Wednesday, February 13, 2013

February 2013


Planters Punchlines

Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield

February 2013

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"Native Plants for Our Native Birds"

@ Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield February Meeting

Monday February 25 @ 7:00 pm in the Pitkin Community Center

     

The speaker for February Meeting of the Men's Garden Club of Wethersfield will be the speaker from our cancelled January meeting – Conservationist, Environmentalist, and Migratory Songbird Enthusiast Michael Corcoran from the Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Glastonbury. Michael will share his knowledge of how to use native plants, trees and shrubs to create safe havens for our breeding birds and to provide migratory birds ‘stop overs’ during their seasonal movements.  The public is invited. 



Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan

     
I think we are down to two squirrels.
             
When Marsha and I went away for the Christmas holiday we were providing room and board for between six and eight acorn-burying bushy-tails.  We left them, and the birds with which they share the dining hall, a full feeder of sunflower seeds – plus the biggest ear of corn I could find for their exclusive, tree-side squirrel-feeding device.  When we returned – the canister was empty, the maize was missing, and no furry gray rodents were in sight. 

       
I replenished the self-service seed silo and the corn but for several days no one – feathered or furred  – appeared to take advantage of my somewhat guilt-ridden largesse.  A few juncos and chickadees dropped in.  Soon there was pretty much continuous wing traffic at and below the al fresco cafeterias – but no squirrels.

      
 Then the crows came.  In what may have been a foreshadowing of the demise of the Patriots and Forty-niners at the hands of the Poe-birds from Baltimore, the glossy black intruders overran our landscape multiple times a day – totally unimpeded.

       
 They somehow detached the ear of corn that had been screwed onto the squirrel feeder and tossed it to the ground.   There they took turns tentatively pecking at it and immediately hopping back in fear – like the monkeys in the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” checking out the monolith that fell among them.

       
After about a week of all-birds-all-the-time a squirrel finally showed up – not early or aggressively enough to claim its rightful food – but instead obsequiously dining on leftovers underneath the sunflower feeder.

        
The squirrel was fat – borderline obese actually.  So clearly it had not been in any way starving.  After two or three days it climbed (probably being of too much girth to jump) onto the seed station. Before our holiday getaway the rodents would drape their bodies along the side of the cylinder, gorging themselves for hours at a time. This guy’s visit lasted less than a minute.  Shortly thereafter a second tree rodent began appearing on the scene – but not with any regularity.

      
 During this time we did see one flattened gray furry corpse pressed into the tarmac of our street of residence.  The crows took time off from their Vegan ways and began takin’ it to the street.

      
 Soon the corpse was gone.  Either our town’s road-kill remover did his thing – or the carnivorous black birds did theirs.  In any event the ravens are back in our yard once again in full force – but not so with the bushy tailed rodents.

       
It may be that as long as Edgar Allen Poe’s favorite birds inhabit our property all we will have is just one or two squirrels – but (as the pessimistic poet predicted) “never more”.



February Gardening Tips for the Northeast
By Julie Martens (http://www.bhg.com/gardening/)

       
Indoors: Start Seeds Sow seeds now for early-season vegetables that can go in the ground a couple of weeks before the last average frost date in the Northeast. This includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and leeks. Aim to start these seeds five to seven weeks before you want to transplant them outdoors.

       
Consider sowing early lettuce crops in cell packs. When it's warm enough, you'll have clumps of greens ready to transplant into pots or the garden.

       
Sow plants such as tomatoes or peppers six to eight weeks before the last average frost date. This means you may have to wait until the end of the month or even a little later before planting the seeds.

      
 Outdoors: Prune Choose a warmish day to prune landscape plants. Remove any dead or damaged branches. Thin plants with heavily branched interiors. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs or trees until after they bloom. If you prune now, you'll be cutting off blossoms.

       
In coastal areas, Lenten roses will begin unfurling new leaves this month. Remove old leaves, cutting them off as close to the soil as possible. You can differentiate old leaves from new growth by their darker color and the fact that they stand above new growth.

      
 Do not prune oaks and walnuts until July to avoid wilt disease.

       
Test Garden Tip: Some trees bleed sap profusely if pruned in spring. It doesn't harm the tree, but if you want to avoid the mess, wait to prune maple, birch, and dogwood trees until early summer.


Battle Winter Burn: In February more winter burn or desiccation occurs. Frozen soil, strong wind, and bright late winter sun in the Northeast combine to rob plants of moisture, and leaves can burn (turn brown) as a result. Evergreens, such as rhododendron, azalea, holly, boxwood, or Nandina, are more susceptible to winter burn. To limit the effects of winter burn, spray an antidesiccant (also called an antitranspirant) when the forecast predicts a 24-hour period of above-freezing temperatures. These products coat leaves to prevent moisture loss.

       
Use Dormant Sprays: Spray woody plants while they're dormant to help destroy overwintering aphids, mites, and scale insects. Read label directions carefully. Most often dormant sprays require above-40-degree temperatures followed by eight hours without precipitation or freezing temperatures. Do not spray evergreens that show signs of winter burn.

      
 Use dormant oil on evergreens to control scale, on hemlocks infested with woolly adelgid, on ornamental trees that were infested with aphids or mites last year, and on roses to deter aphids.

       
Test Garden Tip: Beat cane fruit diseases by spraying liquid lime-sulfur on berry crops such as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Spray before buds begin to swell.

       
Handle Winter Ice: If a Northeast storm sheathes landscape plantings with ice, act carefully. With young and/or short plants (less than 15 feet tall), taking action will help minimize damage. If major limbs look like they're going to break, take these steps. Wear protective gear to shield your head (such as a hard hat) and goggles. Never stand directly beneath ice-coated limbs; stand to the side. Reach up with a long pole or broom and gently tap the ends of ice-covered branches to shake the ice free and relieve the load on the branches. Wait until the ice has melted to prune damaged or broken branches.

      
 For more mature plants (taller than 15 feet), it may be best to allow nature to take its course. If you can't reach limbs with both feet planted firmly on the ground, do not take action.

       
In either situation, if you're outdoors after an ice storm, keep an eye out for ice-coated electrical wires that may be brought down if branches break. Protect yourself from falling ice, too.

      
 Test Garden Tip: As snow begins to melt, watch for cool-season weeds to appear. Henbit, chickweed, hairy bittercress, and other weeds will have sprouted last fall and survived beneath snow cover. Deal with these offenders before they set seed.

       
Pretty Plants -- Tuberous begonias are a colorful choice for pots, planters, and windowboxes in the shade. You can buy them in pots later on, but save money and get better selection by buying them as tubers and starting them now indoors. Plant the tubers stem side up in potting soil and keep evenly moist. Grow in your sunniest window indoors and plant outdoors once danger of frost has passed. Then, if you're really thrifty, save the tubers from year to year.

Horti-Culture Corner

“Black Birds” by Lisl auf der Heide

     

      When the crows come

      black against the darkening sky

      their wings obscure the sun

      and small sounds drown

      in their strident caws.

     

      They storm the walnut tree

      snatch the green fruit

      drop it from great heights

      retrieve the cracked kernels.

     

      Again and again they dive

      From tree to ground

      feathers gleaming

      where stray sunrays touch.

     

      And when the mountains turn blue

      with the haze of evening

      the crows lift off in ebony formation

      head toward some secret roost

      where they blend into the night.

     

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs: Ladybug vs. Aphid


     

Round 1: Lady Bugs: Known by many names, ladybird, ladybug or lady beetle, ladybugs are most welcome in the garden. They are recognized as one of the most beneficial garden insects.

       
Aphids are one of the major foods of all four thousand species of this metamorphosing insect. Ladybugs eat aphids whole as adults, and one ladybug may eat as many as five thousand in a lifetime. As youngsters they stab aphids with their mandibles (biting jaws) and suck out their juices, not unlike the way the aphid sucks sap from leaves. Ladybugs are often named after the number of spots on their wing covers. There is ten-spot ladybug, the six-spot ladybug etc. Their wing covers are most often red or orange with black spots, but variations include black with yellow or orange spots, yellow with black, orange with white or even orange yellow and black all in one. In times of danger, ladybugs are able to roll over and play dead. Their enemies don’t like to eat them because the joints in their bodies give off a fluid that tastes bad. Their bright colouring is said to warn birds of their awful taste.

      
Round 2: Aphids: Known by many names, aphid, green fly, and plant lice, this insect is probably the most despised of all garden pests. Most people recognize this insect and the damage it does well before they know what it is.

       
The aphididae family or aphid, is an insect that sucks the sap from the young leaves and buds of plants. There are many different species of aphid. Some only invade one type of plant, while others are less discerning. Either way, very few plants are impervious to some species of aphid. They can be identified as tiny, soft-bodied, pear shaped insects, which come in a rainbow of colours, green, yellow, black, grey, red, purple and brown. This variation in colour can be confusing to someone who is not familiar with them. Some have wings, while others are wingless. Most aphids have a pair of tube-like structures protruding from their abdomen called cornicles and a third projection from the tip of the abdomen called a cauda.

       
Differences between aphids are not just a result of variation among species, but are a result of the aphid’s peculiar lifecycle. In the Spring all of the aphids that hatch from over-wintered eggs are wingless females. These females are all born with the ability to reproduce live miniature offspring called nymphs, without the need to mate. As a result, they will rapidly reproduce all summer long. This is why it can sometimes appear that an infestation has taken place overnight. In the Fall, both males and females are produced which subsequently mate to create eggs for over-wintering. Some of these females have wings, while all of the males do.

       
Round 3: Ladybugs; That schoolyard myth that ladybugs have a spot for every year they’ve lived is untrue. Ladybugs metamorphose, and those that are long lived hibernate over one winter. Seeking shelter in protected spaces, such as under a layer of leaves in the woods, their body temperature lowers and they become inactive until spring. Post-hibernation, ladybugs mate and then females lay eggs in clusters. Over about four weeks, they will metamorphose and become adults. The tiny oval shaped yellow eggs hatch. The ladybugs emerge as larvae, feed for two or three weeks, then, attaching themselves to a leaf or stem, pupate (the structure of the larval body rearranging itself completely). A week later, they split open, shedding their exoskeletons, the familiar looking adult emerging and leaving the pupal shell behind. At first, their wing shells are yellow and soft: like butterflies, they must wait for their wings to dry. As they dry, they change colour. As larvae, they don’t yet need wings: aphids are in good supply because the momma ladybug has laid her eggs in strategic locations where aphids are plentiful. The larvae look like tiny, six-legged alligator-like crawlers, usually dark brown or black. Juvenile ladybug larvae are often crushed by well meaning gardeners: their bad looks get them mistaken for pests.

      
Ladybugs ‘mass’ together in huge groups for hibernation: sightings of colonies of hundreds of thousands have been reported. Scientific factsheets on this insect also tell of gathering places ladybugs return to year after year.

      
 There are problems with purchasing and dispersing ladybugs though. Depending on when they are collected they may have less appetite and reproduce less, or they may disperse very quickly. Some gardeners even advocate glueing their lovely wings shut with a mixture of pop and water so they won’t leave the garden. It may be that species native to a place are better aphid-eaters than imports. Ladybugs can be attracted with flowers such as angelica and dill, and weeds like yarrow and dandelion (see aphids for more ladybug attracting plants).

       
Among others, these insects are also threatened by the use of pesticides. There aren’t always enough ladybugs around to control aphids, and if insecticides are used instead, the ‘good’ bugs are killed along with the ‘bad’. That means even fewer ladybugs the next year.

      
 Historically speaking, there used to be a lot more home gardens. Maybe that’s why the ladybug is a symbol of good luck to many people. Because they have such an appetite for aphids, there presence is a good sign to gardeners.

      
Ladybugs have recently been involved in research on the effect of transgenic crops on beneficial insects. A Scottish study found that ladybugs that fed on aphids in turn fed on transgenic potatoes lived half as long and ate half as much.

       
Round 4: Aphids: Aphids generally appear in clusters or groups on the stems and young leaves of plants. Sometimes large colonies will develop on the underside of leaves. The damage they do to plants includes mutations and stunted growth in the new foliage that often appear as curling in the leaves, and poor blooms on flowering plants. When aphids suck sap from plants they can’t metabolize all the sugar they ingest and secrete a sticky honeydew substance as a result. Black fungus called “sooty mould” grows on the honeydew secretions causing further damage to the plant leaves. Aphids also transmit virus diseases from plant to plant as a result of sucking sap from one plant and then moving to another plant, much as mosquitoes transmit diseases amongst humans.

       
The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure applies well to organic gardening. One of the best environmentally sound ways to prevent aphids is to attract insects to your garden that like to eat them. There are several insects that will earn their keep, devouring aphids and keeping their populations in check. The most well known of these is the lady bug [see column to the right]. The lady bug larvae, as well as the adult insect are voracious aphid munchers, devouring thousands within their short lives. You can attract them to your garden by planting Queen Anne’s Lace, butterfly weed, tansy, and goldenrod. Many of these plants will attract other beneficial insects as well. Green lacewings, lacewing larvae (often called aphid lions), hover fly larvae, or parasitic wasps are all insects that specifically seek out aphids as prey. You can even purchase lady bugs if you would prefer a faster method of increasing the population of beneficial insects in your garden.

       
But what do you do if a colony is already invading your plants and you need to get rid of them now? The first and oldest method for removing aphids organically is by squishing them. It’s messy but it gets the job done if there are only a few insects present. The second manual method of removal is spraying them with a strong burst of water. This washes them off the plant and kills quite a few of them without any damage or harm to the plant. If you have a large colony developing, it might be a good idea to try something stronger. Insecticidal soap, is a foliar spray that can be purchased from Health food or environmental stores. The soap comes in concentrated form and can be added to a spray bottle with lots of water. Since the ratio of soap to water is small, the concentrate lasts a long time and is relatively economical. Insecticidal soap is relatively mild on your plants but you should still exercise caution when using it. Read the directions that come with the product before using. You can also make your own spray using water and citrus peel. The citrus harms the soft bodies of the aphids but won’t do any damage to your plants. Just steep some citrus peel (any kind) in hot water and pour the resulting “tea” into a spray bottle for use.


Hopefully with some of these suggestions, you will not only be able to identify this nasty critter when you see it, but have a successful plan of attack that you can put to good use.

     

Fun gardening quiz (excerpts)



2. What would a gardener do with a dibber or dibble?

      a) Scrape mud off spades and trowels

      b) Make holes in compost from transplanting seedlings

      c) Grade soil particles according to size

6. What is the popular name for the flowering house plant Impatiens walleriana?

      a) Marguerite

      b) Black-eyed Susan

      c) Busy Lizzie

9. Which part of a tree can be used to make cork?

      a) The bark

      b) Root tissue

      c) Pulped seeds

10. The love apple is the original name for what?

      a) Potato

      b) Tomato

      c) Quinc

12. When a gardener makes a 'drill' what is he/she making?

      a) A machine to make holes in the ground

      b) A shallow trench in which to sow seeds

      c) A loud noise to scare away birds

Answers:

      2. b) make holes in compost from transplanting seedlings

      6. c) Busy Lizzie

      9. a) the bark

      10. b) tomato

      12. b) a shallow trench in which to sow seeds

     

Animal Congregations, or What Do You Call a Group of.....?

     

      Bitterns    A sedge

      Buzzards    A wake

      Bobolinks   A chain

      Coots             A cover

      Cormorants A gulp

      Cranes      A sedge

      Crows             A murder, horde

      Dotterel    A trip

      Doves             A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves)

      Ducks       A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling

      Eagles            A convocation

      Finches     A charm

      Flamingos   A stand

      Geese             A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight)

      Grouse      A pack (in late season)

      Gulls             A colony

      Hawks       A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight)

      Herons      A sedge, a siege

      Jays        A party, scold

      Lapwings    A deceit

      Larks             An exaltation

      Mallards    A sord (in flight), brace

      Magpies     A tiding, gulp, murder, charm

      Nightingales      A watch

      Owls        A parliament

      Parrots     A company

      Partridge   A covey

      Peacocks    A muster, an ostentation

      Penguins    A colony

      Pheasant    A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet

      Plovers     A congregation, wing (in flight)

      Ptarmigans A covey

      Quail             A bevy, covey

      Ravens      An unkindness

      Snipe             A walk, a wisp

      Sparrows    A host

      Starlings   A murmuration

      Storks            A mustering

      Swallows    A flight

      Swans             A bevy, wedge (in flight)

      Teal        A spring

      Turkeys     A rafter, gang

      Woodcocks   A fall

      Woodpeckers       A descent

     

      1 Of 6 Terrifying Ways Crows Are Way Smarter Than You Think

     

Mankind has a long and checkered past with crows and ravens: They have been feared as symbols of death, because they're all black and scary, revered as creators of the world because, well, it was either them or the seagulls, and worshiped as trickster gods, because of their baffling intelligence. Intelligent enough, in fact, for us to start worrying

       
Planning: Planning sucks, because it always makes us do things, but even we have to admit that it requires a certain level of cognition that transcends what we think of as "animal." And yet crows do it: They frequently "cache" food, socking away reserves in case times get lean (and there are no tube-wielding scientists about to take advantage of). Obviously, this behavior is not the exclusive territory of the bird world's supervillains: Plenty of animals do it, like squirrels, but crows take it several steps further.

      
 Since they are omnivores and opportunists, crows are often thought of as thieves. And hell, that's probably fair. Even crows admit that. And that's why, when crows have food they want to stash, they always keep an eye out for other crows. If another is watching, the crow will pretend to hide the food in their cache, when in reality, they're stashing it in their chest feathers. Crows have learned sleight of hand! Then they fly off and bury it in another cache, far away from prying eyes.

       
Now here's where it gets crazy: The watching crows have then been observed to follow the hiding crows, because they know that sometimes they pull a bait and switch themselves. This has led to a spiraling thief/counter-thief arms race, like a little avian cold war. We can only hope and pray there's a badass crow Petrov* out there, watching out for us when this conflict inevitably escalates.

       
(*Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov was a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defence Forces. On 9/26/83 he was the duty officer at the command center when the Soviet nuclear early-warning system erroneously reported a missile being launched from the United States.  Petrov correctly judged that the report was a false alarm thus  preventing an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its NATO allies and a likely nuclear war.)












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