Wild About Wild Life

“A beautiful butterfly”! No doubt you have voiced this and or have thought it the last time you witnessed the graceful habits of one of natures most creative and beautiful creatures. In the whole theme of bringing out the very best that your yard can be, you don’t want to leave out the butterfly garden. By planting a garden like this, with all the correct plants and flowers that attract your local butterflies to lay their eggs, you will witness and harbor a yard chocked full of butterflies throughout the growing season. Butterfly gardens can range from a window box, to a wild flower area of your yard and or part of your cultured landscape.

We want to talk about how to start a garden, what type of plants to install and especially study what kind of butterflies are in concert to your neck of the woods. Butterflies are a beautiful addition to any and all yards and here are some tips to help you reach that goal.

The Karner Butterfly!

Start with researching what kinds of butterflies are in your area. As you research this out, write down all the different types of butterflies. You will need to know this later on and, at that time, you’ll see why.

• Once you figure out what butterflies are in your neck of the woods, now you want to learn about what kinds of flowers and plants you will need to attract these beauties to make up you attractive butterfly garden. You can get some pictures off the internet and begin to group them together, not only to figure out in what order you would like to plant them, but this also gives you an idea of what color schemes you can put together in your yard.
• Go on line, or consult your local nursery, to find out which plants and flowers are annuals and which ones are perennials. The perinneal plants and flowers will come back year after year, which is why you may want to plant them in the back of the yard. Annuals are the plants and flowers that you will have to plant year after year. Planting the annuals in a more accessible place, as in more toward the front of the yard, will make this task easier for you.
• Find out what time of the year is the best time to plant your flowers and also if they need to be covered if you live in more cold weather parts of the country.
• A few ideas for flowers that butterflies like are Buddleia Flowers. These are fast-growing, long-blooming Chinese shrubs known as the “Butterfly Bush”. This is a virtually “maintenance free” shrub that your butterflies will really enjoy. The other type of plant is Lantana Flower. This is a favorite perennial flower among many gardeners, which will flower in full sun or light shade. Be careful if you live in a “hard freeze” area of the country, as it may destroy the root, thus killing the flower.
• Last, but not least, once you have your butterfly garden in place, you may want to entertain putting up butterfly houses. These are ideal for you butterflies for protection from birds and other preying wildlife. You can purchase them relatively cheap with an assortment of different shapes and colors that will compliment the experience for your butterflies in your yard.

*For more information on how you can acquire supplies for your Butterfly Garden Creation, may I suggest visiting : http://www.critterfeeder.net/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=45&osCsid=b94da7a4bde54af3cd34c6fe3cc2db43

 * If you have any questions concerning this article or how you can create the best butterfly garden, feel free to contact me anytime at: freedomenterprises@bresnan.net

The Birdhouse Guy!

Our featured wildlife house for this week is The Bat Mansion – Bat House! The Bat Mansion – Bat House  houses several hundred bats in five chambers plus an attic, which provides for greater temperature stability.  Bats seek most comfortable temperture by moving up or down inside the house.  A popular house because of its large capacity.

This can be fun and educational for the whole family and at the same time, provide natural pollination and insect control as an alternative to the ever decreasing polularity of using chemical or non-organic substances.

For more information on where you can aquire a Bat Mansion – Bat House of your own, visit us at:  http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=40

Be a part of the solution and enjoy!

The Bat Mansion

If you are interested in attracting bats to your garden, here are a few tips for you to follow. We will cover the different parts of the country and perhaps some of the best ways and places to mount bat houses as well as other criteria needed for your own insect controllers.

Some general ideas that work in most places are keep your patio lights and any outdoor lights you have on all night. These lights attract insects and that provides a food source for your bats. Also a birdbath with fresh water would be something good for bats as they need fresh water to drink and it keeps them up a little higher to keep them out of a predators way.

Okay, now to some specific information.

Bats are always looking for new roosts and the primary thing for us to remember is patience. It may take up to two years to establish a roost. So consider were to put up an artificial roost and in what direction to face it and if the OUTSIDE Only of the bat house should be painted. The bat house should be facing to the south-southeast for at least seven hours of direct sunlight.

If there is a permanent stream or pond within a quarter mile this would also be great for them and if there is a woods or forest tree line within 100 feet to hide in in case of predators also good. However not all locales support this, so alternatives will be needed. For example a birdbath with fresh water would work or a garden pool would also be agreeable to them.

Temperature is a critical requirement for bats. In the northern and central parts of the country the bat roosts need heat and lots of it, especially in the winter. You can paint the outside of the bat house a darker color with a non-toxic latex paint and try to provide the roost with at least 6-8 hours of sunlight, preferably eight to twelve hours would be better. Make sure the edges are caulked to prevent air leaks as this will cause the heat to leak out.

Most bats have a winter hibernation place to go but you may be lucky and they will stay in the roost, but remember if you disturb them in any way during hibernation they will probably die. In the southern climes paint the outside with a lighter more reflective color to remove some of the heat from the roost. If you mount the bat houses on a pole in the south, put up two of them and face one north and one south.

 If the bats occupy the north one more, in extremely hot temperatures between 95-100 and above a 100 degrees you can put up a tin roof over the top of the houses and if the temperatures run between 95-100 it is highly recommended to paint the roost a medium color and a white roof and over a 100 paint a light shade and a white roof. Again temperature is critical for the summer roosts and nurseries. Remember some bats have a winter hibernation area and they will return the next season.

Where you mount a bat house is critical and they will be occupied quicker if on a building or pole. Again they need to be high enough to be beyond the reach of most predators. Between 12-25 feet at the lowest and maybe better at around twenty feet if possible. New roosts need to be up before winter so they can be found in the spring when the bats come out to eat after hibernation. If the roost is not occupied by the second year try moving it to a different location. Remember, patience is necessary if you want to have bats around, a great natural insect controller.

A common sight in ranch land and other open areas of the American West, the male Mountain Bluebird is a breathtaking brilliant sky blue. It prefers more open habitats than the other bluebirds and can be found in colder habitats in winter.

ADULT DESCRIPTION:

• Medium-sized songbird; small thrush.
• Head large and round.
• Body chunky.
• Tail medium length.
• Blue in wings and tail.
• Male sky blue overall.

Male Description:
Body, head, wings, and tail sky blue; brighter above, paler below. Belly white. Duller brownish blue in winter.

Female Description :
Brown-blue overall. Brighter pale sky blue on rump, wings, and tail. Head and back bluish gray. White eyering. Sometimes a faint malar streak. Chest may have some reddish. Some females are more brownish than others.

Youngster Description:
Juvenile with spotted chest and unspotted back, blue in wings and tail. Immature similar to adult but duller.

These are remarkable wildlife birds. For more information on how to help, house and attract bluebirds take a peak right here: http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=13

Since the early colonial times, people have really enjoyed the company of the Eastern Bluebird because of the their beautiful rusty breast, white belly and blue cape.

Some people like to find ways to attract bluebirds by knowing what bluebirds eat and setting up bluebird nests. They love to feed in open areas such as farms, bluebird trails with scattered trees and have no problem nesting in artificial cavities of man-made boxes or which they can lay bluebird eggs and raise their families anytime between the months of April through July.

There is nothing like waking up in the morning to hear the bluebird songs that really bring a good feeling to ones ears.

In the United States of America, there are three different type of bluebird birds. The bluebird that is, by far, the most numerous is the Eastern Bluebird that resides east of the Rockies.
Moutain Bluebirds and Western Bluebirds are those who nest across the Western one-third of the United States.

Remember, a Bluebirds primary diet is insects and fruit.
Some folks are privy to the fact that it is a good idea to plant plants like the American Bittersweet which is a great way to help and attract Bluebirds.
Meal worms are another resource in which you can attract Bluebirds because, at 50.4% protein, they are an excellent nutritional source and something that Bluebirds eat besides berries and insects.

Unfortunately, conservation studies have shown a sharp decline in population mainly for lack of and or the competition of residential nesting boxes amongst the wild Bluebird species.
The good news is that those numbers are increasing, in large, because more and more Bluebird nesting houses are being erected, thus providing shelter for these natural insect controllers.

For more information on how you can help, simply to go:

http://wildlife-houses.com/

Here are some interesting facts and ideas to think about, when planning to set out bird food in your yard, near your bird bath and to fill your bird feeders to feed and attract orioles.

Here are some things to keep in mind about Orioles.

ORIOLES migrate at night so they are tired, cold and hungry when they arrive in your neck of the woods.
If you wait until you see’em, you are “too late” to attract Orioles, in maximum numbers, to your yard.
Not so much wild bird seed but bird food like ORANGES are one of the “keys” to attracting Orioles. Cut oranges in half and provide them “juicy side out” for a refreshing snack for these beautiful birds.

You can also attract these wild birds up close by offering oriole feeder nectar, jelly and fruit on the feeders by the house and patio.
They love the bright orange feeders and they are inexpensive and slip right on any Smuckers ™ or other 10-12 ounce jelly jars.
Many people feed jelly year-around, not only Orioles, but Woodpeckers, Robins, Warblers and others enjoy it.

Many people tell have said that they keep Orioles longer now that they feed grape jelly!!!!
Our favorite Oriole nectar feeders are Orioles Feeders. Why? Their wide mouths and flat tops, make ‘em easy to fill and clean (base also comes apart easily to clean), and some have bee guards to make sure that Orioles – not bees – enjoy the nectar.

If you’re worried about ants bothering your jelly or Oriole nectar, simply hang oriole feeders with clear nectar protector ant moats above them and fill with water.
This acts like a moat around a castle.
In case you already didn’t know, ants can’t swim, and for a few extra bucks you’ll never have to mess with cleaning hem out of the feeder. These also work well with hummingbird feeders.

While it is often advised that it is good to mix their own humming bird nectar from sugar, some opinion is that commercial Oriole nectar will attract and hold more Orioles and other wildbirds at the feeder longer.

The Birdbird Guy!

Pollination is not a free service. We must do our part to conserve all pollinators if we want to live in a natural, pesticide free environment.

Bats, birds, owls and other creatures are Cavity and Cave dwellers by nature. One way we can help this shortage is to provide artificial cavities known as nesting boxes. They will help boost the population of these natural insect controllers and pollinators and provide our lands and neighborhoods an alternative solution to man made chemicals which harm our environment.

Few people realize that the U.S. now applies twice the amount of pesticides it used in 1962. In Canada during the mid-1970s, aerial spraying of coniferous forest pests reduced native bee populations to the point that blueberry yields fell below the norm for four years.

A large number of insecticides used in agriculture are toxic to pollinating insects and wildlife that are premiere carries of pollination.
Interactions between plants and their pollinators are essential to healthy functioning of wild and agricultural communities.

Instead of being part of the problem, we can be a part of the solution.