Fathers: Plant Something!

If you are a father, always be sure and make time to plant something with your children.  The younger they are when you start planting, the better!
One of the earliest specific memories I have of my father was when we planted sweet corn together one spring. As I recall, we were planting a little patch by hand at the edge of a large field. It was a sunny, dry spring day and as we planted I could hear the plaintive cry of a bird. When I asked my father what it was, he explained that it was a "rain crow" and that it was crying for rain. I later learned that the bird crying for rain was actually a Mourning Dove. You can hear the call of the rain crow on this page.

That day in the corn field may have been the seed that started my life-long passion for planting things and watching them grow.
I had to be four years old or less when we planted that corn, because we moved from the farm when I was five.  To this day, whenever I hear the call of the rain crow, I think of planting sweet corn with my dad all those years ago.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!  Thanks for the memories!

Snag some wildlife!

A snag tree is a standing dead or nearly dead tree.  Snags are extremely valuable habitat for birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.  Insects under the bark of snags provide food for woodpeckers, birds, squirrels, and other mammals.  Many birds and mammals will also use hollowed-out snags as living or nesting areas.  To really attract a wide variety of life to your property make sure to leave some dead or dying trees.  If you have no dead trees, you can create the same effect by burying large dead trunks or tree limbs in an upright position throughout your landscape.  It won't take long until the wildlife is checking it out!
The center trunk of this tree is hollow inside and no doubt harbors insects that many birds enjoy!
                                                                                   

                                                                                                                 Snags don't have to be large or take up a lot of space.  This is the trunk of a dead citrus tree.

Look closely at all the holes and you can see how many woodpeckers have been enjoying this dead Roseapple trunk!

Even a log on the ground will attract ants, beetles and other insects that lizards and other small animals will use as a food source.

Here a larger animal (maybe gopher tortoise?) has made a burrow under the trunk of a fallen live oak.









Leaving a little dead wood in your yard not only saves you the labor of removing it, but it will increase your enjoyment by attracting a variety of wildlife!
For additional tips on attracting wildlife to your yard, see: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw175

Hawk

I spotted this hawk sitting on the barn roof.  I think he's watching for slow-moving prey that has been stunned by the recent cold weather!

Robins

Flocks of Robins, hungry from their journey south, are swarming the camphor tree and devouring the berries.