Beautiful Wildlife Garden

Bird-napping, Murder and the Usual Suspects

Loret T. Setters — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:45:55 +0000

Swallowtail Kites, a type of hawk, often grab young nestlings

Ahhh, nature. Sometimes a little hard to take, but always an adventure.

The backyard mockingbird nest one day last week

Recently I had two mockingbird nests with four eggs each, one in the front yard and one in the backyard. I spotted the one in the backyard, built in a Leyland cypress shrub and rather close to a narrow pathway that runs along the West Side of the pond. Momma squawked at me once or twice…from my standpoint not a great building location.

The Red-shouldered hawks have been hanging around, lying in wait

Tanner, the English setter found the front nest. There had been an abandoned half-finished nest built last year. Males of the mockingbird species will start on several nests and then the female picks one and adds the finishing touches. The ladies were smart not to choose this one since it was a little low in the branches and Tanner decided it would be fun to jump up and dismantle it. I thought it odd that after a year or more he became interested in it, but hey, you never know what goes on in the mind of these setters.

Shortly after, I discovered what prompted his attention. Up higher in the shrub was a newly built mockingbird nest which, when I reached up to blindly snap a photo, contained 4 eggs.

My thoughts were “YIKES! How is this area going to handle eight more mockingbirds?” There are already daily fights over territory, some of which get a little rough and cause feathers to fly. Secretly I was hoping that the eggs would disappear from the back nest, as Momma was beginning to get on my nerves with her pushiness and flying toward my head.

The backyard mockingbird nest two days later

Sometimes wishes come true. Lo and behold I went out back the other day and Momma was no where to be found, so I sneaked over to take a photo to see if there were more than the 4 eggs I’d seen several days before. UT OH! EMPTY! Someone stopped for breakfast.

Front mockingbird nest eggs just starting to hatch

Since those eggs were gone, I decided to chance another snapshot of the front nest and caught the miracle of birth in action. I still don’t know how many babies hatched, my blurry photo from a disadvantaged standpoint showed at least one born with at least one more egg to go, but beyond that, I didn’t want to hang around to give mom a target or upset the feeding schedule.

Three bluebirds hatched, two didn’t

Not to be outdone, the second brood of bluebirds fledged this week. Three of five eggs successfully hatched and I nearly tripped over one of the fledglings while engrossed in the battle of two red shouldered hawks. The hawks had ruffled feathers as they returned to their respective corners to preen.

Mom bluebird is already working on a nest for 2013 Brood 3

Momma bluebird was already bringing in materials to build a new nest back in the Purple Martin house. She needs to learn that the modern woman doesn’t necessarily need to be kept barefoot and pregnant at all times, but I’m happy that the bluebird population is increasing yearly due to my wildlife gardening efforts. Positioning nest boxes, having dense shrubs and trees, providing a water source and eliminating pesticide use will all help in getting the birds to move in. No pesticide is extremely important to get nesting birds since it is a MUST to have insects available for nestlings. They can’t eat seeds or berries when so young.

Front mockingbird nest two days after hatching. BirdNapped!

Upon return to the front yard I didn’t notice anyone flying in and out of the mockingbird nest which seemed unusual since feeding is a noticeable activity with new babies who seem to eat a million meals a day. Since I didn’t see a mom or dad I sneaked over and stuck my camera up in between the branches and clicked. I pulled down the camera to view the screen. UT OH! EMPTY! I didn’t get a ransom note so I suppose someone had wings…wonder if there was a hockey playoff party that I missed, although I doubt that the raccoons would invite me.

Perhaps it isn’t wise for the baby bluebirds to stick their heads out

I always clean out the Bluebird nesting box after fledge day. Bluebirds are very messy creatures and it can help prevent parasites in future broods. I had some time so I donned my mask to protect me from breathing in debris, plastic gloves, some bleach water and headed over to perform the cleanup duties. When I opened the nestbox I found a sad scene.

Killed in his own home

One of the bluebirds was dead in the nest and it had to be a recent event. The bird had all it’s beautiful blue feathers. I’m not sure who could have gotten in to do the type of damage…it looked pretty well beat up.

Hawk 1 was fighting with Hawk 2

Had it been a snake, there likely wouldn’t be any evidence and the hawks certainly couldn’t reach in through the tiny hole although if it was sticking it’s head out the Swallowtail Kites may have had a swipe at it. They are very adept on the fly, as I’ve watched them swoop into a branch to carry off a prize. Then again, there were those Great Crested Flycatchers who were nosing around while shopping for real estate. Or, perhaps a case of bluebird sibling rivalry in the quest to be first out of the nest.

Hawk 2 has a feather in his mouth. Did he win?

I grabbed my shovel and headed back to bury the baby next to the bunny, I guess that area is now officially a graveyard. A bit sad, but I suppose that Mom Nature needs to take care of overpopulation problems. And, of course, hawks, snakes and others further up the food chain need to eat too and soil can always use some natural fertilizer.

The graveyard grows

Celebrity wildlife gardening, part II

Jesse Elwert — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:08:41 +0000

Yesterday I began telling the story of how I came to be the garden designer for a celebrity’s wildlife garden. I was as surprised as anyone in the summer of 2012 when my phone rang and on the other end was an internationally known actress and activist who had heard of my ecological garden design business and wanted to meet me.

Among the other, edible gardens, Allison Mack and I planned to plant native plants to harmonize with the neighboring wildlife. Lots of Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) was planted for Monarch butterfly support. Other natives in this bed include Amsonia hubrectii, Helianthus tuberosus (Jerusalem artichoke), Eupatorium maculata (Spotted Joe Pye Weed), Clematis viorna (native species Clematis), Clematis virginia (native Clematis “Devil’s Darning Needle”), Echinacea purpurea (Coneflower), Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem Grass), and Tansy vulgaris (Tansy).

Elsewhere on the property in a partial shade garden, we added a collection of shade tolerant native plants. The bed is now, ten months later, bursting with new life. Months of sequential beauty, motion and color are just beginning to unfold.

Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) is developing nicely, same for the delicate Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern).

Brunnera macrophyla (Perennial Forget-Me-Not) and Scutellaria incana (Scullcap) promise a succession of blue.

At the far corner of the partial shade bed, there is a row of Zizia aurea (Golden Alexander), which packs a lot of muscular ecological wallop for such an unassuming looking plant. Golden Alexander is the larval host plant for the butterfly species Papilio polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail. Z. aurea also is of “special value to native bees, and attracts predatory insects,” according to the Xerces Society. The influx of insects is in turn always helpful for bird populations that feed their young exclusively with insects. (That’s most bird species.) Pound for pound, more insects equals more birds.

Getting to know Allison Mack has been all different colors of a specifically lovely and positive experience. We garden writers and ecology devotees are sometimes as proselytistic about our native plants and wildlife gardening dogma as recent religious converts. It’s a beautiful thing. Allison Mack, the diva of this “Celebrity Wildlife Gardening” event seems to have been stung by the same nature worshipping bee as the rest of us. She has other (and worthy) directions for her activism. But meeting her and observing her joy as her surroundings transform, before her very eyes into a verifiable wildlife habitat has instilled a deep sense of hope in me. Traditionally Americans listen to well known entertainers. We, the people who hope to continue inhabiting this small spaceship sized planet with every species intact, just need a few more “celebrities” to experience how wonderful wildlife gardening is. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jonah Hill, Denzel Washington….. Call any one of us at team BWG. Operators are standing by.

Raccoons In The Wildlife Garden

Carole Sevilla Brown — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:39:08 +0000

I’ve been observing a special visitor to my wildlife garden lately, one that my two Plott Hounds get especially excited about–the raccoons that have taken up residence in the abandoned house next to my property. My Plott hounds are quite adept at helping me spot birds in the wildlife garden, but these raccoons are just too much stimulation, since they were bred to help raccoon hunters by getting the raccoons stuck up in a tree.

I’m in the process of re-designing my entire wildlife garden, having ripped out the whole shebang last summer because too many invasive plants have taken over. And I’ve been observing the raccoons coming to visit my wildlife pond to drink almost every evening.

Sometimes they do come out in the daytime for a nice nap in the sun, as this one did just last week for several hours, much to the consternation of my Plott Hounds.

And sometimes they don’t manage to cross the street safely in traffic. This raccoon was actually struck by a car as it attempted to cross the street one afternoon. We had to call a wildlife rehab center to come and take care of this injured raccoon.

It’s very important to remember that raccoons are NOT pets! Please do not put food out for them because you’re just going to invite a whole world of other problems to your doorstep.

Although raccoons used to be found mostly in the southern states in deciduous forests, they are quite adaptable to human environments, and have spread north into Canada and are often found in urban areas. Feeding them cat or dog food is definitely not recommended. You really don’t want to invite racoons that close to your house, as it may become dangerous for you, your family, and your pets.

Raccoons can carry several diseases that make them especially dangerous, like rabies, distemper, and assorted parasitic viruses. They can be aggressive and may bite if you get too close. So please do not feed them!

You may find if you live in the city that urban raccoons are quite adept at breaking into your trash cans and spilling the contents all over in search of food, so you’ll need to be extra careful about your trash.

But if you do not feed them, and if you maintain a healthy distance from these wild animals, urban raccoons can be a lot of fun to watch!

Do you have raccoons in your wildlife garden?

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly

Judy Burris — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:59:39 +0000

Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly

Butterfly season is finally here in my beautiful wildlife garden !

This week my brother and I finished releasing our winter batch of butterflies that have been hibernating inside their chrysalises since last fall. All of them were swallowtail species – Zebra, Eastern Black, Spicebush, Pipevine and Eastern Tiger. They have been emerging almost daily for the last three weeks. We usually raise at least one thousand butterflies per year, with around 75 of those spending the winter in hibernation.

Spicy food

Each species of butterfly requires specific plants on which to lay its eggs. A caterpillar will starve and die rather than to eat the wrong host plant leaves. The Spicebush Swallowtail lays eggs on our native sassafras trees and also on spicebush (Lindera sp.) shrubs.

native spicebush

Spicebush leaves have a strong spicy smell. Spicebushes have male and female flowers on separate plants that are pollinated by bees and other insects. Spicebushes are native to the Eastern U.S. in damp forests. They prefer shady areas but will grow in full sun if they get plenty of water. These shrubs reproduce by seeds (that are eaten by birds) and sometimes by runners. The Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly lays each egg on the underside of a leaf.

look for a single white egg glued under a leaf

Let’s play hide-and-seek !

In case you are unable to locate the eggs of these interesting butterflies, here are the tricks to discovering their elusive caterpillars. Look for folded leaves on the spicebush shrub (or sassafras tree).

notice how the leaf tip is folded over

peek inside to check for the caterpillar

The caterpillar has spinnerets located under its mouth that are used to produce silk. The caterpillar makes a mat of wet silk threads across the top surface of a leaf. As the silk dries it shrinks and causes the leaf to fold over.

here’s a larger one

and the surprise inside

The caterpillars like to stay hidden during the day and come out at night to eat. They return to their leaf tent to rest, until they outgrow it and move on to another leaf to make a new one.

check the leaves in the autumn

you may find a caterpillar that will winter-over in its chrysalis

What big eyes you have !

I just love those big false eye-spot designs on its back. The actual head is small and pink or green and is often kept tucked underneath the body.

This shows a half-grown caterpillar next to a baby one. Notice the exposed head on the larger one.

here’s a side view of the young caterpillar

here is the top view

as it matures the caterpillar goes from brown to green

Caterpillar Kung-Fu

When a spicebush caterpillar feels threatened it may rear up on its hind legs and sway back and forth.

sometimes they rear up if they feel threatened

It may also tuck its head under and display its eye-spots to make itself look larger or scarier than it really is.

looks like a snake face

If all else fails it will shoot out its defensive forked gland, called an osmeterium, covered in foul-smelling liquid and smear it on the threat to repel its enemy. All swallowtail butterfly caterpillars have this kind of gland. I like to surprise people at my presentations by tickling one of these caterpillars with a feather to get them to display their osmeterium.

yellow osmeterium protruding

Mellow Yellow

The first time I raised one of these swallowtails and saw the caterpillar turn yellow, I thought it was sick and dying. After all, no other swallowtail caterpillar that I ever saw has a color change right before it pupates. But have no fear, this is natural for spicebush swallowtails.

they turn yellow when they are mature

the caterpillar spins a silk harness to secure itself to a stick

the caterpillar sheds its skin to reveal the chrysalis underneath

the chrysalis may be brown or green

Beautiful Butterfly

Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies drink nectar from a variety of flowers in your garden. Milkweed is a favorite. I like the native swamp milkweed since it thrives in heavy wet soil – perfect for my Kentucky clay. They bloom from early to mid-summer, produce large amounts of nectar to attract a variety of pollinators, and will tolerate partial shade. Swamp milkweed lives in ditches and around ponds in the wild and comes in purple, pink or white flower colors.

Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly on native swamp milkweed

Being Green in the Wildlife Garden

Loret T. Setters — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:16:14 +0000

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

As I do every morning, I was walking around the property enjoying nature at its best. I took my normal route past the Rusty Lyonia, Pawpaws and Dwarf Oaks, among others and headed down the bank of the pond into the section that dries up during Florida dry season. I checked two small temporary pools created from recent rains and watched the tadpoles dance with the diving beetles.

Poised to catch a meal

As I turned my attention to the main section of pond, I was surprised to see a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) standing on the side, poised to grab a meal. He seemed unfazed with my presence, unlike his compatriots the blue or white herons, which fly off the moment I open the door to the house some 150 feet way. Not the first time I have met up with a green heron in my pond, but it is an unusual and welcome occurrence.

They stand very still

I watched and photographed as birdy moved stealthily around the perimeter, snagging mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) along the way. As I walked, we seemed to move in unison, always at exact opposite positions along the pond edge. He was diligent and obviously very hungry as we spent about 45 minutes doing our opposing dance. I climbed up the bank at one point and wandered to another part of the yard.

Quick to grab their prey

When I returned, I noticed that the green heron had climbed aboard the tussock (island) at one end of my pond. When the tussock first appeared, I had visions of wildlife making it a home and my new bird friend made the picture painted in my mind a reality.

Green Heron on the Tussock, my dream vision

Green Herons, small by most heron standards, are “one of the few birds that uses bait to attract fish, it drops such things as bread crusts, insects, and twigs onto the water.” Fish is the primary diet along with frogs, insects and other invertebrates. They are vocal when they fly in or fly off.

Short and stocky

I gave him some words of warning, advising that I would be VERY annoyed if he ate my new turtle friends and he seemed to stick with the fare of the day, fish. I hoped that he would snag one of the bluegills or large mouth bass that reside in the depths of the water so I could have that Kodak moment of a wading bird with a fish in his mouth. It was not to be. Without warning, my green heron friend flew off leaving me with a good feeling that I am not viewed as a threat to the wildlife friends who come to visit my native plant gardening paradise.

Green Heron is truly a beautiful bird

Silver Dune Lupines of California’s Central Coast

Kathy Vilim — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:16:00 +0000

Silver Dune Lupine, Lupinus chamissonis, Oceano Dunes, Photo by Kathy Vilim

An Amtrak train announces its arrival at Grand Avenue Station. The familiar whistle tells us it is 7:10 am. At the same time, I can hear the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing in. I take a walk on the Boardwalk.. it is early… fog is drifting in from the Ocean in large sweeps. Silver Dune Lupines are growing en masse on the Dunes, flowering a soft, pale lilac color. For these west coast native plants, the sea breeze provides all of the moisture they need between rains.

I am revisiting a favorite place, Ocean Dunes Campground in the Pismo/Grover Beach area. I spent the night sleeping next to the Oceano Lagoon where the night air was filled with the sound of frogs croaking “Ribbit Ribbit” all night long, blending in with a chorus of crickets so that, at times, they were indistinguishable. Such odd sounds they make if you are not used to them. Could this be their mating season?

I also visited the native plant garden here at the Oceano campground to see what’s in bloom for May. Last time I was here was very early spring. Silver Dune Lupines won the contest for the biggest May bloomers hands down! Not only were lupines blooming in the native plant garden, but they were growing wild, gracefully blanketing the vegetated dunes with their soft blooms.

Silver Dune Lupine (close up), Lupinus chamissonis, Oceano Dunes, Photo by Kathy Vilim

Besides the Silver Dune Lupine, Lupinus chamissonis, there is a yellow Lupine blooming and forming seed pods already, namely Lupinus arboreus - Yellow Bush Lupine.

Lupinus arboreus, Yellow Bush Lupine, Pismo Native Plant Garden, Photo by Kathy Vilim

Another plant with yellow flowers in full bloom right now is the Fremontodendron californicum, California Flannel Bush. This drought tolerant chaparral plant seems to be a favorite of lady bugs, as I saw several of them visiting the blooms while I took pictures.

Fremontodendron californicum, California Flannel Bush, Pismo Nature Center, Photo by Kathy Vilim

Another low growing native plant I had not seen flowering before was Abronia maritima, Sand Verbena. This plant loves the sand, and acts as a dune stabilizer. It grows just inland from the ocean and thrives on the salty spray of the ocean alone. (Do not give it garden watering.) It is also a favorite of many butterflies.

Abronia maritima, Sand Verbena, Oceano Dunes, Photo by Kathy Vilim

There was no sign of the Monarchs under the towering Eucalyptus trees that had been their home all winter. Looking up in the branches, it was as if they had never really been here at all; they left no trace. I wondered how far the females had to fly to find Milkweed to lay their eggs.

I wish I could have followed the Monarchs to see where they headed. The monarchs are individuals, of course. They don’t fly off in big groups like birds heading north in the spring. Even though they huddle together for warmth when they are overwintering, each decides on its own when its time for him/her to leave the overwintering grove.. and where to go..

There’s so much wildlife here! That’s what I love about this campground: marine birds at the sea, such as the endangered Western Snowy Plovers, and waterfowl such as ducks & geese at the fresh water lagoon. The mornings are full of bird song. The evenings belong to coyote, beaver, frogs & owls. And at dusk, the deer may come to call, slipping silently through the campground. Being here makes you feel like you are really Living With Nature.

Progress in My Wildlife Garden

Carole Sevilla Brown — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:39:29 +0000

You may remember that at the end of last summer I worked with my nephew Lucas to rip out my entire wildlife garden because too many invasive plants had taken over.

I had to make some choices about what plants could stay, and which ones had to go. In some cases, the invasive plants were smothering everything, so entire areas had to be wiped clean.

And then I sat down to make a plan for what wildlife I wanted to focus on in this small city garden. Since I don’t have a lot of space, I’m going to focus on butterflies and plant lots of host plants and nectar plants to support as many butterflies as I can.

Earlier this month we spent several days pulling out more invasive plants and setting up the salvaged wrought iron fence to divide the yard into two areas: one for my wildlife garden, and the other part for my Plott Hounds.

Dog side of garden, with wrought iron fencing enclosing new wildlife garden. I need to paint that white iron section black

Even with all of this moving, planting, and upheaval in the garden, it’s so exciting that the Chickadees are building their nest right inside the new garden gate. In fact you can see that the box that they’ve chosen needs some repair, but I don’t have the heart to take it down while they are using it. So there it hangs, listing sadly to the side, and I hope the bolts holding the hanger chain to the box hold out long enough for the babies to fledge.

The chickadees are nesting in the green birdhouse on the left side of the garden gate.

You can see in the photo above that I needed to address the garden pathway. So we went to the abandoned property next door and hauled 6 wheelbarrow loads of slate paving stones over to this garden, and I happily spent a morning playing with my rocks to create this new pathway:

I love rocks! And making these pieces fit together was a great puzzle challenge

And then we got to plant some new native plant treasures!

Trout Lilly seedlings

And my dear friend Pat Sutton not only labeled the plants she gave me, she also included information about where she obtained each plant. I love feeling this sense of history and connection to Pat’s garden by the wonderful gift not only of these plants, but also of the time she spent making those labels for me!

Mountain Mint

Wild Bergamot

Purple Coneflower

New England Aster

Wild Columbine

And many more!

I added a Wild Cherry Tree to the far back section of the garden because, as Pat Sutton says:

Everything about Black Cherry ranks it as one of THE most important native trees for wildlife: (1) more birds feed on the fruits of this native tree than any other, (2) more butterflies and moths lay their eggs on this tree than any other tree, excepting the oaks, and (3) add to this mix its ornamental flower show in the spring.

And this small tree has even put out some blooms two weeks after I planted it!

And I’m so excited that I won a native Redbud tree when I was at the native plant sale at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education several weeks ago! I had entered the raffle thinking it would just be a nice donation to SCEE. But imagine my surprise when they called to say I had won it. It will be delivered and planted hopefully sometime this week.

So, progress is being made. I’ll keep adding native plants for butterflies to my new wildlife garden, both host plants and nectar plants, in hopes that I’ll have some beautiful butterfly photos to share with you as the season progresses.

What’s going on in your wildlife garden? Please leave a comment below to share your wildlife garden news.

Weird Weather and Winter Weeds

Ursula Vernon — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:52 +0000

“I plowed the peas under,” said one of my farmer friends glumly at the market. “They weren’t doing anything but turning yellow.”

The farmers in stalls on either side nodded. One does rabbits commercially, and has a garden rather than a farm, but she added “Lost all the broccoli too.”

More nods all around.

Unfortunate as it is—for small-scale farmers who sell organic produce on weekends, this sort of thing can be a seriously blow in the wallet—I was at least glad to know that it wasn’t just me. I’d been wondering if I was the worst vegetable gardener in the world or if there was something wrong with the dirt I’d put in the raised bed or what.

Our spring here was bizarre and erratic—heavy rains and muggy heat were followed by hard frosts and chilly nights, over and over, until many self-respecting vegetables gave up the ghost. My daikons came out beautiful, sturdy, solid—and bolted immediately. Farmers—people who know what they’re doing and have been doing it for years—reported that anything that could bolt did. Of four kinds of peas that I planted, two died, and the best performers were from seeds I actually saved myself. (I am very proud of that, I admit!) None of them have actually had any peas on them yet, but they just started flowering, so we’ll see.

The carrot seeds took longer to germinate than they should have, and heavy rains washed them all down to the bottom of the beds, so I am now thinning a morass instead of a neat row. I am not optimistic about the beets, which took forever to come up (you usually can’t stop beets) and this lack of optimism increases when I see that the farmer’s market has people selling beet greens, but no roots.

Tomatoes and tomatillos are doing fantastic, though, and the squash has already flowered. We’ll see if they fulfill their early promise or if this means that we have 120 degree days all summer and everything keels over. (Frankly, I’ve given up predicting.)

The weeds, on the other hand, have been doing fantastic. Cold season weeds got started early, seeded hard, and then raised second and third generations. I’ve given up thinking that annual chickweed will ever be eradicated–now I just claim it’s a cover crop. The nice woman from the Extension office, who I usually find weeding the Pollinator Garden at the local co-op, told me that it was a bad year for winter weeds. (I feel better knowing this, even as I drag wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow full of mulch to smother the Japanese stiltgrass in what was supposed to be a mini-wetland.)

But this year, I have to say, the wildlife is showing up in droves. There are more native bees than I’ve seen in awhile, plenty of solitary wasps, and butterflies galore. The red-spotted purples are puddling all over the path, and I even had a zebra swallowtail stop into the yard a few days ago. (That’s a rarity around here.) The first hummingbirds zoomed through weeks ago, and the wrens are already building nests.

No monarchs, though. Well, they’re always uncommon in this neck of the woods, so I’m not worrying yet. And most of my sturdy perennials are being sturdy and perennial, just as they should be. Even those that tried to grow during the wild weather and were killed back to the roots are coming back strong. There was never such a year for Carolina allspice as this one—probably a hundred flowers on each plant, with their vague, complicated odor (baking bread? berries? bananas? all three) and I had to cut some branches down when they made a move at the deck.

Even the frogs are confusing me these days. They showed up in droves in spring, breeding everywhere, leaving slicks of eggs—and then one day they all vanished. I got panicky (not helped by finding a dead frog) that something had poisoned the pond and it was all my fault.

And then one day all fifteen or twenty showed up again.

And two days later they were gone again.

And now there’s three or four big ones sitting out there and I have given up tracking the habits of frogs.

There are lizards in the mulch and wolf spiders rolling balls of eggs, fat millipedes roaming the leaf litter, grosbeaks perched on the garden arches. The crawfish is still in residence—I see him dive into the hole occasionally when I walk by in the evening.

So even if my vegetables are frustrated and my frogs are confused, with the weather acting weird and the weeds running amok, we’re all still here. And that’s worth something.

Even if I do miss the daikons.

Pondering New Residents in the Garden

Loret T. Setters — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:50:53 +0000

Just when I think my home wildlife experiences can’t get any better, THEY DO!!!!

What a week it was with the pond. Four new entries on my wildlife life list. Okay, aside from my Audubon checklist booklet, I don’t have a formal list that I write on. I pretty much keep track via my blog posts and a notepad file where I put all the common and scientific names of the fauna and native plants before I transfer them into an actual post.

Black Dancer Damselfly

I spotted the slow flight of a damselfly that had black wings. I immediately thought it was a Jewelwing. I checked pictures on bugguide.net and was pretty satisfied that I had a good I.D., but something was nagging at me about the blue coloring being limited to the very end of the abdomen, whereas those in other photos seemed to have mostly blue abdomens.

They’ve accepted me as their own

The next day I was walking around the pond again and this time, the damselfly landed on my SOCK! I truly have become one with nature. I snapped a few shots before it flew away when I turned my foot to get better lighting.

Amanda’s Pennant has a rather attractive pattern

I wandered further around the end of the pond when I saw a dragonfly with a hint of bright yellow gold. It landed in the margin of the pond so I crawled down the bank and got a few shots. When compared to bug guide entries, this one turns out to be Amanda’s Pennant (Celithemis amanda). And, while trying to locate an ID for Amanda, I ran across one of the Florida insects sites and there, in full color was a picture of my DAMSELfly…not a Jewelwing, but a Black Dancer Damselfly (Argia fumipennis atra). Funny how things work out.

Beautiful, glistening wings on Amanda’s Pennant Dragonfly

I noticed some water movement while I was busy with Amanda and I turned to see some larger fish doing “the dance”. I automatically figured they were Bluegills, a fish that lives toward the bottom of the pond. They come out to the edges during breeding season to lay eggs.

Wait, those aren’t Bluegills

I thought I’d take a photo of this year’s fish as one turned on its side. I was perplexed because the shape was wrong for a bluegill. I zeroed the camera in to get some photos, desperately hoping that the sun glare wouldn’t prevent a photo for identification. About 20 shots and I was lucky enough to get two where you could clearly see the fish. I went to my favorite fish I.D. site, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and started scrolling through the various photos in the “freshwater fish” section.

I guessed correctly

They looked a little like bass to me, but nothing seemed to match up exactly. I went and used a search engine for photographs but still didn’t turn up a match. My next step was to fill out the form at the “Ask FWC” section. It’s a great website that allows you to send a photo along. I’ve used them in the past when I had mosquito fish that were an odd color.

Merely a day after submission, a response came back:

“I had our fish biologist look at your great pictures and he says that those are Largemouth Bass. He says that they can vary in color/ markings it’s just according to the type of water that they are in. Yes, they are a native fish. The NE Regional Customer Service.”

WOO HOO! Native and EDIBLE. I’m headed to the Pro Shop to get me a troller and plan the tournament! Get the cornmeal and cast iron pan and stoke that fire.

Nice size!

So, how did the fish come to live in my pond? I didn’t add them but then again, I didn’t put the bluegills in there either. Spontaneous Generation?

We’ll be polite and not talk about your big mouth

Although there is a lot of debate about whether or not birds transport fish to interior ponds, I want to believe it is true. Most say either fish who appear in unstocked lakes swam from upstream…not a possibility since my pond isn’t attached to any streams…or arrived there by means of flood. Flood is a possibility as I remember my neighbors a couple of lots down saying that several years back they caught bass locally and put them in their pond. Perhaps they did “swim” over the couple of acres…portions of the property between us does become inundated during rainy season, so anything is possible. The culvert water also can rise up meeting the pond during rainy season, so fish would have a possible avenue to get back to the pond, but it still seems an enormous task. I still want to go with some birds bringing in fish eggs on their legs, although their remembering to bring both a boy and a girl fish may be a stretch.

My, my, who have we here?

Next on the list of newbies is an aquatic turtle. I’ve had box turtles for years, but always was disappointed that no turtles ever took up residence in my rather large pond. To me it looks so inviting.

Definitely “a looker”

Years back, I had one soft-shell turtle that the dogs scoped out walking in the front yard, but that one was looking for a way out. I obliged and opened the gate for him (her?). I’m sure it’s no fun being an only turtle. In the wildlife kingdom love is always in the air.

Turtle hangs out on the tussock

So, my new turtle is a Cooter (Pseudemys spp.) and (s)he was positioned on the tussock catching the rays. There are several species of cooters in Florida and I am awaiting a positive identification* from some Master Naturalist gurus. Hopefully I captured enough detail through the zoom shot. Identification of turtles is easier if you can see their belly. Despite my commands, this cooter refused to roll over.

With all my newfound residents, I’m sure the wading bird population will increase. I mean, who wouldn’t want to chow down on those nice plump bass?

* Update: Turtle is a young Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis) Synonym/s: Pseudemys floridana subspecies peninsularis