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Post by ellenr on Feb 20, 2015 8:36:16 GMT -5
Fascinating article about the web of life. "Eastern red cedar has been around for millions of years, but very few insects, except the Juniper hairstreak, can eat its tissues without dying,” Mr. Tallamy said. “The downside is, that’s the only thing it eats. So if we don’t include cedars in our yards, we lose the hairstreak.” And the only host for the great fritillary butterfly is the native violet. “When violets are mowed down,” he said, “we lose the fritillaries.” And if we lose the insects, including spiders and moths, we lose amphibians, bats, rodents. ... Thanks to vanishing habitats “We have 50 percent fewer birds than 40 years ago,” And some 230 species of North American birds are at risk of extinction “But we can do something about this,” he said. “We can bring nature back to our yards.” ... Native oaks support 557 species of caterpillars. Gardeners worry that all those caterpillars will defoliate their nice shade trees, Mr. Tallamy said, and then pointed to his white oak: “I counted 410 caterpillars, of 19 different species, just walking around this oak for half an hour one July day last summer. It wasn’t defoliated. You couldn’t see the holes.” ... 90 percent of native insects have developed specialized relationships with native plants. The blue flowers of Phlox divaricata, a native ground cover, for example, have too narrow a corolla for bees to reach the pollen. Only native hummingbird moths and a few other insects have a proboscis long and narrow enough to reach the pollen and nectar. ... www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/garden/at-plant-o-rama-in-brooklyn-the-message-was-that-beauty-is-no-longer-enough.html?ref=topics
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 20, 2015 10:09:13 GMT -5
I was recently reading the same thing. Many people have landscaping plants that are of Asian origin and do not support native wildlife.
I read about this in respect to birds not getting the proper insect diet and moving out of the area but there has recently been a lot of press about the decline of the Monarch butterflies. Same thing - destruction of habitat and no milkweed plants around for their food or non native ornamental milkweed that actually kills the Monarch caterpillars.
I collect native Milkweed seeds in late summer and scatter them in as many wild areas as I can.
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Post by OregonRed on Feb 20, 2015 10:37:48 GMT -5
great info, thanks for posting
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Post by Veggie Gal on Feb 25, 2015 15:26:36 GMT -5
After reading your posts I look up Milkweed thinking I would plant some. However, I read it is like a weed and spreads everywhere. I have a city lot and don't have enough room for that to roam.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 25, 2015 16:03:17 GMT -5
After reading your posts I look up Milkweed thinking I would plant some. However, I read it is like a weed and spreads everywhere. I have a city lot and don't have enough room for that to roam. Consider making "seed bombs" and tossing them along public roadsides. That's assuming that milkweed is not considered invasive in your area.
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Post by prunella on Feb 26, 2015 17:51:58 GMT -5
read it is like a weed and spreads assuming that milkweed is not considered invasive in your area. I was curious enough to look for any milkweed (Asclepius spp.) that might be listed as Invasive. I found two only, Asclepias curassavica and Asclepias physocarpa, both listed only in Hawaii! A. curasavica is a tropical species, quite pretty, but not a good one for your yard (Nurseries do sell it but that isn't a surprise. There are many invasives that are pretty enough to have commercial value. Tip: Google "invasive plants" for your area. You might be surprised. I do find a few comments that refer to milkweed as a weed, but that is subjective (and wrong-headed) because they are fairly attractive and great for butterflies. If you can find them as starts in nurseries , that could be good.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 26, 2015 18:02:08 GMT -5
read it is like a weed and spreads assuming that milkweed is not considered invasive in your area. I was curious enough to look for any milkweed (Asclepius spp.) that might be listed as Invasive. I found two only, Asclepias curassavica and Asclepias physocarpa, both listed only in Hawaii! A. curasavica is a tropical species, quite pretty, but not a good one for your yard (Nurseries do sell it but that isn't a surprise. There are many invasives that are pretty enough to have commercial value. Tip: Google "invasive plants" for your area. You might be surprised. I do find a few comments that refer to milkweed as a weed, but that is subjective (and wrong-headed) because they are fairly attractive and great for butterflies. If you can find them as starts in nurseries , that could be good. I won't have to find starts in a nursery or look for seeds. I have milkweed growing in the back four, and I could probably harvest seed from them. Unless the neighbor finds out about them and thinks they should help me out and cut /spray them.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 27, 2015 13:08:14 GMT -5
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Post by prunella on Feb 28, 2015 17:09:45 GMT -5
I have the common milkweed... Saw this yesterday but needed time to react. There's a funny phrase I once heard in a botany discussion: "Rare plants are common, and common plants are rare!" And it's true. Every area has some rare plants, but finding a plant (species) that is really common across the United States is rare (the dandelion genus has more than a dozen species: tinyurl.com/pyernws). So as for the common milkweed, take a look at this list from Wikipedia: tinyurl.com/o9kl4v9 . Be sure to scroll down for the gallery of milkweed photos and names. As for any fear that these are invasive (they are not listed as such) and will take over your property: in years of visiting the nearby forests, I know places where small populations (6±) plants grow year after year, just remaining stable and not spreading in the true sense. A single plant or even two, will simply grow to about three to five feet, flower, and produce fluff.
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Post by desertwoman on Feb 28, 2015 18:38:46 GMT -5
I have the common milkweed... "Rare plants are common, and common plants are rare!" And it's true. Every area has some rare plants, but finding a plant (species) that is really common across the United States is rare (the dandelion genus has more than a dozen species: tinyurl.com/pyernws). So as for the common milkweed, take a look at this list from Wikipedia: tinyurl.com/o9kl4v9 . Be sure to scroll down for the gallery of milkweed photos and names. So it's likely the dandelions growing in my yard are different from the ones in BR's yard? And milkweed is not the invasive it is believed to be You are educating us Steve. This is good.
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Post by Latitude33 on Feb 28, 2015 18:49:26 GMT -5
Proposing to the board of my CG next week to dedicate space for a "pollinators patch" utilizing native flora.
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Post by prunella on Feb 28, 2015 19:56:20 GMT -5
An excellent idea, one that they should readily accept! So nectaring is what you want to be providing. The place for bees and butterflies to get a drink. As was mentioned above flower shapes sort of define who gets to drink! Flat flowers (think daisy shapes) are places for butterflies to stand, bees get to most anything except narrow tubular flowers, those are for hummingbirds. Bees can crawl into larger deep flowers (like foxglove (Digitalis, an invasive, but people do plant it!), and some flowers pull a neat trick by changing color when they are pollinated, This keeps a bee from wasting time trying for a drink. You like to be barefoot, admire the butterflies that know what plant they are standing on by sensing flower type with their feet! Most eery species of butterfly needs to lay eggs on a specific genus of flower so the larvae have what they need to eat. The obvious example is the respected Monarch, but also the reviled Cabbage White (often called a cabbage moth, it is not a moth!) The Cabbage Whites (Pieris sp.) want crucifers. Each butterfly has a mandated plant to find, not just anything will do. They can drink from most anything flat, but eggs only go on the exact plant that species needs. So a nice flower patch can be an interesting place to keep an eye out for what's stopping by. Sounds fun
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Post by Latitude33 on Feb 28, 2015 23:40:59 GMT -5
Thank you Steve but wish me luck Bro. The rest of the Board isn't quite so Eco-conscious.
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Post by OregonRed on Mar 1, 2015 12:42:31 GMT -5
hmmm... thinking here.... I could plant a pollinators patch at the CG, because it's still not regulated, and there are still beds completely unused.
maybe i'll get w/ the two guys that are kinda coordinator ish and see if anyone wants to join.
would be kinda cool to put up a bee hive too.....somebody would have to manage it, not me! I'm sure there's people who would greedily want the honey
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Post by prunella on Mar 1, 2015 13:06:54 GMT -5
a pollinators patch at the CG, because it's still not regulated I'm not familiar with CG regulations, but I'm mystified by why a "pollinator patch" would be seen as something needing to be agreed to. Any plant that is in bloom is of interest to some critter. Are just plain ol' flowers not allowed in a CG? Must it all be about edible produce? Plant edible flowers! And lots of flowers are used for their health benefits and will draw critters who want a drink. A bee hive sound neat; a total benefit for a garden patch. Good luck to both you and Lat.
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