Found my first GF cat this morning! Happy 2007!
GF cat
Awww.... how cute! I just love your red flowering Passion vine! :-)
I have GF all over my Maypops. I sure hope the birds don't eat them. The birds have been flocking to my yard. Tons of them from migrating. I don't know what it is that they are eating on the ground. But I have cats all over the vines against the fence. I hope the birds don't find them.
Such a dilemma..... I love the birds, but I also love my cats. What to do, what to do? I guess I should put the bird feeder up. :-)
When Spring comes, I will return all birdfeeding to the front yard.. For now in winter it has been better for them here on the southwest corner of the house in the Rose bush. The Rosebush provides the maximum protection the birds need from winter prey birds, plus it is warmer back here.
So 10 years of figuring this property out from up (high in) the air), and down has helped me manage it in the most worry free way I could. The best solutions have been discovered by accident..while I was trying something else entirely, rofl.
As for frits being eaten by birds, I have never caught any red handed... They are quite spikey and that does deter a lot in their favor.. The BSTs and Monarchs are threatened more than them I think. I have a *theory* that maybe if I also host their mimick counter-parts (ie. Viceroy & Pipevine), it would further protect all of them from the birds. They learn very quickly what not to eat.
As you can see from this link...
http://home.earthlink.net/~jdwiggins/backyard/bugs/butfly/viccat/viccat.html
...that the Viceroy & Monarch Caterpillars don't look anything alike, but it will keep the big Garden Spiders away, (I'm thinking again, watch out, lol).. So the circle revolves back to the ground instead of in the air, but still can explain the disappearance of Caterpillars or Butterflies.
The birds will also not eat the Viceroy cat because it looks like bird poop (url above). The Pipevine Swallowtail cat looks really different too, but they are poisonous to birds and insects.
The pics I have on his page show BSTs and PVST cats and adults.
http://www.theletteroflove.com/wallpaper/?cat=2&paged=6
...bottom pic by TexasPuddyPrint, (Cat)...
Interrested to try the Mimick theory through in actual practice, once I get some things lined out in the back. Bottom line is nature is clearly built with safeties, we just have to discover what they are, and work them to the advantage of all of them. Give them time and room to work as well.
Waves o/~
Interesting links, Deb.
I know what you mean about trying to figure out what to do to keep every creature happy so they don't try to eat each other.
I had Robins all over my backyard for hours today. And my Monarchs were floating around the yard like nothing unusual. I was half expecting the birds to go after the butterflies, but they didn't. Maybe a food preference? I do know the Monarchs are considered poisonous to the birds. They don't kill the birds if they eat them, but I'm sure it gives them an upset stomach. So the birds learn very quickly not to eat them. On the other hand, the birds LOVE eating the BST. If I have a number of them in my yard and they are big (last instar) the birds go right for them if I don't save them first. As has happened before.
I am wondering if the birds are satisfied with the bird feeders, if they would be more prone to ignore the butterflies and other insects as food? I don't know.
Becky, I think your GF cats are more threatened by spiders etc. hiding inside the vine than the birds. Although I don't have a wide variety of birds (especially this year since I had to stop feeding them) but I've never noticed them on the vine. I would think it would be harder for them to hang on to than a plant stalk, like fennel. Yep, gotta grab those fat BST's!
KKB - Why did you decide to stop feeding the birds? Just wondering.
Last year I stopped because I was having a horrible problem with field mice. A new housing development started clearing out a gigantic field to the side of me and ran them out of their home, and mine looked mighty good to them! Before that tho, I had issues with them climbing along the fence and getting into the feeders.
I decided to just stop feeding the birds and see if they would fend for themselves and see what would happen to the mice. This year I only saw one and last year I carried off about 20. (in the live trap) I'm not sure if it really made any difference but I'm going to start feeding them again.
Ewwww ... I have vacant lots around me that have heavy underbrush. I never thought about the mice. Hmmmm..... I haven't put any feeders up yet because I was worried that it would attract more birds that might eat my cats and butterflies. I'm planning to monitor the situation once the feeders go up. I am only going to put a couple up. Not go crazy feeding the birds. My neighbor feeds them and from what I hear she's enjoying her newfound bird watching hobby without any problems so far. We'll see.
We have had rat problems in our trees along the fences too. I think they come from a neighbors auto garage roof. I see squirrels going in and out of a hole on the back side. We would see the rats at dusk along the phone lines and then the Althea blooms would be bobbing up and down. As I watched in the moonlight, they would crawl out to the tip of a branch, pick a bloom off, and I could see it travel UP the branch and down the trunk. I don't know if they were eating them or lining a nest with them. I am sure my squirrel feeding draws them to my yard. But we are careful not to get it too close to the house. It is next to the shop, but the cats are in and out of there, but they are getting old and lazy. I don't think bird feeding would invite them, because what is dropped on the ground is mostly eaten by the ground feeders.
We keep the bird feeders in the trees away from the house. I really don't have a problem with birds eating the butterflies. The lizards getting them is a different matter. I've never "busted" a lizard doing it, but I know they do, little stinkers!
Congrat on your first Gulf Frit cat