Saturday’s very warm temperatures had us in the yard cleaning up the old birdseed under the feeders.   While wandering around the house looking at various plants in the garden I noticed that the rabbits have been busy already on my roses.  And one of the roses in sprouting new growth.  More concerning to me are my oldest daffodils.

They are already poking out of the ground!  They are only two or three feet from the house on the west side and are protected to the south and the north by junipers, but THEY ARE ALREADY COMING UP!!!!!  No, no, no, no!!!

AND…. I have a hyacinth that has decided to see what is going on….

This was on Saturday when we were in the low 50s.  I don’t think they are liking the minus three degrees right now.  Now, I am hoping for about two inches of snow to help cover them up and help insulate them.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will see any good snows for a few days.

Hang on little guys!  And STOP GROWING!!!!

Dig it!

Posted under Winter

All the presents are ripped open and the wrapping paper and packaging thrown out.  The tree is still standing despite the best efforts of Rover and Fluffy.  Now what?  What do I do with the tree?

Well, if it is an artificial one, leave it up until Valentine’s Day like we used to do.  It seemed like the thing to do at the time…

For several years, Mom and Dad would buy a living tree.  We kept the tree in the living room until Spring when we could plant it outside.  I don’t know if we left the decorations on it, but that may be where the tradition of keeping them on until Valentine’s Day came from. I know we had at least three live trees through the years and they are all taller than the two story house I grew up in.  They liked living near Cosgrove, apparently.

If you are of the school to buy a cut tree for your Christmas season, you will probably want to get it out of the house as soon as possible.  It becomes a fire danger if it isn’t kept moist.

When you are ready to take all the ornaments off and put them away, there are several ways to get rid of, or recycle your tree.

After you take all the ornaments, lights and tinsel off the tree, place the tree in the yard to be used by birds and other wildlife.  It will provide shelter for the creatures from strong winds, cold and predators.  You can hang fruit slices, suet cakes, cranberry strings or raisins on the branches to feed the birds.  You can smear peanut butter and seeds on pine cones and then hang them in the trees, too.  Birds love that!

Another option is to cut off the branches and use the boughs as mulch by placing them over perennials.  Chip up the tree and use it as mulch, also, around trees, shrubs or in your flower beds.

If you don’t want to use the tree yourself, contact your local Solid Waste Agency to see if they have some type of Christmas tree disposal program.  Some communities will have curbside pickup, others may provide a place to take the trees to be chipped into mulch. They will then be used to cover area trails or be made available to local residents to be used in your own gardens.

I have seen a lot of formerly decorated trees placed on top of the ice over lakes and ponds to be used as fish shelter/habitat when the ice melts.  Contact your local Conservation Board to see if they want your tree for such a program.

Never burn your old Christmas tree in your fireplace or wood stove.  The dry, evergreen branches will explode when burned and could cause a house fire.  That is in addition to adding to the buildup of creosote in the chimney and flue.

Merry Christmas!

Dig it!

Posted under Winter

‘Tis the season to decorate, but you might want to be careful what you are decorating with.

Oriental Bittersweet is a woody vine that has bright red berries and is perfect for Christmas decorations.

The problem is, the seeds on the vines are viable, meaning they will grow if they hit the dirt… well, they have to get IN the dirt and get the appropriate amounts of water and sunlight, but you get the idea.

—-Oriental bittersweet:

While that in itself is not necessarily a problem, the fact that the vine is very aggressive, is.  The vine is native to Asia and it climbs trees, slowing the growth or killing the them by blocking the light from the forest canopy.

There is an American bittersweet, which is native to Iowa.

Just looking at the pictures, they seem the same to me.  You can tell the difference by checking the fruit location on the vine.

American bittersweet only has fruit at the tip of the stem whereas Oriental bittersweet has fruit and flowers along the length of the stem.    The Minnesota Department of Ag has some more information here.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources also has a page you can visit, and goes into a little more detail.  You can check it out by clicking here.

Whether you have the invasive or the native variety of bittersweet, have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice and any other celebrations that occur when the Sun is in the Southern Hemisphere!

Dig it!

Posted under Winter

Two plants are iconic for the winter holiday season, Christmas trees and poinsettias. Most people either have a fake tree they take down after the holidays and put back in the box or a formerly living tree that they leave on the curb or take to be recycled at the local Nature Center.  We don’t have either because we have four cats.  Who get into everything.  Often.

We don’t have poinsettias, either, for the same reasons.  Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are often just thrown away at the end of the season, but you can keep the plant and have it rebloom next year.  The plant is a native of southern Mexico and is named after Joel R. Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico.  He brought the poinsettia to the United States in 1825.  While we mostly think of poinsettias as red, they can be white, pink as well as red and white.  I have seen blue and green ones, too, but they were done with dye.

The flowers of the poinsettia are not the large red colored pieces of the plant.  Those are called bracts and are just colored leaves.  The flowers are the small yellow button-like structures at the center of the bracts. 

Poinsettias are commonly thought to be poisonous, but laboratory studies have shown that the leaves, stems, bracts and flowers are not toxic to people or pets. However, if a leaf or stem is broken or cut, it oozes a white substance that may be mildly irritating to the skin.  Wash off your hands or any part of your skin that gets sap on it.  And if the sap gets ingested, it may cause a mild stomach upset. 

While you have the poinsettia in the house, check the soil daily to determine whether or not the plant needs water.  When the soil is dry to the touch, water the plant thoroughly.  Water should flow freely out of the bottom of the pot.  If you don’t have a tray under the plant, place the pot in the sink.  If you do have a tray underneath, pour out the excess water.  The root system can be damaged by sitting for long periods in saucers full of water.  Bracts should remain attractive often through Valentine’s Day.

Most people throw out the poinsettia after the holidays.  However, you can keep the plant and get it to bloom again next season.  Keep the plant watered even when the bracts are not “blooming”.

In May, cut the remaining stems back to about 3-6 inches above the soil.  You can repot the plant or separate the stems if there are several in the original pot.  Use a pot with good drainage and use a quality potting soil that has been pasteurized to kill any diseases.  Water completely.

Starting in the spring, fertilize every 2 to 3 weeks with a complete fertilizer (10-10-10) and follow the directions on the fertilizer label for flowering plants.

When the minimum outdoor temperature is consistently above 60 degrees (usually the first part of June in Iowa), it is safe to move the poinsettia outside to partial shade.  Increase watering frequency when you see shoots beginning to grow. 

The poinsettia needs to be pinched back to control height and to promote a more full plant.  The first pinch should be done when the first shoots are several inches long, or around the first week of July.  Remove the upper inch of growth on each stem, leaving 4 or 5 leaves per stem.  Pinching promotes the plant to put out more branches and create a fuller plant.  After pinching, that milky sap will be secreted, so make sure you wash the sap off your hands.  You can also wash the sap off the plant with a gentle shower from a hose.  A second pinching may be needed in August.

In order for poinsettias to produce flowers, they must experience days with less than 12 hours of daylight.  Most varieties require 8 to 10 weeks of these short days to flower.  For full color before December 25th, you need to start these “short days” in early October.  If you want your poinsettia to bloom earlier or later, adjust when you start.  Plants are at their best for 4 to 6 weeks after your target flowering date.

To start this “short days” phase, the plant must be in complete darkness from 5 PM to 8 AM which can be accomplished by placing the plant in a dark closet or in a light-proof box.  Any light that the plant gets during the dark period can delay flowering, so make sure you aren’t using the closet that you will need to get into during the plants “dark” time.

Light is still needed for growth, so the plant should be placed in a sunny location from 8 AM through 5 PM.  Water as needed and fertilize every week according to the fertilizer label until the bract color develops.

Once color is visible, it is not necessary to keep the poinsettia in complete darkness during the night.  At this time, the plant will flower with any amount of daylight.

Doing all of these steps will keep your Christmas mood going all year long!

Dig it!

By the way… I apologize for the drawing at the top.  I am not, nor have I ever been, an artist.  And I was using a computer mouse… not the paintbrush and water colors from my schooldays!  

Posted under Houseplants, Winter

Most of the winter, Dwayne and I have been trying to figure out how many pairs of Cardinals are visiting our feeders.  We have had at least 6 males at one time and as many females, although not necessarily at the same time. The problem is, they keep flying off as a new one flies in, or moves to a different spot.  Very difficult to count.

This photo boasts a female downy woodpecker on the suet feeder, a mourning dove on the arbor in the background, a male cardinal in the flat feeder along with a purple finch and a sparrow. The other one may be a sparrow or a female finch.

Which should make for an interesting time from February 18-21 this year.  Those are the dates of the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count.  While I have heard of the Christmas Bird Count for years, this is the first year that I have heard of the Great Backyard Bird Count (even though this will be the 14th year).  I have probably heard of it before and just thought it was the Christmas one.  The Great Backyard Bird Count is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. 

This picture shows several of the 13 or so doves on the fence, the one on the deck, 1 cardinal and 2 sparrows. Unfortunately, I am not sure about the variety of sparrow, so I wouldn't count those.

Even though it is called the Great BACKYARD Bird Count, you do not actually have to be in your backyard to help out.  You can go to a park, your schoolyard, a nature center… anywhere there are birds.  You also don’t have to be an ornithologist (bird expert).  If you see a species you can’t identify, look in a field guide.  If you still aren’t sure, you don’t have to report that species.  Only report the ones you know.

The hairy woodpecker on the wooden suet feeder with the doves on the fence.

You only have to could for 15 minutes on one or more of the four days.  You can count for longer each day and all of the four days.  You can enter your tallies at the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) website…. click on the chickadee cutout…

The more people who participate the better the snapshot of the winter’s birds.  Scientists can track the ups and downs of bird populations and learn more about their movements from year to year.

The chickadee (and we have counted at least 6 at one time) likes to grab a seed....

And take it to the rose canes to crack it open. This is a look at his, um, rear end.

According to the GBBC’s website, last year the participants of the count reported 602 species on more that 97,300 lists.  They also recommend keeping your digital camera handy, too.  You can upload photos of the birds you have seen during the count through the GBBC website. 

This has a junco, looks like 3 purple finch males, 6 finch females and a couple that I can't tell what they are from the back.

Hit the site before the count and you can download a list of birds that you could see in our area right now.  It is on the GBBC website under the “What is the GBBC?” or “How to Participate” buttons on the left side.  Then click on the link for a regional checklist and put in your zip code.  This list may make it easier to tally the species that you see.  If you see eight juncos, then twelve and then a flock of about 30, you will record the 30.  That is the highest number you see at once.  They recommend this method in order to avoid counting the same birds over and over again.

Junco, 2, check. Purple house finch, 2 male, 3 female, check. Goldfinch, 1 check (the one with his back to you and the sort of forked tail). And the bird poking his head into the right side of the picture may be a finch...

If you are counting for more than one day, enter a new checklist for each day that you participate in the count.  It doesn’t matter if you are in the same spot or move to a different one.  They want a new list for each day.  And if you move to a different location on the same day, you can submit a new checklist for that location in addition to the first one.

The female finch is in the foreground with the goldfinch in the back.

Click here for instructions on how to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

The downy (can't tell if it is male or female) is on the birch tree looking at the suet, making sure the hairy doesn't come back to chase him away. The line up of the doves continues on the fence.

Good luck in keeping track of all the birds that fly in and out of your counting space.  And if you can’t do it this year… make plans for next year!

Oh… and I’m pretty sure I saw a robin on Sunday.  I’ll take that as a good sign!

Dig it!

Posted under General, Winter

While driving in winter and dealing with the extreme cold are not my favorite things to do this time of the year, Mother Nature can sure put on a show.  Here are some photos that some people sent in from last week’s snow and this week’s hoar frost.  Beautiful.

And here are the photos from my attempts at photographing nature:

Snow on our southern spruce. The deep snow makes the tree look even shorter than it is.

Our neighbor's junipers. They look cool covered in snow.

This is our DeGroots Spire Arborvitae. We moved him this year and he didn't like it. We need to get the snow off of him. Maybe he will feel better then.

The umpteen inches of snow on one of our junipers.

If you shoot through the window, make sure the lens is touching the glass. That way the flash won't make your photo yellow. I blame Clyde for this one. He was trying to help.

I was going for the "artistic look". It just looks like I got a branch in the way.

Some of these images were taken while I was playing with the settings on my camera. I still don’t know anything about aperature and shutter speed, but I did have fun playing with them. And with digital, I’m not wasting film.

Enjoy your photo ops!

Dig it!

Posted under Photos, Winter

 While we enjoy planting flowers and shrubs that the birds can enjoy during the summer, we also make sure they have plenty of food, shelter and water for the winter.  Birds use more energy in the winter to stay warm and make it through the very long nights. 

We put out sunflower seed since almost every bird loves that. We have also been putting out some peanuts and corn for the Blue Jays but other birds like them, too.  We put those either on the ground or in our flat feeder hanging from our “bird feeding station”.

Our bird feeding station handles a lot of traffic through the year.

We have suet feeders and Dwayne found a ball of suet with bird seed in it at the local Fareway meat counter.  Ask at your local groceries meat counter if they offer something similar.  Or you can just get the suet and add the bird seed yourself.  It may be a good way to get the kids involved in bird watching!

The suet ball with a downy woodpecker eating away.

To the left of the suet and a little down is our suet feeder for the square suet cakes. This one has attracted a red-bellied woodpecker.

Winter or summer, songbirds love to have cover. 

One of our spruces. The sparrows love it and I have seen the doves and cardinals in the branches as well.

When predators come by they need to have a place to escape to quickly. The predators in our yard mainly come in the form of neighborhood cats and a Coopers Hawk that swings by every so often.  They usually go off empty pawed or taloned, but every once in awhile we find the feathers of a bird that didn’t speed away in time. 

Birds also need water during the winter.  We have a heated birdbath that we attach to our deck.  This keeps it fairly close to the outdoor outlet.  Make sure you use an extension cord that is approved for outdoor use.  The instructions that come with the heated birdbath will tell you what kind to get.  We replace the water at least once a day and make sure to wipe it out every couple of days or whenever it looks like the birds have had too much fun in it. 

Our heated birdbath. The birds come to it often to have a bit of time at the spa.

In addition to the birdbath on the deck, we have a small tray feeder that we try to keep filled as well.  The birds don’t seem to mind getting fairly close to the glass doors and the cats love it…

What's on kitty tv today? Ooo. A Junco!

This is kitty tv. Clyde is on the left, Barney on the right.

This photo is from Doug Adelmund in Parkersburg. The cats were too busy, they wouldn't give me their names.

Make sure that you keep the feeders filled on a regular basis or the birds won’t keep flocking to your yard.

We need to refill the plug suet feeder and the cake suet feeders often.

The hopper feeder is nice because it has a little bit of a roof overhang, but snow needs to be cleared out of the seed holder every time it snows.

I found a nice website that includes a lot of bird feeding and watching information.  You can check it out yourself by clicking here.

And the Iowa State Extension service has a nice publication on Iowa Winter Birds.  Click on the name to get to it.

Posted under Winter

And I was worried the ground would freeze and heave out all of my perennials….

As we are all aware, Mother Nature provided a heck of a storm last week.  The storm dumped a large swath of snow that added up to 12 to 15 inches before the winds kicked up.  Mark has information about the storm on his blog (click here to check it out).  You can also check out the National Weather Service Offices in the Quad Cities and in La Crosse, WI to see their reports on the storm. 

I managed to ride out the storm at home without any place to be.  Dwayne was taking an extra day off and his normal “weekend” in the middle of the week and I needed to kill three vacation days.  Why not spend them with my hubby?  We had planned on taking a trip to Madison, WI to eat at the Essen Haus and then work our way down State Street the next day.  The week before we were going to go, the computer models were not looking so hot.  I told Dwayne we were probably going to have to stay home.  I went to the grocery store and got enough food to last for a week if needed.  Or three days if we really got hungry!

What a winter wonderland!  As long as I stayed inside, it was great.

This is where our driveway is supposed to be. You can't tell it by this shot, though!

We could look out and feel sorry for all the birds trying to fly to the feeder in the blizzard winds.  Or try to find food out of the winds.

The poor dove. At least there is a little bit of shelter under the spruce. There is a good two foot drift just to the right of the photo.

But at least the flower beds have a blanket on them!

This is, obviously, taken through the screen. I wasn't about to go outside in a blizzard. This is the new raised rosebed, although it seems pretty buried to me!

Here is the rosebed starting to peek out on Thursday.

There are four 4x8 foot raised vegetable beds under all of that snow.

I am hoping that this snow will be enough to keep all of my newest acquisitions safe until the spring when they can strengthen their root systems.  The snow will act as good insulation and keep the plants from getting frostbitten and die from the cold.  Or have the ground heave and spit out the roots.  I don’t think we have to worry about that for a little bit. 

Dig it!  (Or shovel it… in this case!)

Posted under General, Photos, Winter