by Anne Rivas

Quite a few years ago, as I sat outside with my early morning coffee, enjoying the birds, I heard the dulcet tones of my darling little daughter, “Shaddup, ya stinkin’ birds!”  She has never been a morning person.

I planted trees when I moved into that house.  My neighbors told me that the previous owner had not only removed her own trees, she tried to get them to remove their trees to keep the birds from – ahem –soiling her property as they flew across.

Besides beauty, what are the benefits to attracting birds to our backyards?

• They eat insects – insects that would otherwise eat my plants. Why do I want birds in a yard where I’m trying to attract pollinators?  Mosquitoes are pollinators.  The birds can have all the mosquitoes they want!  Some birds, such as hummingbirds and orioles, are also pollinators.  The grackles are eating Japanese beetle larvae like crazy right now, all over the neighborhood.  How can anyone complain about that?  A vineyard manager in Napa Valley has reduced the incidence of grape blight by installing bluebird nest boxes.  The bluebirds eat the insects that spread the blight-causing bacteria.

• Birds also distribute seeds – they eat berries and eliminate the seeds elsewhere. Sometimes I wish they had better aim.  Nothing will grow on my porch railings or sidewalks, but I know that most seeds end up on fertile ground.

• Larger birds like hawks and owls help keep the rodent and smaller bird populations in check. Some birds eat carrion, keeping our environment cleaner.

• Bird populations serve as bio-indicators. In the 1970s birds were dying off due to the use of DDT.  Now DDT has been associated with breast cancer in women exposed to it in utero.  Click here to read more about birds as indicators of environmental health.

Some people worry about the potential mess birds may leave, and are concerned about bird-feeders attracting raccoons and rodents.  If you have bird feeders, clean and disinfect them often to prevent birds from spreading diseases to each other, and collect and dispose of materials that accumulate under feeders.  Spreading out bird feeders and water sources (birdbaths, and fountains), will reduce competition for food and decrease the possibility of birds spreading disease.  Click here for more information.

For information about how to attract birds to your yard, click here.

By Anne Rivas

What do spring showers bring?  Mosquitoes!  I confess to spraying (only) my clothing with heavy-duty DEET before going on a hike last week.  I was able to wear those unwashed clothes days later to mow my lawn without being bitten.  If you’re going to use a chemical to repel mosquitoes, that’s one way to do it.

Having recently lived in a state that claims the mosquito as its state bird, I offer some ways to protect ourselves without killing beneficial insects and pollinators.

Wind and moving water discourage mosquitoes.  If the air is still, use a fan when you’re sitting outdoors.  Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, which is dissipated by a breeze.  Mosquitoes need to keep their wings dry, so they avoid moving water.  The Water Garden website recommends adding a pond for mosquito control.  That website also recommends the use of Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelenses (BTI) as a natural mosquito control.  While safe for people, pets, and wildlife, BTI kills caterpillars, so keep it out of your butterfly garden.

Change standing water at least once a week.  A variety of critters visit my birdbath – birds, squirrels, hornets, and my dog.  She’s very tall.  I dump it every few days, scrub it out, and refill it.  That prevents mosquito eggs from maturing into blood-sucking demons.

Anything that holds water is a potential mosquito nursery – plant saucers, buckets, toys, and tires.  Butterflies and small birds like water that collects in shallow depressions in rocks.  So do mosquitoes.   Do you have self-watering pots?  Check the reservoirs to make sure water does not stand for longer than a week.

Our gutters are clean, but the downspouts drain into pipes that go underground and come out in the yard.  Every so often we clean out the crud that collects at the bottom of those pipes.

For personal protection, there are a few milder ways to repel mosquitoes than soaking your clothing in DEET.  Grow citronella grass, catnip, rosemary, lavender, basil and scented geraniums.  The scents of these plants repel insects, but contact can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions in some people.  Catnip is in the mint family, so put it in a pot unless you want a field of it.  If you use plant oils, you will need to apply them more often than you do commercial repellents.

Today is the 45^th anniversary of Earth Day.  The original Earth Day was a “national teach-in on the environment” as a response to an oil spill in California, industry pollution, and heavy use of leaded gas.  Through the years numerous environmental causes have been brought to the forefront and different people have embraced different causes in different ways.  Finding something you are passionate about supporting is important, whether it’s rainforest protection, energy conservation, or even the plight of the pangolin.

One topic that’s made headlines lately is the Monarch Butterfly.  It’s one of the most iconic butterflies and is known for its impressive migration.  Millions of butterflies migrate thousands of miles across North America into Mexico, where they stay in the same trees every year.  What makes this even more impressive is that one complete migration cycle takes multiple generations of Monarchs; each generation completing only part of the journey.  Two major migration routes pass through Nebraska.

What many people don’t know is that their population has declined to less than 10% of their original numbers, making them vulnerable to extinction.

This is largely due to habitat loss; ground used for farming instead of native plants and pesticides used in ditches next to roads.  Interestingly, Monarchs are dependent on milkweed (Asclepias spp.).  Not only do adults feed on the nectar and need to lay eggs on milkweed, but caterpillars only eat milkweed plants.  Milkweed also provides a chemical maintained by the caterpillar/adult that serves as a defense against predators.

So what can you do?  Plant some milkweed!  Most people are familiar with the Common Milkweed with broad leaves and pinkish flower, but other species are native to Nebraska and zone hardy (so they come back next year) including Swamp Milkweed (shown above), Ice Ballet (white flower),  and Butterfly Weed (orange flower).

Check out Iowa State’s  Monarch Conservation Consortium, they are currently testing milkweed types to see if Monarchs have a favorite.

Visit MonarchJointVenture for information on habitat, gardens, land use, and to find different types of milkweed plants and seeds for purchase.  The Xerces Society has information on native pollinator plants for this region, which help butterflies and other pollinators like bees.  You can even create your own certified Monarch Waystation.

Watch more here or check out this month’s Nebraskaland magazine for more.  Planting flowers for butterflies and other pollinators?  Let us know by emailing livegreen@unmc.edu