gardener that has to have your plot ENTIRELY WEED FREE.
Vivian
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Carolyn,
I really enjoy your BNN that you put out. Thank you for taking the
time to do this.
My question has to do with gophers. Have you ever done an issue on
them? How do you get rid of them. We live in a city, so I was
really surprised to see gopher holes in our garden and heading towards
our bulbs.
Thank you for any help you can give me on this.
Tammy Thuemler
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My compost book says to compost the dryer lint.
It didn't say whether to restrict it to the type that doesn't have the
use of fabric softners in it.
I suppose the composting process will break down some, and the residue
may be in the soil, but it won't be in the bird's system in as great a
quantity as it would be if it were lining their nest and breathing in
the residue.
I do know that sometimes I get some pretty strange things in with my
dryer lint, and I wouldn't want to share those with our feathered
friends, anyway.
Question/comment:
I have red hot pokers (torch lilies) in my garden that not only
attract hummingbirds, but also other birds (house finches, sparrows,
etc.). What are they looking for?
Additionally, I have found the house finches gathering around and
sitting on the hummingbird feeder. Do they eat the nectar as well
(which would answer the first question)?
Thanks for your great, informative newsletter.
Constance
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My sister has 2 feeders on poles that she has put three 2-liter pop
bottles on the poles starting about 2 feet off the ground. This has
been very successful. Sometimes a squirrel will chew a piece out of
the bottle & find himself inside the bottle & will take off. If they
get chewed too bad they are easy to replace.
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About your question about the squirrels getting into your bird feeder.
Get some corn-on-a-cob, put it on a stick and put it in another tree
away from your bird feeder. The squirrels will stay away from your
bird feeder, They just want something to eat. If you give them what
they like, they will stop getting into your other food. Hope this
helps you. It worked for me.
Bertha
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Dear Carolyn,
I am a new subcriber, but I can tell already that I am going to enjoy
your newsletter immensely. I know of a couple of ways to keep
squirrels at bay that you can buy at your local pet supply store:
Squirrel Away which is mixed with seed (squirrels don't like it but it
doesn't harm them) and metal or acrylic squirrel baffles which can be
hung above or below bird feeders.
I was interested in the topic about dryer lint for the birds. I have
three cats that lose a lot of hair in spring, I brush them outside and
then take the resulting hair and put it in my cedar hedge. The birds
love it; it is soft enough to make great nest lining. If this is not
your thing, pet hair can also be composted.
Marie Graham
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Dear Carolyn,
In response to an item in the latest issue: I read that dryer
lint is not suitable for birds, not only because of the chemical
residues of softeners, but because it doesn't dry out in the nest
after it gets wet from the rain and creates an environment that causes
the fledglings to lose body heat. I believe that animal fur from
brushings was suggested as an alternative.
About squirrels: I know that they have an unsatiable appetite and
a tendency to destroy feeders, to some extent; but a feeder or two
with squirrel food and the rest with sunflower seeds seems to provide
enough for them and the birds. Besides, the birds have been seen
eating side by side with the squirrels. I enjoy watching the antics
of all that feed at my stations and have even been able to hand feed
one squirrel for 2 years now.
"Rusty" comes every time I am out in the yard, sometimes quietly
approaching and sitting and waiting for me to notice her.
The enjoyment received from this acceptance of a 'wild' creature
far outweighs any extra cost of food or occasional feeder replacement!
Sincerely,
Brenda M Reed
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.....AND I SAVED THE MOST CREATIVE...dramatic...SOLUTION TILL LAST :-)
> The Squirrels and Marge...
> Can someone tell me how to keep the squirrels out of my bird
> feeders?
I'll tell you what we did! We lived in MN, in a town overrun by
squirrels. I have NEVER seen so many squirrels in a town. It wasn't
fun to feed the birds, because the birds never got the seed, the
squirrels did, and did ruin the bird feeders.
So . . . we moved to COLORADO. I haven't seen a squirrel in town in
6 months :^) I'm not against squirrels, they can be fun to watch too.
But, we were in the middle of a squirrelly town, and I didn't enjoy
them. A few at a time yes, but not hundreds.
Sharon
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.... and a final word of encouragement for your efforts (from Jeffrey)
"If your efforts are sometimes greeted with indifference,
don't lose heart.
The sun puts on a wonderful show at daybreak,
yet most of the people in the audience go on sleeping."
- Ada Teixeira
Thank each of you for sharing your questions, solutions and insights!
I love the variety of ideas and observations you send!
Have a wonderful day discovering the wisdom of wildlife. If we were
only as resourceful!!!!
Carolyn Allen
Backyard Naturalist
carolyn@backyardnature.com
WEB: http://www.backyardnature.com
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