The pallet of the landscape is transforming from subtle browns and tans, exploding to splashes of hot pink, white, yellow, and purple. The sweet smelling crabapple blossoms, showering down papery petals in a gentle breeze, blanket the landscape. The rustling, hatter, and singing of the wildlife have filled the once still air. Spring is here! I peer out my bedroom window to watch the dance of the robins in the crabapple trees. Pecking a few of the faded fruits remaining from winter, Mr. Robin urgently searches for a home to impress Mrs. Robin. This is a busy time for the migratory birds, just arriving back home after a long flight. Some species of birds fly thousands of miles from Central America, Mexico, or South America to arrive at their final destination. In the southeast, our American Robin, Turdus migratorius, is with us all year long. In a matter of days,…
Category: Newsletters and Member Articles
A Bit of Dirt – Summer 2007
The full pdf copy of this edition is available here. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Glenn Parsons Hello Master Gardeners and Friends, As I am sitting here writing this message, the annual plant sale is just one week away. Many of you have put several tedious hours into planning, digging and potting plants, making yard-art items, and a host of other jobs in preparation for this event. By the time you read this, the plant sale will be over and hopefully we will all be pleased with our success. As always, I have been very impressed with the dedication and hard work by many members of our group. I have spoken with many of you over the past few weeks and our conversations seem to always touch on the lack of rainfall. All things considered, it appears we gardeners are in for a very dry and hot summer. Since the development of…
Got Ants on Your Feeders? & Other Hummingbird Info
It’s so easy to keep ants off your hummingbird feeders. I often hear people say they can’t feed the hummingbirds because the ants take over the feeder. The solution is simple. Use an ant moat! An ant moat is a very small water barrier the ant has to cross before it gets to the feeder. The ants will not swim the distance of ½ inch to get to the sugar water. Some ant moats are separate from the feeder. (Imagine a spray paint can lid turned upside down with a hook on the inside and the outside.) Fill the moat with water and place the moat between the hummingbird feeder and the hook where you usually hang the feeder. My favorite feeder has the ant moat built in. This feeder is called the HummZinger and is available at the local bird stores.* This is easiest of all the feeders to…