There were many Joro Spiders and Garden Spiders this year. Previous falls were favored by Golden Orb Spiders. Butterflies love tithonia (Mexican Sunflower). Many seeds were harvested this year, but many more were left for birds and for self seeding. Birds and butterflies migrating southward love wildflower gardens.
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Native Seedling Give Away 2024
Last year in June and July, I was able to give away over 250 perennial wildflower seedlings to my neighbors in Medlock Park. I will be giving away more seedlings this year. These seedlings are native perennials chosen for their importance to butterflies and other pollinator insects. These plants not only feed the adults but… Continue reading Native Seedling Give Away 2024
Urban Ecological Oasis Videos, 2024
Each year, the number of native species that use my tiny urban pollinator meadow increases, with many beneficial insect species reproducing there or spending their entire life cycle there. All of these were filmed in my tiny yard (Yalobusha Farms) in August, 2024.
Southern Toads (A. terrestris) Eating Earthworms
I filmed a video of some of my breeder Southern Toads (A. terrestis) eating earthworms in one of the four open-top terrariums. Most of the diet (90%+) is fruit flies and fruit fly maggots that live on the pile of decomposing fruit peels in their terrariums.
Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris) Breeders
In the spring of 2023, I purchased 200 Southern Toad (Bufo terrestris) tadpoles from a breeder for the purpose of restoring the local wild toad population. I raised the tadpoles in the patio breeding tanks used by my neighborhood’s tree frogs. I transferred the tiny toadlets to one of four plastic barrel bottoms that had… Continue reading Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris) Breeders
Tadpoles Swimming 2018
Here is a video of tadpoles swimming in the first pond in its third month of existence. I incorrectly identified these as tree frog tadpoles, which I now know to be smaller. Based on countless observations over the past four years, I am fairly certain that the tadpoles in this video are those of the… Continue reading Tadpoles Swimming 2018