Thursday, October 23, 2008

Recycling Storm Debris

Doesn't the word "debris" sound so much nicer than "garbage"? No matter what you call it, the amount of debris, garbage, trash, or crap laying around after a storm can be mind-boggling. And sometimes through no fault of their own, it takes months for our towns and counties to pick up the trash stacked on the side of the roads. A friend came up with a novel use for the boards from his fence that blew down in Hurrican Dolly - a compost bin! He said when he was looking at homemade bins online, the wood looked like the boards stacked in his alley. Walt turned his into a nifty 4 foot compost bin! Walt had already constructed the two sides with the slatted boards. It's pretty nifty how the angled boards keep your compost ingredients in the bin while allowing for some ventilation. If you are inexperienced with carpentry like I am, you can always make all four sides solid. Just drill a few holes in the boards. Walt connected his two pre-constructed sides with 4' fence boards. Not only did he end up with a compost bin that would look great in any yard, he kept these wooden boards out of the landfill!





Here's a close-up view of the sides. Just cut triangular pieces to set the slats an an angle.
And don't worry if your fence didn't blow down. I'll be you have a neighbor who would love for you to haul off their old boards.
I just love this: Recycling kitchen and yard waste in a container made from yard waste!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Butterflies & Blooms

Took a little stroll in Ramsey Park the other day and if I didnt' know better, I would have thought it was Spring! Everything was in bloom - and the butterflies were this - Sulfers, Queens and many like the picture below. I think this butterfly is a Bordered Patch, Chlosyne lacinia. According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies, it is the most widespread and abundant "checkerspot" of the Americas. Its range is SE California east to Texas and south to Argentina. Habitat is subtropical thorn forests, desert hills, weedy edges of agricultural fields, river bottomlands, pinyon pine and oak woodlands, parks and gardens - in other words, just about everywhere there are plants!

I can usually find any Valley native plant I'm looking for in Trees, Shrubs, & Cacti of South Texas, by Everitt & Drawe - the not this pretty white flower. I'm a huge fan of white flowers - they don't photgraph worth a darn, but they sure are beautiful at dawn and dusk. The RGV Master Naturalists always have a booth at the RGV Birding Festival. They are certain to know this plant!
And of course, there was lots of Turks's Cap. The Turk's Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus var. Drummondii, inspired me so that we went straight to Grimsell's to pick up a few pots for my garden. I can't decide whether I was blown away by the number of blooms or the number of butterflies!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Got Dogs?

If you've got dogs, then you'll want to check out beneficial nemotodes. They are a chemical free way to control fleas and ticks in your yard. Sold embedded in a small sponge, which is soaked in water to release the microscopic animals. The water is then put into a hose-end sprayer (one that has not been used for insecticides) and applied to your lawn. Our rescued dog, Red

Unable to find any beneficial nemotodes locally, I've ordered them online the past few years. Was I ever excited to find them at Veranda's Nursery in Port Isabel yesterday! They are 10 days old and safely stored in their refrigerator. In the Valley, we should apply to the lawn in Fall and Spring. There are lots of people out there better informed about them than I am, so for more information, just google "beneficial nemotodes". All I know is that when I make an early spring application, we have less flea, tick and fire ant problems.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Birding Season

November 5 -9 finds Harlingen swimming with birders from all around the country - they're here to take part in the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. I'm just a backyard birder - but every two or three years I sign up for one of the festival trips. This year I have a canoe trip on the Rio Grande in my sights. I've always wanted to boat down the river - and with that ridiculous border fence being constructed, this may be the last opportunity to see the river like it is today.

Birds and butterflies are a couple of the bonuses to gardening. First, your landscape attracts them to your garden and second, you are physically out there to see and enjoy them. I do not take pictures of wildlife (would need to invest in a big lens and learn a few new tricks) - but this hummer perched on a Frangipani, Plumeria rubra was the perfect subject.
I can't say the same for this Black Bellied Whistling Duck and Ducklings below. Every evening, this mom and her mate had their ducklings out for a swim on the resaca. I don't know what we'll see from our canoes - but fall in the Valley is a great time to be outdoors.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Think Spring

Although this Texas Bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis, may scream springtime, it's time to start thinking wildflowers! If you want to grow Bluebonnets from seed, they need to be in the ground in October or November. I like to scarify my seed first! Line a coffee can with rough sandpaper and put your seed into it. I leave my can in the kitchen and every time I pass it, it gets a few shakes. After a week of shaking, they're ready to go in the ground.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Why I'm a Morning Person

What a shame to miss this kind of beauty . . . Autumn sunrises just makes me want to jump out of bed and enjoy the day!