What's in your backyard?

[krissel]

Forgot to thank SB for identifying that big flying bugger.  

In my subsequent surfing I found this site which is run by a couple photography teachers who will try to identify any insects you might come across. They have a full gallery of pics.

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/



Oh, and while I was at my folks the other day I spotted this unusual specimen which I later identified as the male variety of Parentis Canonika.

[attachment=411:Dad_camera.jpg]



He was trying to capture this fast fading rainbow which emerged after a brief storm.

[attachment=412:rainbow_fading.jpg]

One never knows what might appear in the yard.  

[Gregg]

Don't remember if cicadas were mentioned on page one, and we haven't heard/seen any, but there was a local news report about them in Lake Geneva, Wis. and were they loud! I also don't recall others here from different areas commenting on such an invasion this spring/summer. Is this just a Midwest U.S. event?

[Highmac]

Jim: We were in a garden centre today - on a weekday, it's a sure sign of a retired person - and tracked down the plant. It's officially elodea crispa



According to Pond Solutions:

QUOTE

The best and most efficient oxygenator is without doubt Laragasiphon major, otherwise known as Elodea crispa or Curly Pond weed.

Find that quote, about halfway down the page, and you can read on.

It certainly helps keep our pondwater clean, and the growth rate means it also contributes regularly to the compost heap

[kimmer]

Kris, I love "Parentis Canonika".

We were surprised yesterday to look out our dining room and see these fine young'uns. Sneakers has the close ups that he took through the window (but he hasn't shared them with me yet - so I can't share them with you) ... but I got this shot when we stepped out front about 10 min. later and were as surprised as these critters to see them in our neighbors front yard. I managed to grab one picture before they took off.

[attachment=413:pair_deer640.jpg]

[jcarter]

Just as long as they stay out of our yard!
 Our local herd ate all the azaleas in our front yard last year, we were so angry.  The best way to keep them away that we've discovered so far, is to brush our grand-dog and get lots of her long fuzzy fur entwined into the branches of the azaleas.   It takes a lot of fur to do this, but she is one big fuzzy dog.
Deer are also the vector for the ticks (Deer ticks) which carry Lyme disease around here.  You see more deer, you have more cases of Lyme.
Here is our best repellent,

[kimmer]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Jun 25 2007, 09:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just as long as they stay out of our yard!

Losing battle if you live in their territory.

Sneakers shared his pics with me. They are a bit grainy as he was shooting through the screen and double-paned glass ... but still:

The buck - you can see his antlers:
http://spatulagraphics.com/deer/buck1.jpg

The doe - I wanted to go out and pet her:
http://spatulagraphics.com/deer/doe1.jpg
http://spatulagraphics.com/deer/doe2.jpg

[jcarter]

Gee, if they come that close, and if you have flowers, gardens, or fruit trees, youve got trouble brewing.
Have you ever seen what one group of deer can do to one apple orchard in a few hours?  They can put the owner out of business.
Of course for us, its not economics, its just sad when they chew your nice garden stuff.  But the coyote urine crystal stuff and the dog fur is working, so we will keep it up.  And will have our grand-dog here more often, as she loves to chase them, and they dont come back for a good while after she has gone after them.
Weve contacted several bow-hunters throught our local gun clubs, and have permission from the owner of the largest tracts of woods for them to hunt there, so that should help for next winter.
I am a chicken, I couldnt shoot anything, nor watch.  So just hope the hunters can 'thin the herd' a bit.
We do have an expanding pack of large coyotes in the area, and that seems to help too, though they prefer to dine on the rabbits and squirrels more.
Jane

[kimmer]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Jun 26 2007, 03:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Gee, if they come that close, and if you have flowers, gardens, or fruit trees, youve got trouble brewing.

Hey, Jane. Thanks for your concern. Trouble brewing? Only because WE invaded THEIR territory. We live in a forest (check us out via GoogleEarth). On a reg. basis we see: bear, deer, elk, eagles, osprey, hawks, raccoons, cormorants, blue heron, pelicans, stellar jays, woodpeckers, ducks, Canadian geese, turkey vultures, chickeries, and of course, sea gulls, crows and ravens. There are more "wild" animals in this area (tons more birds than I want to mention, plus they've spotted wolves at the other end of our street), but you get my drift. It's a grand place to live and you either learn to respect and live with the wild life, or you need to consider moving.

QUOTE

Have you ever seen what one group of deer can do to one apple orchard in a few hours?  They can put the owner out of business.

Yes, and I'm sorry for orchard owners; but the wild animals were here first.  Besides, farming is always a gamble. If it's not the deer, it's bugs, rain, lack of rain, heat, cold or something else. Tough way to make a living.

QUOTE

Of course for us, its not economics, its just sad when they chew your nice garden stuff.

Yeah, they were out front last night munching on our plants and I thought "Get away!", but like I said it's THEIR territory that I moved into.

QUOTE

Weve contacted several bow-hunters throught our local gun clubs, and have permission from the owner of the largest tracts of woods for them to hunt there, so that should help for next winter.

Hunting is seriously controlled here. Seriously. There is a lottery type system in place for permits for elk and deer. I don't totally understand it, but I know it involves points and years of trying to get a hunting permit. The reason? The herds were almost wiped out. The deer were hit by a disease and the elk were over hunted.

One of the first things we did when we moved here was to attend the teaching nights that the Dept. of Fish and Wild Life have on how to live with the bears, deer, elk, etc. I was surprised to learn that one of the worst things a homeowner can do is to put out bird feeders and hummingbird feeders. Those feeders will attract the raccoons, bears and deer (not to mention how wrong I think it is to feed hummingbirds - but that's another topic for another day).

We also know that small dogs must be on a leash, and it's not wise to have cats outdoors due to the raptors that hunt in this area. It goes with the territory.

Anyhow, now we're way off topic ... so I'll share a few flower pics. These are from the side of the road, but we are going to plant some in our back yard. They are known as Rock Roses:

http://spatulagraphics.com/deer/rockrose1.jpg
http://spatulagraphics.com/deer/rockrose2.jpg

[jcarter]

We live and love all the wildlife around here, and everything seems to balance out except for the deer. Our area has a lot of protected land, as if its swampy or if someone buys and protects it, (like us and friends), it cannot be built upon.  Though there are places in town which due to a new state mandate for 'affordable housing' the bylaws that protect land and prevent too many houses being built upon an acre, are being circumvented.  This is only in our state, and is giving our towns a lot of grief.  Our zoning laws are being flaunted by rich developers who are promising things that never can be delivered.  And our towns cannot afford the legal advise to halt these people before they do their damage.
So those of us who donate and buy and do everyting to protect land can be derailed by the state mandates, which incedentely, nobody was allowed to vote upon!  And its the rich developers from elsewhere who are gaining from this practise.
So those of us who have given and bought and faught, are actually losing.  And the deer who are starving and coming into our areas are breeding at a horrendous rate, and end up not having habitat to live in.  It is not their fault, as you know, but we who love our gardens suffer the consequenses.
Like when they invade your very yard, its rather upsetting, when they have plenty of woods to eat in, and they come in and get your plants. It only takes an hour to wreak havoc in a little garden.  So you can see we are caught in a crossroads here on Cape Cod, we can do what we can to grab open land, but our resources are limited(talking towns as well as homeowners), so we put up with this.  I would buy every single hunk of open land if we could afford it, but we cannot compete with the developers who come in, strip land and build, let the houses sit on the market, and eventually they sell.
Its difficult to deal with, just look at North Falmouth on GE, and you see how invasive it is.  Our Otis air force base is the last really open land that we have that is sort of protected.
So we keep on donating to our land banks, keep on buying little stuff ourselves and dealing, but its not easy.
And the deer are becoming serious.  Look at Nantucket, Ive got pictures of the runt sized deer, as they breed like rabbits and then starve in the winters. They come up to you begging.  I wont get into the Lyme disease here.  
Oh, I realize I am getting really horrendously longwinded here, but this is a topic in our local papers that has been written on expansively and is an ongoing problem.  
Jane

[Gregg]

We only have stupid rabbits, thankfully. They haven't figured out how to bust into the garden. They must think that stuff is rabbit wire.

[krissel]

QUOTE(kimmer @ Jun 23 2007, 12:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE(krissel @ Jun 23 2007, 02:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And kimmer, remember my mentioning the ajuga (bugle), note the yard is nothing but in that area.

Lovely stuff. Grows wild around here, but I bought a small plant for my front yard -- although my plant looks different then yours. Must be the weather or something.

Kimmer, the ajuga can be seen in the first picture of the baby woodchuck, on the other side of the walkway. That's what it looks like when it's been cut by the lawnmower, no blue flowers. It completely covers the ground so no grass can exist but at least it is a slow grower and stays relatively short.  

[kimmer]

The tag for mine says ajuga, but my plant looks way different than yours. Maybe mine was mismarked? I know that here it's considered an invasive pain, but I like it.

[krissel]

Neil, that pond weed is very much like a floating plant I had in my aquaria. I checked it out and it is a relative to what I had.

Kimmer, there are apparently several different versions of ajuga. Mine is the common green variety with the deep blue/purple flowers on 6" stems. It was really pretty last month while in bloom... until I cut it with the mower.


http://www.yardener.com/Ajuga.html

In full flower:

http://www.ajuga.org/

The bottom picture is like my variety but all green, no dark leaves cause it is in a mostly shaded area:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consume...ga_reptans.html

[kimmer]

Oh, thanks. Mine is the "Burgundy Glow".  I had no idea there was such a variety.

So much to learn about plants, and so little time to kill them all off.

[krissel]

QUOTE(kimmer @ Jun 28 2007, 04:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So much to learn about plants, and so little time to kill them all off.