Tilted

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It’s official — Mama Screech Owl has moved out of the nesting box to make room for her growing baby/babies. We still don’t know how many we have, but we do know they are ADORABLE.

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I am in love. Look at that face!

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One curious owlet bravely peeked out in the late afternoon — getting its first view (as far as we know) of the daytime world.

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Surprisingly, it even kept a lookout when my husband ventured near — once upon a time, Michael would barely step one foot out the back door and the owls would hide immediately.  I guess after three years, the parent owls have decided Michael must be safe enough, and the owlets must be following suit. Me, they’ve always been remarkably tolerant of, even with me down below taking pictures.

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As dusk turned to night, feeding commenced. Impatient, the owlet above claimed a good waiting spot.

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And Mama and Papa obliged.

Kudos to my husband for capturing some great shots despite the dark and working with an uncooperative camera. We’re looking forward to monitoring baby owl time each day. We know we only have them a short time longer before they’ll fledge — we must enjoy them while we can!

Developing the Buffalo Grass Patch

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A few years ago, I threw some Buffalo Grass seeds (Bouteloua dactyloides) into a patchy area of our backyard. Buffalo Grass is a short, native prairie grass. Because it is so adapted for our hot Texas environment, it doesn’t need much care. It stays 3-8 inches high without mowing, is quite drought tolerant, and it thrives in the sun. It’s a much better alternative to non-native turf grasses, such as Bermuda Grass. Of course, Bermuda Grass was what existed in our backyard when we started the take-back process back in 2008, the goal being to transform our yard into a wildlife haven.

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I hoped for success, but I hadn’t done any ground preparation — our garden was at its very beginning stages at the time, and I had other priorities, namely getting perennials established in the butterfly garden area. I threw the seeds out into the yard, mainly because I worried they’d lose their viability before I’d ever have a chance to prep the soil, and I figured at least that way they’d have a chance to get started. Fortunately, there were some patches of dirt where the Bermuda Grass had been scorched to death by the sun, then tilled, so to speak, by our rambunctious dogs. The Buffalo Grass seeds were on their own, subject to the elements, to potential smothering by Bermuda, and to getting gobbled up by birds or trampled by dogs. But happily some Buffalo Grass did sprout, and each season I’d see more and more Buffalo Grass seed stalks show up. Each time, I’d try to let them complete their cycle, so that more grass would grow.

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This spring, our Buffalo Grass patch is quite dense, with only a few spots of weeds that I’m plucking out by hand. The thin gray-green blades billow softly in the breeze, and the effect is quite lovely.

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Right now, the patch is covered with inflorescences, or grass flowers. Buffalo Grass is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers occur on separate plants.

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Right now, I’m seeing mostly male inflorescences, but I have to assume that female flowers will show up soon. When they do, they will appear in little clusters low on the plant.

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Bees and other pollinators are busy in the Buffalo Grass patch. I admire the tenacity of the honeybees — they are so heavy that when they land on the blade of grass, they weigh it down toward the ground. But there is plenty of pollen to be had, at least. Look closely at the photo above — see the grains floating in the air, just past the bee’s head?

beeonbuffalograssB05-01-13You can also see how big the pollen sacs are on this little honeybee.

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While basking in the awesomeness of my little Buffalo Grass patch, I noticed another visitor. This young spider tried to pretend it was an inflorescence at the top of a blade of grass. Be the flower… be the flower. My friend Spider Joe helped narrow down the ID to a likely Cheiracanthium inclusum, an American Yellow Sac Spider — or possibly a member of the Anyphaenidae family. Spider Joe and I agree that it’s pretty cute, whichever species it is. spideronbuffalograss05-01-13

The little spider soon decided to just move to a blade with an inflorescence already present — perhaps it will have a better chance of catching an unsuspecting pollinator that way.

buffalograssD05-01-13And so it grows, does my Buffalo Grass patch. With luck, the female inflorescences will appear soon, and soon thereafter, so will seeds. Lucky for me, Buffalo Grass also spreads by stolons, or above-ground runners — where the plant touches the ground, it can take root. Sometimes Buffalo Grass roots can reach 5-6 feet into the ground, but most will be closer to the surface of the soil. I suspect my Buffalo Grass patch has relied on a lot on spreading by stolons — this is just fine with me. It can do so right up near my garden beds, too — it won’t be hard to keep it out of the beds. Not like Bermuda, the grass of nightmares.

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What thrills me is that the Buffalo Grass seems to be naturally winning against the more aggressive Bermuda Grass. Usually you hear the opposite scenario! Perhaps it’s because I limit the Bermuda’s spread by never watering it and by keeping it cropped short before it goes to seed (at least, I try to keep it cropped). I don’t water the Buffalo Grass either, actually, but I do let it go to seed, and there’s no reason to mow it more than a couple of times a year.

What it means is that I have hope that one day in the relatively near future I might be able to rip out the remaining Bermuda and get the Buffalo Grass to fully take over. I’m not fooling myself into thinking the Bermuda Grass will just give up and die. But I see the possibilities, and each year the area of Bermuda Grass shrinks. My Buffalo Grass has become an ally in the endeavor to rid the yard of Bermuda, and as I dig out Bermuda roots, layer in cardboard and mulch to build new beds, and give the non-native turf the evil eye, the Bermuda Grass shrinks, and the Buffalo Grass has a chance to grow even stronger.

Wildlife Projects for Kids: Log and Pine Cone Feeders

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Brrrrr! It’s cold outside! Even here in Texas, major cold fronts can bring sudden freezing temperatures and snow. When temperatures drop, insects and reptiles will hide under protective leaves and twigs and logs, but birds have to expend a lot of energy to stay warm. Their efforts are complicated by the fact that fat-and protein-rich insects, prime energy food sources, can be hard to find when it’s cold outside.

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An easy way to provide an energy source in the cold is to put a peanut butter and seed mixture outside for the birds. You can use pine cones, log feeders, orange rinds, or pieces of bark to hold the food mixture. This is a fun project, and it’s a great way to let kids get involved in helping nature. Note: At the end of this post, I talk about alternatives to peanut butter if allergies are a concern, and I also talk about foods you should NEVER feed to wild birds.

Let’s start with a basic pine cone feeder, and then we’ll look at alternative feeders if you don’t have access to pine cones in your area.

Pine Cone Feeder

  • Pine cone (completely natural — don’t use ones treated with scented oils)
  • Wire, twine, or yarn
  • Organic, natural peanut butter (I like to get crunchy, but creamy is fine)*
  • Organic yellow cornmeal
  • Black oil sunflower seed
  • Optional: Peanuts, dried fruit (chopped), or other seed (such as safflower)

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1. Start by twisting the wire or tying your twine or yarn around the fat end of the pine cone to create a loop for hanging the feeder.

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2. Next, scoop peanut butter into a bowl and add the corn meal in small quantities.

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As the corn meal gets mixed in, the peanut butter gets less sticky and becomes more the consistency of fresh play-dough — this is what you want.

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3. When the mixture becomes difficult to mix with a spoon, just stick your hands right in and knead the peanut butter-cornmeal to a well-blended consistency. I’ve seen some parents and kids hesitate to get their hands dirty on this step, but this is a really fun part for the rest of us! In fact, once hesitant kids dive in and get going, they usually discover that they are enjoying themselves, too. Plus, getting your hands in there lets you know when you have the right amount of cornmeal — if the peanut butter is still too sticky, add a little more cornmeal. If nothing is staying together, you’ve probably got too much cornmeal, so add more peanut butter.

4. When the consistency seems just right, add in the seed, as well as the peanuts or chopped dried fruit if you have them.

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5. Then it’s time to spread the mixture onto your pine cone!pineconefeedersHH03-04-13

You can press peanut butter down between the cone scales, too — the birds will have no trouble getting it out.

pineconefeedersBB03-04-13And that’s it! Hang your feeders outside a window so that you can watch the birds as they feast. It might take them a day or two to find the feeders. Don’t be surprised if a squirrel gets interested, too — but the squirrel might just show the birds where to find the pine cone!

If you don’t have pine cones but you have some power tools, you can make a log feeder. Older kids can help with this! Here are the basic instructions — I might do a how-to post in more detail later. Use a saw to cut a log to about 12 inches long (it’s helpful for the log to be 2-5 inches in diameter). With a power drill and a small bit, drill a pilot hole for a screw eye, then insert the screw eye and turn it the rest of the way into place. Finally, with a spade bit (about 1 or 1 1/4-inch), bore holes partially into the wood, about 1-inch deep. Then just add the food, and hang up your feeder!logfeederB03-04-13 You can also cut one end off a large orange and remove the pulp (give it to the birds!), then create a bowl from the remaining rind by adding a hanging method and filling the rind bowl with the peanut butter mixture.

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Another idea is to find a piece of bark that you can hang up and fill or spread with the peanut butter mixture. We created a perch one year that was very, very popular with the birds.

* What if your child is allergic to nuts? Some people use suet, or animal fat, instead of the peanut butter, but it’s harder to buy it organic. Others use vegetable shortening, but I can’t recommend it, unless you can find organic, healthier versions — I take the approach of “if I won’t feed it to my family, I won’t feed it to the birds.” Keep in mind, too, that seeds are often packaged in places that have peanuts and other nuts — you should never assume that a bag of black oil sunflower seeds won’t have traces of peanuts. However, the good news is that there are many other ways to feed wildlife that might be safer for folks with allergies — for example, oranges and other fruits are great choices for birds and butterflies, and there are lots of fun ways to present those to wildlife. Mealworms can be purchased at many pet stores, too — perhaps make a bowl out of an orange rind and fill it wiggling mealworms! Many parent songbirds will love to feed them to their babies.

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While I’m at it, let’s talk about foods you should never feed wild birds. Foods that are bad for wild birds are bread or other wheat products (including loaf breads, bagels, cereals, and crackers), microwave popcorn, spoiled seed, chips and other junk food, raw meat, honey, and any foods that have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. Unfortunately, well-meaning people unintentionally cause harm to wildlife when they provide these non-nutritious or potentially deadly foods to animals. Stick with organic foods, and always research before you feed something you are uncertain about to birds or other critters.

A final note — be sure not to use peanut butter or suet when it’s too warm outside — you don’t want the food to go rancid. But if it’s cold, help the birdies stay warm with these energy-rich treats — and then sit inside with some hot chocolate and enjoy watching the grateful birds!

Interested in other nature/wildlife activities for kids? Visit this page! 

Good Parents, Mama and Papa Wren

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Out on the patio at the home of our friend Kris a couple of weeks ago, fellow Master Naturalists and I enjoyed watching busy Bewick’s Wren parents caring for their young. The experience was too delightful not to share.

cwrend04-13-13Mama and Papa Bewick’s Wrens, cavity nesters, chose to build their nest in a birdhouse by Kris’ patio this spring. Of course, last year they nested in the pocket of khaki shorts that had been hung out on a laundry line to dry. I guess they decided stability from the wind might be a better bet this time.

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Mama and Papa took turns bringing food to their babies. Wrens bring caterpillars and other insects to their young, though sometimes small lizards or frogs might be on the menu. As adults, they will also occasionally consume plant foods, such as seeds, but they really are primarily insectivores.cwreng04-13-13cwrenc04-13-13

Inside the birdhouse, the little babies vocalized their hunger to their parents. Between parental visits, I did try to take a quick peek inside the nest box, but it was too dark for me to see the babies very well. We believe there were four in there, however.

cwrenf04-13-13The attentive wren parents also kept a tidy house. Above, one parent can be seen removing a fecal sac. Many baby birds release their poop in a strong mucous membrane, or fecal sac, allowing parent birds to easily pick the membrane up in their bill and remove it from the nest.

cwren04-13-13The wren parents always kept a careful eye on the nearby humans, but when they saw we were not a threat, they visited the nest box with regularity.

cwrene04-13-13That is, until one woman lingered too long near the nest box, and the returning parent bird in frustration swallowed the insect it was carrying and proceeded to chee-chee-chee-chee angrily at the woman until she left the nest area.

Here at home, our wrens change their nest location every year. They briefly considered the shed again, but it seems their final choice was elsewhere. But they still collect food from the garden smorgasbord, so they are around somewhere!

House Finches

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This post is for my mom, who was on the phone with me while I looked through photos. Okay, Mom, your turn — let’s see how long it takes you to visit your or Grandmother’s computer!

malehousefinch04-24-13This beautiful male House Finch stood guard for several minutes watching over his mate while she feasted on seeds in a feeder. He’d cock his head this way and that, looking around constantly. He never took time to preen or anything else, though he did sing a little bit (causing me to coo back at him). I was most impressed with how seriously he held watch, and his mate only felt cause to react when the paranoid White-winged Doves on the front side of the fence suddenly flew up en masse — but seeing no concern from her mate, she went right back to eating.

femalehousefinch04-24-13Here the female House Finch just sits inside the milk jug bird feeder, devouring black oil sunflower seeds. We’ve been having fun with kid projects. This is a simple version of a milk jug feeder, decorated only with stickers (held in place with non-toxic outdoor glue) — we have some fancier ones that are going to go out in the garden tomorrow, once the glue dries. On Friday, we’re having a bunch of kids over to make some for their own backyards. Fun!

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I love House Finches. They are gregarious birds, and many will flock at my feeders and have great conversations with each other while they feed. Males and females feed in pairs or as part of the flock, and males will offer food to their mates during courtship. So tweet, as it were!

Here are a couple of fun facts about House Finches. The males’ red coloration comes from pigments in the food they eat, and it can play a part in a female’s preference in choosing a mate. Also, House Finches eat primarily plant foods. Even though a lot of seed-eating birds will eat insects and feed them to their young for protein, House Finches feed almost exclusively on seeds, buds, and fruits — they are considered the most vegetarian of any bird species in North America.

I’ll post details about our kid projects later. I just wanted to give a shout out to my mom, a bird lover, who better read this!

The Remarkably Camouflaged Sleepy Orange Caterpillar

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The fuzzy leaves of the Southwestern-native Lindheimer’s Senna (Senna lindheimeriana) have well earned it the nickname “Puppy Dog Ears.”

Lindheimer's SennaIts softness isn’t just alluring to the touch — the velvety hairs and light blue-green color catch the light so subtly that the leaves almost beckon you to reach out with your fingertips. In fact, it can be so distracting that you almost have to refocus your eyes, as if viewing a stereogram, to look beyond the leaves to see what might actually be munching on them.

Take, for example, the Sleepy Orange caterpillar, who uses Lindheimer’s Senna as a host plant.

Like the senna’s leaves, the caterpillar appears light green and fuzzy. 

This just might help protect it from would-be predators.

Often I found the caterpillars aligned with the leaf petioles.

Other times, I found them along leaf edges, almost blending in with the light margins of the leaves.

It might not be the most unusual camouflage out there, but I found it pretty remarkable. Since these photos are close-ups, the caterpillars stand out more than they did on the actual plants — I really had to look for them! I can’t speak as to how effectively Sleepy Orange caterpillars blend with the leaves of other Cassia species, but I’m certainly impressed with their ability to hide on the fuzzy sennas in my backyard.

Here is a Sleepy Orange adult, laying eggs on one of my sennas just a few weeks ago. Some of the caterpillars I’m showing might very well be her offspring.

Another female has recently laid her eggs. While some butterflies lay round eggs, the Sleepy Orange eggs are oval-shaped.

Later this year, the senna will produce gorgeous yellow blooms and soon after that many seeds contained in pods. It’s a lovely plant, supporting countless insects and birds and other critters. Yep, you guessed it, it’s a favorite of mine.

Well, Owl Be!

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Last post I gave a big-eyed view of what this post would be about. Let’s take a closer look at two nesting mama owls (and a fuzzy baby).

Athena is the mama Great Horned Owl that nests in a stone planter above the entrance walkway at the Wildflower Center. She is becoming quite the rock star, no pun intended, and she’s remarkably blasé about the stares and camera clicks from visitors walking below her. In the cooler mornings, only mama owl is visible, but as the sun warms things up……the owlets start to stir. This year Athena has two owlets. I snapped pictures while I was at the Wildflower Center plant sale last weekend, and while I could see both owlets, only one was photo-accessible.Great Horned Owls

It’s hard not to be enamored of that fuzzy little Muppet face.

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I lucked out later when one of the owlets got braver, resting in front of mama. The second owlet was moving around quite a bit but staying just about out of sight– if you look very closely, you can see a hint of the hidden owlet behind the plant (it helps to compare the two photographs directly above).

It won’t be long and these lovely owlets will be ready to leave the nest and start hunting for skunks and other critters on their own. Fierce hunters, Great Horned Owls are!

Back at home, we are eagerly awaiting a glimpse of the baby screech owl (or owls) in our owl box.

I have to say, our mama Screech Owl is a very good mother.

She’s calm most of the time, not minding me taking pictures or the rambunctious dogs playing below her, but she is ever alert.

One time while I visited her, something in the sky caught mama’s attention, and I saw her go on guard. When she suddenly ducked into the house, I looked to see what alarmed her. The shadow flying overhead turned out to be a black vulture, but mama Screech Owl was not taking any chances.

Mama Screech has had successful nests in our owl boxes (she’s used both in different years) for a few years now. I was out the other day, right at dusk, and I couldn’t see her in the house. But I could hear strange sounds coming from inside — baby or babies asking for food! And while I stood listening in the near-dark, mama owl whooshed overhead into the hole. I wish I’d seen what food she was delivering — I’m always curious about that.

With luck, we’ll get to see her young, and with some more luck, we’ll even be able to share a picture or two. Owl keep trying!  🙂

 

Studying the Bluebonnet

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Each spring, Texas highway roadsides, country fields, and urban gardens take on blue as our beautiful bluebonnets start to bloom. Typically this bloom period is from March to May, and the bounty of blue depends on rain that fell the previous fall and winter.

Bluebonnets are part of the legume, or bean, family. Like most other members of the legume family, they offer nitrogen-fixation through their root system’s symbiotic relationship with Rhizobia bacteria, giving them the excellent ability of being able to grow in poor, disturbed soils and at the same time bringing nitrogen back to that poor soil when they decompose.

Bluebonnets require insect pollination, and bumblebees and honeybees take on this job quite readily. The flowers are designed to encourage this pollination. Let’s take a closer look.bluebonnet banner

Bluebonnet flowers are made up of many florets. Each floret has 5 petals: the banner petal, 2 wing petals, and 2 petals that make up the keel (next photo). The banner petal forms the upper part of the floret. The center of this petal is called the banner spot, and it is this spot that acts as a target to attract bee pollinators. When the pollen is fresh and sticky, the banner spot is white, seen to bees as reflected UV light and appearing to them to be a nice landing spot. But as the floret and its pollen age, the banner spot turns a reddish-magenta color and becomes ignored by the bees, who can’t see red. Take a moment to watch bees buzzing around bluebonnets — which color banner spots do they visit the most?

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When a visiting bee lands on a bluebonnet floret’s wing petals, its weight lowers those petals to expose the keel, which is actually two petals that protect the floret’s reproductive parts, the stamens (which produce the pollen) and the pistil (which receives other pollen and produces seed). Here the bee collects pollen, naturally leaving other pollen grains behind to fertilize the floret, and when the bee flies to other florets, the wing petals return to their protective position over the keel. As the bee visits floret after floret, more pollination occurs. Florets that are not pollinated will not set seed.

Any given bluebonnet is likely to show both fresh florets and aging florets. Even though a magenta banner spot indicates that a floret’s pollen has lost its viability, the floret may, of course, produce seeds if it was pollinated while it was fresh.

Texas Bluebonnet, Lupinus texensisBecause bluebonnets cannot self-fertilize, the decline in bee populations has a direct effect on how many seeds a bluebonnet can produce. One plant has the potential to produce many hundreds of seeds, but often only a small number typically result, simply due to the decrease in pollinator numbers. Please protect our pollinators and our wildflowers by not using pesticides!

Another danger to bluebonnets and other native wildflowers, is the invasive Bastard Cabbage, a yellow flower of the mustard family (my son still prefers to call it Bad Word Cabbage, which seems equally appropriate). Active measures must be taken to control this bullying plant, whether it be mowing before the cabbage flowers go to seed, removing each entire plant with its tap roots, or overseeding with native plants such as Indian Blanket (Gaillardia). Studies are being done to determine the best course of action, but in the meantime, if you see Bastard Cabbage, yank it out if you can.

Here in Texas, we have 6 known native species of bluebonnets, and all are considered our state flower. There’s a long history regarding the bluebonnet’s status in Texas. When the bluebonnet was chosen as our state flower back in 1901, beating out the cotton boll and the prickly pear flowers, the Sandyland species Lupinus subcarnosus was recorded. But in the years following, many people felt the ever-popular Lupinus texensis, or Texas Bluebonnet, was a better choice. Both are endemic to Texas, but then what about our other larger-range and equally beautiful bluebonnets, such as the taller Big Bend Bluebonnet (Lupinus havardii)? In 1971 Texas  legislators amended the law, stating that all native species of bluebonnet in Texas were our state flower. Problem solved.

Even before Texans fell in love with the bluebonnet, this attractive flower was the subject of lore and legend for Native Americans in the area, many of whom considered the bluebonnet a gift from the Great Spirit. One story is that the bluebonnets arrived with rain after a young orphaned girl sacrificed her precious doll to the Great Spirit in hopes of bringing an end to a terrible drought. Spanish explorers and missionaries upon their arrival in Texas also admired the blue-blooming flowers. The bluebonnet has been called el conejo (“the rabbit” — possibly for the tail-like tuft of new florets at the top of each Texas bluebonnet flower), Wolf Flower (hence the Lupinus genus), and Buffalo Clover.

Our puppy in 2009 — he’s all grown up now!

A final note: It’s not actually illegal to pick bluebonnets, but it’s considered very rude and improper. We need bluebonnets to go to seed — please don’t pick them! And try very hard not to trample them while you are out picture taking!

A Rare Photo

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Haha, you thought it would be wildlife. Well, I’m not as wild as I once might have been, but I guess I still qualify in some sense of the word. No, it’s a photo of me — I don’t often share them!

Lee F. of Comal Master Gardeners took this photo when I visited last week to give a talk about native plants and wildlife gardening to their 2013 class. That’s me standing behind the words “The Wildlife Garden.” Next to me is Louise, who will take over Lee’s role as Class Coordinator this upcoming year.

Comal Master Gardeners are an amazing group — among their many projects, they create and maintain some of the many beautiful gardens in Comal County, including the Lindheimer Garden I reported on last year. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit and speak with their students again this year. Lee, thanks for the invite and the photo!