Crap!

I spotted a dark color bird entering and exiting a woodpecker's hole in the back pine snag. I'm always excited when it appears that birds are shopping for nesting locations. I noticed a bright yellow beak so I picked up my field glasses to take a closer look. Dang, dang, dang, it is a European Starling. Too high up the snag to suggest a move by stealing the nest. Maybe she won't build and is just looking. But, let's change that earlier "ALWAYS" to "GENERALLY".  Exotic birdie species GO HOME!

Responsibility on the Internet

Have you ever received forwarded email with stories that have long ago been proven wrong? Or the facts have changed? Snopes is full of such false stories, but how many newbees know about this Website or others like it, and know to check facts before getting on the "FWD" bandwagon?

The Internet is a landing ground for information written by every Tom, Dick and Harry who knows how to tap a keyboard. But, every day someone new learns how to use a search engine…a grandmother who gets a computer, a child in the library gathering data for a school report. Problem is that the search engine doesn't differentiate from articles where details have changed and current facts, unless the author takes the time to go back and mention it.

How hard is it to edit what we have written and place a disclaimer on the first line noting that, while the details were correct at the time it was written, that things have changed so the information is no longer accurate? You know…update the facts!

Back on April 1^st, I wrote an article "tongue-in-cheek" as an April Fool's joke. Shortly thereafter, I went back and put at the top of the article that it was originally written on April 1 because, if someone was reading it in November, it could be taken out of context, and people might accept the information provided as acceptable instead of the joke intended. I'm a believer in follow-up. If I tweet something that is a negative situation, should the facts change, I do an equal number of tweets announcing the correction, with pertinent links.

My question is, how many are propagating misinformation by not taking the time to update facts as they evolve? Think about the new generation of outrage that can occur because of old news and what the lasting effects might be.

Food for thought.

Boys will be boys

In general bluebirds are territorial and accordingly one nest box per acre is the recommended spacing to avoid confrontations. So, I was surprised when a female entered the nest box I have set up and suddenly two males were sitting on top. I can only suppose that one is an offspring of the other. They didn't hang out together very long before one flew off, maybe to find a girlfriend of his own?

Wildlife Charity Contributions -–Act Local

Addendum: A brave and bold move!: From the NWF website: "...Therefore, NWF and Scotts will work together to end the partnership in a friendly and mutually beneficial way."

I was quite surprised to read a press release from National Wildlife Federation (NWF) announcing their partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro. NWF is a popular national nonprofit. Many people support NWF particularly through their "Certified Wildlife Habitat™" Program to get the sign indicating such.

I have major concerns about an alliance that pairs up an organization that advocates protection of wildlife with a company that makes chemicals, some of which are designed to kill food sources of wildlife. And, since last I checked, runoff from fertilizers was one of the major sources of water quality issues in Florida. Scotts' products include fertilizers.

NWF has its reasons for this odd pairing as described in an interview with Carole Sevilla Brown, none of which has sold me on the idea that this is a good idea and won’t have an overall adverse impact on the environment. I personally feel that the benefit by increasing the number of people reached will be negated by the brand association.

Clicking on the link from the NWF press release page to the Scotts' Website brought up a clickable link which read as follows:

"Have a Lawn, Garden or Home Pest Control Problem".

I don't understand how this fits in with wildlife preservation. I advocate for insects since they are the baby food for bird fledglings. Baby birds, incidentally, can’t eat the birdseed being touted in the part of the NWF/Scotts alliance called "Save the Songbirds". They need bugs, some of which are not to the liking of some gardeners who buy chemicals to eliminate them. But, given the chance at balance by eliminating this pesticide use, insects can be controlled naturally. My garden is proof of that.

While NWF doesn’t support all of Scotts products, I can’t in good conscience support or recommend an organization that partners with a corporation that makes any products which kill wildlife food sources. I don't believe that people will not associate all Scott products with being acceptable to use. It's that brand association thing.

So, I am advocating that if people really want to protect wildlife in an environmentally sensitive way that rather than contributing to a large national charity, that they look local. In Florida, the Florida Native Plant Society (FPNS) is a local nonprofit organization. "The purpose of the Florida Native Plant Society is to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida." This mission, in protecting native habitat, in turn protects wildlife.

When the beauty of your garden and all the butterflies and birds flutter around, you won’t need a sign to let people know you have a habitat which meets the criteria of certification by NWF. They’ll know just by looking at it.

So, please keep your donation dollars local. It will also serve to help the community, as local dollars are used for local purposes so you can see the benefit of your donation firsthand. I’d rather see butterflies landing on native plants than signs stuck in the ground, any day of the week.

Making a Comeback

A while back I wrote over at Native Plants and Wildlife Garden about when the wind knocked down a large wax myrtle in my backyard. Since that time, I managed to cut the main trunk that cracked and dragged the large branches to the brush pile on the opposite side of the yard where critters will find safe haven.

Nature has a great way of renewal and I was please today when I was walking around the pond and I saw the rounded crown of a wax myrtle that is growing from around the previously cracked trunk. Wax myrtles are multi-trunked and this replacement from nature looks to be a perfect fit. It won't take long before it reaches great heights like its ancestor and it didn't take much time at all.

Happy Holidays

The whole family is in the holiday spirit. We wish each and every one of you a blessed Christmas season and the best of everything in 2012. Be cognizant of your daily actions and the effects it has on our environment...life depends on it.

Bug Gangs

The weather is getting cold in most of the country, but one of the rewards of living in Florida is the warm weather almost all year round. This week we are experiencing mid to high 70s during the day and high 50s to low 60s at night. PERFECT! Just PERFECT!

Of course when you get a freeze only occasionally (mostly for 2 days in January), our insect friends are with us year-round and are quite visible. I still see butterflies mating, caterpillars crawling and this week I was passing by goldenrod going to seed when I was drawn by bright redness on the top of one of them blowing in the breeze.


I got closer and saw a nymph gang of Leaf-footed Bugs (Leptoglossus spp. likely phyllopus). I half expected them to start snapping their fingers and humming da doo da doo daaaaaaaaaa, da doo da do da do da! to dramatic music as they slinked along.

This particular species of L.F. bugs can be a pest on citrus and berry producers as they suck the juices out of the fruits and cause premature drop or withering. I generally let nature take its course and hope that some bird or spider will come along to tend to this type of gang mentality. Thus far, my lemons escaped unscathed (6 years). A good thing about a gang of pest insects is that it is relatively easy to flip them into some soapy water as a means of control. No pesticides needed.


Behold the Green Lynx Spiders (Peucetia viridans) who as they age will acquire their “colors”. While technically spiders are not insects as they have 8 legs (they are Arachnids), most of us refer to them as bugs. I’ve seen the Green Lynx snare the leaf footed bugs, so I guess we know which bug gang will get the grip on my front yard territory.

When they get bigger, IPM at its best!