Winged Wednesday - May Arrivals

In Wisconsin April is coming to a cool, rainy end, and it's time to start thinking about warmer, sunny weather in May. Although it looks like May will get started off mirroring April's end, we eagerly await our last round of migrating visitors. Our species count for this year is already slightly behind last year, but perhaps the next couple of weeks will help us make up some ground. So who are the birds we are looking forward to seeing in May?

Two female Grosbeaks have a morning bath.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak: We welcome a handful of these birds every year. Typically we get a couple of pairs who will hang out in our backyard for about 2 weeks before moving on. These Cardinal cousins come up from Latin America to do some breeding in Wisconsin's forests; they are happy to stop off at feeders and eat black oil and striped sunflower seeds. Their call is almost Robin-ish, and we eagerly await their return.

Male Oriole goes for the jelly.

Baltimore Oriole: We had orioles come visit for the first time last year. They visited for a little over a week in mid-May before moving on. During that time our Oriole feeder contained nectar, held orange wedges, and had spoonfuls of grape jelly. They didn't seem to take much to the nectar, but they did seem to enjoy the grape jelly. They nearly polished off a jar of the cheap stuff purchased at our local grocery store. Last May, the weather was fairly warm, so I made sure to clean the feeder at least every other day to prevent mold growth in the nectar. Our feeder is also suspended from a large ant moat to prevent insects from accessing the sugary treats.

This House Wren snagged a spider in the garden.

House Wren: Our summer wouldn't be complete without the House Wrens starting a family in our yard. Since putting up the bird house 2 years ago, we've had Wrens nest in it each year. They spend a lot of time foraging for insects in our wildflowers and regularly chastise me when I go into the garden. In the morning, they sing from the telephone wire which passes over the bird house and garden. They are rather talkative, sort of funny looking little birds, but their presence really brings the yard to life.

Which birds are you still waiting for?

Five Native Plants Other than Flowers for Butterflies

Everyone knows that during the summer, butterflies flit from flower to flower in our gardens, parks, and yards. Some understand that butterflies are after nectar and then plant flowers full of nectar to attract these painted insects. It's important however to remember that butterflies need different types of plants at different stages in their lifecycle. Here are a five plants to consider if you are interested in attracting butterflies.

Black Cherry Tree: These Cherry Trees are native to much of the United States and are generally good plants for attracting wildlife. Their fruits are eaten by mammals and birds alike, and the flowers which precede the fruit are a good early source of nectar for butterflies. These tree is important for the Eastern Tiger Swallow Tail and the Red Spotted Purple butterflies who will lay their eggs on this tree. Larger than most other Cherry Trees, these tree may grow 50 - 80 feet high providing some protections for the attracted butterflies.

The Black Swallowtail may use garden variety plants like Dill or Parsley as a host.

Oaks: Oaks as discussed in a previous post play an important role in the ecology of the Midwest. These large trees provide shelter and food for a number animal species. When we reflect on these species we often think of Squirrels, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and Blue Jays. Oaks also are hosts for a few species of Hairstreak and Duskywing butterflies. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars eat the foliage of the tree before becoming butterflies.

Birches: These attractive trees are often found in front yards of people's homes. River Birch and Paper Birch are two common native trees you can find at most nurseries. Birch trees play host to a number of a caterpillars including: Mourning Cloak and Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterflies which are two of the larger and more attractive species of the Midwest.

Common Nettle: Stinging Nettle can be a real pain in the garden or yard especially when trying to remove it. If it's found in an out of the way location, consider leaving it in place. The Red Admiral Butterfly uses this weed as a host plant for its caterpillars.

Bluestem Grasses: Both Little and Big Bluestem Grasses make attractive lawn or garden features, and both are easy to find at most nurseries. These plants are known for being attractive to birds, but these grasses are also host plants for a variety of Skipper species.

This Indian Skipper may have grown up in our Bluestem Grasses.

Even if you don't plant these particular plants in your butterfly garden, keep them in mind as you do other landscaping in your yard. There are also a whole bunch of other plants which can be used to attract butterflies. Remember when landscaping, that butterflies need more than just nectar, so the next time you are looking for a new tree, grass, or shrub take a look at this list to get started.

Common Critters - Backyard Mammals - Leaving Trails Behind

There are two common types of backyard critters who leave some pretty obvious tracks behind even if we never actually saw our visitors. Both moles and voles leave telltale signs behind as they forage in our lawns.

Voles: There are a few different kinds of voles one may encounter including the: Prairie Vole, Pine Vole, and Meadow Vole. Voles make runaways along the ground which you are likely to encounter if you do any shoveling of snow in your yard or immediately after a thaw. We often find vole runaways which lead directly to the areas below our bird feeders. You may also notice damage to bark around your shrubs after the snow melts; this could be from hungry voles looking for a winter snack. Plantings thick with native plants, especially native grasses may attract these rodents to your yard. Voles play an important role in the food chain, as they are a staple in the diets of many raptors like hawks and owls.

Moles: These little miners are in fact quite different from voles. Moles of the Midwest include the Star Nosed Mole and the Eastern Mole. Lawns are generally ideal mole habitat as they burrow their way looking for worms and other soil dwellers to eat. This burrowing leaves a trail of pushed-up dirt and sod, mole hills, behind which helps with soil aeration. These can be easily pushed back in place by walking along the trail. Moles are one of the few native animals which will eat Japanese Beetles. While they may be annoying as they incidentally uproot some vegetation in their quest for insects, their endeavors are generally beneficial.

Your lawn has probably attracted both species at some point or another, so the next time you run across an odd path of grass in your lawn know that either the voles or moles have come to visit.

Plant by Habitat: Tall Grass Prairie

If you're interested in finding plants which grow naturally together, you've come to the right place. So far, we've touched on Oak Savannas and Pine Barrens; this post will cover plants you can find commercially available if you're interested in planting a prairie.

You too can grow a prairie. Here's a sample of ours including Purple Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan, and Blue Lupine

Many retailers carry prairie mixes of native seed. These mixes are often tailored to some specific growing conditions. So make sure you've thought about where you intend lay the seed down. Here are some questions to consider: Is it dry or wet? Is it clay? How much sun or shade does the site receive? The mixes often also have themes like "best for butterflies" or "good for birds." This will impact the content of the mix. Most retailers provide details about the content of each mix detailing an expected percentage of seed per plant.

One quick aside, if the site isn't getting a good amount of sun, prairie plants probably aren't the best choice, many depend on a lot of sun, after all it is the prairie.

As such, I won't be focusing on trees this time, instead this post will focus in on some good varieties of plants you may wish to purchase for your prairie.

Tall Plants: The prairie was home to many plants as tall or taller than an adult. If you are interested in these kinds of plants, that's great, but they certainly aren't for everyone. They can make a really nice background for other prairie plants.

Big Blue Stem is an attractive, tall prairie grass which can readily grow to 7 feet. We have found that birds really enjoy it in the winter including: Dark Eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, and Pine Siskins. During the summer, it's not unusual for us to find American Toads on the ground at the base of the plant which can be remarkably dense. Compass Plant is another attractive native which can grow to be remarkably tall. This isn't one we've attempted to grow ourselves, but we've seen the showy yellow flowers grown locally.

Purple Coneflower is also very easy to grow and it attracts both birds and butterflies.

Less Tall Plants: Other prairie plants may grow more lowly, but be aware that how tall they grow in year one may not represent how tall they will grow in year two. Our Purple Coneflowers, Cardinal Flowers, and Little Blue Stem have gotten remarkably tall, all easily exceeding 3 feet.

Little Blue Stem is an easy to find plant which will grow as a bunch grass. It's remarkably easy to grow and the Dark Eyed Juncos seem to particularly enjoy it in the winter and early spring. Cardinal Flower has little red flag-like flowers which attract Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. It flowers a little later than some of the other wildflowers in our garden, adding some flavor to the garden a little later in the summer. This plant has actually done a little better when it's able to get some shade, our row that is in full sun seems to struggle a little more than a nearby row which gets a few more hours of shade each day.

Legumes are handy plants to include in your planting. Legumes help put nitrogen back into the soil which is beneficial for other plants.

False Indigo is a native legume which can grow into a big bush-like plant. It can be found with white or purple flowers which open earlier than some other plants you may include in your prairie such as Conefloewr or Black Eyed Susan. Blue Lupine is another native legume. Its blue flowers should appear in May ahead of the other native wildflowers. This plant is host to the Blue Karner Butterfly which is endangered. I've found that rabbits find both of these plants delicious so you may want to include some fencing to protect them as they grow.

And one more important but miscellaneous plant...

Butterfly Milkweed is a must have prairie plant for those who love the Monarch Butterfly. Its orange flowers may appear a little later than some of the other wildflowers, but it's a pollinators' delight. It doesn't seem to grow as tall as our Coneflower, but it can pretty dense, almost bush-like. Monarch Butterflies are attracted to this plant both for the flowers as adults, but it is also host to Monarch caterpillars.

Butterfly Milkweed's orange flowers up close.

There are many other plants you want to consider. The ones above only represent a small sample of the plants you want to consider. A number of other plants like: Prairie Dropseed, Blazing Star, Joe Pye Weed, Ox Eye Sunflower, and Prairie Coneflower are pretty easy to find commercially. The combination of height and color is up to you, and the choices are almost limitless. Good luck and enjoy.