Want to make your garden the talk of the town? Go beyond attracting songbirds and butterflies and lure less common backyard critters to your yard.
CLICK HERE are a few tips and ideas to entice the hard-to-attract wildlife:
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The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect that feeds on
certain species of hardwood trees, eventually killing them. The ALB
most likely came to the United States inside wood packing material from
Asia. Since it was first discovered in Brooklyn, New York in 1996, the
beetle has caused tens of thousands of trees to be destroyed in
Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
If the ALB were to become established here, it could become one
of the most destructive and costly pests ever to enter the United
States. If we don't find and stop the ALB, we'll lose more than trees.
We'll lose industries worth billions of dollars - and wildlife habitats
too. Our yards and neighborhoods will take decades to recover.
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Read more... [Asian Longhorned Beetle]
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As you manage your land to attract more birds and other wildlife, whether a 50-acre farm or half-acre suburban lot, you can make small changes to attract pollinators. Amazingly, more than two thirds of the world's crops are pollinated by insects. Unfortunately, according to The Xerces Society , many native pollinators from bees, to wasps to butterflies are endangered due to many changes including pesticide use and habitat destruction. To help reverse this trend you can act locally by not using pesticides and planting native plants that support our native pollinators. With a little extra effort you can provide food and shelter for developing and adult insects. And do not forget our one species of pollinating bird, ruby-throated hummingbirds. These tiny jewels love bright flowers with nectar. Native plants include trumpet creeper, native honeysuckle (not Japanese honeysuckle!) and cardinal flower. Think red and orange! A bonus, flowers that attract hummingbirds usually attract sphinx moths, acrobatic summer garden visitors. A well-stocked garden center should carry a selection of native plants.
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Read more... [Attracting Native RI Pollinators]
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At several refuges managed by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), common reed (Phragmites australis) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) are just a few of the introduced species that dominate fields, encroach on marshes, alter forest edges and threaten riparian corridors. Many introduced species came to North America intentionally. This new gardening season is the time to practice some prevention. This could save you and land managers hours and money spent removing and controlling invasive species.
If you are making spring gardening choices and want to "Know before you grow," see:
RI Invasive Species Resources
Invasive Plants
For information about preventing the movement and introduction of invasive species go to:
Hort Trade and Invasives
For illustrations and facts about invasive plants and other creatures go to:
Learn More About Invasive Plants and Animals
WeedUS
A collaborative project between the Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group and the University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. WeedUS is a database of information about plants that invade natural areas in the U.S. (including Hawaii). It is intended as an informational and educational tool.
Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council Plant List
Provides detailed list of current invasive plants and their distribution. Photos are provide as ell as links to insect invaders as well.
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Trash left on the
beach, dumped overboard or washed down storm drains can harm and kill birds.
Here are the risks:
Predators
Food scraps
attract predators, such as skunks, foxes, and feral cats. These animals then
prey upon shore-nesting birds such as American Oystercatchers and the
threatened Piping Plover. Nest
predation is a major threat to the Piping Plover.
Entanglement
Fishing line, netting and string can entangle birds' wings and feet. As
they struggle to get free, they get even more entangled and can drown, starve
or strangulate. Six pack rings are
especially hazardous to diving birds and surface feeders. Nearly invisible in
the water, birds such as the Common Loon can dive through them and get them
stuck around their beaks or necks. Osprey and other birds will use fishing line
in their nests, creating a hazard for their nestlings. In the 2005 Rhode Island
Coastal Cleanup, two entangled birds were found on the shore.
Ingestion
Birds can mistake
debris for food, and ingesting it can cause internal injury. Indigestible trash
often remains in the stomach of the bird, and reduced stomach capacity can lead
to malnourishment and death. Forty-four percent of seabird species have been
documented as ingesting marine debris. Plastic, which floats and does not
easily degrade, is often consumed. Birds especially prone to eating plastic are
surface feeders such as albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters; and
plankton-feeding divers such as auklets and puffins. Albatrosses are commonly
found with stomachs full of plastic, and one study found 98 percent of fulmars
had plastic in their stomachs-an average of 31 pieces in each bird.
What can you do?
- Don't litter. Come to the beach prepared to pack out what you pack
in. Remember that litter thrown away on land often finds its way to the ocean,
through wind or rivers or storm drains.
- Clean up litter. Pick it up when you see it, and join your
local Coastal Cleanup.
- Educate others. Teach your children to be responsible for
their trash. Let people know that it
hurts to litter!
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