Learn to Create Backyard Wildlife Habitat - Webinar - May 19th, 8pm

If you have followed this blog for very long, you know that Wildlife Moves Me! I love having wildlife visit my backyard and I love encouraging other people to garden for wildlife. Birds, butterflies and hummingbirds are some of my favorites, and the more yards that they have to visit, the better chance there is for attracting them to my neighborhood.

As part of May as Wildlife Gardening Month, Eliza Russell, director of Education Programs for the National Wildlife Federation, will be hosting Creating a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard, a webinar, on Thursday, May 19th at 8:00 pm EST.  

If you are ready to learn how to green your garden and help wildlife, tune in to this great webinar!

Join National Wildlife Federation's Director of Education, Eliza Russell, and homeowners to learn how you can take the steps to create a more wildlife-friendly garden at your home, in a park, at your church, or at your place of business.  

Creating a wildlife-friendly backyard webinar will discuss:
 

• Creating a site inventory and analysis: What do you already have to work with?
• How to add more wildlife friendly features
• Adding native plants to support wildlife
• Providing the 4 essentials elements for wildlife - food, water, cover, and places to raise young
• Using sustainable gardening practices to help your garden grow

Click here to register: Register Here

Enjoying the Birds and the Bees in Your Own Backyard - Attracting Pollinators

What do flowers, fine chocolates and flavorful coffee have to do with the birds and the bees?

Both chocolate and coffee are two of the 1000+ plants that depend on visits from the birds and the bees, and other pollinators, to help spread the love, or in their case, pollen, from flower to flower. In fact, it is estimated that about 90% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollination (as opposed to wind pollination) and over 200,000 species of animals participate in the pollinating. Without pollinators, many plants would never produce fruit or set seed and many of the foods we eat would no longer be available. As if a world lacking chocolate and coffee wouldn’t be bad enough, wild creatures that rely on pollinated plants for food and shelter could also disappear.

Like so many other species, some pollinators are showing steady population declines. Although the declines in honeybee populations are mainly due to diseases, declines in wild pollinator populations are attributed to habitat loss, competition from invasive species and exposure to pesticides.

Fortunately, we can do our part to correct the problem by inviting the birds and the bees to our own backyards. Simply choosing the right plants and eliminating chemicals in our landscapes will invite more pollinators, which in turn will bring more flowers, more fruit and a new level of enjoyment to a garden filled with colorful, winged wonders.

The most popular pollinators are already some of our favorite garden visitors – butterflies and hummingbirds. Other pollinators include beetles, bees, ants, wasps, moths and even small mammals.

So how do we attract these pollinators? Plant what they love!

To attract more pollinators to your yard, keep these things in mind:

• Choose plants with overlapping bloom times to provide flowers throughout the year
• Select plants with a variety of colors and shapes to attract different pollinators
• Plant in clumps, rather than single plants
• Whenever possible, choose native plants.  Avoid modern hybrids, especially those with “doubled” flowers, as the pollen, nectar, and fragrance is sometimes unwittingly bred out of these plants in exchange for “perfect” blooms
• Include night-blooming flowers for moths and bats.
• Avoid pesticides, even so-called "natural" ones such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). If you must use them, use the most selective and least toxic ones and apply them at night when most pollinators aren't active.

Include some  favorite plant choices for pollinators in your garden (see lists below). And then pull up a lawn chair and treat yourself to a little coffee and chocolate while you enjoy the birds and bees in your own back yard.

For more information:

Creating a Wild Backyard – Hummingbirds, Butterflies & Bees – Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Creating a Wild Backyard – Bees – Maryland Department of Natural Resources

U.S. Forest Service – Celebrating Wildflowers: Pollinators – http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/index.shtml

Pollinator Partnership – http://www.pollinator.org/

Pollinator Conservation Resources – Mid-Atlantic Region

Learn More About Pollinators – Chesterfield County, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Rain barrels for DC residents - answers to some of your questions

Yesterday I posted a question  asking why more people don’t use rain barrels. The responses gave me some good food for thought and sent me on a quest to find some more info and possible solutions for our readers.

Here is some great information that I received from Leah Lemoine, Environmental Protection Specialist with the District Department of the Environment:

Many new rain barrel styles have entered the market in the past few years, but choosing one that will perform well can be daunting. There are several design features homeowners should consider before purchasing a rain barrel. I hope to shed light on rain barrels and also assistance for homeowners who may be ready to go ahead and begin capturing their roof runoff for later reuse.

The chances of mosquitoes breeding can be eliminated by choosing a rain barrel carefully and by sealing connections during the installation. Mosquitoes tend to get into the rain barrels from the inlet and around the spigot and overflow.

Use caulk and/or thread tape to seal the connections between the barrel and downspout extension, overflow tubing, and spigot. If the barrel has a screen top the gauge of the screen should be at least as narrow as a window screen. The entire perimeter of the screen should be tacked down with adhesive and also screwed in for added stability.

Other design features to consider are:

1. Overflow: The overflow should be at least 2” in diameter to avoid water spilling out of the barrel near the foundation.

2. Volume: The bigger the better. A typical row house (800 square feet) will have nearly 500 gallons of runoff during a 1” rain storm.

3. Spigot: Spigot no higher than ~3” from bottom of barrel to eliminate dead space.

Installation can be a cinch with the right tools. Homeowners will need downspout extension to connect the barrel and downspout, a hack saw to cut the downspout and drill to fasten the downspout extensions and overflow. The following guide provides step-by-step directions for installing rain barrel: Instructions for Installing a Rain Barrel. If any homeowners need additional assistance, they are welcome to contact me for additional resources.

The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) is committed to facilitating the wide-spread use of rain barrels throughout the DC. DDOE offers two programs- RiverSmart Homes and the Rain Barrel Rebate- which are designed to make rain barrel installation easy and cost effective for homeowners. The RiverSmart Homes program offers homeowners up to two rain barrels for $30 each. The beauty of the RiverSmart Homes program (besides the bargain price of $30) is that our nonprofit partner, DC Greenworks, will install the rain barrels for you. These barrels have a capacity of 130 gallons, are constructed from a durable black recycled plastic, and have a fine filter inside which eliminates any chances of mosquitoes breading in the barrel. Homeowners may enroll in RiverSmart Homes by filling out our online application or by contacting me.

We did have a pause in rain barrel installations over the winter. We apologize to any homeowner who has been waiting for a rain barrel for longer than they were expecting. The rain barrel installations are back in full swing and we hope to eliminate the backlog soon. The Rain Barrel Rebate program is a good option for homeowners who would rather install their own barrel, do not have enough space for the RiverSmart barrel, or do not wait to wait for the stormwater audit that is required through RiverSmart. A list of approved barrels and application materials can be found here: The Rain Barrel Rebate Program.

I hope this helps! Please have your readers contact me at 202.654.6131 or leah.lemoine@dc.gov with any questions they may have. 

Wow!! Rain barrels for $30! That's a price that should make rain barrel believers out of a lot more gardeners!

Benefits of rain barrels

Rain barrels capture and store the rainwater running off your rooftop. The harvested rainwater can be stored for later use,  or used immediately for watering lawns and landscaped areas, filling ponds or fountains, or washing cars. This stored water helps to save money and it really comes in handy during times of mandatory water restrictions.

Rain barrels require little maintenance and—with the rising price of municipal water—are a great way to save money and conserve water as a natural resource.

 By collecting  runoff from rooftops, rain barrels can also prevent stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is caused when heavy rains  run directly into streets and storm sewers, carrying it (and the pollutants it collects) directly to the local waterways.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to get a rebate to help cover the purchase price of your rain barrel.  In DC, see the RiverSmart Homes site; In Montgomery County, see Rainscapes Rewards; in Gaithersburg, Rainscapes Rewards; Rockville – Rainscapes Rewards.

Rain barrels are fun and easy to build and there are lots of rain barrel workshops in the area:  Northern Virginia Rain Barrel Registration


 You can build your own, without a workshop: Rain Barrel Assembly (pdf)

Or you can buy one, readymade: Local Rain Barrel Sources

Spring Native Plant Sale - May 14th

The Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society will be holding their Spring Native Plant Sale this Saturday, May 14th, from 9 a.m.  to 3 p.m.

More than 40 vendors of rare and unusual plants will be on hand, offering ferns, perennials for sun and shade, trees and shrubs  from the propagation area behind the Horticulture Center at Green Spring Gardens.

All money raised supports the chapter's educational and conservation efforts!

Green Spring Gardens is located at 4603 Green Spring Road – Alexandria, Virginia 22312

For directions: www.greenspring.org

10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Honey Bees

Ahhhh, there is nothing quite like a little bit of coffee and chocolate to brighten the day!

As I sip and nibble, delighting in the heady aroma and sweet, savory flavors, my mind always wanders to the birds and the bees. Why? Because both chocolate and coffee are two of the 1000+ plants that depend on visits from the birds and the bees (and other pollinators) to help spread the love, or in their case, pollen, from flower to flower.

I love wandering through my garden and hearing the buzz of the visiting bees. But bees have many more talents that just pollinating our plants.

Here is a list of 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Honey Bees, which I collected from the Health Benefits of Honey Blog:

1) Bees tongues can help sniff out bombs – A company called Inscentinel Ltd. has developed Vapor Detection Instrumentation, which is scientific speak for a couple of bees taped to a piece of foam. The bees stick out their tongues when they smell an odor they have been trained to detect.

2) Honey bees can recognize faces – the honey bee, with a brain barely bigger than a pin head, can remember human faces for days after seeing them.

3) Bees are the only insects that produce edible food for humans (did you know that honey is actually bee puke? Ugh)

4) Some working bees can lift (in addition to their own bodies) 100% of their body weight.

5) Bees have been around (100 million years) much longer than humans (7 million years).

6) The queen bee lives up to 40 times longer than a worker bee.

7) The ONLY purpose in life, for the male bee, is to "service" the queen bee — and then he dies.

8) 3400 honey bees were taken on a NASA space flight.

9) Honey bees only use their stinger on vertebrates. When the bees are up against an invertebrate (such as a wasp) the worker bees will cluster around the insect and literally flex their muscles until the resulting heat kills the intruder. And if the heat doesn’t kill them, the lack of oxygen surely will.

10) The origin of the word honeymoon – In days of old, newlyweds were given a month’s worth of mead – a honey based booze – which they were to drink daily. The tradition was believed to promote matrimonial happiness and pregnancy… both things alcohol is very good at. We’ve been honeymooning ever since.

Stop back by on Monday when we'll have a post on How to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

Here's a sharp idea! Get your garden tools in shape for the season - May 14th

Keeping your lawn mower blade sharpened is good for your lawn and good for the planet. According to experts at the Virginia Cooperative Extension, "The quickest way to improve lawn quality AND turf health is to clip it with a sharp blade, and a sharp blade will also improve fuel-use efficiency and extend engine life."

Sharpened blades are especially important during mid to late Spring, when cool-season grasses in the area form tough seedheads. Tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and the fine-leaf fescues are all producing flowers and seed during this time of year in response to temperature, day length, and moisture. These tough seedhead stalks are designed for support and are much tougher to mow.

Clipping grass with a dull mower usually results in turf that initially has a ‘whitish’ cast (from the shredded leaf and seedhead tips) that ultimately becomes a ‘brown or tan’ cast as the damaged tissues slowly age and die. So, one way to immediately improve quality for most is to simply sharpen the blades. How often should one sharpen the blades? On average, most homeowners in Virginia should plan on sharpening their blades at least 3 times during the growing season.

With that in mind, I wanted to pass along this message I saw on a local gardening message board:

Back By Popular Demand - Saturday Morning John Vecciarrelli Will Offer Sharpening Services Next to Takoma DC Branch Library - 6900 Block of 5th St. N.W.

John Vecciarrelli's father Tony made his living sharpening knives, lawnmower blades, handmower blades and other tools all around the city. When John retired a few years ago, he began driving his dad's workshop in an old green step van to events around town, offering the same sharpening services.

Responding to requests from folks who couldn't come to last month's visit, this Saturday, May 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., John will again be parked on the 6900 block of 5th Street NW, between Cedar and Butternut, next to the Takoma DC branch library. If your mower hasn't been sharpened in years, or you've never known the joys of digging with a sharpened spade or trowel, you may want to come on over.

For more information, contact Dodie Butler, 202-643-6343.

Anacostia Watershed Tree Planting Event - May 14th

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments  DEP is hosting a tree planting with the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission – Prince George’s County, in Riverdale, MD from 9:00 A.M. to Noon.

We have 150 trees to plant and mulch and could use your assistance.  This is an especially great opportunity for students to gain community service credit hours while learning about the environment in their region.

Come and get some exercise to start your Saturday and learn about the Anacostia Watershed and Chesapeake Bay Restoration efforts.

The planting site is located off Oglethorpe Street in the M-NCPPC  Riverside Neighborhood Park, next to the Northeast Branch.

To RSVP and for more information, contact Aubin Maynard, (202) 962-3233

Beneficial, drought tolerant plants for the Metro DC Area - Perennials, grasses, etc.

Beneficial Native Plants for the Metro DC Area Plants marked with an * were selected as Favorite Native Plants by local experts See code to abbreviations at bottom of list
Scientific Name	Common Name	Type	Light	DT	Bi	Bu	Hu	Fl	Fr
Achillea millefolium	Common yarrow	Perennial	Su	X	-	X	X	X	-
Amsonia tabernaemontana	Blue star	Perennial	PS	X	-	-	-	X	-
Andropogon gerardii	Big bluestem	Grass	Su-PS	X	X	X	-	X	-
Andropogon ternarius	Split bluestem	Grass	Su-PS	X	X	-	-	-	-
*Aquilegia canadensis	Wild columbine	Perennial	Su-FS	X	H	X	-	X	-
*Asclepias tuberosa	Butterflyweed	Perennial	Su-PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Baptisia tinctoria	Wild indigo	Perennial	Su	X	-	X	-	X	-
*Campsis radicans	Trumpet creeper	Vine	Su	X	H	X	-	X	-
Chamaecrista fasciculata	Partridge Pea	Annual	Su-PS	X	X	X	-	X	-
Cimicifuga racemosa	Black cohosh	Perennial	PS-Sh	X	-	X	-	X	-
Clitoria mariana	Maryland butterfly pea	Vine	Su-PS	X	X	-	-	X	-
Coreopsis lanceolata	Lanceleaf coreopsis	Perennial	Su- PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Coreopsis verticillata	Tickseed	Perennial	Su-FS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Delphinium tricorne	Dwarf larkspur	Perennial	PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Echinacea purpurea	Purple coneflower	Perennial	Su-PS	X	-	X	X	X	-
Eragrostis spectabilis	Purple lovegrass	Grass	Su	X	X	-	-	-	-
Eupatorium hyssopifolium	Boneset	Perennial	Su	X	X	-	-	X	-
Gaillardia pulchella	Firewheel, Indian Blanket	Perennial	Su-PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Geranium maculatum	Wild geranium	Perennial	PS-Sh	X	X	-	X	X	-
Helianthus divaricatus	Woodland sunflower	Perennial	Su-Sh	X	X	X	-	X	-
Heliopsis helianthoides	Oxeye sunflower	Perennial	Su	X	-	X	-	X	-
Heuchera Americana	Alumroot	Perennial	PS-Sh	X	-	-	-	X	-
Iris Cristata	Dwarf crested iris	Perennial	PS-Sh	X	H	-	-	X	-
Liatris spicata	Gayfeather	Perennial	Su	X	-	X	-	X	-
Lobelia siphilitica	Great blue lobelia	Perennial	Su-FS	X	H	-	-	X	-
Lonicera sempervirens	Coral honeysuckle	Vine	Su, PS	X	H	X	-	X	-
*Mertensia virginica	Virginia bluebells	Perennial	PS-FS	X	-	-	-	X	-
*Monarda didyma	Red bergamot, beebalm	Perennial	Su-FS	X	H	X	X	X	-
*Monarda fistulosa	Wild bergamot	Perennial	Su-PS	X	H	X	X	X	X
*Monarda punctata	Horsemint	Perennial	Su	X	H	X	X	X	-
Oenothera biennis	Evening primrose	Biennial	Su-Sh	X	H	X	X	X	X
Oenothera fruticosa	Sundrops	Perennial	Su	X	X	X	-	X	-
*Panicum vigatum	Switchgrass	Grass	Su	X	X	-	-	-	-
Passiflora incarnata	Passionflower vine	Vine	Su-PS	X	X	X	X	X	-
Phlox divaricata	Wild blue phlox	Perennial	Su-PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Pityopsis graminifolia	Golden aster	Perennial	PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Polemonium reptans	Jacob's Ladder	Perennial	Su-FS	X	-	-	-	X	-
Polygonatum biflorum	Solomon’s seal	Perennial	PS-Sh	X	X	X	X	X	-
Pycnanthemum incanum	Hoary mountain mint	Perennial	Su-PS	X	-	X	-	X	X
*Rudbeckia hirta	Black-eyed Susan	Perennial	Su-PS	X	-	X	-	X	-
Salvia lyrata	Lyre-leaved sage	Perennial	Su-Sh	X	H	X	-	X	-
Schizachyrium scoparium	Little bluestem	Grass	Su-PS	X	X	X	-	X	-
Silphium perfoliatum	Cup plant	Perennial	Su	X	H	X	-	X	-
Solidago rugosa	Goldenrod	Perennial	Su	X	X	X	-	X	-
Tradescantia virginiana	Virginia spiderwort	Perennial	Su-Sh	X	-	X	-	X	-
Trillium grandiflorum	White trillium	Perennial	Su-Sh	X	-	-	X	X	-
Vernonia noveboracensis	Ironweed	Perennial	Su	X	X	X	-	X	-
Viola pedata	Bird’s foot violet	Perennial	PS-Sh	X	X	X	-	X	-

** Note: this list was created for the Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog and may not be copied without permission. However, please feel free to link to this page and to subscribe to the blog for future lists.

Light: FS=Full Su, S=Su, Sh=Sh

Su	Full Su: direct sulight at least six hours a day.
PS	Partial Sh: direct sulight between three to six hours.
Sh	Sh: less than three hours of direct sulight a day.

Benefits: W=Wildlife Value; Bi=Attracts birds; Bu=Attracts Butterflies; Hu=Human Value, edible or medicinal; Fr=Fragrant, Fl=Fowers

H in bird column signifies Hummingbirds. Plants which an X in the butterfly column are ofter HOST plants for specific butterfly species.

Sources: Xeriscaping and Conserving Water in the Landscape (PDF) – Maryland Cooperative Extension

Drought Tolerant Plants for the Mid-Atlantic Region (pdf) download from Charlottesville Water

Plant lists from: Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration and Landscaping, Virginia DCR

Most of the plant benefits were obtained from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Org. Native Plant Database

Drought tolerant native plants for Virginia

Drought Tolerant Perennials (PDF) – Clayton Virginia Native Plant Society

Another Great Plant list - Plants for the Chesapeake Bay Area - hyperlinked

If you have lived in the Metro DC area for very long, you have probably heard of Bayscapes or Bayscaping.

In 1992, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, created the program that is now nationally known as BayScapes. The vision was to create an educated citizenry dedicated to the use of native, non-invasive plants in their landscapes to attract wildlife and reduce the amount of pollutants going into the Chesapeake Bay.

There is a ton of information on the Bayscapes website, including information about why, how and where to choose native plants. They even have some great lists of native plants for the Chesapeake Bay area, you just have to hunt around a little bit to find them.

You can find lists here in pdf format. Unfortunately, the pdf lists provide limited information and no photos. If you dig a little further, you can find plant information pages for ferns, grasses, herbaceous plants, herbaceous emergents, shrubs, trees, and vines. (Yes, I wish I had found those before I went to all of the work to create my lists of native, drought tolerant trees and shrubs, and perennials.)

But wait! I kept looking and I found this online list of 422 plants that they have created on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower website to go along with Bayscapes! Oh joy, joy! Online, clickable links to 422 Bay friendly plants!

And if that isn't exciting enough, it looks like they are in the process of putting their guide, "Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed"(by Britt E. Slattery, Kathryn Reshetiloff and Susan M. Zwicker. 2003, 2005, 2009) online.

I recently received an email that said:

The Alliance and the Service BayScape partnership is back at work with the creation of an online version of this guide. The current prototype includes:

a searchable database of the native plants of the region; 

a geo-locator feature to identify plants that are suited to a precise site; 

an online network to interact with other BayScape enthusiasts; and 

a design feature that will allow users to create a personal virtual garden is in the works. 

Although the full version will not be available until 2012, the initial phase should be on the street in late spring or early summer 2011.

I just LOVE all the great eco-friendly information that is finding its way online. Kudos to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.