There is a shortage of food for a lot of the wildlife in our area due to the drought and they could use our help. Bird feeders and baths are needed now just as much in the winter and while you are at it put out a dish of water on the ground for the turtles and put out scraps for them too. This turtle is enjoying some strawberries I cut up for it although I really think it prefers blueberries, I feed this one a lot as it lives in my garden. Turtles will dig into soft dirt to hide from the heat of the day and come out in the evenings to look for food and water.They will also come out if you accidentally water their resting place. I don't think there will be any nuts here either all the nuts are falling from the trees undeveloped, so feed those squirrels too. Whatever wildlife is in your area probably needs some help so it is a good idea to do what you can
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We are in a severe drought here and need to be careful of our water use. I have always been bad about leaving the water on but when I went into the house I would here our water pump running and know that I had left the water on and go turn it out. Now I am using rural water and it makes no sound at all. Recently I added some water to our fish pond and forgot to turn the water off, the next day I saw the fish hugging thr waterfall and wondered what was wrong, then i saw it the hose was in the pond and running, my fish were being poisoned by the chlorine in the water. I used what I had of the water treatment and ran into town to get more, I was so worried I would loose all my beautiful fish. Thank goodness i got to them in time and did not loose one fish. I have since purchased this water timer, I will never leave the water on again. I just turn it anywhere from 5 minutes to 120 minutes and at the end of that time it shuts the water off. A great product for the busy person or the forgetful person.
My shrimp plant ( justicia brandegeena ) Is doing great this summer, it has never bloomed so much. t is a tuff plant that likes shade and will get by on little water. Perfect for this summer. It does spend it's winters in the green house but would probably do fine as a house plant in the winter months.
So many of the trees are loosing their leaves due to the drought that many of my plants are getting more sun than they had been. I have moved what I could under the shade cloth and now I may be putting up more shade cloth. I just hope we This is what my flower beds look like that I don't have shade cloth for. I can't water everything and without shade they take way too much water. Even the native flowers that I have are suffering. Right now they are saying we have a 40% chance of rain on Thursday, it will take a lot of rain at this point to help. They say if we don't get rain soon there will be water restrictions, if that happens most of my garden will look like this This picture shows a part of my herb garden under shade cloth. It does get water but only every other day. It makes a big difference, I just don't have enough shade cloth for everything. If you don't have real shade cloth use an old sheet or sheer curtain. Some of my "shade" cloth is 1$ a yard fabric I bought at Wal-Mart years ago and it works just fine. All of my potted plants are under shade cloth, I even took down the hanging baskets and put them under it. They would all be dead now no mater how much water they got without the shade cloth.
I wish i could have put shade cloth over the labyrinth, the grass there like our whole yard is I have added a picnic area to the miniature garden. It could use some thyme "grass" but it is too hot and dry to plant anything right now. There will soon be a bridge that crosses a stream that the little people take to get to the picnic site. I also want to make some signs but have not figured out what to make them from, or just how small do I make the letters? I am making the bridge out of tiny rocks and as slow as I am going it will be late August before it is done. The mole has caused more damage and I have decided to wait for cooler weather to make the needed repairs. The picnic area is about the only plac
As if the drought was not bad enough the bugs are bad, bad bugs, not so many of the good ones. Grasshoppers are eating what is still alive and I also have some cucumber beetles and lots of white flies. I decided to bring in some pest control my smallest chickens, Isabella (black) and Fernando ( white). They are enjoying getting out and have not scratched up anything yet. I would like to let the guineas into the garden but it would be very hard to let them in without letting in all the chickens.
For the whiteflies I am using yellow sticky traps, good bugs are not so attracted to yellow. I need to get them under control before everything goes back into the greenhouse, they were bad in there last winter and I lost a few plants to them. They seem to be even more of a problem this year, the must like the dry weather. Whiteflies have developed a resistance to chemical powders and sprays and they say the bast way to deal with them is with predator bugs like lacewings and ladybugs. I bought some ladybug lures to try and get them to come to my garden but have not put them out yet. I will report on how well they work My fish seem to be the only ones not suffering from the heat. Their pond gets good shade helping to keep the water cool. They beg for food every time I walk by but I try to only feed them once or twice a day. They will follow me as I walk around the pond and if I sit in the swing they circle and circle at that end of the pond trying to get my attention. Fish are smarter than you might think. When it is this hot plants do better in shade too. I have put up a lot of shade cloth for many of my plants. This makes it possible to water potted plants once a day instead of 2 or even 3 times without the shade. A pot in the sun heats up quickly and when the temperature reaches 100 and above the plant will cook and no amount of water can save it. Moving them to the shade keeps them going and even blooming.
I have lost some plants that were planted in the ground, I can't shade the whole garden and even if I could it would take too much water to keep everything going. it is so hot and dry even the native plants are suffering and I am really worried about some of the well established trees. I hope we get some good rain soon! The mole did more damage o the miniature garden, this road is messed up a stream is ruined and the farm house is raised up at one side. I have solar repellers in and have used an entire bag of mole repellant, even pouring some down into his tunnel. None of this has worked.My next step will be to get some milky spore to kill the grubs that are a moles favorite food. This has worked for us in the past, I was hoping I would not have to do that, I just hate killing things,even grubs.
I made 3 new people for a picnic area in the miniature garden and have taken a picture, you can see it on the Garden page. I want to make at least one more person and a tablecloth for the picnic table. The area needs grass but it is too hot and dry to plant anything right now. I took down all the shade cloth hoping for rain. Sprinkles last night but there is still a chance tonight, I sure hope we get some. Well, I was walking past the plants I am trying to root and got stung by a wasp again! This time on the other leg a little below the knee. I tried a tip I was given too, ammonia. I was told that right after getting stung to put some ammonia on a paper towel or wash cloth, enough to make it really wet but not so much it runs everywhere, hold it over the site for 5 minutes and it will stop stinging. I tried it and it did take away the burning pain at the time but I have a swollen painful leg today. I have vowed never to walk by those plants again! I think the ammonia would work really well for someone that does not have the allergic reaction I do, getting rid of the pain at the time is really nice.
This picture is of the swamp hibiscus in my pond, just beginning to bloom, it has a lot of buds, too bad the blossoms only last one day. I have been busy putting up shade cloth around the garden, it may not look very nice but I won't have to water so often and the plants really seem to enjoy it when the temperature climbs so high. I This turtle walking the labyrinth must be praying for rain, I hope he is successful. This has been a very busy week here, we finally got rural water. Now I can use the well and cistern just for the garden, and it is needing a lot of water. The turtles also in desperate need for water come when I run the sprinkler looking for a drink. They also come to eat, I give them fruit and cat food and if you check out my garden page you can see that they also eat flowers. I love the turtles and can spare a few blossoms my garden is as much for the wildlife as it is for me. Early this week I was stung by a wasp, it got me about 6 inches above the ankle. By the next day my leg was swollen from my foot to my knee, I could hardly walk. This happens every time I get stung, thank goodness I am very careful and don't get stung very often. The wasps like the moist soil where I am trying to root some cuttings. I was just walking by those plants when I ran into him, he was very angry. I watch for them there now. After 5 days I still have a little swelling. Richard has been stung 3 times this year but not at home AND he doesn't have the reaction I do bet he is glad about that. Forgiveness
Stung by a spiteful wasp, I let him go life free: That proved the difference In him and me. For, had I killed my foe, It had proved me at once The stronger wasp, and no More difference. W.H. Davies |