What to do with all those leaves given to us by nature

Every Fall, the same situation arises -  what to do with all those fallen leaves that we're given by Mother Nature. Enjoy the Fall color of course but plan the handling of the leaves to make for a "win-win" situation that saves you time, effort and money (they're a free gift, after all, with a whole lot of dormant value) Having the leaves hauled off to the landfill is the worst decision you can make. You'd be throwing away free, vital soil-building organic material and lots of free nutrients plants crave,  and stores sell for $$$. Here's a better way.

Leaf Management Mistakes:

1. Leaves should never be blown, raked, put in bags and sent to the landfill.

2. Leaves should never be blown, raked, put into piles and set on fire.
 
3. Leaves should never be blown or raked into the storm sewers or streets.

4. Fallen leaves should be shredded into tiny pieces and put back on your lawn.


Correct Leaf Practices: 

1. Mow and mulch them into the lawn. This reduces their volume by about 90% and, after a good rain, they'll disappear back into the soil,  Using a mulching mower to shred is best but not essential. Lawns can take a large volume of leaves before there is excess. Excess leaves (or grass clippings) are when the lawn is about to be completely covered by the ground-up leaves.

2. At the point of excess, the leaves should still be mulched on the lawn or driveway, and then raked, picked up and distributed as mulch in flower beds and vegetables gardens.

3. Then, the remaining leaves that have been ground-up by the lawnmower can be put into the compost pile. Add dry molasses to the beds and the compost pile to help the material break down and become humus more efficiently. Use it at about 20 lbs. per 1000 sq ft.

4. Fallen leaves should never be removed from your yard. They're full of idle nutrients that aid the growth of future plants. They help loosen tight soil too - like most of north Texas has.  Recycling organic matter on the property makes for healthier plants, water runoff and erosion are reduced, and less tax money has to be allocated to picking up and managing leaves and other organic matter. Your plants will grow better, too.

 
OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.

Birds often share nests and tree cavities on cool nights

 

Tree Swallows

In cold weather, they often share roost cavities with others of their species; everyone benefits from the cumulative body warmth. For example, Bluebirds often share a nestbox with young Bluebirds they raised earlier in the year. But on particularly wet, cool or windy nights, a dozen or more unrelated birds may pile into a single roost cavity to keep warm, if they can find one.

    At home, we simply set some sturdy boxes around, with entry holes near the bottom (so birds’ body heat can rise, but not escape). Since birds roost at night, we never actually see them, but we know they probably won’t die out in the cold.

 

The Dawn Chorus          The songs and calls of birds are incredibly interesting and relaxing, even if you have no idea who’s making them or what they mean.  Try this – set up one of those lightweight lawn chairs in your back yard just after dawn (it’s by far the best time to hear birds, but neighbors may question your sanity). Sit down, close your eyes and listen to the dawn chorus.

 If you’re like me, and want to stay in bed  - just lie there (hopefully near a window) and listen.

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.

 

Which berry-plants to put in your "birdscaped" yard, that'll make it in Texas

 

    You’ve seen how much some berry-eating birds need to consume in a day, now take action in the one place you have control—your yard. Fall is a great time to plant shrubs (after they have become dormant). So that you can get started planning and planting your new berry-full yard, here's a partial list of the top native berries utilized by birds.

Hollies
 

Includes many varieties in the genus Ilex.  My personal favorite is a tree-form Yaupon Holly, which grows to 10-15 feet. For a complete list visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website. Berries usually are on the male plants only. The berries are high in carbohydrates and protein. Fruits are usually eaten as soon as they ripen by as many as 40 different bird species, who usually stay around all day or until the plant’s bare.

Viburnum

Includes species such as Arrowwood (Viburnum acerifolium), Southern Arrowwood (V. dentatum), American Cranberrybush (V. opulus var.americanum), Nannyberry (V. lentago), and Wild Raisin (V. nudum var.cassinoides). See a more complete list of native viburnum on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website. Produces fruits late summer–December, Fruits have a high fat, carbohydrate, and protein content, making them very valuable to migratory songbirds that need sustenance for their long journey, as well to birds overwintering in areas where insects are not available.

Elderberry

Includes Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and Common Elderberry (S.  Canadensis) which grow well here. Its relatives are "iffy": Blue Elder (S. nigra ssp. caerulea), and Blue Elderberry (S. nigra ssp. cerulea)— and Red Elderberry (S. racemosa). They fruit August–late October. The berries are rich in carbohydrates and protein making common elderberries an important food for migrating songbirds. Provides cover habitat for birds.

Roughleaf Dogwood

Not to be confused with Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) or Silky Dogwood (C. obliqua), which are troublesome here. Fruits in late summer. High-fat berries are important for migratory and wintering birds.

Beautyberry

Grows best in partial shade, requiring little water. Often called American Beautyberry. Fruit production occurs from midsummer through early fall. Fruits are rich in carbohydrates and a favorite of birds preparing for migration or fattening up for a north Texas winter.

 

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.

 

How to have more baby birds in your yard next spring

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Birdwatcher’s Digest reports that increased supplemental feeding (birdfeeders) during cool weather leads to greater nesting success (more baby birds) the following spring. Just make sure you use FRESH seed and fresh suet.

 

Sleepy time     During cool weather, at night, birds conserve energy and warmth by putting themselves into a state similar to hypothermia, which slows down their breathing, heartbeat and metabolism. Thus saving their energy.

 

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.   

Turn jack-o-lanterns into disposable pumpkin birdfeeders

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A pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern shouldn't be trashed automatically after halloween. Yes, a carved pumpkin rots more quickly than a whole one. But it's already at your home and paid for. Also keep in mind that many "pumpkin patches" sell leftover pumpkins (starting the day after  halloween) cheaply. If carved pumpkins rot too quickly in whatever weather we have in north Texas, consider using your fall pumpkins to make a pumpkin birdfeeder. Just add a little seed to any remaining pumpkin seeds and put it outside. Whichever way you go, carved or whole, remember that birds are attracted to seeds, including pumpkin seeds.

 If using an already-carved one, just carve out the "face". Then fill with fresh birdseed. This simple bird feeder can be used anywhere you would normally use tray or platform feeders.  If you use hay bales as part of your outdoor fall decorations, placing one of these feeders between hay bales or on top of a hay pile adds a touch of color and active bird interest. A pile of whole pumpkins can also be easily accented with the addition of a carved pumpkin bird feeder. Note: Placing the feeder in the shade will help it last longer.

 Carved pumpkin bird feeders are versatile bird feeders that can accommodate many different types of food and many different feeding birds. The big picture:  last year there were about 50,900 acres of pumpkins harvested. Let's use them wisely. And when a pumpkin-feeder finally rots, just throw it in the compost or trash as you would have anyway.

 

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton

 

Pigeons; a lot more information than we need to know

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In some areas, pigeons seem to be everywhere. Why? In the north Texas climate, they can breed February to December, often near "heat islands" with comparatively warm winters. They produce an average of 6.5 young per year. They don’t take time to rebuild nests each time either. Often, fecal pellets from the young nestlings accumulate and help cement the nest together. Unhatched eggs and even bodies of dead nestlings are incorporated into a nest. Their close relatives, Doves, share similar behavior.

 

A wintertime diet     We all know that many birds in north Texas eat insects. But what do they eat in the winter?  Winter doesn’t kill all insects permenantly. Actually, cold weather doesn’t eradicate insects since their bodies are very different from a human’s.  Also, insects survive as larvae and eggs -  tiny objects on things like the undersides of  bark and fallen leaves. Birds know where this food source can be found, which is why you see birds endlessly poking through leaf-litter on the ground.

 

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.

Birds like picking through plant debris on the ground- so leave some

Fox Sparrow

Most folks just rake dead leaves etc. up. Among all that plant debris however, are thousands of tiny, totally harmless bugs. Many north Texas birds love to thrash and pick through this plant debris to dine on the bugs.
     You’ll see this behavior in Juncos, Thrashers, the true sparrows – like the White-throated Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and such – and sometimes Cardinals, Mockingbirds and Warblers. If the plant debris is all raked up, however, they’ll quickly go elsewhere.

 
           

Good birdwatching attire    Most birds-of-prey (hawks for instance) have white stomachs and breasts. So a smaller bird (a possible lunch) quickly leaves the area when he sees anything white, in motion.  To him (or her), you could be a huge hawk!  Try wearing dark green, dark blue, black, brown or grey instead.

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.