Favorite Native Plants ~ Nature Friendly Gardener Marlene A. Condon

Native plants are wonderful additions to eco-friendly landscapes for many reasons. But which natives are right for you and your gardens? I decided to poll the local gardening community for some of their favorite native plant species to help you decide.

Today's choices are from Marlene A. Condon. Marlene is a nature writer and the author of The Nature-friendly Garden (see note below). She lives in Crozet, Virginia, where her yard has been showcased on Virginia public television.

Marlene's Favorite Natives 

My most favorite plant is the Trumpet Creeper vine, Campsis radicans. It's one of the most used-by-wildlife native plants I can think of even though it gets bad press as being "invasive". However, all outdoor gardening involves pulling out unwanted plants (I don't like the term "weeds") and in a nature-friendly yard, Trumpet Creeper is not that much of a problem.

That's because so many animals make use of its seeds and thus limit how many are available to germinate the next spring. Mammals such as Gray Squirrels feed on them from early fall to winter and birds such as Tufted Titmice, Dark-eyed Juncos, and American Goldfinches take them in winter. Sphinx Moths feed at the flowers and I have found caterpillars feeding on the seeds inside the pod in the fall (I haven't been able to identify the caterpillars yet). Many species of ants either get sap directly from the plant by chewing open a tiny spot or indirectly by tending aphids and feeding on their honeydew. 

The Sourwood tree (Oxydendron arborium) is another favorite of mine. It's lovely in the spring when it's covered with white flowers that the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and numerous species of insects feed at. In the fall, the leaves on this smallish tree turn a lovely red or maroon and still looks as if it's in bloom with its noticeable seed capsules. From fall into winter, squirrels and juncos feed on the seeds. 

And you can't beat the attractiveness of the Monarda genus of flowers for people and wildlife alike. Lilac-colored Wild Bergamot blooms (Monarda fistulosa) feed butterflies, bees, and numerous other insects. The red-colored Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) is very attractive to hummingbirds. And these plants are one of the few kinds that the White-tailed Deer does not eat.

As a fellow wildlife gardener, I can appreciate all of Marlene's choices. I was mesmerized watching a ruby throated hummingbird push itself almost all the way into trumpet vine flowers one day.

Marlene is offering copies of her book, The Nature-friendly Garden: Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People (Stackpole Books), to readers of the Metro DC Lawn and Garden blog at a special discount. For an inscribed and autographed copy of her book at a special price of $10.00 plus shipping ($4.00) , please visit her web site at www.marlenecondon.com to contact her. Be sure to mention the Metro DC Blog to receive the discount.

Thanks Marlene! And happy gardening.

Gardeners' Sustainable Living Project

The Gardeners' Sustainable Living Project was created by Jan Huston Doble on her beautiful garden blog Thanks for Today as a way for gardeners to share ways that they are actively practicing a greener lifestyle and contributing to protecting our environment.

If you are a gardener, garden blogger, garden writer, or garden merchandiser, Jan invites you to join in and share what you do to help, rather than hinder, nature.

"Just because we are gardeners doesn't mean we're operating 'sustainably'," Jan says. "Let's find ways to garden by taking into account our impact on the environment and whether that has a positive effect on our health and that of Mother Earth."

In Mid March Jan will encourage gardeners to write blog posts and leave comments regarding their sustainability efforts at home and in the garden. She asks you to tell what YOU do, or plan to change, about the way you live and garden.

According to Jan, "you do NOT need to be 'green' to join in--just interested and aware of our environment and willing to look at what you can do to contribute positively and eliminate or reduce unnecessary actions."

For more information about how you can participate, read Jan's post on the Sustainable Living Project.

Does eco-friendly gardening help local wildlife populations?

As a critter lover, I am a big fan of eco-friendly gardening. Eliminating chemicals, protecting the groundwater  and using native plants are all beneficial to local wildlife. When you make these changes, it doesn’t take long to see an increase in the number of butterflies, birds, bees, hummingbirds, dragonflies and other garden visitors in your landscapes.

Participating in wildlife monitoring programs, such as the Great Backyard Bird Count, may  help prove these eco-friendly benefits to others.

Various  programs around the country encourage wildlife lovers  to help monitor local wildlife.  Participants in these counts are called  ‘citizen scientists’, and  their contributions are invaluable in the study of wildlife  populations and migration trends. Some even feel that data from ‘citizen scientists’ is helping researchers to investigate far-reaching questions such as the impacts of West Nile virus, global warming, and acid rain.

These programs are open to anyone with an interest in wildlife. In most cases, the only skill required is the ability to count! They are a great opportunity to get outside with your family and explore the creatures that find their way into your landscape.

Digital cameras are excellent tools for the budding ‘citizen scientist’ or backyard naturalist. Pictures of birds, butterflies and other forms of wildlife can be used in researching a species in books or on the internet.

If you think you find something truly unique, such as a bird or insect that you have never seen before, don’t be reluctant to ask the experts. You never know what discoveries you might find, or what difference you might be making to the environment, right from the comfort of your own backyard.

No matter what sort of wildlife you find interesting, there is probably a monitoring program that will encourage you to study it a little closer. Here are some local and national programs to get you started on your journey to becoming a "citizen scientist":

The Virginia Frog and Toad Calling Survey  is conducted by a group of volunteers from across the Commonwealth who spend three nights a year surveying various wetland habitats for frogs and toads. The survey involves listening and then identifying the various species by their call, and recording the approximate number of individuals.

Loudon Wildlife Conservancy has several wildlife monitoring programs, including stream monitoring, bluebird nestbox monitoring, amphibian monitoring and an annual butterfly count.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries,  Wildlife Mapping  is an outreach program that allows school children, citizens, community groups, and other city, county and state organizations to collect wildlife-related information that will be available to everyone. The program provides an opportunity for students and volunteers to perform field studies that contribute to the state's biological databases.

 The Great Backyard Bird Count, The Christmas Bird Count and Project FeederWatch are all studies compiled primarily from information provided by individual citizens. These studies, which are joint programs between Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, involve citizens across the country counting birds on specific days and reporting their findings. Once the results are tallied, they are analyzed by scientists and posted online.

North American Butterfly Association – A membership-based not-for-profit organization working to increase public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies, the NABA  conducts an annual butterfly count to provide important information about the geographic distribution and population sizes of various butterfly species.

Monarch Watch – An educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas that engages citizen scientists in large-scale research projects.

Monarch Larva Monitoring Program – The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch research. It was developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota to collect long-term data on larval monarch populations and milkweed habitat.

Operation RubyThroat– Started by South Carolina resident Bill Hilton Jr, this cross-disciplinary international initiative utilizes citizen scientists to study behavior and distribution of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Wildlife Watch –Participants in Wildlife Watch share sightings of wildlife and plants where they live. National Wildlife Federation and their Wildlife Watch partners collect and review findings so that they can track the behavior and health of wildlife and plant species nationwide.

Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change – Geared primarily towards students from K-12 grade, this organization engages participants to track the coming of spring through the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, bald eagles, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes — and other birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events.

Great Backyard Birdcount Starts Feb 18th

Put out the birdseed and grab your binoculars. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) starts tomorrow!

Once I started gardening for wildlife, I was quick to go from casual birdwatcher to full-fledged critter loving nature nerd. In fact, right now I have my thrift-store baby monitor turned on and placed outside my window so I can enjoy the sound of the robins on my birdbath.

I also have my bird guide and binoculars ready so that I can start counting birds tomorrow for the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count.

What is the Great Backyard Bird Count?

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that encourages bird watchers to count their backyard birds and report their findings on-line. This year, the GBBC runs from February 18th – 21st.

Although it may sound silly to count your backyard birds, these counts are very useful in helping scientists learn where birds are across the continent and to see how populations compare with previous years. This helps to determine how things like development, pollution and weather may be affecting various species.

Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts and you can count for as long as you want each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

If you want to participate, here are the quick and easy steps from the GBBC website:  

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.  

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the highest number of each species you see on this checklist.  

3. When you're finished, enter your results through GBBC's web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission on March 1st.

As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore the results from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the online photo gallery.

I always think its fun to go back and read the results of previous counts.

You can search by state. Here are the five highest counted species from 2010 for DC, Maryland and Virginia

DC: American Robin – 737; House Sparrow – 396; European Starling – 317

Maryland: Canada Goose – 38,118; Snow Goose – 20,317; Common Grackle – 18,240

Virginia: Common Grackle – 25,421; Dark-eyed Junco – 20,005; Red-winged Blackbird – 19,446

Or you can search by species

American Robin – 737 in DC; 5,489 in Maryland and 13,311 in Virginia

For more detailed information, visit the GBBC website or download this pdf file of instructions.

Garden Sharing vs Guerrilla Gardening - Give Peas (and Peace) a Chance

I’ve always had a problem with the idea of “guerrilla gardening”. To me, gardening is all about peace and  sharing. We spend peaceful time outside cultivating the soil and we share the beauty and bounty of our gardens with visitors and passersby. There really isn’t anything “guerrilla” about it.

By definition, the word guerilla is all about warfare and overtaking your enemy in subversive ways. I just don’t think it fits with gardening.

My understanding of guerrilla gardening is that gardeners go out and garden on a piece of  land without the owner’s permission. This “gardening” is sometimes in the form of “seed bombs” and other forms of clandestine planting.  The land that is  gardened is usually abandoned or neglected by its legal owner and the guerrilla gardeners take it over to grow plants. Guerrilla gardeners believe they are  reclaiming land from perceived neglect or misuse and giving it new purpose. (If I don't have a clear understanding of guerrilla gardening, I welcome all comments.)

Garden sharing, on the other hand,  is an arrangement which connects those who have the space to garden with those who would like to garden but don’t have the space. It is a win-win situation for both. Apartment dwellers and others without suitable garden space are provided a place to dig,  plant and grow to their hearts content. Property owners reap the benefits of beauty or bounty in their unused garden space. Many times, garden sharing is used for growing food, and the homeowners  receive a portion of the produce that is grown in exchange for the use of his land.

There are numerous garden sharing programs on the internet including Yardsharing in Portland, Oregon, Yards To Gardens in Minneapolis and Urban Garden Share in Seattle.

In the DC area there is Sharing Backyards DC.

Sharing Backyards DC is the local segment of Sharing Backyards, a project that was originally started in Canada in 2007 to  encourage urban gardening. It is a do-it-yourself, online matchmaking system that allows would-be gardeners to find a place to putter in the dirt.

Whether you are a property owner with land to spare or a gardener looking for a place to get your garden off the ground, you start by selecting your city on the Sharing Backyards website. This will bring up a map of the area  with icons representing those looking for space or offering to share their space.

Property owners can click on the little binoculars symbol to bring up people who are looking for garden space. And gardeners can click on the little garden icon to find people who have some space to share. Your address and email address are hidden but a popup box allows you to share messages through the site.

There are no restrictions on how you might choose to share your space.  However, Sharing Backyards suggest that you treat your first meeting with prospective yard-sharing partners as you would with meeting a roommate or potential tenant, first speaking to them on the phone and perhaps meeting in a public place before bringing them to your home.

If you decide this person is someone you'd like to share your yard space with, they also suggest that you come up with a clear understanding of the Considerations for Sharing Your Backyard Garden, including when they may garden, what they can grow, and what, if any, of your stuff they are allowed to use.

In addition to the friend vs foe aspect, there is another definite advantage to the Backyard Sharing program over guerrilla gardening: it provides the gardeners with the opportunity to share their knowledge and friendship as well as their land.

Eco-friendly and organic gardening skills are wonderful things to share with others and many of the listings I saw on Sharing Backyards DC were interesting in this type of gardening.

So whether you want to share your land, your labor or your love for the environment, why not check out Sharing Backyards DC – where you can give both peace, and peas, a chance. Who knows what the process may lead to. Before you know it, you might be sharing some Bare Naked Gardening with a new friend.

Are you itching to get out into your garden? Watch out for poison ivy!

Since I’ve been itching to get out into my garden this winter, I decided to spend some time a few weekends ago pulling out vines and digging up plants along the edges of my property that were little more than dead-looking, leafless stalks and vines.

My body was completely covered, with long pants, socks, shoes, a long sleeved jacket and gloves. And still, I developed a rash that is most definitely poison ivy. Since I have had some pretty bad outbreaks of poison ivy induced rashes at various times of my life, I feel fortunate that this time I only have a small, ½” rash that developed in an area that must have gotten exposed in between my long sleeves and my gloves. But as anyone who has ever gotten into poison ivy knows, that little rash itches enough to cause all kinds of misery.

So the lesson learned is, you CAN get poison ivy in the winter.

Poison ivy is fairly easy to identify when it is displaying its beautiful “leaves of three”. The Virginia Cooperative Extension provides this description:

Poison ivy can grow as a groundcover or small bush in woods, fields, at the edges of openings and trails, and pretty much everywhere else. Poison ivy also grows as a vine that climbs on trees, barns, and fences for support. The vine has small aerial roots along the stem that make it look like a fuzzy rope and often has much longer aerial roots as well. Because the plant grows in so many different forms, its leaflets are the best way to identify poison ivy. The leaflets grow in clusters of three. Hence the old saying "leaves of three, let it be." These leaflets are from two to four inches long with pointed tips. The middle leaflet is usually larger than the others. The edges of the leaflets don't always look the same. They might be smooth, or they could have teeth. The leaflet surface can be many different shades of green and appear glossy, dull, or in between.

But since poison ivy is a deciduous plant, it loses its leaves in the winter, making it very difficult to identify. As the leaves turn yellow, orange and red in the autumn, they begin to drop and may no longer be “leaves of three”. And of course, in the winter, they fall off completely, resulting in nothing but bare sticks and vines.

Unfortunately, these dormant, leafless poison ivy plants still contain the irritating oil, urushiol, which can cause the insufferable rash. In fact even dead poison ivy plants may cause an allergic reaction for several years.

What Causes the Rash?

All parts of the poison ivy plant, including the roots, stems, bark, and leaflets, are poisonous year round. The blistering rash people get is caused by an oily toxin known as urushiol. The most common way this toxin gets on your skin is when you touch the plant, especially one that has been damaged in some way, such as being stepped on or run over with the lawnmower. The toxin is oily and sticky, and is easily spread around when you touch other parts of your body. For example, if you are weeding a flower bed and pull up some poison ivy, then wipe your face later on, the chances are pretty good that a rash will develop on your face. You also can contract the rash by picking up the toxins from animals, clothes, or other items that have been in contact with poison ivy. And, if poison ivy is burned in a brush pile, the resulting smoke carries the toxins. It is very important that you avoid breathing the smoke of burning wood or brush if poison ivy might be part of the pile.

Poison ivy grows fairly quickly and spreads by underground rhizomes. Other plants are started by birds and small animals which love the berries and quickly spread the seeds.

Poison ivy can be tackled (I have yet to see any real evidence in our heavily wooded yard that it can be completely eliminated) by either hand pulling and digging or by spraying the foliage with non-selective herbicide. Since there is no foliage on the plants in the winter, herbicides are not a winter option. However, if you have already identified poison ivy in your landscape during the warmer months, winter can be a good time to remove some of the plants by digging and hand-pulling because the plants are more dangerous in the spring and summer when the oil content is the highest.

Before removing any plants that could possibly be poison ivy, consider these Facts and Tips:

1) Dormant or dead poison ivy is very difficult to identify. You can sometimes identify the larger vines by the hair-like roots growing from the vines.

2) You can develop a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy even if the plants are dormant or dead.

3) The oil from poison ivy plants can make its way through thin layers of clothing, especially if you are sweating while you work.

4) Wash your hands with soap and cool water immediately after touching anything that is suspected of being poison ivy. Warm water may cause the resin to penetrate the skin faster.

5) If burned, the oils in the smoke can cause severe allergic reactions.

6) The oil from poison ivy can be picked up on tools, clothing and the fur of pets and later transferred to your skin. Anything that may be carrying the oil should be thoroughly washed.

7) Always wear long sleeves, long pants, shoes, socks and gloves when handling poison ivy. Launder the clothing separately from the family laundry and wash your hands after placing the clothes in the washer.

8) Heavy growths of poison ivy should never be removed by hand because of the obvious hazard. When leaves are present, spray them with a non-selective herbicide or poison ivy killer. Use these with care to protect other plants from being harmed by the spray.

9) Control with chemicals is most effective during active growth especially in early to mid summer. The chemicals are most efficiently absorbed and translocated through the leaves of the plant at these times.

10) However, winter is a good time to sever poison ivy vines at ground level and paint the severed edge with a suitable herbicide.

11) Be careful not to bring firewood into the house with poison ivy vines attached.

12) Contact your local Extension agent for more information on preparing herbicide mixtures and applying them safely; and always be sure to follow the directions on the product label.

Sources:

Poison Ivy: Leaves of Three, Let it Be! – Virginia Cooperative Extension

Poison Ivy(pdf file) – Maryland Cooperative Extension

Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Information Center

Outsmarting Poison Ivy

Photos courtesy of http://www.poison-ivy.org/

Toxicodendron radicans– Wikipedia entry with good photos

Winter Weeds: Poison Ivy - a blog post with photos of poison ivy in the winter

Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

THE HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN
Plants to attract hummingbirds for the Mid-Atlantic Region
Plant suggestions from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Prince William County Office
Plants marked with an * suggested by local gardeners. If you have a hummingbird plant for the Mid-Atlantic region to recommend, please leave it in the comment section below.
Links have been added for the Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog

** Remember: Eliminate chemical pesticides from your garden before you begin to garden for hummingbirds!

Trees	Exposure	Moisture Requirements
Flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Part sun to light shade	Moist but well-drained soil
Flowering crabapple Malus spp.	Full sun	Moist but well-drained rich soil
Red Buckeye Aesculus pavia	Light shade	Moist but well-drainedsoil
Shrubs	Exposure	Moisture Requirements
American cranberrybush Viburnum trilobum	Full sun	Moist but well-drained soil in full sun
American Elderberry Sambucus canadensis	Full sun	Moist
Arrowwood Virburnum Viburnum dentatum	Full sun to Partial sun	Moist but well-drained, rich soil
Butterfly bush Buddleia davidii	Full sun	Moist but well-drained,soil
Lilac Syringa spp.	Full sun	Well drained, fertile,slightly alkaline soil
Rhododendrons Rhododendron catawbiense	Partial shade	Moist to dry fertile,acid soil
Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea	Full sun	Well drained soil
Flowers	Exposure	Moisture Requirements
Ageratum Ageratum houstonianum	Full sun topartial sun	Moist well drained richsoil
Astilbe Astilbe x arendsii	Partial shade	Rich, moist soil
*Balsam Impatien Balsamina	Full sun to part shade	Medium water requirements
* Basil Ocimum basilicum	Full sun	Well drained soil
Bee Balm Monarda didyma	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Butterfly weed Aesclepias	Full sun	Moist to dry soil
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis	Full sun	Wet to Moist soil/ bog

Flowers	Exposure	Moisture Requirements
Cleome Cleome hasslerana	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Columbine Aquilegia canadense	Sun/Partial shade	Moist well drained soil
Coral bell Heuchera	Sun/Partial sun	Moist well drained soil
Cosmos Cosmos spp.	Full sun	Moist well-drained soil
Evening primrose/ sundrops Oenothera	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Four-o’clocks Mirabilis jalapa	Full sun topartial sun	Moist well drained soil
Fuchsia Fuchsia spp	Morningsun/ shade	Moist but well drainedrich soil
Geranium Pelargonia x hortorum	Full sun	Moist but well drainedrich soil
Globe thistle Echinops ritro	Full sun	Drought tolerant
Goldenrod Solidago	Full sun	Drought tolerant
Heliotrope Heliotropium arborescens	Afternoonshade	Moist well drained richsoil
Hollyhock Althaea or Alcea	Full sun	Moist well drainedaverage soil
Indian Pink Spigelia marilandica	Full sun tolight shade	Moist well drained soil
Ironweed Veronia noveboracensis	Full sun	Moist to wet soil
Hyssop Agastache	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Impatiens Impatiens wallerana	Partialsun/shade	Moist well drained richsoil
Lobelia Lobelia spp.	Full sun	Moist to wet soils
Lupine Lupinus spp	Full sun	Moist well drainedloose soil
New England aster Aster novae-angliae	Sun to lightshade	Moist well drained soil
Nicotiana Nicotiana	Full sun	Moist well drained richsoil
Penstemon Penstemon	Full sun	Requires perfectdrainage
Petunias Petunia spp	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Phlox Phlox paniculata	Full sun	Moist well drained soil

Flowers	Exposure	Moisture Requirements
Pineapple sage Salvia elegans	Full sun topart sun	Moist well drained soil
Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Red-hot poker Kniphofia uvaria	Full sun	Constantly moist soil
Salvias Salvia coccinea	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia	Full Sun	Moist well drained soil
Tropaeolum Nasturtium	Full sun	Moist well drained richsoil
Yarrow Achillea	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Zinnia Zinnia elegans	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Vines	Exposure	Moisture Requirements
Cardinal Climber Ipomoea quamoclit	Full sun	Moist well drained.Mulch over roots
Cross Vine (Trumpet Flower) Bignonia capreolata	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Mandevilla Mandevilla splendens	Partialshade	Moist well drained rich soil
Trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens	Full sun	Moist well drained soil
Trumpet Creeper Campsis radicans	Full sun	Moist well drained soil

Pets and pesticides

Do you remember the Crosby Stills and Nash song from the 70’s called “Our House”? When I was growing up, for some reason that song epitomized my idea of the perfect home and relationship, all the way down to the “two cats in the yard.” For a good part of my life, I was a real “cat person” and letting my cats wander around outside just seemed natural.

Then, one of my favorite cats came home poisoned. The vet thought she had ingested transmission fluid and we assumed that it was an accidental ingestion (certainly, no one would have poisoned her on purpose) and we paid the exorbitant vet fees and she got better. Another time, she ate a poison lizard and almost died. Again, we paid the fee and the vet fixed her up. She finally died from being hit by a car. There was no fixing her up that time.

Eventually, I quit letting my pet cats roam outside. After that, my tolerance towards other people’s roaming pets changed pretty quickly. I’ve had my screened patio torn up by free-roaming cats. I’ve been chased indoors by mean, snarling dogs. And I often step in both dog and cat poo, because I assume that  I shouldn’t have to look out for it on my own, petless property. But now that I garden for wildlife, my biggest problem with free roaming pets is that they chase, maim and kill birds, rabbits and other forms of wildlife that visit my yard.

In my mind, there are many reasons to NOT let domesticate animals roam free in neighborhoods, including possible harm to both the pets and wildlife and inconvenience or property damage to fellow homeowners. (As a gardener, there are few things as unpleasant as running your fingers through your beautiful soil and finding a pile of newly deposited cat poop). But since this is an eco-friendly garden blog, I have decided to focus this message on pets and pesticides (and other garden chemicals).

Let’s face it. If there is a chemical on the ground, it is very likely that it will end up inside of a pet. Cats and dogs walk and sit on chemically treated lawns and gardens and then lick their paws and.….sitting areas. They also dig in chemically treated soil, eat plants and  kill and eat birds and rodents which have ingested posions. And even if you don’t use chemicals in your own yard, letting your pet roam free can subject them to the chemicals found in the yards of your neighbors.

So whether you are a gardener, trying to decide if you want to keep using chemicals in your landscape or a pet owner who allows your pet to go on the occasional (or frequent) unsupervised romp around the neighborhood, here are some facts about Pets and Pesticides. Although many of these facts specifically mention dogs,  keep in mind that pesticides that are toxic to dogs will have adverse effects in cats also, due to their more delicate digestive system.

• A study published in 1995 in the academic journal Environmental Research shows a “statistcally significant” increase in the risk of canine malignant lymphoma in dogs when exposed to herbicides, particularly 2,4-D, commonly used on lawns and in “weed and feed” products.
• One product of particular concern is snail bait. A common ac­tive ingredient, metaldehyde, is tasty and attractive to mammals. Unfortunately, it is also highly toxic to all mammals, and causes blindness, excessive salivation, seizures, and sudden death.
• A study by Purdue University found that Scottish Terriers ex­posed to pesticide-treated lawns and gardens are more likely to develop transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, a type of can­cer.
• Avermectin B1: An insecticide used for fire ants, causes leth­argy and tremors in dogs.
• Allethrin: Used on flies and mosquitoes, has been linked to liver cancer in dogs.
• DCPA: An herbicide used in lawns and gardens,  is suspected to cause adverse effects in the liver of dogs.
• Dogs and cats use their noses to poke around and explore. The nose is a mucous membrane and an easy place for pesticides to enter their bodies.
• Dogs, in particular, absorb pesticide residues by chewing or eat­ing plant material that was treated with pesticides.
• Cats absorb more chemicals than dogs due to their grooming habits.
• Because cats are specialist carnivores, they lack certain en­zymes in their liver that decontaminate chemicals,  making them especially vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals.
• Cats and dogs hunt, and it is natural for hunters to pick the weakened animals as prey. Animals that have been poisoned are easy targets for predators because they are easier to catch.
• Symptoms of secondary poisoning may not occur for weeks after a dog or cat eats a poisoned animal, and may not be recog­nized as such.

The topic of free-roaming pets, or cats in particular,  is a touchy one with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. But no matter what your opinion is, the fact is that chemicals in the landscape can be harmful – to pets, to people and to the environment. The best answer for most of us is to learn to get by with fewer chemicals. We can spot treat weeds or pull them by hand and learn to attract ladybugs and other beneficial insects.

For more information, see the publications listed below:

Who Let the Dogs (and Cats) Out – Protecting backyard wildlife from our pets

Avoiding Chemicals helps keep Pets Safe

Pesticides and Pets – pdf file

Pets and Pesticide Use – pdf file

Dogs and Pesticide Use – pdf file

Avoiding chemicals helps keep pets safe

To go along with today's post about Pets and Pesticides, here is some information about ways to control weeds in a landscape without resorting to chemicals. These suggestions are from the document Pesticides and Pets from BeyondPesticides.org  

Lawns, Landscapes and Gardens  

Prevention: Again, the most effective way to treat unwanted plants is to stop them from establishing themselves on your prop­erty at all.  

Do this by creating a thick, healthy turf:

• Mow at 3-3.5 inches to shade out weed germination and foster deep roots.
• Leave the grass clipping on the lawn after mowing. Grass clip­pings are a free natural fertilizer and will improve soil conditions!
• Aerate your lawn in order to help air, water, and fertilizer to enter.
• After aerating, fertilize lightly in the Fall with a natural, slow-release fertilizer. Re­quest organic fertilizers at your local nursery or order online.
• Overseed with a grass spe­cies that is naturally resistant to fungal diseases and/or insects. Use native species.
• Use corn gluten meal on weed prone areas in the ear­ly spring and early fall. Corn gluten keeps selected weed seeds from germinating, yet is high in nitrogen so it fertil­izes your lawn at the same time. Do not seed at the same time.

Control: In addition to prevention, there are easy and direct ways to control unwanted plants without the use of toxic herbicides.

• Hand pull weeds from the roots.
• Flame weeding machines use a targeted flame to kill weeds. This option is not advisable for drier climates.
• High-pressure steam and boiling water can both be used to kill weeds.
• Goats and geese can both be used to remove weeds.
• Horticultural vinegar is a powerful acid that will non-selectively kill weeds. You can buy horticultural vinegar at a plant nursery or even make your own. Avoid contact with skin, as it is an acid.
• Herbicidal soaps are refined soaps that dry out plants and kill them.

From Pesticides and Pets

Critter cams - the next best thing to being there

Nothing keeps me quite as warm in the winter as cuddling up with critters.

When the days are cold and dreary,  I curl up in my nest (which is a big old comfy arm-chair) with my laptop and check out other nests (hummingbirds and eagles are some of my favorites)   through webcams and online videos.  There may not be much critter activity in my own yard right now, but there is always plenty of it online.

A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network. They are great for  checking the weather conditions before a vacation, among other things. For nature nerds like me, they also allow a birds-eye view of wildlife.

Lately, a very popular webcam in the Virginia area is the Bald Eagle nest at Norfolk Botanical Garden.  The second eagle egg was laid in this nest on Sunday, February 6th. Since eagle eggs typically take 32-36 days to incubate, I'll mark my calendar and make sure I start checking the webcam on around March 10th or so to see if I can see the babies hatching. There is another eagle cam at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.

There are many other nature webcams online. Here are websites to find a few, suggested by some of my online wildlife loving friends:
Webcam List Animal Cams Part 1 ; Cornell Lab of Ornithology Nestcams ; webcamlocator.com

Of course, you can't see much on a webcam after dark. But there are plenty of online videos to help keep the wildlife gardener enthused until spring brings the little fluttering critters back to our gardens.

There is a great site called Myoutdoortv.com which allows you to explore the wildlife in your state by watching online  videos. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries offers several videos on this site to help you create wildlife habitats at home. The videos are titled: Landscapes, Butterfly Gardens, Native Plants, Shrubs and Woodlands.

 Maryland videos include a nice one called Springs Wings about butterflies and their habitats and another one on Bayscaping.

And of course, there is always YouTube, where you can search for almost anything like "hummingbirds in the snow" and find great little videos like the one that I shared at the beginning of this post. It might just be enough to inspire you to create your own environmentally friendly hummingbird garden so that you can share some videos of your own come springtime.

Other webcam sites: USA webcams
http://www.earthcam.com/