Summer Magic in Barb’s Yard

Posted on September 30, 2016 by barb

By Barb Elliot

When I leave my house to explore my backyard, whether by day or after dark, I enter another world. Transported from daily cares, I anticipate experiencing the wonders of nature. What’s happening at this season? What creatures will I encounter? What mysteries will unfold? I am rarely disappointed. Life is abundant in my yard because the numerous native plants I’ve planted meet the food and shelter needs of many animals.

This summer I photographed some of what I observed. Here are highlights. Enlarge any photo by clicking on it.

Early Summer

Interesting pollinators gather nectar and/or pollen from my Highbush Blueberry flowers, including a Flower Longhorn Beetle and an unknown flower fly – a good Yellow Jacket wasp mimic. A native Green Sweat Bee on a Black-eyed Susan is covered with yellow pollen grains.

Flower Longhorn Beetle (Strangalia luteicornis) . Photo © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Unknown flower fly. Photo © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Green sweat bee (Agapostemon sp.) on Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Green sweat bee on Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

In my pond, a Northern Green Frog awaits its next meal. Near the pond edge an Orchard Orbweaver spider is ready to pounce on prey caught in its web.

Northern Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta) spider . © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

A Cooper’s Hawk, unsuccessful at catching a songbird, watches for birds to return but eventually leaves without a meal. A male Northern Cardinal, which is starting to molt, returns warily to the feeders.

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Wild Bergamot flowers attract a day-flying Hummingbird Clearwing Moth as well as many bumble bees.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) . © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) sips nectar from Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Unknown bumble bee on Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

One night, I find mating Red Milkweed Beetles on a milkweed plant and a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth caterpillar on a Virginia Creeper vine. On another night, an adult Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth comes to my lights.

Red Milkweed Beetles mating. (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Red Milkweed Beetles (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) mating. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Virginis Creeper Sphinx Moth (Darapsa myron). caterpillar. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth (Darapsa myron) caterpillar. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth (Darapsa myron). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

A Tent Caterpillar Moth, which I find attractive, also flies in. Yes — this is the adult moth that comes from the Tent Caterpillars that make webs in my Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) trees.

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma americana). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Midsummer

In July, I find a variety of beetles. My favorite, the Dogbane Beetle, is on a Dogbane plant. A tiny (less than 1/4 inch) colorful beetle, the Mottled Tortoise Beetle appears during the day (wearing its little translucent skirt!). A longhorn Ivory-marked Beetle, comes to night lighting.

Dogbane Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) on Dogbane plant (Apocynum cannabinum). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Mottled Tortoise Beetle (Deloyala guttata). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Ivory-marked Beetle (Eburia quadrigeminata). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

The right side of the patio area sports both Cardinal Flower and Great Blue Lobelia . Pickerel Rush grows in the pond on the left. The tall plants with yellow flowers in the background are Cup Plant. Cardinal Flower nectar is enjoyed by a Spicebush Swallowtail that lost part of its left hindwing. Probably a hungry bird tried unsuccessfully to capture this butterfly.

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) on right, blue Pickerel Rush (Pontederia cordata) flowers in pond on left. Yellow flowers of the tall Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) in background. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) on Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) missing part of left hindwing on Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Cup Plant attracts many pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and moths. At night I find a Grape Leaffolder Moth sipping nectar. One of many bumble bees that worked hard gathering nectar and pollen during the day sleeps on a Cup Plant flower. At night, I often find bumble bees sound asleep on flowers in my garden.

Grape Leaffolder Moth (Desmia funeralis) on Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Grape Leaffolder Moth (Desmia funeralis) on Cup Plant at night. (Silphium perfoliatum). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Bumble bee sleeping on Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) at night. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

After raising one successful brood, the House Wrens have a second set of nestlings that will soon leave the nest box.

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) nestlings in nest box. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Bumble Bee on Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odorata). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Several types of native bees are busy pollinating my flowers. Of special interest, bumble bees are performing buzz pollination on my Flowering Raspberry flowers. Bumble bees vibrate their wings at specific frequencies to get some species of flowers to release their pollen. Note that bumble bees are used for buzz pollination of a number of crops, including tomatoes, blueberries, eggplants, and cranberries. The non-native honeybee is not able to buzz pollinate.

To watch and hear bumble bees performing buzz pollination in my yard, click here for the video.

I find a small green Nessus Sphinx moth caterpillar on native Enchanted Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) and decide to raise it in a small enclosure with several inches of loose soil. I feed it fresh leaves and within a week or so, it grows to over two inches long, molts into a brown caterpillar, and later burrows into the soil to pupate. I have to wait until next spring to see it emerge as a beautiful day-flying hummingbird-like moth.

Nessus Sphinx Moth caterpillar - early instar. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Nessus Sphinx Moth (Amphion floridensis) caterpillar – early instar. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Nessus Sphinx Moth (Amphion floridensis) caterpillar - last instar before pupating. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Nessus Sphinx Moth (Amphion floridensis) caterpillar – last instar before pupation. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

One night a strange-looking treehopper, possibly a Buffalo Treehopper, appears near my porch light. Even more strange and ominous-looking, a very large robber fly the size of a large wasp hunts from a perch above my pond. These flies prey on large insects such as bees and wasps and will hang from one foot while devouring a victim.

Treehopper (possibly Buffalo Treehopper (Ceresa alta) . © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Possible Buffalo Treehopper (Ceresa alta) . © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Robber Fly (likely Diogmites sp.). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Robber Fly (likely Diogmites sp.) hunts over the pond. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Late Summer

A Shadow Darner dragonfly dries and expands its wings after emerging from the pond where it spent its nymphal stage. The nymph recently crawled out of the pond and shed its exoskeleton. Because I find numerous shed skins (exuvia) during the summer, I know that my pond produces a good number of dragonflies.

Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) dragonfly. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Newly emerged Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) dragonfly dries and expands its wings. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

The shed skin (exuvia) from which a dragonfly emerged still hangs from a stem in the pond. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Native bees continue to actively collect pollen. This one deposits the white pollen of Upland Ironweed into large pollen baskets on its hind legs.

Unknown native bee on Upland Ironweed (Vernonia glauca). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Skippers are frequent visitors at my Garden Phlox. I am happy to find a Monarch, too, but regret that this is the only one I’ve seen in my yard all summer. It’s a female, so hopefully she laid eggs on my milkweed.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) on Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Skipper drawing nectar from Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Skipper (probably Zabulon Skipper – Poanes zabulon) sipping nectar from Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Monarch butterfly (female) on Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Two ants in the grass struggle to drag a grub to their nest. The grub must weigh many times more than they do.

Ants dragging a grub to their nest. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

My Virgin’s Bower vine begins to bloom in late August and hosts a myriad of pollinators twenty-four hours a day.

Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana) vine in bloom.

At night, this vine is a moth magnet, attracting beauties like the multi-colored Ailanthus Webworm moth and Tobacco Budworm moth.

Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella) at night on Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Ailanthus Webworm (Atteva punctella) moth sips nectar at night from Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana). © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Tobacco Budworm (Heliothis virescens) moth at night on Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana). Note very small caterpillar on flower in background. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Tobacco Budworm (Heliothis virescens) moth sips nectar at night from Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana). Note very small u-shaped caterpillar on flower to the right of the moth’s antennae. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Predators such as harvestmen (“daddy longlegs”) and centipedes linger around the Virgin’s Bower vine to catch unsuspecting victims. As I watch, a Spotted Orb Weaver spider quickly paralyzes the moth that flies into its web and then wraps it in silk.

Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera) spider quickly paralyzes a moth that flew into its web. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera) spider quickly paralyzes a moth that flies into its web. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera) spider with moth wrapped in silk. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

By mid-September, I see some fall migrating birds in the yard, including a Northern Parula and Common Yellowthroat. Both find insects on my native plants that will fuel their journeys to the tropics.

a migrating Northern Parula (Setophaga Americana) in River Birch (Betula nigra) tree. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) preens by the pond. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

A migrating Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) hunts insects by the pond. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

A Red-spotted Purple caterpillar has eaten the tip of a Black Cherry leaf in a pattern characteristic of this species. I watch it grow for almost a week. Then one night I make a gruesome discovery. A spider has found my caterpillar and is in the process of sucking its life fluids. However, I find another small Red-spotted Purple caterpillar a few feet away. I’m hopeful this one will successfully overwinter and make it to adulthood. If so, next summer it will grace my yard as another beautiful Red-spotted Purple butterfly.

An early instar Red-spotted Purple (Limenitus arthemis) caterpillar on Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) . © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Spider sucking the life fluids of "my" Red-spotted Purple caterpillar. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Spider sucking the life fluids of “my” Red-spotted Purple (Limenitus arthemis) caterpillar. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitus arthemis) butterfly in Barb's yard. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitus arthemis) butterfly on White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) in Barb’s yard. © Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.

I look forward to next summer and discovering nature’s mysteries anew.

References

Beadle, David & Leckie, Seabrooke. Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Brace Publishing Company, 2012
Bug Guide.Net: http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
Evans, Arthur V. Beetles of Eastern North America. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2014.
Evans, Arthur V. Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008.
Moth Photographer’s Group: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/
Switzer, Callin, “Getting Buzzed at the Arnold Arboretum”, Arnoldia; April, 2014.

Native Berries for Fall Migrants

Posted on October 11, 2013 by barb

By Edie Parnum

Birds were dropping out of the sky into the trees and shrubs around me. It was daybreak on a fall morning in my backyard. Though I could see only silhouettes, I recognized the chips of robins and Swainson’s Thrushes. In the dim light I couldn’t identify the other numerous birds but knew these were migrants that had flown non-stop from the north during the night.

After their nighttime exertion, they were exhausted and ravenously hungry. They needed to find high-energy food and to revive in a habitat offering shelter from predators. With most of the surrounding area covered with buildings, roads, parking

Cedar Waxwing eating Crabapple berries. Courtesy of and © Howard Eskin. Click to enlarge.

lots, and sterile lawns, they were desperate for sustenance. From above, the migrants probably see the local parks as deceptively inviting, but the grass and other non-native vegetation provide little nutritious food. Their energy depleted, these migrants need familiar and nourishing native plant food. Otherwise they are in trouble.

Watching these migrants, I imagine myself on a road trip, one I’ve done many times. After hours of driving, I’m hungry, tired, and low on gas. I’m looking forward to Rosie’s Restaurant, a favorite stop for good food, gas, and a respite from the journey. To my dismay, the restaurant and adjacent gas station are gone. Wasting time and energy, I must drive around randomly to locate what I need before resuming my trip.

Migrants often find my yard and use it to rest and refuel. During fall migration, especially after a cold front, I search for recent arrivals. Sometimes I find thrushes, tanagers, grosbeaks, and warblers eating berries on the Virginia Creeper, Arrowwood Viburnum, Winterberry Holly, Spicebush, Black Chokeberry, Flowering Dogwood, Crabapple, and Northern Bayberry I’ve planted for them. One winter a southbound Hermit Thrush stayed in my yard all winter eating American Holly berries.

This fall I’ve been watching a Gray Catbird eating berries on the Virginia Creeper

Cape may Warbler eating Virginia Creeper berries. Courtesy of and © G. Dewaghe. Click to enlarge.

hanging above my deck railing. Because the bird is just a few feet away, I don’t really need my binoculars. It lands on a branch, leans forward, grabs one of the blue-black berries, then quickly swallows—again and again, all day long. Either a resident breeder soon to migrate or a recent arrival using my yard as a stopover, this bird needs these berries. Besides Gray Catbird I’ve seen Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson’s Thrush, American Robin, Cape May Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler eating Virginia Creeper berries.

Prior to migration, songbirds must increase their weight by 50-100%. Thrushes, grosbeaks, waxwings, orioles, tanagers, and other songbirds switch from a diet of insects to mostly berries. Finding berries consumes less energy than pursuing insects. Scott McWilliams and Navindra Seeram, researchers at the University of Rhode Island, are studying the diet of birds preparing for migration on Block Island. According to this new research, birds select deeply-pigmented berries

Highly nutritious Arrowwood Viburnum berries were most preferred by migrants preparing for fall migration in the Block Island study. Photo © Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

that are high in antioxidants and fat prior to migration. Antioxidants help birds(as well as humans) handle stress. Because migration is certainly stressful, birds need to find nutrient-rich berries at stopovers along their migratory routes.

Migration is hazardous for birds. On their southward journey they fly at night for four to six hours without a break. They must stop and refuel several times before reaching their wintering grounds, especially if their final destination is the tropics. They spend four to five days at each stopover where most consume nutrient-rich berries. If they fail to find sufficient fuel for the next leg of their journey, they become weak and vulnerable to hawks, owls, and other predators.

Scientists tell us even small patches of native plants can provide food and shelter for migrating birds. On my three quarter acre property, I’ve planted scores of fruit-bearing native shrubs, trees, and vines. Besides the shrubs mentioned, I’ve recently planted Black Gum, Hackberry, Sassafras, and Spicebush that will offer fruits in future autumns. Also, in a few spots I allow Pokeweed (regrettably considered a weed by most gardeners) to grow and produce beautiful dark purple berries irresistible to birds.

Since many ornamental and invasive non-native plants produce berries, why are native plants so important for migrating birds? With their high fat content and extra antioxidants, native berries are highly nutritious. Because the natives usually have

Birds do eat non-native berries. This Gray Catbird is eating invasive Porcelainberry and, regrettably, spreading the seeds. Photo courtesy of and © Adrian Binns/Wildside Nature Tours.com. Click to enlarge.

strongly-colored berries, either black or red, or have leaves or stems that are bright red, birds can easily find them. Also, the native berries ripen at the right time. Many migrants, especially warblers, continue to eat insects as well—found primarily on native plants. If necessary, of course, birds will also eat the less nutritious fruits of non-native plants.

Most yards have room for shrubs. You can plant native fruit-bearing shrubs and small trees around your property’s perimeter to create a hedgerow laden with nutritious fall fruits. You can also group them around isolated trees. By reducing your lawn, you’ll find room for more shrubs and other fruiting plants.

Birds, especially those that migrate to the tropics, are in trouble. On average, the populations of long-distance migrant species drop 1% each year. We assume we can do little except give money to organizations that preserve land. However, we can help migrating birds survive their perilous and crucial journeys by growing the plants they need and love.

References:

http://www.naturalnews.com/029391_birds_superfoods.html#

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100324155357.htm

Top Native Berry Plants for Fall Migrants
Latin Name	Common Name
Trees
Celtis occidentalis	Hackberry
Cornus florida	Flowering Dogwood
Ilex opaca	American Holly
Malus coronaria	Crabapple
Nyssa sylvatica	Black Gum/ Tupelo
Sassafras albidum	Sassafras
Shrubs
Aronia arbutifolia, A. melanocarpa	Red Chokeberry, Black Chokeberry
Cornus racemosa, C. amonum	Gray Dogwood, Silky Dogwood
Ilex verticillata	Winterberry Holly
Lindera benzoin	Spicebush
Myrica pensylvanica	Bayberry
Viburnum acerfolium, V. dentatum, V. lentago,V. nudum, V. prunifolium	Mapleleaf Viburnum, Arrowwood Viburnum, Nannyberry, Possumhaw, Black Haw
Vines and Herbaceous Plants
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Virginia Creeper Vine
Phytolacca americana	Pokeweed

Keeping a Yard Bird List

Posted on June 22, 2013 by barb

By Edie Parnum

Pileated Woodpecker. Photo courtesy of and © Howard Eskin.

Looking out my kitchen window as I habitually do, I spotted a large dark bird showing bold white flashes on its wings flying to a snag at the back of my property. Luckily, I keep my binoculars within reach on the counter. It was a Pileated Woodpecker, a first for my yard.

This Pileated Woodpecker was #105 on my Yard Bird List. Every new bird added to the list is special to me. My count makes me proud that I’ve planted bird-friendly natives that host a variety of birds. However, because my young trees are too immature to attract this woodpecker, the pileated was a surprise. It visited my yard because I left the trunk and some major branches on a dead tree rather than cut it to the ground.

The snag in Edie’s yard that attracted the Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Edie Parnum. Click to enlarge.

Keeping the yard list helps me hone my ID skills, visual and auditory. A Least Flycatcher, one of those challenging
Empidonax flycatchers, once lingered in my yard for two days. Seated on my deck, I could leisurely, but closely observe its diagnostic bold eye-ring, big head, short wings, and narrow tail. It did not sing, but occasionally gave a call, a little “pit” sound. If I had been elsewhere on a bird walk, I
would have made a quick ID and quickly moved on to look for other birds.

Closely watching the birds in my ¾-acre yard improves my knowledge of their habits, food preferences, seasonality, and habitat requirements. I note the species of birds using each plant and the time of year. In the spring, warblers, vireos, orioles, and other migrants glean caterpillars from the foliage of my Black Cherry and the young oaks and birches. In the fall, waxwings, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, robins, and other thrushes devour the crabapples. A variety of sparrows eat seeds in my 1/10-acre meadow in the autumn. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers bore holes in the Sweet Gum and crabapples in the spring and fall. A Magnolia Warbler foraged in the Northern Bayberry last September, but I’m not sure whether it was eating the berries or bugs. I’ll take a closer look if it returns to the same shrubs next fall.

Magnolia Warbler. Courtesy of and © Howard Eskin.

Do I count birds that fly over my yard without landing, you might ask? Yes, although I can’t claim my improved habitat offers any sustenance to the flyovers. Furthermore, I even added a distant, heard-only, Fish Crow to my list. Perhaps I’m inflating my yard count, but I’m staying observant of all the birdlife around me. On the other hand, I didn’t count a Red-shouldered Hawk perched three blocks away that never flew over my property.

I keep a list of missing birds, too. I haven’t seen a Willow Flycatcher, Veery, or a White-eyed Vireo —how could that be?! Lacking a stream or wetland on my property, I may never see a Louisiana and Northern Waterthrush. Mature native trees are still scarce here, so the warbler list is slim–just 20 species. Maybe during this fall migration or next spring I’ll find the missing Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Cerulean, Bay-breasted, Connecticut, Mourning, Wilson’s, or Hooded Warbler. I probably won’t ever get an outlier like American Woodcock (wrong habitat), but I have hopes that a Northern Saw-Whet Owl will use my Eastern Red Cedar one day.

Keeping a yard list can be as simple as noting the birds on a piece of paper. Or, even better, you can use eBird, a listing program that is one of the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology’s citizen science projects. By entering your yard bird sightings into eBird, you’ll have access to the records of other local as well as far-flung birders. Your data will be incorporated into Cornell’s records and be used to track bird populations by educators, conservationists, and ornithologists around the world. http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ or http://ebird.org/content/pa/

Watching for birds is a part of my everyday life. I can observe my feeder birds while working at my kitchen sink. As I move around the house, I always glance out the closest window. While relaxing on my deck, I’ve spotted many new yard birds. I regularly take walks around the yard, too. On good migration days, I go out early to look for new arrivals. No travel is necessary, and there’s still time for the rest of the day’s activities. Every day I’m connected to nature.

Fall: Time for Planting Trees and Shrubs

Posted on November 1, 2012 by barb

By Edie Parnum

I thrust my spade into a patch of my lawn. It’s fall, and I’m planting a 4-foot Chestnut Oak. As I dig, I imagine this young tree next spring with its new green leaves. Even as a young sapling, it will host insects and birds. Looking into the future, I imagine this stately native tree a century from now. It has given life to thousands of birds and other animals.

My neighbors, I’ve noticed, aren’t thinking about spring. They are clearing their yards of leaves and the dead vegetation from last year’s ornamental plants. They are putting this unwanted garden debris out on the curb along with the cocoons and eggs of next year’s insects. They are getting ready for winter. Fall is the best time for planting trees and shrubs, any time before the ground freezes. During the autumn rains, the new plants aren’t asleep. They’re putting energy into their roots for a spurt of growth next spring.This fall, as usual, I will plant several trees and shrubs. When I bought this ¾-acre property five years ago, it was mostly grass with just a few trees, mostly non-natives. Since then I’ve planted 39 native trees and 45 native shrubs. It’s still not enough.

I keep planting native woody plants because they support wildlife. Certainly non-native woodies offer fruits birds will eat—witness the bird-spread proliferation of invasives like Multiflora Rose, Burning Bush, and Japanese Barberry. Natives, however, offer fruits of optimum size and superior nutrition. The fruits of the dogwoods, blueberries, winterberries, viburnums, spicebush, and sassafras I’ve planted ripen just in time to nourish hungry migrating birds in fall. Now in late October most of the berries are gone—consumed by thrushes, catbirds, mockingbirds, waxwings, and warblers.

The main reason I plant native woodies, however, is for the caterpillars and other insects these plants support. I’m inspired by Doug Tallamy, Professor and Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. His research shows

The caterpillar of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly uses Spicebush or Sassafras as its host plant. USFWS Photo by Ryan Hagerty.

that native plants host 29 times more of the native insects essential for our birds. After all, 96% of terrestrial birds feed their young exclusively insect food.

This year to augment what I’m already growing, I’ll plant ten small trees and shrubs. I’m planting the Chestnut Oak, Quercus prinus (according to Tallamy, oaks host 534 species of caterpillars); American Elm, Ulmus Americana (hosts 213); and Pawpaw, Asimina triloba (host plant for Zebra Swallowtail butterfly, a species I covet for my yard butterfly list).

Planting a tree or shrub is easy. For my Chestnut Oak and the other trees and shrubs, I don’t need to dig a huge hole. I make my hole only as deep as the soil in the plant container and twice as wide. After putting the plant into the hole, I make sure the soil line of the plant is level with the ground. Then I use the soil that was removed from the hole to fill in around the plant. Because my oak is a local native adapted to our soil, I am not tempted to add special topsoil, fertilizer, or any other enrichment. That would stimulate fast but weak growth. A hole filled with artificially enriched soil encourages the roots to stay confined rather than to reach into the ground below for nourishment. Next, I push down on the loose dirt with my hands, but avoid stomping on it with my feet. I spread a one-inch layer of my compost (last year’s leaves and garden debris) on top to provide some extra humus not available in the turf grass. Then I give my oak a good watering. That’s it for this tree. I’m ready to plant more.

Newly planted trees and shrubs may need extra water. During any week without significant rain, I put a leaky watering can next to each plant and let the water drip slowly into the soil. A 1-2” layer of mulch will help retain the moisture, but I never let the mulch touch the trunk. Once established, these woody plants, situated appropriately for light and moisture, should thrive without any additional help from me.

The trees and shrubs I plant are usually small. They are cheaper and suffer less transplant shock than a big tree or shrub. These smaller saplings start to grow more quickly and in a few years usually out-compete larger nursery stock. To save money, I also frequently transplant volunteer trees and shrubs in my yard to more appropriate locations. Some of my shrubs—virburnums, for instance—send out shoots that I dig up and plant elsewhere. I also accept gifts from my native plant gardening friends. As I say, there’s always room for more. Anyway, I’m not growing ornamental specimens. The plants can touch each other and offer extra shelter, just as they do in the wild.

My trees and shrubs are still small, but they already support birds and other wildlife. Next spring I’ll see warblers and other hungry migrants eating caterpillars on the leaves of my native woody plants. The remaining areas of grass are begging to be planted with additional native trees and shrubs. Next fall I won’t resist planting more.

—————————–

For Doug Tallamy’s list of woody plants supporting butterfly and moth caterpillars, click here.

Trees and Shrubs on Edie’s Property
Botanical Name	Common Name	Wildlife Value
*Trees*
Acer rubrum	Red Maple	L, F
Aesculus pavia	Red Buckeye	L, N
Amelanchier canadensis	Serviceberry/ Juneberry	L. F
Asimina triloba	Pawpaw	L, F
Betula lenta, B. nigra	Sweet Birch, River Birch	L, F
Celtis occidentalis	Hackberry	L, F
Cercis canadensis	Eastern Redbud	L, N
Cornus alternifolia, C.florida	Pagoda Dogwood, Flowering Dogwood	L, F
Ilex opaca	American Holly	L, F
Juniperus virginiana	Eastern Red Cedar	L, F
Liriodendron tulipifera	Tulip Poplar	L, N, F
Magnolia virginiana	Sweetbay Magnolia	L
Nyssa sylvatica	Black Gum/ Tupelo	L, F
Pinus strobus	Eastern White Pine	L, F
Prunus serotina	Black Cherry	L, F
Quercus alba,Q. coccinea, Q. pinus, Q. rubra	White Oak, Scarlet Oak, Chestnut Oak, Red Oak	L, F
Sassafras albidum	Sassafras	L, F
Tsuga canadensis	Eastern Hemlock	L,F
Shrubs
Aronia melanocarpa.	Black Chokeberry	L, F
Clethra alnifolia	Sweet Pepperbush	N
Cornus racemosa, C. amonum	Gray Dogwood, Silky Dogwood	L, N, F
Hydrangea arborescens, H. quercifolia	Wild Hydrangea, Oakleaf Hydrangea	N
Ilex verticillata	Winterberry Holly	F
Myrica pensylvanica	Bayberry	L, F
Rosa virginiana	Wild or Pasture Rose	L, F
Sambucus canadensis	American Elder	L, F, N
Vaccinium corymbosum	Highbush Blueberry	L, F, N
Viburnum dentatum, V. lentago,V. nudum, V. prunifolium	Arrowwood Viburnum, Nannyberry, Possumhaw, Black Haw	L, F
L = Leaves support moth and butterfly caterpillars and other leaf-eating insects that are eaten by birds
N = Nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators
F = Food products such as berries, seeds, nuts, buds, and pollen for birds, mammals, and pollinators

Places to buy native plants:

Marvelous Migrating Monarchs Need Our Help

Posted on October 13, 2012 by barb

By Barb Elliot

Monarch butterflies are on the move. I’ve been seeing them fly through my yard, above fields, over traffic jams, through neighborhoods. These fragile creatures are heading southwest toward their ancient wintering grounds, stopping along the way to rest and sip nectar from late-blooming plants. The peak of Monarch migration through our area is mid- to late-September, but you may still see Monarchs if you spend time outdoors.

This generation of Monarchs is different from those we saw in the summer. Those Monarchs were intent on mating and laying eggs and only lived from two to six weeks. But this generation will live for about eight months and is in the midst of an epic journey. They will not mate, but instead are programmed to fly to a place they have never been before – mountains in Mexico where millions of Monarchs will roost together to survive the winter. Some of them will fly as far as 3,000 miles!

Monarch Fall Migration Routes

Migrating Monarchs depend on nectar sources along their route for energy to complete the journey. Next spring, the Monarchs that survive migration and the winter in Mexico will fly north into Texas, mate, lay eggs on milkweed plants and die. Caterpillars will hatch from the eggs, eat milkweed, change into chrysalises, and emerge as adult Monarch butterflies that in turn fly north, mate, lay eggs and die. The next generation will make its way farther north and east, repeat the cycle, and the U.S. and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains will once again be populated with Monarch butterflies during spring and summer. The great, great, grandchildren of the Monarchs that are now flying south will be the ones we see during their migration to Mexico next fall. Though some butterfly species complete a one-way migration, Monarchs are the only butterfly species in the world that accomplishes a two-way migration.

Monarchs roosting on their Mexican over-wintering grounds. National Geographic photo.

Migrating Monarchs face many threats, including bad weather, predators, and lack of food, but some have always survived to continue the species. However, if current

trends continue, we are in danger of losing Monarchs altogether. This year’s population, according to Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch, is about half the long-term average. Monarch numbers have been declining since the late 1990’s, but the downward trend has accelerated since 2003. Monarch Watch indicates the major cause for the decline is loss of food sources in the U.S. from development, routine mowing along roadsides, and the widespread use of herbicides that kill milkweed plants, the Monarch caterpillar’s only food. Increased use of genetically modified corn and soy crops on mid-west farms is likely responsible for much of the population decline. These crops are engineered to survive the spraying of herbicides which kill milkweeds and other plants growing in the fields. Since the year 2000, about 100 million acres of former Monarch milkweed habitat in agricultural areas have been lost in this way. The milkweed habitats that are left are not sufficient to sustain the larger Monarch populations of the 1990s.

This Monarch near Austin, Texas is much closer to the Mexican wintering grounds, but faces drought conditions with few flowers to provide nectar. October 9, 2012. Photo © Barb Elliot

Monarchs need our help! Monarch Watch has suggested a national effort to plant milkweeds in as many locations as possible, and have instituted a campaign called Bring Back the Monarchs. It’s not too late to get some milkweed started in your garden this fall, or you can wait till spring. Perhaps you can think of additional locations that milkweeds could be planted, such as in schoolyards, parks, business properties, or roadsides. Milkweeds do well in containers, too, so a large space is not necessary. Of the five species of native milkweeds in my yard, my favorite is Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). I found many Monarch eggs on my Swamp Milkweed this summer and also noticed that adults seemed to prefer the long-blooming Swamp Milkweed flowers’ nectar to that of other flowers in my yard.

You can help migrating Monarchs and other fall-flying butterflies by providing late-blooming nectar plants such as native asters and goldenrods. Consider adding flowering plants to your yard that provide a succession of blooms from spring through fall. You’ll be providing nectar not just for migrating Monarchs, but also for the Monarchs and other butterflies that fly earlier in the year. Check the native perennials on our Backyards for Nature plant list for some suggestions.

If you add milkweeds for Monarch caterpillars and nectar plants for the adults, you will be helping to make more Monarchs. You’ll not only have the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping to increase the population, but you’ll be able to see these marvelous butterflies in your yard and even witness their metamorphosis of egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly! You can also have your yard certified as a Monarch Waystation through Monarch Watch. This will mark your contribution to preserving Monarchs and show others how they, too, can help one of the true treasures of the natural world.

Certified Monarch Waystation sign from Monarch Watch. Photo by Barb Elliot

Below is a list of the locally native species of milkweed that I grow in my yard.

Locally Native Milkweed Plants**
Botanical Name	Common Name	Bloom Color & Period	Light & Soil Conditions
Asclepias incarnata	Swamp Milkweed	Pink flowers; June & July	Part to full sun, moist soil
Asclepias tuberosa	Butterfly Milkweed	Orange flowers; June to August	Sun, dry to average soil
Asclepias verticillata	Whorled Milkweed	White flowers; July & August	Sun, dry to average soil
Asclepias purpurascens	Purple Milkweed	Dark pink/purple flowers; June & July	Part to full sun, dry/ average/moist soil
Asclepias syriaca*	Common Milkweed	Pink flowers; June & July	Sun, dry soil
*Spreads rapidly by underground rhizomes; best for large areas with other flowers and grasses
**All are deer resistant

For a list of local nurseries that sell native milkweeds, click here.

For info on how to gather and plant milkweed seeds, click here.

backyardsfornature.org

Tag Archives: migration

Summer Magic in Barb’s Yard

Native Berries for Fall Migrants

Keeping a Yard Bird List

Fall: Time for Planting Trees and Shrubs

Marvelous Migrating Monarchs Need Our Help