Autumn lingers

Watching the news makes one realize how winter has unofficially arrived in many parts of Canada with snowy blustery days and even major snowstorms. The closest we’ve come is one night of freezing rain which coated everything but luckily the ice melted by noon the next day. Now the warmer weather has returned and with it fog follows the cooler nights. In the morning the ground is covered in frost before the sun melts it. I love how the grasses and fallen leaves are outlined in ice crystals.

This morning, the sun was shining on one side of the yard and there I found a Periwinkle flower.

Blue Bell still blooming.

White fluffy Milkweed seeds were caught in groundcover.

By contrast, in the shaded parts of the yard, the green foliage, grasses and fallen leaves were covered in a frosty coating; each leaf veins and hairs outlined in rime creating exquisite patterns.

When the leaves are down it’s a good time to examine trees and shrubs for nests and cavities which are so well camouflaged in the summer. There are discoveries to be made such as the now easily seen pendulous Baltimore Oriole nests hanging towards the end of sturdy twigs; I found 3 of these marvels in the yard.  

Baltimore Oriole nest in Birch



 I love birch trees, the tiny twigs and seeds creating stark shadows on the white bark.

Even the weedy brown Mulleins stalks stand tall looking a bit like skinny Saguaro cacti. The birds love to perch on these vantage points in the summer, to catch passing insects on the fly. Now they serve to remind me of those warmer days. I will clean the yard up in the spring but for now I leave all undisturbed, places for winter species to hide and feed during the harsh winter months.

Louise

Mullein stalks

Preventing Bird Window Collisions

Each year countless birds die as a result of collisions with windows or reflective glass. New windows in particular are very reflective so a bird will only see the outdoors, perhaps the sky or trees, reflected back and it will keep flying right into the glass thinking it has a clear path ahead. The resulting injury is usually immediately fatal or permanent (fractures, head or eye injuries) and even if the bird flies off apparently uninjured, it may perch somewhere, disoriented, and die later of a slow bleed or shock or fall prey to a cat or other predator.

I recently installed a window film called CollidEscape on the outside of a patio door, to stop birds from trying to fly through the house. I found out about this product from the Fatal Light Awareness Project (FLAP) newsletter.

FLAP is a non-profit group started by a group of dedicated volunteers who pick up injured or dead migrating birds from the base of high-rise buildings in downtown Toronto. The birds that recover are released outside the city. It has evolved into a very effective organization dedicated to stopping the deaths of birds hitting reflective glass or lit buildings at night. They have helped with establishing changes in building codes and are now in a legal battle with the owners of one particularly deadly building. Their work has brought attention to the plight of our migrating songbirds and similar projects have started in other major cities in North America. If you care about the fate of millions of migrating birds, please go to the FLAP website and get informed. http://www.flap.org/

After installing this window film, the results are quite dramatic and effective from the outside and do not impede our view at all. The first photo shows our view through the film from the inside; it's like looking through a regular screen. The other photo shows the view from the outside. It almost looks like a solid white window, giving privacy. It allows the sun to shine in and the view but the birds no longer try to fly in.



The cost was $130 for two patio door panels which came in 2 rolls. I cut them to size before installing so that I have enough leftover to do a couple windows.  The life of even one bird saved is worth it for me. I ordered directly from this website http://collidescape.ca/ .

The customer service was excellent, I ordered the patio door set and there is plenty of material and it is easy to cut to whatever size you need. It's worth checking out this site if you have a troublesome window or door in your house. There are also other ways of reducing window collisions described in the FLAP website so please check it out.

Louise

Owl Release!

GOOD NEWS! Out of the blue I received a call from my friend Audrey, to tell me that the injured Barred Owl that we delivered to the Owl Foundation Rehabilitation Centre in Niagara Falls last February was recovered and fit for release. The past news about this owl was that it had a permanent vision impairment and was unreleasable. They monitored and reassessed it and determined the vision was fine. I was ecstatic to hear this young owl would have a chance at life in the wild!



Another trip in a cardboard box



On Saturday October 29, two volunteers transported the owl from Niagara to Port Hope in a cardboard box, where it was picked up by Emily, the young woman who had initially found the injured owl in a field near her home in the country. Audrey and I, and some members of Emily’s family joined her at the site where she found the owl. The idea is to release it where it was found since it will know the territory and find food and shelter easily and it might even have a mate around the area.

The location was good, a hay field adjacent to a wooded hill with a marsh and pond at the base of the hill. The whole area is rolling hills with open fields and woodlots with mixed deciduous and fir trees.

The box was positioned not too close to the tree line, to allow the owl to gain height when flying out. It was feisty and trying to get out of the box before it was opened. Once the lid was off, it hesitated looking at us in confusion for a second before exploding out of the box in a flurry of feathers.

 It flew effortlessly over the field and into the woods, disappearing from site within seconds. Immediately, a flock of Blue Jays could be heard harassing the poor owl. A predator in their midst! Soon the jays moved a bit further away until only one was still calling. We assumed the owl must have moved off deeper into the woods to get away from the mob.

Free at last

It was cloudy and cool with the odd drizzle but this week calls for warmer and sunnier weather so hopefully the owl will get his bearings back, resume hunting successfully and find some good roosts before winter settles in. Ultimately it might find a mate and be nesting come February and rear future generations of owls. All we can do is hope.

Even though owls face many challenges, this one has a chance at life again, the journey so far has been bumpy but for now it continues on a good path and for that I am grateful.

Louise

Autumn seeds and fruit

The days are shorter, nights cooler and the chipmunks and squirrels are working non-stop at stocking up their winter caches of food. I’ve been watching a red squirrel zipping up a Black Walnut tree, loosening the nuts, letting them fall to the ground then moving on to the next branch.





After a few minutes he scurries back down and collects the fallen nuts making several trips to his caches. The food has to last till next spring when new foods become available, since red squirrels do not hibernate and need something to eat during those cold snowy months.

There can be several of these caches in a squirrel’s territory, some underground or in tree hollows or in this case a conveniently located tractor shed with a nice gap below the door.






Yep, the shed is right next to the walnut tree, and it is now full of nuts! The squirrel has also dug an exit hole out the back in the dirt floor, in case a quick escape is needed. Since we store the tractor there in the summer only, this is a great place for the cache, away from snow and predators, this is a smart squirrel! I love hearing his chatter and watching his acrobatics in the trees, how can I resist his cuteness!

The chipmunks on the other hand will stay underground all winter and need to store foods in their burrows, which can be quite extensive.

Our whole yard is riddled with these (free lawn aeration!) and we have chipmunks popping up everywhere, chasing each other and scolding from atop all manner of perches. They also love to groom while on these perches, a most adorable creature.

These days, they are busy collecting maple keys which are plentiful, there is no end to the trips they take up the trees, returning with cheeks so stuffed they can hardly run. Of course they also spend a lot of time under the bird feeders, cleaning up the seeds fallen from above.

More plentiful than anything else are the wild grapes. This must be a bounty year for this plant! The vines, draped over fences and trees, are bearing large clusters of blue grapes that are the size of blueberries. Many animals eat these including several species of birds. The grapes will help sustain winter wildlife.



Wild grapes

 Flocks of migrating sparrows and winter seed-eating birds appreciate and depend on the seeds of native grasses. A few years ago I planted 2 native grass species, Little Blue Stem and Big Blue Stem, and 1 non-native ornamental (name escapes me).

 

Big Blue Stem

  
   



Little Blue Stem





Little Blue Stem seedheads



It’s telling that the Juncos and Sparrows eat the seeds of the native grasses but have never touched the seeds of the ornamental non-native grass. If you are planting grasses, chose the native ones if possible, they may not be as showy as some imports but more importantly they will provide winter food for wildlife. They also are adapted to our climate and thrive with little care. The prairie species that I planted are especially well adapted to the dry sandy moraine soil in our yard. An amazing two-thirds of the plant is actually underground, unseen, its long roots extending deep into the soil to find moisture. I never have to water these beautiful plants.

There are plenty of other wild foods such as birch seeds, acorns, berries, cones. All are important for the winter survival of many species.



When possible chose native trees and shrubs that bear fruit or seeds edible by wildlife when doing plantings. These are hardier and easier to care for. You might also get the pleasure of observing wild birds or other species from the comfort of your home, feasting on the bounty in your yard.

Louise





















More fascinating insects!

There is definitely a smell of fall in the air, a spiciness, leaves are turning colours, the daylight hours are shorter and the nights are cooler. I always feel a little sad to see the end of summer, migrants leaving and songbird voices quiet. Sunsets are spectacular right now, something about the light gives more saturation to the red and pink hues.

I have a cast on my foot so have been doing a lot of sitting outside and it’s stunning to see the diversity of insects flying around, and in particular wasps; small parasitic wasps, those that hover, striped, plain, large, and even some bright green ones. Yes, they are at times annoying when food is around but if you ignore them or stay calm and gently shoo them away they are not aggressive and leave. Don’t panic and flail or swat or squeeze them as they might sting in self-defense, and you can’t blame them for that. I have never been stung and we have several species nesting near our deck. Insects are part of the web of life, we need them but they don’t need us, remember this.



Organ-pipe Mud Dauber nest



Some wasps are particularly nice to have around, take for instance the Organ-Pipe Mud Dauber Trypoxylon politum that has built a lovely nest on the cedar shake wall at the back of our house, near the roof, sheltered from the rain. It’s an architectural gem, really looking like organ pipes. I marvel at the design and the many trips carrying bits of mud the wasps must have taken to build it.  These wasps are large and black, are very docile and are not known to sting humans and best of all their main food source is spiders, which we have plenty of. I am pleased to have them living near us and helping keep our spider population in check.

  The Black Swallowtail caterpillars on my parsley survived to the last instar and then moved out to find a place to pupate. I have yet to find the pupae. 

Black Swallowtail last instar



   

Milkweed Tiger Moth

Yesterday I discovered 15 very pretty tufted moths on Common Milkweed plants in the front flower garden.


Milkweed


They are the larvae of the Milkweed Tiger Moth Euchaetes egle. They feed on Milkweed and Dogbane plants and like the Monarch Butterfly, the toxic chemicals from the milkweed are retained in the adult body. However instead of a visual warning of their unpalatability which would not be useful at night, the moths emit a click to deter bats from feeding on them. So much complexity!

Another exciting discovery was that of a large moth that looked like a piece of bark. I noticed it on the brick wall, it must have been disturbed from a hiding spot to end up in the open in the daytime. After some research, it was determined to be a nocturnal Bride Underwing Moth, Catopala neogama. The underwings were not showing but they would be a bright orange-red colour with black stripes. The moth was at least 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches across and very convincingly looked like a piece of bark from a distance. The larvae feed at night on the leaves of Walnut or Hickory or Butternut and occasionally Oak tree species. We have a large Black Walnut tree near the house so perhaps it was the host tree. This morning the moth was gone, so I am lucky to have seen it.

If you are observant and curious, you will likely come across all sorts of interesting life forms and learn something new.

Louise





A humble harvest of garlic

Two posts in a row! It was a rainy day yesterday so I devoted some time to my neglected blog. I’m excited about my little garlic harvest so I wanted to share the story.

Last fall I planted a couple rows of garlic in my small vegetable garden (we have lots of space but I don’t have the strength to do a big garden!). I did this just before November frosts hardened the ground. Unexpectedly we had a warm spell in late November and the garlic started to sprout and I feared it would die when winter set in. So when the snows came I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. In the spring, I was thrilled to see the garlic growing.





We left for a 6 week vacation at the end of May so the garlic was on its own to survive. My philosophy for gardening is that if a plant can survive on the rain and sun and fertility of the soil, then it was meant to be, otherwise it has no place in my garden. I don’t water anything except potted plants. I try to stick to native species and drought-resistant plants that can grow in dry sandy conditions as we live on a drumlin (glacial deposit) and the ground does not retain water. I’ve added mulch and compost but it has not made a huge impact.




 

When we returned home in early July, the garlic had grown but it was in sad shape competing with the weeds. Since no one had been around to prune the scapes, the tops were setting little garlic bulbs above ground. Usually this means the bulbs in the ground will be small.

I had no time to deal with them until the end of July by which time the green tops were drying up. I quickly dug them up before they disappeared completely. Most of the bulbs were tiny but it meant I had a lot of little cloves to plant in the fall.

I untangled the plants and left them to dry for several days in the hot dry sun, bringing them in at night to keep the dew off. After 1 week they were dry and ready to sort.

The tiny bulbs I reserved for planting in the fall and the bigger ones I put aside to braid. This was my first attempt at braiding. I set up a small table outside and on a lovely sunny day and made 3 full braids following instructions I found on the internet. It’s pretty easy if you are used to braiding hair.

 

 One braid has the largest bulbs and the other two are made up of smaller bulbs but I was pleased with the result.

 

 Last winter all I could find in the local grocery stores was garlic grown in China which I refuse to buy so I look forward to eating organic home grown garlic this winter and maybe next year the crop will be better!

Enjoy the harvests of summer!

Louise