Enjoying the Birds

Bird watching is one of the many pleasures that comes from creating a wildlife-friendly yard. Local birds as well as migratory birds may be visitors. Many times our yard has hosted a flock of birds that descends on a particular tree and feeds voraciously on its blossoms, berries, or insects.





By choosing trees, shrubs and plants that contribute to the food web, you provide an attractive environment for our feathered friends. We learned more about this idea of host plants from Dr. Doug Tallamy in his online talk for the Bring Back the Natives virtual event (see Bring Back the Natives – Open and Native Plant Finder).

Succulent crickets provide nourishment

Moths and caterpillars provide protein

Add water and nearby shelter, and you provide even more resources for the well being of birds, and other wildlife. You benefit by attracting more birds all through the seasons.

A young Blue Jay enjoys a quick bath in July

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker stops for a snack in January

Many years ago we installed sun shades on our pack patio (see Patio Shades). The shades can be raised and lowered as needed to block the bright sun and protect us from cool marine breezes. We've also discovered that the shades provide a sort of "duck blind" for observing birds. The birds are still aware of our presence, but seem to feel protected and secure enough for a quick bath and preening on nearby shrubs.

Observing a Little Brown Bird from behind the "duck blind"

Amaryllis Care

It's no secret that I love Amaryllis blossoms (Hippeastrum spp.) If in doubt, see Forcing Bulbs: Amaryllis, Favorite Christmas Plants, and Forcing Amaryllis Bulbs. Once they bloom, I let the bulbs go dormant, and then replant them in large communal pots. With some care, the bulbs flower in subsequent years, although the blooms are typically smaller and not as bodacious as the initial bloom. It is still satisfying.

Amaryllis bulbs of various ages (mature and pups)

I noticed that my pots of Amaryllis were starting to look a little bedraggled, and a few plants were dusted with white powder, indicating some kind of pest. Time for some clean up and TLC!

Soaking the roots in a little water

I dug up the bulbs and inspected the roots. They looked long, strong, and healthy, despite what was happening above ground. I trimmed the shoots, cut the roots back to about 4 inches long, and then let the roots soak in a pail of clean water to mitigate the shock. This gave me time to scrub the pots inside and out.

Fresh soil in the clean pots

Next, I replanted the bulbs in fresh potting soil, being careful not to damage the roots, and then topped-dressed with fresh moss. Finally, I watered them in carefully, to make sure the bulbs did not get flooded with water. After several weeks, the bulbs have started putting out leaves.

Freshly planted and top-dressed with moss

We'll see if the special care encourages another round of blossoms. In the meantime, I'm content to watch the fresh foliage grow.

Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book

We have a lot of lichen growing around our property, and I wanted to learn more about its dyeing potential. In my initial research, I kept encountering Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book by Karen Diadick Casselman, and thought it might be a good place to start. Lichen Dyes was published by Dover Publications, Inc. (Mineola, New York 2001). This slim book is packed with information.

The preface discusses the ethics of using lichen dyes (lichen is very slow growing and can take decades to replenish itself). Five chapters include a history of Asian and Southern European lichen dyes; domestic dyes of Northern Europe and North America; safe lichen dye methods and techniques; eco dyes and alternative mordants (less toxic); and how to identify lichen and the ethics of collecting it. The back matter includes reference material about lichens, pigments, reagents; a glossary; an annotated bibliography; and indexes.  

The glossary defines lichens as a symbiotic biological entity composed of algal and fungal partners. According to Casselman, lichens can produce brilliant dyes—in shades of yellow, orange, ochre, russet, brown, copper, bronze, olive, true green, pink, mauve, violet, red, rose, magenta, purple, and blues—depending on the dye method used. Some lichens produce beige or champagne colors, but can be used as mordants.

I really appreciate Casselman's emphasis on the ethical collection and use of lichens. At times in history, lichens were collected for dyeing at an industrial scale, completely wiping out the local lichen population until it could slowly rebound. She advocates following an Eco Dye philosophy that is based on salvage botany (for example, collecting lichen that has blown down in wind or rainstorms, or is growing on tombstones or buildings, rather than scraping it off wood or stones in nature). Additionally, she recommends developing more ecologically sound methods for mordanting and dyeing that don't require toxic chemicals. I'm looking forward to trying out some of her methods in seasons to come, using the lichens growing in our yard!