tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230553333602194562023-11-16T11:19:01.382-06:00"Bird Poop" of north TexasWritten by an area Landscape Architect and birdwatcher with over 30 years of experience with landscaping in north Texas: what works and what doesn't. Emphasis on attracting birds to north Texas yards, and reducing required yard maintenance. Tips, trivia and proven advice for a natural, low-cost approach for this unique and sensitive part of the country.Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-53885077166951296462017-12-26T09:34:00.001-06:002017-12-26T09:34:32.019-06:00Are you ready for Goldfinches?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: 20pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Comic Sans MS;">Are you Ready?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gadugi",sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: purple;">North Texas
will soon be invaded by masses of Goldfinches. They’ll be with us ‘til about
April, as they avoid the freezing climate up north. Several cof you, however,
have mentioned that they aren’t yellow at first; right now they’re mostly dark
olive. Gradually, through the winter, the small birds will molt to a golden
yellow. All you may see now is a little hint of yellow on their heads. </span></span></div>
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<h5 style="margin: 16px 0px 4px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "Gadugi",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">Some of you have already spotted
beautiful Cedar Waxwings, another cool-season resident. This probably means
that flocks of them are on the way!<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>They’ll feast on berries and fruit<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>(Beautyberries and Yaupons are their favorites), perching calmly and
socially until a shrub is picked clean. They like fruit-flavored suet too.
They’ll stay around north Texas until well into spring if the food is good.</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Gadugi",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"></span></h5>
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<b><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 18pt; margin: 0px;">“A
cardinal by any other name would be as red”</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333399; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The name “cardinal” actually comes
from the red color worn by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The bird, Cardinal, was named <u>after </u>the
religious cardinals. Religious cardinals took their title, long ago, from the
Latin “cardinalis” meaning “important” or “that on which things depend”,
derived from the Latin root word<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>“cardo”.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "Arial Black",sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">HOLLOW?<span style="color: #b00000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #b00000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: "Arial Black",sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Almost
all birds have hollow bones. It helps enable flight by reducing their
weight.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>An exception is Penguins– who
don’t fly (and would have difficulty swimming). </span></span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span>Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> </span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-31556714437190757302017-12-06T14:46:00.001-06:002017-12-06T14:47:27.747-06:00Dead leaves will improve your soil, and they're free<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">Raking dead leaves and
throwing them away interferes with the natural growth process and stresses
plants, which now have no natural source of nutrition or natural protection.
Left in place, however, fallen leaves slowly decompose into an excellent soil
ingredient; leaves mixed with your soil will immediately start decomposing to nourish
and loosen the soil and noticeably improve plant growth.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">I shred them with a
lawn mower to greatly hasten the decomposition process, and allow sunlight to
reach the lawn.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">Biology is certainly
not my strong suit. However, I'm told that fallen leaves contain carbon and
nitrogen compounds, which all plants crave. What's more, some organic compounds
(such as amino acids) resulting from leaf decomposition can be absorbed
directly by plants, for more vigorous growth. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">The only drawback that
I know of is that sometimes too many leaves can form a mat and smother plants,
cutting them off from sunlight, air or water. Of course, if you shred your
leaves into little pieces with your mower, this isn’t a problem. Your lawn will
green up earlier in the spring and will resist browning in the heat. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">You’ll be amazed by
the way your leaves nearly disappear when you shred them with an ordinary
lawnmower. They’ll take up around ten percent of the space that <u>un</u>shredded
leaves do. Pieces will simply filter down between the grass blades and start
decomposing and releasing nutrients. This lets you skip one of your yearly
fertilizer applications.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">When they fall on soil (including your lawn), look
at them as a free gift from nature, chock-full of nutrition for your plants,
not as a future chore. Those dead leaves should be used as nature intended, not
thrown away, burned or sent to the landfill.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;"> </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "century" , serif; font-size: 20pt; margin: 0px;">How do the binoculars
feel?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century" , serif; margin: 0px;">When
shopping for binoculars, there are two important "feel"
considerations. Consider these <u>after</u> you’ve narrowed your choices to
only binoculars with the optics you want.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century" , serif; margin: 0px;">First;<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>how do they feel when you hold them? You want
to make sure you've got binoculars that will feel good when you use them or
hang them from your neck. They shouldn’t be too heavy, nor feel like a toy. And
they need to fit comfortably against your face, and in your hands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century" , serif; margin: 0px;">The
second aspect is how you feel about actually buying them. If you're at all
hesitant about the retailer, the manufacturer, the warranty, or anything else,
keep looking. Price shouldn’t be your only guide. A good warranty from a real
person is worth paying a little extra for. If the whole deal doesn't feel
comfortable now it won't feel any better when it appears on your credit card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century" , serif; margin: 0px;"> By the way, if
you’re buying them for a child, for heaven’s sake don’t just get a “toy”. Toy
binoculars almost always have inferior (“cheap“) optics, and will quickly
discourage a child! Most important is that they adjust easily to fit a child’s
smaller features.</span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Owen Yost,</span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who</span><b><span style="color: #274e13;">‘</span></b><span style="color: #274e13;">s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></span><span style="color: #274e13;">He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></span></span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-30857530364770689222017-09-30T11:16:00.000-05:002017-09-30T12:02:51.275-05:00There are probably more birds here in cooler weather<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;">
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Be prepared. To many birds, Texas IS
their cool-weather home so they come here from up north. Some of this area’s
wild birds start migrating to warmer climates about now.</span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">However, many stay right here in north Texas;
this </span><u><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">IS</span></u><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"> their winter home</span><i><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">. (Like Cardinals, Chickadees, Bluebirds,
Titmice, House Finches, Jays, Mockingbirds and several others).</span></i><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"> Some pass
through Texas on their migration to exotic areas. When all is said and done,
there are about as many birds in </span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">north
Texas in cool weather as in July. Probably more!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">They will likely be encountering a
scarcity of natural food, less protective cover (as plants lose their leaves)
and cooler weather requiring more energy to stay warm. </span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">Offering fresh food to birds won't
affect their migration schedule at all, since their comings and goings are
governed entirely by the changing length of daylight, winds, and the sun's
angles. In fact, if you have fresh food out, migrating birds may rest up (for a
day or two) in your yard for the next leg of their trip south.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">Migration presents the opportunity to
spot a bird that's not normally seen here. In north Texas, there have been
sightings of Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, Nashville Warblers, Pine Siskins and
several others, including Pelicans. Migrating birds need the same things all
birds need, especially plenty of fresh food and clean water as they "bulk
up".</span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">For most birds, the actual flight occurs
in the cool of the night, since birds navigate by the stars, so we may not see
them in flight. Also at night, there are few predators and the winds are more
predictable.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-size: small;">For those of us who are
earthbound, there's not much we should change as the birds migrate out of and
into north Texas. Continue to offer fresh seed, clean water, roosting
opportunities and vegetation that makes them feel safe. You'll get visits from
about the same number of birds -- new and different species perhaps – but even
more if the food you’re offering is good and fresh!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: navy; font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">PROFITABLE BATS</span></b></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: navy; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">According to the National
Wildlife Federation, Austin is enriched by over $8,000,000 tourism dollars a
year from people visiting to view the bats, mainly at Town Lake. </span><i><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">(On a
personal note: we recently took our granddaughter to a bat cave in Uvalde
County. We saw 10-12 million bats as they left their cave on their nightly food
run– it took several hours.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">Our granddaughter
loved it! )</span></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background: yellow; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: navy; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;">Owen Yost,</span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who</span><b><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;">‘</span></b><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;">s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;">He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: black;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></span></a></span><span style="background: yellow; color: blue; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps; margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></i></span></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-28667614616644064182017-08-27T14:33:00.000-05:002017-08-30T09:04:24.033-05:00Some people call it a "chicken hawk". But "kestrel" is prefered<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">The American
kestrel is fairly common in north Texas. Not big - about the size of a common grackle. It's primarily thought of as a swift
predator of backyard songbirds – occasionally picking them right off a feeder,
like our area’s other hawks.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>While true, the kestrel’s diet is largely insects and small
rodents.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: teal; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">It’s identifiable by the black, vertical marks under each eye. It's a “raptor” (a
bird of prey), the smallest member of the falcon sub-group, within the hawk
family. Falcons have very aerodynamic bodies and pointed wings, which enables
them to fly and maneuver very well.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: teal; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">They used to be called a sparrow hawks, although it has no relation to
sparrows, nor does it prey on chickens or sparrfows. Occasionally kestrels
will catch and eat small birds of any species. (which is why we suggest you
plant protective vegetation near a feeder).<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>You’ll often see them when driving, perched attentively atop a dead tree, phone wire
or a street sign looking for prey. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: teal; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">Like hummingbirds,
the kestrel has the ability to hover in flight (although for a shorter time),
allowing it to spot prey (like a mouse) and swoop down on it.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>In heavily-vegetated yards, however, kestrels aren’t much of a concern,
however, since they prefer unobstructed areas.</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwWUUh5I7n0Oc0si6x9fl9uSz4kxd2ekH1HFjX6OQwWToWTUYyga9U-S5QN9vJQk-skFamyJXSxPkcMnzQ4OiofC32N4jBin3w6BamxBUPucjHhfCkZMWjWgDZK9YBnTuUZJ59w_zv2Q/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwWUUh5I7n0Oc0si6x9fl9uSz4kxd2ekH1HFjX6OQwWToWTUYyga9U-S5QN9vJQk-skFamyJXSxPkcMnzQ4OiofC32N4jBin3w6BamxBUPucjHhfCkZMWjWgDZK9YBnTuUZJ59w_zv2Q/s320/Attachment-1.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">1,140 Q</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; margin: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">uArter-PounDErs
anyone</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">?</span></span></b></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">If an average person had a metabolism comparable to that of a
hummingbird, he would have to eat 285 pounds of hamburger meat </span><u><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">each and every
day</span></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;"> just to maintain his health & weight.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who</span><b><span style="font-size: small;">‘</span></b><span style="font-size: small;">s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.</span><span style="font-size: small; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-83449808346553178682017-07-15T12:09:00.000-05:002017-07-15T12:09:02.293-05:00I don't use nectar feeders any more, but I have plenty of Hummingbirds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZju0ZmpQJwExBHq0wM5G3HQO7ZEm9AIt4yea0IgLE9EUsOtT1FktVUX5S5FLlUWQc1BgWAAYpqsiF77chuqYS9QfcjdR_O1DggiIbzQOxPTIC-1C42iXiLn_VUOkkNDGr0fk7910qTOQ/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZju0ZmpQJwExBHq0wM5G3HQO7ZEm9AIt4yea0IgLE9EUsOtT1FktVUX5S5FLlUWQc1BgWAAYpqsiF77chuqYS9QfcjdR_O1DggiIbzQOxPTIC-1C42iXiLn_VUOkkNDGr0fk7910qTOQ/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I simply got
tired of the mess, the mixing and the constant bother of nectar </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">feeders for Hummingbirds
(I had four feeders).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Although the
hummers loved them – I didn’t. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Instead I now
have several large “masses” of flowering, native plants that do a remarkable
job of attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. All plants have nectar in
varying amounts - the ones in my yard are Turk’s cap, lantana, flame acanthus,
ironweed and mistflower. Others may do well too, particularly ones with a high
nectar content and tube-shaped flowers. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">incidentally
a “mass” of flowers is at least 50 square feet. For lantana, that’s around 50
plants, depending on their spacing)<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></i></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Each flower species
has a peak blooming period. Choose carefully, so there’s<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>flowers available all summer long. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The heat of the summer is the time to enjoy
the flowers & Hummingbirds, however it’s definitely <u>not</u> the time to
plant flowers. Most flowers in this area should be planted in late winter - for
some woodier plants (like acanthus) plant right after the first frost – usually
November.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Having a few mature
trees around encourages Hummingbirds to nest nearby – always a plus.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFBu3mC40-JmOExqUKZJHhhNeLuahGrJaebX2p1c0-H2axcb4y3o0IAoDDajTxJR5aONzvHPIHXH8QntQ4OLaXbxkJBoejyfPqCvalTAo7cllTF55xADVCDQzsfw6PfcXyNwjyQG7qZE/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="768" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFBu3mC40-JmOExqUKZJHhhNeLuahGrJaebX2p1c0-H2axcb4y3o0IAoDDajTxJR5aONzvHPIHXH8QntQ4OLaXbxkJBoejyfPqCvalTAo7cllTF55xADVCDQzsfw6PfcXyNwjyQG7qZE/s200/IMG_0252.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">You may not attract
large throngs (like I did with four nectar feeders), but you can forget about
mixing, spilling and re-filling all summer. Just feed naturally!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjENOmu8ZHVi4B5arpRkJ44LOo3DeliMo0SRAMzQ5gmwVEqDw0z74PVrcV0vVkJZgytWmKasxGKV9FNpk43RO2lxgsPcNnE2qvSZA5XTqN-N3D0aIwzmU3bdskbV58qPysdpd49wfm9U/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjENOmu8ZHVi4B5arpRkJ44LOo3DeliMo0SRAMzQ5gmwVEqDw0z74PVrcV0vVkJZgytWmKasxGKV9FNpk43RO2lxgsPcNnE2qvSZA5XTqN-N3D0aIwzmU3bdskbV58qPysdpd49wfm9U/s200/IMG_0253.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSULCguGrKLOCJZEBNBnBe2DJt0g84NUGuUzL3RRe5Bm2yR2eL1UxZ2l9mYANE14YgqEZC53U3S3wzuMBvH7V8-9gu3JYzJhK_yaZdNabYg4Ah_K5HmNksp8ME-_Qi1FGx4ZwLlHfVVA/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="480" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSULCguGrKLOCJZEBNBnBe2DJt0g84NUGuUzL3RRe5Bm2yR2eL1UxZ2l9mYANE14YgqEZC53U3S3wzuMBvH7V8-9gu3JYzJhK_yaZdNabYg4Ah_K5HmNksp8ME-_Qi1FGx4ZwLlHfVVA/s200/IMG_0047.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Owen
Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> in
addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> <span style="color: #17365d; margin: 0px;">award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></a></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-43031217215706563522017-06-20T17:20:00.000-05:002017-06-21T08:04:01.755-05:00The water needs of north Texas birds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID4QIbdHgp7ClcZn4F4PrJPQEE4H7oCX3PrtvdKgTmS7u9mXJLUNSZH_jrq4SNZ_qP7HDn54UET2n2UQ_G0SxCAv_EfUMbEiyk5x02E_lEIk5Z1uYnt1hiLXg4oBA_SNlyNwb2hhlYfE/s1600/IMG_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="457" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID4QIbdHgp7ClcZn4F4PrJPQEE4H7oCX3PrtvdKgTmS7u9mXJLUNSZH_jrq4SNZ_qP7HDn54UET2n2UQ_G0SxCAv_EfUMbEiyk5x02E_lEIk5Z1uYnt1hiLXg4oBA_SNlyNwb2hhlYfE/s320/IMG_0237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">Birds need water every minute of every
day, all year long.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Especially when it’s
hot or cold out! Since they also need to fly, they can’t store water in body
fat like most animals. They must constantly get water either in its liquid form
or as a component of the food they eat. Since birds live an active life, they
lose water at a rapid rate. The smaller a bird is, the greater its daily water
loss.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span>Since a big part of water loss is
due to the air temperature, north Texas birds need A LOT of clean water, all
year long.<span style="margin: 0px;"> In the summer, a birdbath is essential. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">In warm weather, a small, inexpensive
“dunk” floating in the birdbath kills mosquitoes, but won’t harm birds or pets
at all.</span><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">If you’re planning to put out a birdbath, remember that birds frighten
easily. They’re small and (except for a few species) swim poorly. They shy away
from water that’s more than 2½-3 inches deep.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Birds also prefer a bath with a gradually sloping bottom, instead of a
sudden drop to the birdbath’s full depth.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;">Birds
want a quick ”escape route” in case a hawk or some other predator gets close.
Putting the birdbath next to shrubs or overhanging tree limbs is good. Setting
the bath in the middle of a plain lawn makes it doubtful that many birds will
use it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dead trees</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">or</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">“snags”</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "century schoolbook" , serif; margin: 0px;">Many kinds of Texas
birds are ”cavity-nesters”, such as bluebirds, titmice, wrens, cave swallows
and chickadees. They make their homes and raise young in the hollows of dead
trees and limbs (often in old woodpecker hole). Insects in the dead bark are an
important food source for nuthatches and chickadees.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So if you don’t like the looks of a dead tree
(and it’s not in danger of falling on your house) think about just growing a
vine on it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In our “Cross Timbers” area,
try a coral honeysuckle, passion vine or Virginia creeper.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> </span></span></span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Owen Yost,</span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who</span><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">‘</span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> </span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;">He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> </span></span></span></i></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: #4c1130;"></span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-17666676578590242552017-05-21T11:42:00.000-05:002017-05-21T11:42:16.127-05:00Landscaping newly-developed housing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Century",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">In newly-developed housing areas, wild birds may not feel
safe from predators (such as hawks, bigger birds and domesticated cats), and
may not want to visit frequently, as they did before. This is largely because
the old, familiar vegetation may be gone, and new trees and shrubs may not be big
enough yet, and numerous enough, to provide good places to hide. Tall (over 3
ft.) native grasses may be the answer temporarily, until the trees and such in
your yard get bigger. </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Century",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Many birds (cardinals are one)
prefer to nest in trees on the edge of a grassland.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>An evenly spaced line of trees doesn’t
accomplish this.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s why I recommend
an informal “clump” of at least three trees (and maybe some shrubs too) which
will provide a somewhat private place to build a nest.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial Black",sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #403152; font-family: "Arial Black",sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b> <span style="font-size: large;">t</span></b></span><span style="color: #403152; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">he Ultimate Bug Zapper</span> </b>Just o</span><span style="color: #403152; font-family: "Cambria",serif; margin: 0px;">ne common,
ordinary bat will eat roughly <u>183 tons</u> of insects in its lifetime. When
you consider that a colony of bats can number in the millions, and what just
one insect weighs, we’re talking about <b>A LOT</b> of dead bugs.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #403152; font-family: "Cambria",serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #403152; font-family: "Cambria",serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Owen
Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> in
addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"> <span style="color: #17365d; margin: 0px;">award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">birdpoop@charter.net</span></a></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-57698760493751207962017-04-02T20:30:00.000-05:002017-04-02T20:30:12.853-05:00World’s best weed killer is probably in your garage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "consolas";">The most effective weed eradicator known to man is
already in your garage. Or your tool shed. Or in your neighbor’s garage. Or
whatever. It’s your lawn mower…. A convenient option to spending tons of money
on chemical lawn treatments that may or may not work. But are definitely
unsafe.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "consolas";">You see, almost all “weeds” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the name for any plants that grow where we don’t want them to grow</i>),
produces its seeds at a height that’s higher than the blade on your lawn mower
– which is at most 2”. So obviously when you cut your grass, you eliminate weed
seeds (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">although a few may blow in
from neighboring yards</i>). Cutting grass at least once a week should be sufficient
– a little more often during spring’s growth. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "consolas";">However, if you still want to spend money on
questionably-safe chemicals, go for it. Just ignore any potential damage to
wildlife, pets, birds, small children or existing plants in your yard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Consolas;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Consolas;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><strong><em>Owen Yost,</em></strong></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">
in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="color: #17365d; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design
office is at </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><u>northwestern68@yahoo.com</u></span></i></a></span></span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-58066842039036691192017-03-18T14:19:00.002-05:002017-03-18T14:21:40.115-05:00Get rid of Fire Ants safely, for a lot less $$<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;">
</span></b><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it warms up,
birds eat anxiously, and hardly a thought is given to the weather. Spring will
be here very soon, however. It’ll bring the nice stuff like flowers and warm
days. But it will also bring fire ants. </span><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Fire ant mounds erupt in
unexpected and inconvenient places each spring. So, many homeowners rush to a
store and buy anything that promises to kill fire ants, not realizing that it
also damages/kills pets, children and wildlife (including birds). It’s poison!!</span><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Instead, I mix up a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">natura</b>l mixture - one that’s very
effective, safe and inexpensive. I make a batch of the ”base” every year or so
from ingredients at most hardware stores. The cost is about a tenth of the
poisonous commercial stuff, and a lot safer.</span><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I suggest a mixture of
about 40% compost tea, 30% orange oil and 30% liquid horticultural molasses
(mixed thoroughly). You can mix up a batch of this “base” now and keep it
ready. When the time comes to eradicate a mound, I ake half a cup of this
“base” mixture, mix it with one gallon of water, and saturate the fire ant
mound with it. Pour slowly to saturate the mound, and let it soak in – not run
off. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(I use a stick to quickly break
through the mound’s crust.) </i></span><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This doesn’t poison
anything. It instantly dissolves insects’ exoskeletons. In about 5 minutes
there’s no ant activity at all. Later I just rake the ground smooth - and you'll forget it was ever there. A few days later, I’ll add beneficial nematodes
to the soil to control fire ants long term.</span><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6yZ6VFCykuuDJlVseJecgerypE0f3B70QgLTpx6TozWF-OcSpeCMmZPovOaNBw1jEEe7C4hwJl_q5Gh4GtlmdEyEYqamIw0ITBR8UZu5eTqXpTK2ZblBW3C3ucLzt90JmFRJ8cOEsoI/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6yZ6VFCykuuDJlVseJecgerypE0f3B70QgLTpx6TozWF-OcSpeCMmZPovOaNBw1jEEe7C4hwJl_q5Gh4GtlmdEyEYqamIw0ITBR8UZu5eTqXpTK2ZblBW3C3ucLzt90JmFRJ8cOEsoI/s200/Attachment-1.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Owen
Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> in
addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: #17365d; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><u>northwestern68@yahoo.com</u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-39454853079477808542017-03-10T09:37:00.000-06:002017-03-10T09:37:28.541-06:00TEXAS BIRDS WANT NATURAL NESTS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Birds prefer familiar,
native plants for nests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More and more,
however, the fields and forests where they used to get it are largely gone. <o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Much of the fault is our
tendency to “clean up” yards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rake,
sweep and weedeat until most natural nest material is in a plastic bag, headed
to a landfill. <o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Recently a good friend
brought me some old nests (a strange but welcome gift) and I analyzed their
contents. About 80% of it was small twigs and bits of leaves. Another 15%
(approximately) was lichens, bits of cobwebs, and stalks of native grasses.
Only a very small part was artificial things like string or yarn.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>These particular nests
came from an area with lots of trees. Nests in meadows, conversely, will
probably have a much higher percentage of native grasses. So, the local
environment of the nest-builder is important, but unnatural materials (like old
Xmas tinsel) play a very small part.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>When available, birds
seem to like fur/hair (whether from a coyote or your pet terrier – it doesn’t
matter). Nor do they seem to care about the origin of the box or platform they
build their nests on. Swallows may seek out an exterior beam of your house, and
“cavity-dwelling” birds actually prefer artificial boxes, since the stay
drier).<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>The nests themselves,
however, are largely natural materials – probably because wild birds
genetically recognize them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The typical
mowed lawn is a very unattractive and sterile habitat for most birds, and isn’t
found naturally anywhere on earth. Besides, an open, manicured lawn is a
terrible place for a bird to build a nest They prefer privacy.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent2" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><strong> Some
favorite native grasses for nests are bluestem, muhly, threeawn and gramma
(left standing through the winter). Also, birds often use thin strips of bark
from many types of trees native to the Denton area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thin bark stripped from young trees (like
eve’s necklace, Mexican plum, redbud, red cedar, roughleaf dogwood or cedar elm)
are sought by birds. Also, small chips of bark (oaks are a favorite) are used
to cushion the bottoms of nests.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; font-size: 20pt;">We’ve been invaded!!!! </span></b><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Very soon, lawns through north Texas will be invaded by a
small, purple-flowered weed that will make homeowners freak out, and give lots of
money to lawn services and garden shops. There’s no need. It’s just Henbit, and
it will disappear on its own in a week or two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Henbit is an annual weed that grows in the late winter and early
spring. It needs cool weather, but dies completely when the temperature gets
warm, which it surely will. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">The best way to control it is with your
lawn mover. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BM-QrR_sm4DrkyldVQkRDxFFRuANWg5eTkx4YP3tO8XQRdLLUnW5kFi_g89Kcf0XsMUf2lv6IyVttcKoS_KWTaYaHtcxFuncZEVXiRDRwpPv-XT_uwGb6Ifiu2WwCgUA4laT1g3kkNk/s1600/Henbiit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BM-QrR_sm4DrkyldVQkRDxFFRuANWg5eTkx4YP3tO8XQRdLLUnW5kFi_g89Kcf0XsMUf2lv6IyVttcKoS_KWTaYaHtcxFuncZEVXiRDRwpPv-XT_uwGb6Ifiu2WwCgUA4laT1g3kkNk/s200/Henbiit.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
It only reproduces by seed, and cutting your lawn regularly doesn’t
let the plant make seed (a<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lthough seeds for
next year may blow in from elsewhere</i>). Spending money on weed killers is pointless,
since it will disappear by itself soon.<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"> in
addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"> <span style="color: #17365d; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><u>northwestern68@yahoo.com</u></span></i></a><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
</div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-58590019547381124352017-03-01T08:12:00.000-06:002017-03-01T08:12:15.234-06:00It’s the right time to fertilize – But not with Weed & Feed!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Why use something else? The heavily advertised and trendy
"weed & feed" fertilizers usually contain atrazine, a toxic
chemical herbicide that is effective at killing your trees and shrubs, in
addition to weeds. A chemical like atrazine can’t tell the difference between
plants you like and those you don’t. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Another interesting point about these products is that
non-organic people agree that these products should not be used together.
Although the "chemicals are OK" people have no problem with synthetic
fertilizers and herbicides, they do admit that the two ingredients in these
products aren't suitable to be applied at the same time. The pre-emergent
herbicide part of the products needs to be applied about 2 months earlier than
the soluble fertilizer part of the products. That’s why it’s called<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u> pre</u></b>-emergent. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Plus, I can’t emphasize strongly enough that the poison atrazine
should not be used on lawns at all, because the roots of trees cover the entire
property of most lots. It can kill or weaken them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGIYTwavoRDim0qt8CptBjg1q-cEIGhmfW6-j2r0heQPeWjIiIZ8Gd2lNYCif0g6hDJAwdbWI4tvhAyHMcOJzynf2fsFZ17R2yiSkhJ8aXLamTgk28S0pPvrmmvlvTIN5ieMOWxRKcwM/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGIYTwavoRDim0qt8CptBjg1q-cEIGhmfW6-j2r0heQPeWjIiIZ8Gd2lNYCif0g6hDJAwdbWI4tvhAyHMcOJzynf2fsFZ17R2yiSkhJ8aXLamTgk28S0pPvrmmvlvTIN5ieMOWxRKcwM/s320/Attachment-1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">This time of year, I suggest a cheaper, balanced
fertilizer. Yes, your weeds will be fertilized too. But there are far more
effective products for getting rid of them. The “weed” part of Weed & Feed
is a total waste of your money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">Owen
Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;"> in
addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <span style="color: #17365d; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;">award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;"><u>northwestern68@yahoo.com</u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themeshade: 191;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-88841731026615318582017-02-18T12:02:00.001-06:002017-02-18T12:02:48.991-06:00Now is the time to get eggshells ready for birds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , "sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Spring is coming soon, and
with it lots of bird-mothers and then baby birds. Though the exact time varies
with the bird species, now is the time to start getting their <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>”vitamin-supplements” ready. That means broken-up
eggshells<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LNIlYCthIVFe_ue34dHuRDLi0YelkFlbDqDlSmzRW1iG1UqQZGB5Mfzx8ZfLKgQ4rQ6mca2Rx0ax6fZv6Ni1Um5lmnAK4GqSalZEqgE_d3Pj3wDHwGQ1cl1NwOX6XOeDVXlC_3HegJE/s1600/Eggshells.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LNIlYCthIVFe_ue34dHuRDLi0YelkFlbDqDlSmzRW1iG1UqQZGB5Mfzx8ZfLKgQ4rQ6mca2Rx0ax6fZv6Ni1Um5lmnAK4GqSalZEqgE_d3Pj3wDHwGQ1cl1NwOX6XOeDVXlC_3HegJE/s320/Eggshells.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The females consume broken-up eggshells for
the calcium they provide. During the egg-laying season, female birds need to
replace calcium lost in egg production, and have a “craving”. Eggshells are a
great source of this important mineral. However, don’t just give them
“straight” eggshells, they’re not healthy. The broken eggshells should be
heated in an oven for ½ hour at about 350 degrees to kill off nasty stuff that
might make the birds sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they
cool, break them up into tiny pieces (no bigger than a dime), and put them out
in some sort of small dish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i></span><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
</span><br /></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-36110519671512399482017-01-17T16:10:00.000-06:002017-01-17T16:10:10.570-06:00Skip raking "leaf litter" now. Wait about a month<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseM_lb9PswwCgX3JY_vyKjctkCkWXDTqFinc8LnfWDYRYhp9ejlSKxCk5uxBLWPquDRaCtcj07_ycSJbAVtlOSq9TEi6IqmQlxzZJeFsUkjA64MurA3DtDpSsgyekIARgSp8zIGv9LYo/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseM_lb9PswwCgX3JY_vyKjctkCkWXDTqFinc8LnfWDYRYhp9ejlSKxCk5uxBLWPquDRaCtcj07_ycSJbAVtlOSq9TEi6IqmQlxzZJeFsUkjA64MurA3DtDpSsgyekIARgSp8zIGv9LYo/s320/Attachment-1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">
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</a><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">
</span></span></b></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Homeowners typically face the urge to rake up their yards
during cold weather. They’re ”cleaning it up” they tell themselves.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="color: black;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: black;">However,
they’re also endangering their vegetation (everything from grass to trees) by
doing it now.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;">Except in unusual spots,
let the leaf litter stay where it is. Only remove it if it piles up due to a building’s
shape, or where it hinders travel (such as a walkway). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="color: black;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: black;">You
see, this yearly accumulation of dead material is nature’s way of insulating the
things in the ground – primarily roots. Remove it and the fragile plant roots can
be damaged or killed by extreme cold </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">(In
a forest, nobody ever rakes the leaves; and plants there do just fine; most
weeds are discouraged too).<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p><span style="color: black;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: black;">Instead,
you could run a lawn mower over the leaves, cutting them into tiny bits which
will </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;">fall down between the grass blades
and still cover the roots. A bonus is that many kinds of birds like to poke
through the shredded pieces for food. In north Texas, wait until late February (after
the last frost, probably) to rake it </span><u><span style="color: black;">all</span></u><span style="color: black;"> away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="color: black;"> </span></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Owen Yost,</span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who</span><b><span style="color: black;">‘</span></b><span style="color: black;">s worked in north Texas for over 30 years. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;">He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at Northwestern6782</span></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><span style="color: blue;"></span></u></span></i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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</span><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4kqHlCqLNWsK0FMxnSyPXcVde9B1DuXkd-qFDdZ0R2BUqfgzlvag3nPq1VlC5f4F51vyZSm45kcEJWH6qFyD2XD4yg-CWbsvrUp6Men4nyQnLgt2Nxp2wv77uLMweXFqYiJ0ormFAd8/s320/Attachment-1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-87152361991922688142017-01-07T10:54:00.000-06:002017-01-07T11:22:07.924-06:00The seasonal water needs of north Texas birds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVmuZxL3E5sMjHBLhzqIFi6bCUMCe912_FR2_4KkAjAHoSf38tlvTWyO-En4fxvUM5D3iCw6We_v4cnSyWEXlfqJ89P5yFDoo-PA6ZqJqbs5bripGDLrHJ6eOV504zDvzQ18L3YN5lag/s1600/B_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVmuZxL3E5sMjHBLhzqIFi6bCUMCe912_FR2_4KkAjAHoSf38tlvTWyO-En4fxvUM5D3iCw6We_v4cnSyWEXlfqJ89P5yFDoo-PA6ZqJqbs5bripGDLrHJ6eOV504zDvzQ18L3YN5lag/s320/B_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Birds need water
every minute of every day, all year long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Especially when it’s cold out! Since they also need to fly, they can’t
store water in body fat like most animals. They must constantly get water
either in its liquid form or as a component of the food they eat. Since birds
live an active life, they lose water at a rapid rate. The smaller a bird is,
the greater its daily water loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
a big part of water loss is due to the air temperature, north Texas birds need
A LOT of clean water, all year long.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">They need water
in the winter to keep warm, believe it or not. They need to bathe to stay alive
(the actual bath takes just a few seconds). Clean feathers trap air efficiently
and help insulate from the elements. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>Only</u>
clean feathers! In freezing weather, I’ll keep baths unfrozen by adding boiling
water every few hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">In warm weather, a small, inexpensive
“dunk” floating in the birdbath kills mosquitoes, but won’t harm birds or pets
at all.</span><span style="color: #993300; font-family: "tahoma" , "sans-serif";"> </span><span style="color: #993300; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.25in 10pt 0in;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">If
you’re planning to put out a birdbath, remember that birds frighten easily.
They’re small and (except for a few species) swim poorly. They shy away from
water that’s more than 2½-3 inches deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They also prefer a gradually sloping bottom, instead of a sudden dropoff to
the birdbath’s full depth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-76484068619602773532016-12-21T17:12:00.001-06:002016-12-21T17:12:53.948-06:00Use dead leaves the way nature intended; Don’t rake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_XWneAVdg7XrrUP4Up1holDO47t1smg7JRqKHucoiUS3Uj77-reWQbsWcq_fNdQcGszZL1uKYZreKfkpVaVlC4km6m61nTs1mSafovV1w5BY7gOr6wEp-TW2PdOIv24WMnkrSVy0gEI/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_XWneAVdg7XrrUP4Up1holDO47t1smg7JRqKHucoiUS3Uj77-reWQbsWcq_fNdQcGszZL1uKYZreKfkpVaVlC4km6m61nTs1mSafovV1w5BY7gOr6wEp-TW2PdOIv24WMnkrSVy0gEI/s320/Attachment-1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Before long, you’ll get tired of moving
fallen leaves from one place in your yard to another. Maybe you end up stuffing
them into plastic bags or you decide to call a mound of leaves a "compost
pile." Here’s an idea: instead of using a rake, use your lawn mower to
improve your soil and get fallen leaves out of sight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000;">The easiest and
most environmentally sensible thing to do is leave the leaves where they fall,
and shred them up with your mower. That’s what I do, once or twice during the
winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No special mower or blade is
necessary; just do it like you’re cutting the lawn. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">By far the worst thing you can do is rake up all the fallen leaves</i>,
leaving bare ground exposed to the elements. Raking just encourages unwanted
vegetation and erosion. A thin carpet of shredded, dead leaves protects the
soil from compaction and erosion; and it’s free! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also loosens the soil so it holds water
better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the leaves are shredded into tiny bits,
the next rain will make them disappear. They’ll filter down between the grass blades
and become part of the soil as they decompose, just as nature intended.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #984806; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: small;">Most of the trees
in north Texas are oak trees. All spring and summer, the leaves store up
nutrients gathered from the soil. These nutrients are roughly equivalent to the
nutrients in store-bought compost, which we'll gladly pay good money for! About
now, however, leaves are dying and falling to the ground. Then they start
decomposing naturally, releasing the nutrients and strengthening plants’ roots.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re also composting as they’re releasing
all of that naturally stored nutrition. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #984806; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #984806; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #984806; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: small;">Shredding them up with a mower simply
increases their surface area, so they decompose a lot faster. (It's a natural,
yearly cycle.) This coming winter, the dead leaves will protect fragile roots
(which are usually near the surface) from the cold, and plants will green up
faster come spring with the extra nutrition.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a></span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-314963231347105262016-12-13T08:52:00.000-06:002016-12-13T08:52:29.145-06:00Squirrels dominating your birdfeeder?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">DISTRACTING
SQUIRRELS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">There are some highly squirrel-resistant bird feeders around
that work <b>99</b>% of the time. We use several styles. But there is no
such thing as an absolutely Squirrel-Proof feeder, and there probably won’t
ever be one. The best bet is to place a feeder on a baffled pole (not a tree
branch) away from any vegetation, railing or roof that squirrels could use as a
launch pad. And never trap or kill squirrels - that just makes the problem worse after a couple of days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #993300; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Also, offer squirrels their own food (corn, for instance) far
from the bird feeder and out of sight, so they have something else to go for.
Since they’re territorial, it’s unlikely you’ll attract more squirrels competing for the territory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is in Denton at </span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-19152860269559503582016-10-27T09:02:00.000-05:002016-10-27T09:05:19.047-05:00Why do Houses Finches seem to be everywhere?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<h2 align="center" style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span> </h2>
<h2 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: red;"><em><span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: large;">House finches are small,
often red-headed birds. Despite their great numbers in Texas, however, this
region is not their natural home. They are native to the dry regions of the
west. Because of the males’ red coloring, they used to be trapped and sold in
the New York area as “Hollywood finches”. Being illegal and not wanting to get caught,
the dealers released them around 1940, all in the Long Island area.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">The House Finches liked it and adapted quickly!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></em></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_48BY303dh04z-L5DMYCKW4SvoposPk3VcUvdZWdxCBghFFCWMqTDCuaghga5DrzDMrIS18ryazRTDB7VK8I2T1rrX6dAju22mZa9T80RfJd4_7x6Q7Gynd8rLvCZs_7GBMVBcu1C7OY/s1600/Attachment-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_48BY303dh04z-L5DMYCKW4SvoposPk3VcUvdZWdxCBghFFCWMqTDCuaghga5DrzDMrIS18ryazRTDB7VK8I2T1rrX6dAju22mZa9T80RfJd4_7x6Q7Gynd8rLvCZs_7GBMVBcu1C7OY/s320/Attachment-1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><em><span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: large;">Within two decades, the species expanded to the
Carolinas. Eventually, Texas. The rest is history. As you can see in</span></span></em></span><span style="color: red;"><em><span style="font-family: "cambria";"><span style="font-size: large;"> the picture, the males are red & gray; females are gray & black.<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></span></h2>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cut down the right tree.</span> Now is the time to mark those trees that need removing this winter; due to its death, disease or location. Winter is easily the best time; for one, you have far less chance of damaging neighboring trees.<br />
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I mark trees with bands of brightly-colored "flagging tape" which is used by surveyors. But you can use anything handy. That way, I'm not afraid of cutting down the wrong tree by mistake. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i></span><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><span style="color: #274e13;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-47849671654492876592016-09-19T11:34:00.000-05:002016-09-19T11:34:06.675-05:00Molting birds aren’t sick or in pain…it’s natural <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Around this time of year,
lots of birds look shopworn, unkempt and raggedy. Don‘t worry about it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Birds lose some or all of
their feathers on a regular basis. It’s called “molting”, and the regularity of
it depends on the species. New totally-normal feathers grow back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Feathers are NOT alive,
but are keratin much like hair or fingernails on humans. When they get too
worn, the birds’ bodies slough them off and new ones grow. This helps them stay
warm when needed. Usually it’s simply due to the ravages of time, and our
climate, that wear out feathers. But other causes may be at fault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A5Zz2tCIcv2j5AJ60KeUE1thMqOiH-LlA-xooVLqEqbtfQom9ytPflHBnOC4M_BDVInnuc5QKwQDYwIMNaJj3Sq5fuBtJt4aFMqMyE2ylMC9sAII-avIwMgbvmUFM2D1fQco9DqFw8s/s1600/A938B9D1-6E80-4607-BCF6-C475336B4FA8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A5Zz2tCIcv2j5AJ60KeUE1thMqOiH-LlA-xooVLqEqbtfQom9ytPflHBnOC4M_BDVInnuc5QKwQDYwIMNaJj3Sq5fuBtJt4aFMqMyE2ylMC9sAII-avIwMgbvmUFM2D1fQco9DqFw8s/s1600/A938B9D1-6E80-4607-BCF6-C475336B4FA8.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A common reason is microscopic
mites which occur on all birds. Normally, a bird preens them off using his
beak. But in areas that the bird can’t reach (like the neck or head) the mites
may overpopulate and ruin a lot of feathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Winter weather will take care of mites, but the birds look bad for a
time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s no need for <u>you
</u>to worry about it. There’s nothing for you to do but wait for cooler weather
to solve the problem naturally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><br />
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-11899580924017616262016-09-12T17:35:00.000-05:002016-09-13T08:53:32.169-05:00 Privet and Ligustrum: plants to NEVER plant <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Privet invades a landscape quickly, growing
into thickets that crowd out native plants and change the very ecology of an
area. Even if the shrub can be removed effectively, it’s tough for a landscape
to return to its previous condition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Actually,
privet and ligustrum are two names for the very same plant. First introduced
into the U.S. in 1852, Chinese Privet (<em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ligustrum sinense</span></em>) escaped cultivation by the
1930s and spread across the Southeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Chinese privet is the primary cause of the decline in diversity of
native herbaceous plants and tree seedlings in the areas it infests.” said research
entomologist Jim Hanula.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Results from
a five-year study published by U.S. Forest Service researchers showed that not
only can a thorough removal of privet last at least five years without a
follow-up, but also that native plant and animal communities steadily
return to areas cleared of the invasive shrub. Hanula and Horn began
investigating how privet removal affected the recovery of plant and animal
communities by comparing the treated plots to reference areas that had never
been invaded by privet and control plots that were invaded and not treated. The
results were dramatic,” said Horn. “The hardwood forests we’re working on are
some of the most beautiful places in the South when they’re not choked with
privet. We saw the return of native plant species in all of the treated plots.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><a href="http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/39743" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; text-decoration: none;"><u>Results from their studies on pollinators</u></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"> were even more dramatic. “After
only two years, there were four to five times more bee species in privet-free
areas, 40 or 50 compared to the 10 on control plots infested with privet,” said
Hanula. “We caught three times as many butterfly species on the mulched plots
and nearly seven times as many individuals.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Overall, these results are encouraging, since
we expected to have to re-treat the privet more frequently to preserve the
integrity of the removal plots,” said Horn. “These results show that control
following one removal event lasts at least five years.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ligustrums are notorious water guzzlers, pilfering water from
more desirable plants. Around homes, fall is a great time to pull them out of the
ground (they’re extremely shallow-rooted). Large plants can simply be cut at the
base with pruning shears. Then, plant a few native plants, or let the natives
re-fill naturally.</span></span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i></span><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><span style="color: #4c1130;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48KxkW2brrGlB3BLpc_-aO-38CfWnRHauW_2x-wkBpgu0JPnqehyphenhyphenvWHNG8d90ZND_DCHnkZiJmCci0l9zrONohGSqa6aCnjfaa5CXNzrkhyG5kAxlDodQl47IeplhG5xmEcds6zY1yCA/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48KxkW2brrGlB3BLpc_-aO-38CfWnRHauW_2x-wkBpgu0JPnqehyphenhyphenvWHNG8d90ZND_DCHnkZiJmCci0l9zrONohGSqa6aCnjfaa5CXNzrkhyG5kAxlDodQl47IeplhG5xmEcds6zY1yCA/s400/IMG_0163.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAPmJmapQQCEDQvLb-zzuB85x560BZQowJIROmd2Ac8FJj02fmD8-tkxHhzYk-SO1zaNzIBdF0qpIxmqdLy5Im3mt_2_v548FMSDhgjw_wwvDQp1AItJLvO0ESQZzxbk8gUNeS78zve8/s1600/IMG_0164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAPmJmapQQCEDQvLb-zzuB85x560BZQowJIROmd2Ac8FJj02fmD8-tkxHhzYk-SO1zaNzIBdF0qpIxmqdLy5Im3mt_2_v548FMSDhgjw_wwvDQp1AItJLvO0ESQZzxbk8gUNeS78zve8/s1600/IMG_0164.JPG" /></a></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-47783758676173748912016-08-06T12:09:00.000-05:002016-08-06T12:09:59.234-05:00Maybe we'll see more locally grown produce at farmers' markets? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Denton City Council approved a change allowing beekeeping in
the city, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It allows residents to keep honeybee hives
if they meet certain criteria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The city also has applied for a Bee City USA designation that would help
promote healthy bee habitats and overall knowledge about bees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To be able to keep honeybees, residents must inform their adjacent
neighbors, have a source of water within 20 feet of all hives and register with
the city. The size of a person’s land also can limit how many hives they can
keep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before, most beekeepers followed the nuisance ordinance, which said Denton
residents couldn’t keep bees if they endangered their neighbors’ health or welfare.
Some, however, took this to mean that beekeeping wasn’t allowed at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With the addition of beekeeping to the city code, Christina Beck,
president of the Denton County Beekeepers Association, said she hopes this will
encourage more people to keep honeybees. Because bees are such good
pollinators, it could result in more local food sources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMojitZ8Rip4oukLqRhSyIfF-SVW-gN-40yvAOxGvPUstkK9fF11G86EVdt5Uzd6I6JN5nNbuKZoYQ6H54SWM7QTMGOg9nqliKgFqTPBgnVy8FhuIlfPACURf258kREqccVIJCNjQfWA/s1600/bee+pollinating+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMojitZ8Rip4oukLqRhSyIfF-SVW-gN-40yvAOxGvPUstkK9fF11G86EVdt5Uzd6I6JN5nNbuKZoYQ6H54SWM7QTMGOg9nqliKgFqTPBgnVy8FhuIlfPACURf258kREqccVIJCNjQfWA/s1600/bee+pollinating+-+Copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beck also said the ordinance could help curtail the spread of Africanized
bees, a type of aggressive bee that is often called a “killer bee.” Because our
honeybees travel in larger colonies, they could possibly overpower other bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hopefully, we’ll see more produce in our
community market,” she also said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 22pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><strong>A sparrow by any other name… </strong></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The familiar and often pesky House Sparrow isn’t actually in the
same biological family as our native Sparrows. Imported from Europe in 1851,
it’s actually a weaver-finch. The common name came about because the small
birds <b>look similar</b> to our native Sparrows. House Sparrows (sometimes called English Sparrows) are in north Texas all year long. The<u> real</u> sparrows migrate north for the winter. Our native sparrows belong to the Emberizidae
family, but House Sparrows are in the Passeridae family <i>(if it really matters!).<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Owen Yost,</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-23748698367665101512016-07-22T16:39:00.000-05:002016-07-22T16:39:19.239-05:00Put nectar feeders away, and still attract hummingbirds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;">Yippee!! My experiment
is working quite well. No longer do I have to deal with messy, sticky nectar
feeders for hummingbirds on a regular basis. But I still have lots of
hummingbirds dropping by and/or living in nearby vegetation.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;">Instead of regularly
handling messy nectar feeders, I planted large masses of colorful, <u>native</u>
flowers. Their nectar is what hummingbirds eat naturally, attracted by the
brightly-colored flowers. In my yard, I use lantana, Turks cap and flame
acanthus. But you could use any native </span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-izmC6tMc8vI/UQw6UuEcCJI/AAAAAAAACZ0/BSWY6j5DOM8eGBSmzOfBElCZwOSxG1hlQCKgB/s1600/RT%2BHummer%2Bf%2BHH%2Bs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-izmC6tMc8vI/UQw6UuEcCJI/AAAAAAAACZ0/BSWY6j5DOM8eGBSmzOfBElCZwOSxG1hlQCKgB/s320/RT%2BHummer%2Bf%2BHH%2Bs.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
<b>Texas flower. Hummingbirds will love you
for it, and visit often. And I’m able to put my nectar feeders away.<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;">I’ll only use my feeders
twice a year – when hummingbirds arrive and when they “pork up” to leave (late
September).<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;">You can put away your
nectar feeders too. But please forego the planting until late winter or early spring,
when plants are starting to grow. My advice to anyone wanting to plant in our summer
is to throw the plants you buy directly into the trash, saving one step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #215868; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 128;">:)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt;">
<span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Myriad Web","sans-serif"; font-size: 20pt; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;"><strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Move along, Mr. Wasp </span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Myriad Web","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Wasps (primarily “paper wasps”) tend to build nests in the
worst places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they’re prone to
building nests on the underside of your roof eaves or the platform
of your birdfeeder, try rubbing some bar soap there first. <b>T</b>he soap
prevents them from attaching the wasp nest<i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(I’m told foil works too, but you may not like how it looks)</i></span></span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His Denton design office is at </span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-32471470995216794432016-06-18T16:35:00.000-05:002016-06-18T16:35:08.222-05:00I'm trying an alternative to messy, troublesome nectar feeders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dGhvUySAta2SnVcavPW7Xyu2eA_vMOzWi953UJCaZZAD-R9QRf_ZiXQUdj3JRpY6AYbVTbkA7kLy6Gcxs3O6t4TClE0VJt-2mfoYTiwNTHtKP5shzoWKCGyl-2RTT1sTHtnwRWBh19k/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dGhvUySAta2SnVcavPW7Xyu2eA_vMOzWi953UJCaZZAD-R9QRf_ZiXQUdj3JRpY6AYbVTbkA7kLy6Gcxs3O6t4TClE0VJt-2mfoYTiwNTHtKP5shzoWKCGyl-2RTT1sTHtnwRWBh19k/s320/IMG_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am gradually removing myself from
feeding Hummingbirds via nectar feeders. I've had it with sticky counters,
boiling pots, hungry ants, and artificial nectar that gets stale quickly in the
Texas heat. <br />
<br />
The artificial nectar does the job just fine. It's just too much mess and trouble.
Besides, I'd rather feed Hummingbirds the natural way - the way nature has been
doing it for thousands of years. With flowers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the last few years I've planted and encouraged
several "masses" of colorful, native flowers. They're chock full of
natural nectar which continuously refreshes itself. The nectar they produce has
evolved to be in the perfect proportions. All I have to do is water it and
fertilize it when it needs it (which is hardly ever). Hummingbirds love ‘em,
and an added benefit is the bunches of butterflies. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For the record; my nectar masses (each at least 20
square feet) are Turks cap, Lantana and Mistflower. (Each mass is composed only
of one species, except one has a tree in the middle). There are also Flame Acanthus,
Spiderwort, Butterfly weed and Roughleaf Dogwood randomly growing in the yard. Being
native, they all do fine in Texas' radical climate. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O5IDpDAcHSQ/VxTwI59rFtI/AAAAAAAAFH8/uK8lVWtDGAgDIoGW9K8TmGzjMoFCilIzwCKgB/s1600/Bfly_Monarch-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O5IDpDAcHSQ/VxTwI59rFtI/AAAAAAAAFH8/uK8lVWtDGAgDIoGW9K8TmGzjMoFCilIzwCKgB/s320/Bfly_Monarch-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are just two times when I’ll augment my flower masses
with nectar feeders. One is early spring when Hummingbirds arrive in this area
after an arduous migration. The other is late September, when Hummingbirds throng
feeders to ”bulk up” for the long migration trip ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></i></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Owen
Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus
from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the
National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon
Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant
Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i></span><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-32858727808999570082016-05-26T17:11:00.002-05:002016-05-26T17:17:05.195-05:00North Texas' night owls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pLoAlk2YcA/UPlkha3BknI/AAAAAAAACJw/O5JQbxivJr8KnTUtVgACGKxlRhzpAc9GgCKgB/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pLoAlk2YcA/UPlkha3BknI/AAAAAAAACJw/O5JQbxivJr8KnTUtVgACGKxlRhzpAc9GgCKgB/s320/IMG_0141.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great-horned Owl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #003300; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Owl’s ears are not at
the same level on its head, and they face forward not to the side. This helps
him (or her) locate prey easily at night (usually an unfortunate rodent). Also,
those tufts on an owl’s head are not ears – just feathers. The Great-horned Owl
is the largest in this area, but north Texas has many Screech Owls (which don’t
make the familiar “hoot-hoot” sound) and are somewhat smaller. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdLhrE7G8qg/UPlkdHuRpgI/AAAAAAAACJE/VSZHaASZYRoFR1YO8_79vsjZM_mqdvGPwCKgB/s1600/barn_owl_ap_3_470x357_t479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdLhrE7G8qg/UPlkdHuRpgI/AAAAAAAACJE/VSZHaASZYRoFR1YO8_79vsjZM_mqdvGPwCKgB/s320/barn_owl_ap_3_470x357_t479.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 6.75in;">
<span style="color: #003300; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The Barn Owl is another
area owl. An adult Barn Owl kills and eats, on average, about five rats/mice
each evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #333300; font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #333300; font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b> </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="color: #333300;">Owen
Yost,</span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="color: #333300;">
in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who</span><b><span style="color: #333300;">‘</span></b><span style="color: #333300;">s
worked in north Texas for over 30 years.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #333300;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333300;">He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding
Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored
with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design
office is at </span></span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="color: #333300;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></i></div>
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Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-34456000175482316042016-05-08T09:57:00.001-05:002016-05-08T09:57:36.485-05:00How do hummingbirds get the energy for their high-octane lifestyle?.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1 style="line-height: 29.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.3pt;">
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</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">Hummingbirds’ “fighter-jet” acrobatics are as dazzling as their
plumage, but the same physics that sets them apart exacts a steep price.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">As the world's smallest birds, hummingbirds have a high
surface-area-to-volume ratio. That means they lose a lot of heat
through their skin. The problem is compounded by a lack of downy feathers,
the fluffy insulation that keeps most birds warm. Skipping the down
shaves weight, but the birds must compensate by refueling constantly,
consuming two or three times their body weight every day. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 13.3pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.3pt;">
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">That's also why hummingbirds love nectar. They will visit
multiple flowers in a short time, lapping up three to seven calories daily.
That may seem like a trivial amount, but when scaled to the size of a human, it
translates to about 155,000 calories a day. If the birds were any smaller,
it would be physically impossible for them to eat enough to stay alive. As
a result, hummingbirds are territorial. They stake out flowers and
feeders, defending a food source at all costs—even at the cost of having a
social life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">Unlike many other birds, hummers don’t gather in flocks (except
when they concentrate near food); males and females don’t even raise their
families together. Mating takes about half a second, after which the female
zooms off to build a nest, lay eggs, incubate them, and raise the eggs/chicks
by herself. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 13.3pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.3pt;">
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">Because hummingbirds have such high metabolism, even sleep could
prove fatal. Going for several hours without refueling could cause them to
starve. Luckily, the birds have evolved an extreme solution: At night they
enter a state of controlled hypothermia, slowing their breathing and heart rate
and drastically lowering their body temperature to save energy. On a
particularly frigid night, a hummingbird’s metabolism can drop as much as 95
percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">Because the birds have few natural enemies, life expectancy is
mostly determined by their own biology. Hummers age about 10 times faster than
humans. They seem to have a high rate of heart attacks, ruptures, and
strokes—not all that surprising given the fast pace of their lifestyle (up to
6.2 beats per second). If a hummingbird slows down, it dies; its existence
leaves no room for laziness. You can help prolong their lives by having
multiple feeders, full of fresh, clear nectar. Also, lots of native flowers
such as cherry sage, turks cap, lantana and mistflower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in the end, these birds essentially blow
themselves out. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">CAN A MACHINE GET RID OF MOSQUITOES? </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The simple answer
is “no”. That doesn’t stop manufacturers from making carefully-worded claims,
however,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #990000;">Bug zappers
for instance. They use ultra-violet light to attract bugs, which are then
electrocuted. They’ve been found to be totally ineffective in eliminating
biting insects. Numerous studies show that less than one percent of the insects
fried by zappers are biting insects. Many are “beneficial” bugs (which eat
other bugs) like lacewings, ladybugs and dragonflies. It’s other things that
attract biting insects such as mosquitoes, like carbon dioxide and ingredients
in mammalian sweat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;">We now have more
elaborate and expensive machines, and fancier claims. New studies have shown
these expensive machines are nearly as ineffective against mosquitoes as the
old bug zappers. Much of what they destroy, in fact, are harmless insects that
are food for insect-eating birds such as wrens, kinglets and swallows. Also,
almost <u>all</u> birds need insects to feed to their young.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "cambria" , "serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;"> The best mosquito
defense that I know of (short of moving to the desert) is to have lots of birds
and bats around. As I said, many birds eat mosquitoes (the purple martin is
said to eat up to 2,000 a day!) The bats in the north Texas area (despite a
horrible reputation thanks to Hollywood) can eat more than that!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 13.3pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.3pt;">
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms"; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i></span><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-523055333360219456.post-38850902640459812702016-04-17T21:31:00.001-05:002016-04-18T08:19:58.957-05:00Discouraging “feeder hogs”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zPRrvWMzVE4/TjhYDN6KZUI/AAAAAAAAAVI/lhZDR4TQilQALCTSHa3MRidks1KP7eoJwCKgB/s1600/grackles_011906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zPRrvWMzVE4/TjhYDN6KZUI/AAAAAAAAAVI/lhZDR4TQilQALCTSHa3MRidks1KP7eoJwCKgB/s320/grackles_011906.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Sometimes, certain
bird species will dominate a feeder, crowding out or scaring away more
desireable birds. So a frequent question is how to make the “hogs” go elsewhere
while still feeding less aggressive birds. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Try removing the food
the “feeder hogs” are looking for. To discourage Grackles, try feeding
safflower. But to discourage House Finches, avoid safflower. To limit Crows and
Doves, stop putting out cracked corn and bread. Discourage House Sparrows and
Cowbirds with a seed mix containing no millet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in north Texas, <b>never </b>put any birdseed mix on ground, or use
a mix containing milo; it’s rarely eaten – except by rodents. </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #993366; font-family: "arial black" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0rxwxHTcRnM/TjhYQ5I8rcI/AAAAAAAAAW4/CGOkO71t3EcbqHn5je_B3T98r9cIbc72QCKgB/s1600/Grackles%253Bgreat-tailed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0rxwxHTcRnM/TjhYQ5I8rcI/AAAAAAAAAW4/CGOkO71t3EcbqHn5je_B3T98r9cIbc72QCKgB/s320/Grackles%253Bgreat-tailed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="color: #993366; font-family: "arial black" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">MOBS OF GRACKLES </span><span style="color: #993366;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grackles are those large, ubiquitous, noisy, black birds
that flock together by the hundreds in heavily-developed parts of this area.
More accurately, they’re called Great-tailed Grackles; the huge flocks normally
have other birds in them too – maybe Red-winged Blackbirds, Cowbirds or Common
Grackles <i>(other kinds of birds that aren’t put off by marginally-habitable
or “urbanized” land).</i> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: #993366;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It wasn’t always that way in Texas. Back in the early
part of the 20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century, Great-tailed Grackles were only found in the
south Texas brush country and coastal prairie. By the 1920s, however, they had
crept northward and were frequently seen around Austin. Then, by the 1950s,
they had followed the human‘s “food trail” and had become established in the
Dallas-Ft.Worth area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #993366;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Owen Yost,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> in addition to blogging, is a Landscape
Architect emeritus from here, who<b>‘</b>s worked in north Texas for over 30
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape
Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and
the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the
Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at </span></i><a href="mailto:northwestern68@yahoo.com"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><span style="color: blue;">northwestern68@yahoo.com</span></u></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></div>
Owen Yosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04777823961106917186noreply@blogger.com0