I do add bagged compost regularly to all my garden beds. But the heat here is pretty tough on the little worms! LOL! Thanks for all the suggestions! Can't wait to see your yard this year!!!! :-)
Planting for Birds
My worms seem to go deeper when it gets really hot, but that might be my imagination. As long as they don't march out of here in one big group, I'll be happy. I keep feeding them and so far so good.
LOL... Thank you for the mental image of "one big group" of marching worms, moving along in search of a better life, carrying little worm rucksacks and hobo bags....
As somebody recently wrote in another thread (not that I could find it, sorry), "If you compost, they will come."
The birds here go for nearly anything with a seed or berry on it... basil, crepe myrtle, echinacea... I do sunflowers and millet for them especially, but they munch on plenty of other things in the garden. They do help eat up bugs, too, although I think bird predation is probably why my caterpillars keep disappearing... I may try some netting on the fennel and parsely this year...
And I'm sorry if I've seemed overly crispy about the name change... I found it more confusing than helpful... I promise, I have no objection to birds or bird-related discussion, I just hate missing things because they're posted in places where I don't think to look!
You are too funny, critter. I had not thought of rucksacks, et al, but I had pictured them being like lemmings, rushing off to nowhere.
Thanks for that image, Critter... I added little matching worm do-rags, if you don't mind.
You just reminded me that I need more fennel. Thanks!
Very good wrightie!
wrightie....no, they don't like coreopsis...I just like the colors of coreopsis with a lot of the orange, reds and yellows in the humminbird colors...
Oh, I know what you mean. I grow yellow and pink coreopsis and just think that they're adorable - especially the pink ones.
I have a new pink coreopsis from Park Seed....and a new echinacea from Park's...both plants...not from seed....
I agree with Critter, this should be a forum for Butterflies and Hummingbirds. It can get confusing, since you can find Hummingbirds over at the Birdwatching Forum also. Too many foums with similar subjects.
Okay, well, I tried. I'll stop posting about birds here.
I think the other site is about birdwatching...lots of photos..and serious birdwatchers and photographs
This site i believe is intended to be a gardening site to attract butterflies and hummingbirds....
I don't see a problem....but this is just me...
I love to plant for both butterflies and hummingbirds....I am also learning a lot...
(LOL) tell Critter she is just bored as she has spent so much time redoing the AV forum.....and it is finally done...thanks to Terry, Critter and Jesse.
keep posting wrightie....how will we know what to feed all the birds and butterflies.....I don't think they are chasing us away....they just wish the forums didn't have any repetition....
Well, I'm apparently even more confused than I thought... From what Terry said (on the thread over in the DG forum), I guess the name of this forum used to be "Gardening for Butterflies and Birds" and *not* "Gardening for Butterflies and Hummingbirds" like I thought! I just don't remember there ever being any discussion of birds other than hummers on this forum before... I'm feeling verrrrry blonde now...
No critter it was Butterflies and Hummingbirds.
It doesn't matter anymore though, things are really confusing here now.
I guess if you want to talk about Birds go to the Bird Watching forum.
I like this forum for nectar plants.
This message was edited Apr 2, 2007 8:21 PM
Critter - I am POSITIVELY sure that it was "Gardening for Hummingbirds and Butterflies". And the reason I say that is because I originally looked at this site in October when I joined because I was wanting to know more about HUMMERS and the forum title is what brought me here! Both Hummers and Butterflies use nectar plants. And that was the reason this forum included BOTH!
I do not mind bringing ALL birds into this forum. It does seem to be a repeat of what is said on the Bird Watching forum, but that's okay with me. As long as the thread titles are identifying what the discussion is about!
Wrightie - This confusion is NOT your fault and please don't feel like it is. I am glad that you are HERE! Please don't feel like anyone is chasing you off. We are not!!! The issue that has everyone a little upset is about the forum name change, not anything that you are addressing. And I do believe I noticed the name change about 3-4 weeks ago, though I couldn't be sure when exactly it was changed. I remember going down the list of my favorite forums looking for this one and I remember thinking that the name looked different. But ... I just figured it was ME, not the forum! LOL
This forum, whatever it's called or used to be called, addresses many critters, from anoles to dragonflies to frogs.
I like that part about it, it's not too specialized and sparks a lot of interesting threads and posts.
Wrightie, please don't stop, I don't think there's any category police anyway. I posted a snake Id on the bug forum, didn't know where else to put it, and no-one seemed to care. At least it hasn't been moved yet.
One could always post more than one forum to get more opinions from people that don't go to other forums.
This message was edited Sep 13, 2007 1:56 PM
Don't worry about wrightie, we;re just busy blabbing on the d mail. :-)
Oops, posted same time.
Hmm, have to see what I can find as far as binoculars.
This message was edited Apr 2, 2007 8:51 PM
Haha, we have to have a photo when you find them.
That would be an interesting thread.....What one wears in the garden. I've heard of some peeps that wear miners hats at night, I'm not mentioning any names lol
Rox - LOL! NO! We will NOT mention any names!!!!!
Wear green!!! Seriously! I am able to get closer to the critters if I blend in with the plants! And don't wear perfume or the bees will be all over you!!! LOL (Found that out the hard way! lol)
I found just the right binoculars!!
http://www.prankplace.com/binoculars.htm
ROTFLMBO!!!! Too funny, Pelle!
Hahaha....those are cool, now I want a pair!
Just had to bookmark the site.....that is priceless...will need it in the future for friends and parties....thanks so much!!!!
Ditto on that Betty! :-D
I plant the small red sunflowers (not sure if the small yellows work too) that have the very small black seeds for the finches - the golden finches look awesome on them too for photos. I got some Cypress vine by default along with some cannas that the hummers seem to love so it stays....and let's see....I do have 3 hummer feeders now - but that's not plants - they love the marsh mallow (which is the ONLY reason it gets to stay) some are nice, but they are bug ridden. Hmmm anything conical the hummers seem to like. I don't recommend it for YOUR yard, but the birds love the wild raspberry/blackberry brambles...
I tried growing sunflowers this year... but all the plants got eaten, i'm assuming by the bunnies, but it's possible the squirrels helped too.
funny thing -- when reading this thread, early on the Forum name changed was talked about... and i was clicking all about to see the change, only to realize this was an old thread -- as I've only known it as the Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening forum.
for my gardens... i need to find more plants that attract more flying creatures, and less of the 4 legged kind.
I'd also love to know what shade plants, besides Columbine, that will attract hummers. I have a few that come to my feeder in Wisc, where i have a lot of shade... but i dont have any flowers to attract them.
I agree that I would love to plant plants that are friendly to birds as well although I have like 7 feeders and spend countless dollars on food for them so they seem quite happy with that but would love to see them take over some of my "dead" flower heads and such.
Becky, I know the post was way back in April but I just purchased that squirrel feeder like you have. I love the pic of the squirrel sitting in there. For some reason the squirrels are not as frequent as they had been all summer and I thought I would get them something that might help them through the winter as, even though I have three pecan trees in the back, they seem to bury all the pecans and not eat them. I know this because I have pecan trees coming up everywhere in the yard constantly. Anyway, my question is that I bought the peanut in the shell for that particular squirrel feeder and was wondering if you had any luck with that or do you just use regular bird seed (as we all know the squirrels LOVE birdseed). So far I have had no takers on the feeder but it has only been up for like three days. Any help Becky? Anyways, I love the bird spot you have in your yard. It looks much better than mine where I have stuff growing in several parts of the yard that is just from the birdseed. And I cannot afford the no waste stuff as I have too many feeders to fill. I don't mind the plants coming up as they don't stay around long with the traffic that goes on under the feeders. Thanks for your help Becky.
Leslie
I read that viburnams are a hit with the birds too - but the berries are there during summer? So now I'm thinking about all the hollies, etc... Do they really have berries in the winter and which ones do they eat/like?
Springhill has a bunch of different viburnams that I'm tempted to try out....
What else is there? Fruits? I know the birds used to love my cherry tomatoes...O and figs!
I ordered and planted several types of salvias the other day in hopes the hummers will enjoy them next year.
Leslie - You might try propping open the squirrel feeder lid. I have to do that with mine because the lame/stupid squirrels can't figure out how to open it themselves. I used a short piece of bamboo inside the feeder to keep it open. Occasionally the squirrels knock it closed, so I have to fix it. And once they chewed up the bamboo and it closed on one of the rodents! LOL! They are such clowns!!! Smart in some ways and not so bright in other ways! I am down to 2 squirrels lately. But they are out there every day .... usually twice a day for mealtimes. Along with the single fruit rat and all the birds. I have so many doves now that I think they have scared off the other birds except the cardinals. Grrrr ...
I quit feeding the squirrels the whole peanuts. They were leaving a mess all over my yard with the shells. I am using the shelled peanuts now or the no waste bird seed mix. Actually, I have been buying a no waste seed mix from Wally World that is fruit and nuts. Everyone seems to like it. It is a little pricier than peanuts but I don't see the squirrels burying any of it. LOL! Must taste pretty good!
Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Hope you get the squirrels back. I love watching mine. They are a hoot! I'd miss them if they stopped coming around.
Thanks Becky. I have noticed the squirrel population dwindling here also. What is happening with them? I never remember losing them all before.
I will definitely try the open lid method. I buy some kind of food from Petsmart I think it is called Cherry Cobbler. It smells good enough for me to eat. I thought if they would get close enough to be able to smell it they would go for it for sure. But this morning I was out and the two that were around were acting high on life or something. One was up in my Catalpa tree and I swear all he was doing was knocking down dead leaves. I would look up and he was doing cartwheels or something up in the limbs. Don't know what his problem was but he was pretty darned funny. Never came close to the feeder though.
Leslie
I bet they have eaten seeds or berries from something that had made them temporarily loco. Some plants will do that to the wildlife. I've heard of birds doing nutty things totally out of character because of something they ate. LOL!
Do they hibernate? Maybe they are preparing their winter quarters? Mine - I think - are getting killed on the main roads around us. We have so much road construction going on in our area right now. I only just have the 2 squirrels these days. Maybe they are territoral and chase off other squirrels. Saw mine both at the feeder this morning. I always worry that someone in my neighborhood will poison them. A lot of folks see them as pests. I adore them and would never harm them.
Mine usually only come to the feeders early morning and late afternoon. I don't see them much at all during the day. Maybe you are just missing seeing them at your feeder? Either way, enjoy their comical antics! They are such fun to watch!