Monarda Butterfly and Bee fest - short video

[hendi_alex]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15582147@N04/3620258229/

[Earl K]

Wonderfull film Alex,Love all the bird activity in the background.Sounds very peacefull out there.Ever take naps outside I could

[hendi_alex]

Sometimes we break out the hammock and hang it in the shade of one of the large oaks in the back yard. Very peaceful, you hit the nail on the head! My wife and I both worked in Columbia for several years, a two hour round trip. When we would get back home, we never once wondered why we chose to live where we do, and make that long daily trip.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I'm jealous sir; both of butterflies and monarda (mine is still smallish, and I have seen only a few butterflies so far (admirals and a few tiger swallow tails, a Cabbage white (mutter, mutter) and a frit or two, mostly on the native stuff but a bunch on the rhody out back as well. But not all at once like that, my friend... very nice...

Thanks for the tour...

HG

[hendi_alex]

I have quite a few native shrubs growing in the yard and surrounding area. One very abundant plant is sassafras. Today my friend was telling me that sassafras is a primary host plant for the tiger swallowtail, the large yellow swallowtail in the video. We walked the yard looking at our many dozens of young sassafras trees. She showed me eggs under the leaves and also showed me many curled leaves, where the larvae are hiding. Later in the season there should be many dozens or even more tiger swallowtails as these eggs hatch and the larvae mature. I also have included many host plants for the black swallow tails and have planted numerous dill plants, fennel, as well as parsley for us as well as the butterfly larvae. Should be a banner year for butterflies as we provide hundreds of square feet of blooms to provide nectar for the adults, but also provide the many host plants upon which the lavae can feed and complete the cycle.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I am trying to convince Mother that she doesn't need to cut down the sassafras in her yard for just that reason, but they are sort of near power lines; sacrifices may have to be made. But I will try to keep some...

HG

[hendi_alex]

I have one large sassafras tree in the yard, but have many, many young starts that are anywhere from two to four feet tall. The butterflies seem to be very interested in those young plants.

Wow, as am typing this a large pileated woodpecker landed on the pecan tree ouside my window. What an impressive bird!

[The Helpful Gardener]

Sure are. Not much different than the Ivory billed woodpecker other than one is likely extirpated. Seems strange that a bird that favored deep swamp is the one that disappears... You must be pretty woodsy, Alex. Those big boys shun mankind most of the time...

HG

[hendi_alex]

We have large oak trees and many of the pines are getting large, about 35 years old. It seems that the pilleated woodpeckers adapted well to younger transition forests, but the ivory bill just was't that flexible. I've had conversation with friends who live in or at the edge of pine stands with very mature pines and they report seeing the pileated woodpeckers regularly, often seeing several of the birds at the same time.

I've posted before, that I always leave dead trees standing, until they fall naturally. Even in our yard, I'll get the tree man to limb the tree, but the tree remains vertical for woodpeckers and other critters that rely on large snags for nesting, food, and habitat. One of our largest oaks has big dead branch stumps with hollows leading to the central trunk. We have some red headed wood peckers nesting there this year. Last year a crested fly catcher nest in a hollow about 25 feet above our deck, in another damaged oak tree. Off of another side of the house, we have the remains of an oak tree that died about eight years ago. There have been a series of two or three inch bore holes as various birds, mostly wood peckers have used that tree as a nesting site. IMO it is very important for land owners to allow the snags to stand. Even dead yard trees should be left up, when they can be left safely. Also the tree surgeons like to trim every broken limb up cleanly. I think that the trimming should be kept to a minimum in order to leave those large stumps of limbs for the cavity nesters.

The following photos were taken from a quick walk just immediately around the house. So you can just imagine how many bird friendly sites exist on the entire 130 acre property which includes about 25 acres of old growth swamp/wetlands area.

This old snag is about used up. Is about half its original height. But still is in use by birds and other critters.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3324/3631674721_105109526c.jpg[/img]

This is about twenty feet above my second story bathroom window. Is this season's home to red headed woodpeckers.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3326/3631653159_6600e440a0.jpg[/img]

This old broken limb is about 30 feet high on a living tree.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/3631675275_e5bf508729.jpg[/img]

This is the natural cavity used by crested flycatchers last year. A similar opening on another tree in the yard was used by a brown bat last year.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3632488672_dd7a3b4556.jpg[/img]

[The Helpful Gardener]

I've seen two at the same time and strangely it was in a residential area, but an older and heavily wooded one (Connecticut's older neighborhoods have become so wooded it is considered afforestation by many. I am sceptical as I have never seen forest with that much impermeable surface in it naturally...).

Your leaving up wood where it is safe is commendable, Alex. The boon to Nature is huge; woodpeckers in particular are thrilled with upright deadwood (habitat and larder all in one).

HG