Critters and the drought

In my own yard, my drought has been going on for over a year now.  June 2010 was the last month in which we had normal rainfall, and the drought combined with triple digit temperatures day after day is putting a lot of pressure on the animals which live in and around my yard.

Lately, we see raccoons regularly during daylight hours.  These normally nocturnal visitors evidently are not able to find sufficient food at night and are having to venture out during the day.  There was a litter of four baby raccoons that were born and grew to juvenile status around our yard.  For a while, I continued to see all four of them together.  Then there were two that were still foraging in the yard.  Now there is only one left.  The other three have either moved on to other territories or something unfortunate has happened to them.  The one that is left is the smallest one of the litter and is still only about half grown.  He takes refuge under our garden shed and comes out to cadge dry cat food or other scraps that I leave out for him.  (I don't really approve of feeding raccoons and I don't recommend it.  This one just looked so thin and pathetic I couldn't help myself.  He does look healthier now and I'll have to wean him soon.)

Turtles are another matter.  I don't have any qualms about providing tidbits of food for them.  Long-time readers of the blog may remember Sam Box, the female box turtle that lived in our backyard for over 20 years and often visited our little back porch/patio to get treats.

Sam Box in the summer of 2009, the last summer that we saw her.

Sam never turned up last year and hasn't been seen this year either.  I must assume that she no longer walks among us.  Box turtles are highly territorial so it is inconceivable that she would have wandered away.  I think she had probably reached the end of her long lifespan.  But she did not leave us turtle-less.  Last summer, a tiny baby box turtle turned up in the yard and followed the same routine as Sam, coming to the back porch for handouts.  I dubbed him "Son of Sam," later shortened to Samson, and this summer he has returned.  When I am late getting up, as I was this morning, I will often find him already on the back porch waiting for his treat.

Samson - Little Sammy.

Of course, the great majority of critters that visit my yard have feathers, and we've definitely seen more of them than we usually do this summer.  Normally, during summer the birdfeeders are fairly quiet.  Not this year.  I refill the feeders every couple of days and the birdbaths every day and the seeds and water disappear as if by magic.  One of my birdfeeders is available to squirrels as well and that feeder empties in a day, sometimes in a few hours.

The drought does not seem to have hampered the lizard, toad, and frog populations.  I see plenty of them - of all sizes - every day as I go about my tasks.  However, I think it has definitely affected the butterfly population.   Usually, by this time of summer, the yard would be full of their fluttering wings.  This year, not so much, which is why I was so happy to see this beauty today.

Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly feeding on tithonia, Mexican sunflower, today.

Perhaps she is a harbinger of more to come.

The drought and the heat have been very hard on our gardens and very hard on us, but it has definitely taken a toll on wildlife as well.  While I tend to be in the camp of those who advise non-interference with the processes of Nature, this is an exceptional time and I don't yet have it in me to be able to watch an animal starve when I might be able to help it.  So, I'll continue for at least a while longer to leave scraps around for the hungry raccoon under my garden shed and I'll keep filling the birdfeeders as often as they empty and turn a blind eye to the thievery of the squirrels.  And, of course, I'll make sure Little Sammy has his treats and that all the critters have plenty of fresh, clean water every day.

It's tough out there and just now going the extra mile to help our fellow creatures who share our yards seems the right thing to do. 

  

Chasing butterflies

Yesterday, I staked out the Mexican sunflowers hoping to get some pictures of the many butterflies that nectar there every day. I did get a few pictures and missed on a lot more. I also found a few bonuses among the flowers.


There are many Gulf Fritillaries in the garden just now. I recently added a passionvine to give them a place to lay their eggs.


A single line of seven large orange dots on the hindwing mark the Pipe Vine Swallowtail butterfly and set it apart from other black swallowtails which mimic the Pipe Vine in order to scare away predators.


This poor Giant Swallowtail could have used something to scare away predators. He's obviously had an encounter with at least one predator, maybe more. He's lost much of his hindwings, but he's still flying.


Here's another view of the mutilated Giant Swallowtail as he rested among the leaves of a hamelia. You can see that he still retains the right half of his swallowtail.


I'm seeing a few Monarchs in the garden now, although not nearly as many as in recent years.


You can't see the extent of the damage from this angle, but this Monarch, like the Giant Swallowtail above, has had an encounter with a predator and has lost part of his hindwings.

While I was photographing the butterflies, this butterfly-sized object flew across my field of vision. I followed the course of its flight to the trunk of the nearby sycamore tree. When I went to find it, even though I saw where it landed, it was hard for me to see it.


It was a large moth, close to the size of a Monarch. It is very cryptically colored, blending in with the bark of the tree. I'm not sure which moth it is. It could be one of the sphinx moths or possibly one of the "underwing" or Catocala moths which are known for hiding on the bark of trees.


National Pollinator Week may be over, but every week is pollinator week as far as flowers are concerned.

There were also lots of Skipper and Sulphur butterflies among the flowers today, but they were just too "fluttery" and wouldn't pose for me. There were other critters, though, that were not so shy.


There are lots of young cardinals around just now. Many of them like to feed on the ground underneath the bird feeders, along with the doves. This one is cracking a seed.


I wonder if young birds have to be taught how to preen or if the instinct comes naturally to them. However the skill comes, this one is practicing it and seems to be enjoying the process.


Nearby, a young Blue Jay sitting in the blueberry bush is partially hidden by the bird feeder post.


Back among the flowers, it's not all butterflies, moths and bees. The female Ruby-throated Hummingbird takes her turn among the blossoms of the Anisacanthus wrightii. These blossoms are favorites of both the hummingbirds and the butterflies.


And what would a day in the garden be without a visit from a squirrel? Or, more likely, several squirrels. This one had caught the scent of a bag of fruit and nut birdseed mix that had been left outside of the metal container where we keep the seed. When I heard paper ripping a few minutes after I snapped this picture, I went to see what was happening and caught the culprit in the act!

Believe it or not, in between all my wildlife watching yesterday I also managed to get a little work done in the garden.

The busyness of May

May is one of the busiest months of the year in my garden, and this first week of the month has certainly lived up to that reputation. Every day has been filled with one major project or another.


This is my major project for today - canning the last of my carrots from the winter garden. Here, nine pints wait their turn for the pressure cooker.

So the fall/winter vegetable garden is finally at an end and I can get on with the spring/summer garden. Maybe sometime this summer I'll actually be able to harvest a tomato. I do at least have some small tomatoes on the plants now.

Meantime, all around the yard, the rest of the garden is bursting with life and with blossoms.


Acanthus mollis, popularly known as "Bear's Breeches," is just beginning its bloom season under the red oak tree.


'David Verity' cuphea also is just starting to bloom, but the hummingbirds have already found it. I have two in the yard just now and I've seen them jousting over this plant this week.


Red porterweed, one of my purchases at the Bulb Mart last fall, survived the winter and is beginning to bloom. The purple one that I purchased at the same time is looking healthy but hasn't put on any blossoms yet.


May is daylily month but it is also coreopsis month. This picture was actually taken early in the week. These plants are now covered in blossoms.


I've been documenting the growth of my Giant Swallowtail caterpillars. This picture, too, was taken earlier in the week and you can see that he was beginning to deserve the name "Giant". When I checked the Satsuma a couple of days ago, both of the caterpillars were gone - off pupating somewhere, I presume - and I'm sure the Satsuma was relieved to see them go! It lost a good number of leaves to their voracious appetites.


'Red lion' is a very common amaryllis but no less beautiful for being common.


Though the bluebonnets are still blooming in the wildflower bed, they are now screened from view by the gaillardia, which is just coming into its own.


The avian population of the yard is "blooming," too. This is one of the young mockingbirds. Though he's as big as his parents, he still has the speckled breast that marks him as a baby and he still follows Papa around the yard begging to be fed.


The oakleaf hydrangea is almost in full bloom, while the nearby lacecaps are just beginning their bloom.

I have Orchard Orioles in my yard. I haven't seen any Baltimores yet, but they may be around as well. Backyard birders tell me that orioles are EASILY attracted to feeders that have nectar, oranges and/or grape jelly. I've tried attracting them in the past without success but I decided to try again.


Hmmm...that's a strange looking oriole!


Here's a closer look. Still doesn't look much like an oriole, does it? Well, I'm just glad something is benefiting from the feeder.


Speaking of butterflies, the various swallowtails have been hovering around the fennel. I was checking the bronze fennel for caterpillars and didn't find any swallowtails, but this guy did turn up. I think he's the larva of one of the Sulphurs, but I'm not sure which one.


This is also the season of the hybrid Asiatic lilies.


It's classified as a mini, but the only thing mini about the 'Red Cascade' rose is its tiny quarter-sized blooms. The plant itself can grow 10-15 feet tall - or even taller.


The polyantha, 'Caldwell Pink', seen here in a hedge next to the veggie garden gate, also has the quarter-sized blooms and lots of them.


This is the mother of all my other 'Caldwell Pinks', the one that lives in the side yard and is visible from the kitchen window. When it is in full bloom it is completely covered in its tiny pink blossoms and it looks like one big rose.

That's how things look in my garden this week, but more changes are coming. I made a run to the Antique Rose Emporium in the middle of the week which means that there are more plants to be planted. Just as soon as I finish canning carrots.