In Jo's Yard - 46 Sandhill Cranes

One day at the end of April 2019, I was in garden, at the edge of the driveway, dead-heading the Blanketflower.  I got up to stretch, and when I turned around, I am stunned to see 3 Sandhill cranes walking from the backyard, across the driveway.  I stand stock-still and watch them “slowly turn and inch by inch, step by step….” cross the street and walk down to a neighbor’s yard. 

The Florida Sandhill Crane is listed as State Designated – Threatened due to degradation or loss of habitat due to development.   [https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/cranes/sandhill-crane/].  

They are as tall as I am, well, adults are 2-1/2-4 feet tall and their wingspan can reach 6 feet-6 inches!  Adults might only weigh 9-10 pounds, but they are quite formidable and regal looking.  They have a red patch on their heads, white cheeks and long dark pointed bills.  They frequently give a loud trumpeting call – I notice when the dog walkers pass by.  [Listen to Sandhill Cranes]  

Cranes are monogamous (breeding with one mate).  Females lay two eggs and both male and female will incubate it (one brood a year).  Once the egg hatches, the offspring will be ready to travel with its parents in 24 hours.  About 10 months old, the juveniles will be ready to leave their parents.   Sandhill cranes will eat a variety of food depending on availability, including berries, small mammals, insects, snails, reptiles and amphibians.  You often see them with their bills to the ground, rooting around for seeds and other foods.  

Predators include foxes, raccoons, coyotes, wolves and bobcats. Ravens, hawks owls and crows will feed on young cranes and eggs – not to mention American crocodiles and alligators.  

                                                    Photo from Wikipedia

In Jo's Yard - 45 Preparing for Garden Tour

I have met one goal – my yard will be included in the May 2019 Villages FNPS Garden Tour!  So I arrange for Green Isle Gardens [Green Isle Gardens] to do some yard maintenance at the end of April.  The frog fruit in the back is gorgeous and lush and probably 6” tall – it has never been cut.  The frog fruit in the front, which was cut in November, 2018, seems to be struggling to turn green.  You can see green “underneath”, but its overall appearance is brown.  


I work 50+ hours this week and was working while GIG was here.  I added 2 MilkWeed plants, 3 Stokes Aster, 3 Rosinflower and 4 Wild Petunia.  When the Green Isle Gardens crew took lunch break, the Monarch butterflies headed straight to the MilkWeed!   My yard is shaping up beautifully.  

                                  Wildflower Garden, Front Yard April 2019

In Jo's Yard - 44 Plant Milkweed in April

A single Cattle egret is calmly walking through my Wild Flower Garden about 6:30PM.  I see it through my office window.  I get up but it flies away before I can get a photo!

Huge black cricket is on the Kitchen window.  It’s all BLACK – looks alien, seems to be missing a leg, but it’s definitely a cricket. 

There is a pale yellow butterfly enjoying the scorpion-tail.  A PAIR of mockingbirds linger for some time in the flatwood plum trees, around the blanket flower, in the Florida Privet!  So happy to see the wildlife!

By April 20, 2019, Monarch butterflies are in the yard, around the Milkweed, enjoying the Stokes Aster.  This year, 2020, I will definitely make sure I have Milkweed in the yard by the beginning of April.  

                                        Monarch Butterfly on Stokes Astor

In Jo's Yard - 43 Narrowleaf Ironweed and Rosinflower

In March 2019,  the Narrowleaf Ironweed is coming back like gangbusters!  The Rosinflower is looking good,  except for one, which I don’t think that I cut back.  But I will leave it alone and see if it recovers.  The Privet Senna looks good, with beautiful yellow flowers.   Frog fruit, twinflower, swamp twinflower – all looks good in back yard.
A huge shadow on the solar shade in my Florida Room spurs me to open the shade to see the cause.  It’s a GIANT grasshopper on the window.  I am hoping it is NOT an Eastern Lubber – they sound mean and disgusting.  My only photo is of the underside of the thing, since I was inside & it was outside!  It’s more than two inches from end to end!   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romalea)


Narrowleaf Ironweed, Rosinflower, Privet Senna corner in March 2019                                                               

  

               Narrowleaf Ironweed                              Narrowleaf Ironweed and 
               in March 2019                                  Rosinflower in June 2019                                           

                                       Privet Senna with its yellow blooms
                                        
                             
                                             Unidentified pest on the window over 2"                                                                            

In Jo's Yard - 42 - All About Birds

There will be no post on December 30, 2019.  Next post January 6, 2020 - Happy New Year!

I thought I would end 2019 with this list of wonderful birds that I’ve observed in my yard.  When I moved into this newly built neighborhood in Fall 2016, there wasn’t even an anole to be found.  Now that the construction crews have left, and neighbors have all added landscaping, the native wildlife is returning.  In my Maryland surroundings, I enjoyed watching a wide variety of birds at the feeder and among the tall trees.  This neighborhood was formerly a Dairy Farm – there was little in the way of trees, so we all started from scratch.  I have a Birds of Florida Field Guide (by Stan Tekiela).  Whenever I see a bird, I add a post-it note to the page in this guide  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2740531-birds-of-florida-field-guide). 

In 2019, Sandhill Cranes have walked right past me while I was weeding the front yard.   Mockingbirds like dense foliage and frequent the palms in my neighbors’ yards.  In my backyard, I’ve seen an Eastern Bluebird dive bomb a House Sparrow to defend its nest.  As the two seemed to wrestle each other to the ground – a Mockingbird appears to break it up!  The three birds each retreat to separate “corners” - the House Sparrow retreats into my birdhouse, the Bluebird and the Mockingbird to rooftops overlooking the yard.  Here are the birds I’ve observed.  After each, I added a link to the “All About Birds” website.  This is a wonderful website for identifying birds, letting you listen to their birdcalls, and describing their habits. 

·       Boat Tailed Gackle – Seen at my birdbath.  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Boat-tailed_Grackle

·       Cattle Egret – I think they have a funny walk – like their heads and their bodies are moving independently.  But there are some farms with cattle nearby, and these birds often keep the cattle company!  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cattle_Egret/overview

·       Fish Crow – A pair seen in m Wildflower garden, one feeding the other.  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/fish_crow

·       Great Egret – What long necks they have!  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cattle_Egret/overview

·       Eastern Bluebird – Whenever I see these, I think of “the bluebird of happiness”!     https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/eastern_bluebird  

·       House Finch – Seen in my wildflower garden, perching on the Tropical Sage and picking out seeds.  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_finch

·       House Sparrow – These birds chase and harass the Bluebirds, but they are very common  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_sparrow

·       Mourning Dove – We had a lot of these in the community backyard in Maryland.  They make a sad cooing sound.    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove

·       Northern Mockingbird – The state bird of Florida.  While its known for imitating the calls of other birds, it has its own beautiful song.     https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird

·       Northern Cardinal –    Cardinals don’t molt and don’t migrate. This female songbird is the one who sings - not the male.     https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/

·       Purple Gallinule – Actually seen at the Weichens Preserve.  But so unusual looking, I had to note it.  What amazing colors this bird has – and its big feet means it can walk on floating vegetation  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Gallinule/

·       Red-winged Blackbird – When I first saw one, his red and yellow wing markings really caught my eye!  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/overview#

·       Sandhill Crane – These are soooo big!  And they move at their own pace.  If they are crossing the road, no approaching car or golf cart or bike or person will make them move any faster!  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane

In Jo's Yard - 41 Planning Spring Maintenance

April 1 2019 A steady rain seems to wash away a lot more aphids and the Milkweeds are looking pretty good.  No sign of Monarch butterflies yet.  The rain helps green-up the front yard frog fruit a little bit.

The frog fruit in the front yard was cut in November (4 months ago).  It does not look good to me.  But the frog fruit on the sides and in the back is green and is definitely growing some.  It was not cut back because it was planted later.  Kirsten Sharp-Ortega from Green Isle Gardens (http://www.greenislegardens.com/about-us.html)is here, by appointment to help me plan for my Spring maintenance.  She points out that there is green “under” the top layer.  She will check to see if some natural (chicken poop) fertilizer will help, or just leave it be.  In the end, we decide maintenance will be scheduled for the end of April, and I will send Kirsten photos of the frog fruit in mid-April to see if it’s changed.

In the wildflower garden, I will add two more Stokes Aster plants.  Two of the 3 Blazing Star Liatris are coming back, so we will wait and see how they do this year.  The scorpion-tail can be cut back and shaped any way I want – I will let Green Isle Gardens do that.  Kirsten points out that the Helmut Skull Cap (Scutellaria integrifolia) is coming back spectacularly, and has spread to other places in the Wildflower garden.  After we check on the milkweed on the north side of the house, we will consider moving them either to the front or away from A/C and closer to the Simpson Stopper. 

She shows me where I can trim the Coral Honeysuckle.  The compact Firebush behind the Trellis has lots of buds.  I am looking forward to seeing the hummingbirds around here. 

The flatwood plum trees are doing well.  Even though the one that seemed “weaker” from the time it was planted did not get as many flowers, and does not have as many leaves as the other, Kirsten says it’s still healthy – the branches and twigs are flexible and not brittle.  She says that Flatwood Plum trees can be quirky and leaf out from the bottom up.  


   Flatwood Plum Tree starts to flower – eventually flowers & leaves are on the tree simultaneously

                          Blue Helmet Skull Cap in foreground, Red Tropical Sage behind it

In Jo's Yard - 40 Milkweed and Aphids

At the end of March 2019, Kirsten Sharp-Ortega of Green Isle Gardens (http://www.greenislegardens.com/) comes by to check on what maintenance might be needed in April.

The Milkweed in the wildflower garden seems to be growing well – originally 2 plants, one now has 2 stems and one has 3.  Leaves are green and evenly placed.   I had noticed that the stems were covered in yellow aphids.  But recently, I see the aphids have moved to the leaves, too.  Kirsten tells me that the aphids will only go to Native Milkweed that has not been treated with chemicals.  So there we are.  She inspects one plant and says I have a predator wasp that is turning the aphids black on one of the plants.  “So your yard is working”  - my own little eco-system.  Nevertheless, she takes a paper towels and wipes off some of the aphids on both. 

FROM:       http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota/gardening-and-landscaping/horticulture-commercial/integrated-pest-management/beneficial-insects/

Wasp, Parasitic

Parasitic wasps are an extremely important and large group of beneficial insects with about 16,000 species occurring in North America. These wasps are very small, most less than 1/8 inch long and usually not noticed. Some wasp larvae feed and pupate inside the host and the emerging wasp leaves a small circular hole in the body of the host as evidence of parasitism. Many harmful insects such as aphids, whiteflies, scales, leafminers and caterpillars are parasitized. Other parasite larvae live on the outside of its host where they construct numerous small, white cocoons attaching to the body of the host. 

The aphids are the yellow spots all along the stems of this Milkweed.  There is a ladybug on the leaf in bottom half of photo – they eat aphids, too.  

In Jo's Yard - 39 The Rain Lily

February 25 2019 – The Flatwood Plum trees have a few (very few) green leaves and some little white flowers.  I am glad they are showing signs of life!  I am looking forward to more!

February 28 2019 –  AT LAST after yesterday’s rain, I went out to get the morning paper.  I heard a lot of bird “ruckus” towards my backyard.  I walked to the corner of the house, hoping maybe birds were fighting over, or building a nest in my birdhouse.  I didn’t see any avian excitement.  I turned around to walk back and stopped dead in my tracks – there it was – a single beautiful white rain lily.  Fully formed, open, just gorgeous.  I was in awe!  Who could I tell?  I actually stood in my garden alternately gaping at this beautiful lily and looking down the street until I spot a neighbor, dog-walking, heading for home.  As soon as she approached and said good morning, I spilled out – I have my first rain lily! 

Rain lilies are a short-lived perennial flower and they are a threatened species in Florida.  Under the Endangered Species Act in the United States, "threatened" is defined as "any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range".  It is the less protected of the two protected categories. Rain lilies typically bloom in late winter to early summer, after a rain shower.  They prefer moist soil, but not saturated, and full sun to partial shade.  They are a hardy species and make for a nice mass planting – they can be mowed!  CAUTION- all parts of this plant are poisonous if eaten.

[No post on December 2, 2019 – Happy Thanksgiving to all]


                                                                     My first rain lily  

In Jo's Yard - 38 Pine Straw

It's February 12, 2019 – pine straw delivery day!  Our Villages Chapter of FNPS maintains the median strip at the entrance to the Lake Griffin State Park.  I joined TV-FNPS President Steve Turnipseed and member Roger Selch there to unload 60 bales of pine straw at Lake Griffin State Park.  At my house, 82 bales were delivered – 40 for my own yard and 42 for other TV-FNPS members.  I placed my 40 bales around the yard.  I had work scheduled 2:30AM-8:30AM – I don’t know when I will have the energy to spread the pine straw.  I wonder what I got myself into!  February 14, after working and going to Mystery Lovers Book Club, I try to spread one or two bales, then I am off to bed, exhausted.  Over the next week, I manage to spread 30 bales of pine straws, re-sell 6, and stack up the rest for future use.  Boy, that’s hard work I’m not used to, but it was manageable by doing a little at a time.  

                                            82 bales of pine straw in my driveway!

                                 Managed to spread some pine straw in my Privet Senna Corner

                                                       Back yard with fresh pine straw

In Jo's Yard - 37 Pine Straw and Coffee Grounds

In February 2019, I am expecting 40 bales of long leaf pine straw, ordered through my Villages’ Chapter of FNPS.  I did some yard work in preparation.  I spread two large bags of coffee grounds – one around each of my Flatwood plum trees.   I trimmed the Muhly grass, leaving about 4 inches from the ground and I did some weeding.  Another FNPS member gave me a trick for trimming the Muhly grass - gather up all the blades of one plant and wrap tight with a bungee cord.  Then it is easier to trim it evenly with the weed whacker or loppers.  
I feel like this MUST be Florida Spring now, because unwanted plants (aka weeds, aka right plant, wrong place) are popping up everywhere, seemingly overnight! 

I attended The Villages FNPS presentation on Feb. 22, 2019 on Practical Pruning by Nick Giancola of Green Isle Gardens and learned I really should cut the Muhly Grass back even more ….. so more came off 2 weeks later!

You can get large bags of coffee grounds from Starbucks for free.  In The Villages, the Starbucks on Sumter Landing Square has a basket in the breezeway with a “take for free” sign.  If the basket is empty, just ask inside.  Why coffee grounds, you ask?  Here’s a link to one website with a good explanation:  https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm


                                          Muhly Grass in bloom in October 2018

Muhly Grass in bloom in October 2018 

Muhly Grass in February 2019

Muhly Grass, trimmed to about 2-4 inches 

In Jo's Yard - 36 Coral Honeysuckle

January 12, 2019  There is a GREAT EGRET in MY YARD!  So excited!  I rush inside to get my phone, but by the time I come out he has moved on to another yard.  Still, I’m hopeful that he will show up again!

The next week I spot two beautiful bluebirds in the front yard, around the flatwood plum trees and my glider. 

After a rainy Sunday, followed by working all night, and 4 hours sleep, I decide to spend some time out on the bench in the sun.  How delicious, gliding back and forth.  I glance at the trellis and bright coral flowers catch my attention!  Oh, the Coral Honeysuckle is really taking off now – six months after it was first planted!  Several strands are up and over the trellis.  The leaves are green and healthy looking and the flowers are stunning.  Yea!

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera Sempervirens) is native to my part of Florida (Central / North Florida).  It requires rich, moist to dry soil and plenty of sun.  Hummingbirds visit the red tubular flowers and birds eat the small red berries in the fall.  It can be trained to grow up the trellis, or you can let it grow over trees and shrubs, or leave it grow along the ground as a ground cover.  Expect the best blooms if it is growing with the support of a trellis, tree or other plant.  It is a larval host for both the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) and Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) butterfly.  I expect I will be cutting mine way back at the end of November, or in December.

              Six months after planting two small coral honeysuckle plants – it starts to take off!                                       

 
                         One year after planting two small Coral Honeysuckle plants!