A Visit to Barb’s Backyard

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By Edie Parnum 

In early June I visited Barb’s backyard.  As we toured her half-acre suburban property, we observed bees, butterflies, caterpillars, dragonflies, frogs, and birds–all leading busy lives.

Barb is co-author of this blog site & co-director of Backyards for Nature

Her yard wasn’t always full of life.  Originally, her Southeastern Pennsylvania property had just grass and a few mostly non-native ornamental plants–nothing to attract wildlife.  On a plane trip about 18 years ago, Barb read an article in the airline’s magazine about gardening for wildlife.  Native plants, even when planted on a small property, could, the author asserted, provide a healthy habitat for birds, butterflies, and other creatures.  For Barb, reading this article was a transformative experience.  Over the years she has gradually added over a hundred native plant species, creating this haven for wildlife.  She’s posted a sign: National Wildlife Federation-certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

We started our tour near Barb’s kitchen window—an area where she can view wildlife activities from inside.  Originally, there were peonies and lambs’ ears, non-native plants with no appeal to animals.  Barb substituted native perennials and shrubs that produce fruits, seeds, and nectar for birds and butterflies.  Native insects eat the foliage of these plants; they, in turn, are food for birds and other animals. Barb added a birdbath, woodpile, nest boxes, and hummingbird feeders.  We watched a hummer visiting her feeders and a House Wren using the nest box.  Barb told me the Carolina Wrens love the woodpile.  One day she spotted a Brown Thrasher scratching and feasting on bugs in the leaf litter.   Last winter she discovered and closely monitored a cocoon in the Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Her diligence was rewarded in May when a gorgeous six-inch Polyphemus moth emerged.

Northern Green Frog in Barb’s pond

Frogs were the primary entertainment.  We could hear the Northern Green Frogs calling from Barb’s 13-foot circular pond.   We counted seventeen and probably missed others hiding in the water and under the plants.  Intent on attracting mates, they inflated their balloon-like throats and called out like banjos.  They lunged from their perches to catch insects and other prey.  With its native aquatic plants, recirculating pump, waterfall, shallow “stream,” and deeper pools of varying depths, Barb’s pond has places for birds to bathe and for dragonflies and frogs to lay their eggs. Tadpoles and dragonfly larvae find their niches. With the frogs and dragonfly larvae feeding here, fortunately, mosquito larvae can’t survive here to become biting adults.  Much to Barb’s delight, her backyard pond is a healthy, balanced aquatic ecosystem.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly at Barb’s pond

We visited some of Barb’s favorite trees.  In her blight-resistant American Elm (Ulmus Americana, she’s spotted Baltimore Orioles and other birds feeding on the caterpillars in the foliage of this high wildlife-value tree.  Because we found holes in the leaves but no live caterpillars, we concluded the munching caterpillars had been picked off by birds.  We also stopped to see Barb’s beloved Eastern Red Cedars (Juniperus virginiana).   Scores of bird species eat their berries.  Song Sparrows and Mourning Doves have nested in the dense foliage.  During a winter ice storm, she spotted an Eastern Screech Owl taking shelter in one of these cedars.

Screech Owl in Barb’s Eastern Red Cedar

Barb has been encouraging me to appreciate native pollinators, so we visited her Monarch-friendly milkweed plants.  We observed bees and butterflies enjoying the nectar of the blooming Swamp Milkweed (Asclepius incarnata), Common Milkweed (A. syriaca), and Butterfly Weed (A. tuberosa).  We also saw her Purple (A. purpurescens) and Whorled (A. verticillata) Milkweeds.  A keen observer, Barb finds the Monarchs’ tiny eggs on her plants and the browsing caterpillars, too.  Monarchs require milkweeds as host plants.  In acknowledgement of Barb’s role in helping this declining species, Monarch Watch has certified her property as a Monarch Waystation.

We saw many other native plants that day–and plenty of birds, butterflies, bees, dragonflies, and damselflies, too.  In her yard, she has hosted over 85 species of birds and 25 kinds of butterflies.  Her yard is no longer a dead zone.    Barb says, “I can go out my back door and see wildlife happenings at any time. “

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You can tour Barb Elliot’s yard on Saturday, July 7 between 10 am and 4 pm as one of eight locations on the Tredyffrin Eco Tour.  Come see all the yard’s features, including her bat house and bee homes.  Purchase your admission badge ($10 per adults, kids free) at the Tredyffrin Township Library parking lot located at 582 Upper Gulph Road, Strafford, PA 19087 from 9:45 am to 3:00 pm.  For more information, go to http://www.ttdems.com/2012/06/join-our-backyard-eco-tour-july-7th/

 

A Magnificent Moth

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by Barb Elliot

When I was a ten year old kid I “saved” a Polyphemus moth my father had almost accidentally killed while pruning our hedge.  Actually, I didn’t save it—in truth, quite the opposite.  I captured it and put it into a collecting jar.  After it died I mounted and framed it.  Enamored with butterflies and moths, I then hung it in my bedroom along with the rest of my collection. Over the years I have displayed this beautiful, six-inch moth in my various homes.  However, I never saw one in the wild again until this spring – more than 50 years later.

Male Polyphemus Moth (Dan Mackinnon @ fcps.edu)

On May 20th, a spectacular male Polyphemus moth just like that first one emerged from a cocoon in my yard.  I had discovered the large cocoon hanging from a Spicebush twig in early March. I couldn’t tell what type of moth might be overwintering in the cocoon, but I checked it often, hoping to see what would emerge.

Cocoon in my yard, 3/7/2012

When the time came, I almost missed it because it hung several inches from the cocoon, which appeared to be intact except for a small hole in the top.  As the moth hung among the leaves, only the under wings, which look like dead leaves, were visible. I would have liked to see the more striking upper sides of the wings, but did not disturb it for a better look.   This moth was to remain completely free — and in fact it was gone by the next day.

Newly emerged Polyphemus Moth in my yard, 5/20/12

It likely flew off that night in hot pursuit of a female, using its large, feathery antenna to detect the powerful sex hormone scents (pheromones) a female emits to attract a mate.  Polyphemus males can detect and fly to females that are miles away.  The moths survive for about a week, living only to mate and lay eggs. In fact, the adults don’t have mouthparts and can’t eat or drink.

 

A Polyphemus caterpillar, however, is an eating machine.

Polyphemus moth late stage caterpillar (buglifecycle.com)

In the five to six weeks it takes until it is ready to pupate and spin its cocoon, it increases its weight by more than 10,000 times and grows to three inches long and ¾ inch in diameter. The caterpillar then wraps itself in a leaf and encases itself in silk thread spun from its mouth or it may crawl down and spin its cocoon on the ground.  A cocoon wrapped in a leaf may stay on the tree or shrub all winter as “mine” did, or it may fall to the ground in the autumn.  This is an important reason not to rake up the leaves that fall under your trees and shrubs.

As a result of their nocturnal habits and since so few make it to adulthood, not many of us ever get to see these beautiful creatures. Birds and mammals search out the protein-rich caterpillars, and few caterpillars escape the many parasites that prey on them.  If you provide host plants that the caterpillars eat, you can increase your chances of seeing one and help to increase their chances of survival.  Polyphemus moth caterpillars eat the leaves of a variety of native trees, including Oaks (Quercus), Maple (Acer), Birches (Betula), Hickories (Carya), Walnut (Juglans), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), and  American Elm (Ulmus americana).  I’m not sure which of these plants “my” caterpillar ate, as I have five of these species in my yard.

The Polyphemus moth is in the family of large showy silk moths native to southeastern Pennsylvania.  Others species include the Cecropia (the largest moth in North America), Luna, Io, Imperial, Promethea, Tuliptree, Rosy Maple, and Royal Walnut Moth.  These moths also eat a variety of native trees and shrubs that would make great additions to a yard.

One last thing you can do to help the Polyphemus and other moths survive and reproduce successfully is to keep outdoor lights turned off as much as possible.  Any lights at night can “capture” moths, interrupt their search for mates, exhaust them, and make them easy targets for predators.

Newly emerged Polyphemus Moth with cocoon, 5/20/12

I hope you too may have the exciting experience of seeing a Polyphemus or one of the other showy silk moths in your yard!

Create a Living Legacy: Plant an Oak

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By Edie Parnum

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Planting an oak is the single most important thing we can do to support wildlife.

As a birder who loves spring migration, I have long noticed that my beloved warblers and other colorful birds prefer the native oak trees.   On May mornings, just when their foliage is emerging, I scan the oaks.  That’s where I find American Redstarts, Blackburnian Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers and other favorites in their resplendent spring plumage.  Only recently have I learned why these birds are in the oaks.  I credit Doug Tallamy, Professor of Entomology at the University of Delaware and author of Bringing Nature Home.  Oaks, according to Tallamy, support 534 species of lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) caterpillars– more than any other native tree or plant. These caterpillars are not only the primary food source for migrating and breeding birds, but are essential food for baby birds. Other native plants support caterpillars, too, but non-native plants host very few at all.

Double-lined Prominent caterpillars can be found on oaks. Photo by Jon Rapp

I’ve always known that acorns are important food for turkeys, woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches, squirrels, chipmunks and other animals.  However, birds and other animals are even more dependent on the insects that munch on the oak leaves.  According to Tallamy, in addition to myriad lepidoptera species, oaks host aphids, leafhoppers, thrips, and other bugs–all target foods for animals throughout each growing season.

Professional landscapers may try to dissuade you from planting an oak.  They’ll tell you it grows too big for the average-sized yard, though most yards are big enough to support a full-sized mature oak. 

Eastern Bluebird with caterpillar to feed its young. Photo by Jake Dingel, PA Game Commission.

Perhaps, without any sense of irony, they will say that an oak will grow too slowly.  Certainly most oaks will be small for many years, but even young trees will support lots of insects.

While there are many local, native oaks to choose from, the handsome White Oak (Quercus alba) is my personal favorite.  From my childhood days in Salem County, NJ, I have fond memories of a nearby magnificent, ancient White Oak.  John Fenwick, an early settler, signed a treaty with the Lenape Indians in 1676 under this tree, now approximately 425 years old.  This species grows slowly (about a foot per year), but can live for centuries.

White Oak, Quercus alba, Edie's favorite oak

Other recommended oak species include Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea),  Chestnut Oak (Q. montana),  RedOak (Q. rubra), and Black Oak (Q. velutina). These oaks are available at native plant nurseries and native plants sales. Since oaks have long tap roots, choose a small specimen (4’ or less) or grow your own from an acorn.  Because they are adapted to our soils and climate, no fertilizer or other amendments are needed.  However, regular watering during the first year helps the root system get established.

An oak is your personal legacy.  Your oak can live for centuries. It will host an inestimable number of birds, insects, and other wildlife during your own lifetime and for generations to come.