As gardeners, I believe that we have a key role in improving the health of our communities, especially when we practice environmentally conscious gardening. As environmentalists we are willing to support efforts to solve environmental problems and to personally commit and act to solve these problems. That includes protecting our irreplaceable and threatened biodiversity; supporting pollinators; replacing or reducing lawns; composting; avoiding chemical use; planting natives; supporting birds and other wildlife by dimming lights; leaving the leaves; spending time outdoors; getting kids outdoors...and that's just to name a few.
I started the Taking Care of Wildlife Challenge meme several years ago. Taking care of wildlife in our gardens is a huge part of environmentally conscious gardening. I've included all 2024 posts and their summaries. Just follow the links to each post. I hope you find them helpful. Writing them helped me learn even more about living environmentally conscious.
If you have any suggestions for future post, please let me know in the comments.
xoxogail
The First Wednesday Challenge has several parts. The first is to do something, anything, each month to help wildlife in our gardens or in our communities.
The Second part is to share what you've done. Why share? Because positive publicity is needed to educate our friends, neighbors and communities about how important even the smallest changes we make as gardeners can be for pollinators, birds, insects and mammals, including humans, that live all around us.
Why now? Because things are changing drastically around us. Development is just one of the many human activities that has contributed to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and habitat degradation. When an ecosystem has been dramatically changed by human activities it may no longer be able to provide the food, water, cover, and places to raise young that wildlife need to survive. Every day there are fewer places left that wildlife can call home. We might not be able to stop the development/destruction but, maybe we can make a lot of educational noise and help others see the value in providing for critters and ultimately helping the environment.
A gardener can hope, xoxo Gail
January 2024: First Wednesday-Want to Take the Taking Care of Wildlife In Our Gardens Challenge?
I introduced the monthly challenge and shared what I saw happening in my neighborhood.
 |
| Bulldozer tearing down a perfectly fine house |
Why now? My
neighborhood is changing. Yours might be, too. Every day an older home
along with many (if not all) of the mature oak, hickory, maple, Eastern
cedar and hackberry trees are cut down. Insects, birds, even mammals
lose their home site and food supplies when trees are cut down. During construction
soil is compacted by bulldozers, trucks and piles of
debris causing runoff; surface runoff that can carry pollution to
streams and rivers. It's
important that our neighbors have information about how important trees
are to our ecosystem. Trees contribute to their environment by providing
oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water,
preserving soil, and supporting wildlife.
In place of the "bee lawns" composed of Claytonia, Salvia lyrata, Ruellia humilis, fleabane, Western Daisy, Violets, self-heal, clovers, native grasses (in my neighborhood it's poverty oat grass) and sedges, they're sodded with non-native grasses. These monoculture turf lawns contribute nothing environmentally. Here's what we lose when our diverse lawns are replaced with pristine turf grass:
- Gone are the lightening bugs.
- Gone are the ground dwelling/nesting native bees.
- Gone is the habitat for insects, spiders and other critters.
- Gone is plant diversity.
- Gone are trees that provided for hundreds of moths, butterflies and other insects.
- Gone are the nesting sites for woodpeckers, hummingbirds, Chickadees and other birds.
- Gone is a healthy foodweb.
It breaks my heart.
February 2024: First Wednesday Challenge- Gardening Is For The Birds
...and for the bees, beetles, insects, mammals, spiders and other critters that live and visit our gardens.
This month's challenge is all about birds. February is National Bird Feeding Month. The month was created to educate the public on the seasonal journeys of birds, and for people to provide some aid at the height of winter when birds need it most.
Here's an Incomplete list of things we can do to feed the birds and keep them happy and healthy:
- Plant native plants that not only provide food for birds, but are also host plants for the insects that most birds need to feed their young.
- Reducing lawns: With more than 63 million acres of lawn and 4 million miles of paved road in the U.S. alone, there is huge potential to support wildlife by replacing lawns with native plants.
- Clean your feeders. Get you hummingbird feeeders cleaned and ready for hummers.
- Keep your feeders filled with food birds prefer. Our bird visitors especially love The best foods include sunflower seeds, thistle, nuts, suet, and millet. Our bluebirds love mealy worms.
- Sweets, bread, popcorn, and potato chips are not healthy for birds.
- Make sure the bird food is fresh and not moldy after sitting in the feeders for long periods of time.
- Always have fresh water...year round. I use a heater for my birdbaths. They work.
- Clean out bird houses and repair them if necessary.
- Get binoculars to observe the birds in your garden and at the feeders
- Take photos and share them on social media and your neighborhood listserves.
- Get your kids/grandkids involved. The Audubon Society has a list of kid friendly bird id books.
- Learn bird songs
- Use Merlin the free Bird Id ap to help you id bird calls and songs.
- Turn lights out at night...This is especially helpful while birds are migrating
- Treat large reflective windows to keep birds from crashing in to them.
- Keep your cat indoors. Cats are estimated to kill more than 2.4 billion birds annually in the U.S.
- Cornell Lab suggests we switch to bird friendly coffees. Go here to find out whys.
- Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count February 16-19th, 2024. Sign up for a GBYBC webinar
- Be smart and read about how to prevent diseases at the feeder.
- Get involved with groups/organizations that are working to protect birds.
- Never use rodenticides. They pose a big threat to birds of prey due to rodents being a primary source of their food.
- Never, ever, ever use pesticides. I mean never.
xoxogail
March 2024: First Wednesday Challenge- Keystone Plants
When you plant your garden make sure you include keystone plants. They're the most important plants we should have or be
adding to our gardens.
When I began a garden here at Clay and Limestone, I knew nothing about native plants. I tried all manner of plants that failed. But I eventually figured out that my garden had wonderful gifts for me. They were just waiting for me to appreciate them and when I did, I fell totally in love with wildflowers and the bees I discovered buzzing around them. How fortunate for this gardener or it would have taken many more years to discover the wonder of native plants and gardening for wildlife.
It took me a few more years before I realized that wildflowers, as wonderful as they are, weren't the most important plants in my garden. I started adding shrubs and small trees, but it was still years before I truly appreciated that my garden was already blessed with Oaks, Hickories, Eastern Red cedars, Elms, Ashes, Hackberries, Redbuds, Dogwood species, Viburnums, and American hophornbeam trees. I didn't realize at the time that many were keystone plants that supported insects, birds, pollinators, and small mammals.
 |
| Hypericum frondosum supports 22 Lepidoptera species |
A keystone plant is a plant that supports
the life cycle of many species. They're trees and perennials that are
crucial to the food web
and necessary for many wildlife species to complete their life cycle.
Without keystone plants in the landscape, butterflies, native bees, and
birds will not thrive.
 |
| Oaks support 521 Lepidoptera species |
Insects, especially caterpillars, are the prime source of food for most birds feeding their young. Keystone plants like Oaks, cherry, Beeches, Elms, Poplar, Pine and Hickory trees support 90% of caterpillar species. Keystone plants like Asters, perennial sunflowers, and goldenrods support 60% of native bees. Caterpillars and native bees are both integral parts of nature’s food web.(source)
April 2024: First Wednesday Challenge- Every Day Needs A Night
Wildlife are increasingly threatened by artificial light at night.
 |
| Southeastern USA from NASA |
When I step outside at night I can barely find my favorite constellations. Because of development a lot has changed in my neighborhood; the tree canopy has been reduced, monocultural lawns have replaced the bee friendly lawns and the mega houses have exterior up lighting on every remaining tree. Standing in my driveway I can see eave lights, porch lights and landscape lighting that's on all night. All of it helping to obscure the night sky.
But my missing the constellations is small potatoes compared to the effect that artificial light at night has on birds, amphibians, insects and mammals. Especially those that are nocturnal (sleep during the day, and move about at night). The lit up night harms wildlife and ecosystems.
According to research scientist Christopher Kyba, for nocturnal animals “the introduction of artificial light probably represents the most drastic change human beings have made to their environment.”
“Predators use light to hunt, and prey species use darkness as
cover,” Kyba explains. “Near cities, cloudy skies are now hundreds or
even thousands of times brighter than they were 200 years ago. We are
only beginning to learn what a drastic effect this has had on nocturnal
ecology.” (source)
The night is full of life and activity. That's when nocturnal creatures like bats, raccoons, most owls, skunks, coyotes, opossums, deer, many amphibians, and insects are out and about. I didn't know until I listened to Bug Banter , a Xercis Society podcast, that about 60% of insects rely upon darkness for orientation, navigation, avoidance of predators, location of food and reproduction. Many nocturnal and crepuscular (out at dawn and dusk) insects use celestial light sources such as stars and the moon as visual cues for movement across landscapes. All plants, animals and humans living on Earth are genetically adapted to regular day/night/seasonal cycles that have, in many places on the planet, been completely interrupted by the glow created by artificial lights.(source)
For all of evolutionary history the night has been totally dark. What we've done in lighting up the night is unprecedented and has had a huge impact on critters.
May 2024 First Wednesday Challenge- Invite bugs into your garden
Embrace imperfection.
What does that mean?
- We must be okay with the damage that bugs will do to our garden plants.
- We don't run for the pesticides or herbicides the first time we see chewed up foliage and petals.
- We need to redefine what we think of as perfection and beauty in our gardens.
- We invite beneficial insects into the garden when we plant the right plants and create the right conditions.
- We celebrate that imperfection means our gardens are teeming with all kinds of wildlife, not just pretty flower faces.
That's what I've done in my own garden.
Our gardens will not be magazine perfect, but, pollinators and other critters don't care if flower petals are chewed on. They need pollen and nectar producing flowers. They need host plants for their offspring. They need water. They need bare earth to nest in. They need trees. They need woodpiles to hide in. They need a pesticide free environment.
June 2024 First Wednesday Challenge- Why Trees Matter and Why We Ought To Care
I
started to write about the loss of trees in my neighborhood and as
alarming as that is to me I was struck by something that is far more
important. People are living where there is little or no tree canopy.
Imagine no trees when you step outside. That means no birds or squirrels or other critters that rely upon trees. This is true for seventy percent
of Americans who are now living in urbanized areas where their
proximity to
trees and nature has greatly diminished. That means that when someone
steps outside there is no shade to play under or to protect them from
summer heat. There are no trees to help them get healthier. There are no
trees to gather under and visit with friends. There are no trees to
make the neighborhood feel pleasant or attractive. Observational
research has shown that cities without trees are prone to more violence and health issues.
Here's my probably incomplete list of the many ways trees are valuable:
- They clean the air we breath
- They help fight climate change
- They provide oxygen
- They cool streets and neighborhoods
- They conserve energy
- They slow water evaporation
- They reduce water pollution, runoff and erosion
- They shade children while they play ( reduce UV-B exposure)
- They provide food for humans and birds and animals
- They provide shelter, nesting and
- They help us heal
- They can sooth our frazzled nerves
- They help reduce fear and violence in neighborhoods
- They reduce noise (blocks interstate noise)
- They bring people together when planting them
- They help promote healthy soils
- They provide homes for critters
- They provide beauty in a concrete gray city
- They provide property and commercial value to homes, neighborhoods and cities
- They provide economic value, jobs, etc.
- They provide spiritual value
- They can reduce crime if the right trees are planted in the right way
July 2024: First Wednesday Challenge- What To Plant In Your Garden
It's your garden plant what ever you want. But, would you please plan(t) for all the critters that live and visit your garden? Pollinators will thank you for it by hanging around pollinating your flowers and vegetables/fruits. Beneficial insects will thrive and raise offspring that will gobble up the more harmful insects. Birds will live there and help keep the insect population down.
It's your garden, plant what ever you want, but, plant knowing that the more you plant for critters...crawling, flying and even digging ones, the healthier and more diverse your garden will be.
Plant what ever you want, but consider that you might be part of something big going on in your neighborhood. Your garden might be a neighborhood haven for all kinds of critters in the midst of a sea of lawns. Yours might be one of the few gardens that offers pollinating critters nectar and pollen from late winter until late fall; a place for all kinds of critters to raise their offspring; or a stopping off place for water and food (seeds and berries) to migrating birds.
It's your garden, plant what ever you want, just take some time to figure out what makes sense for your garden conditions. It's taken me a very long time, but, I finally feel as if I have found the right combination and balance of perennials, annuals, biennials, small trees and shrubs that can thrive in the shallow clay soil that is too dry during the summer and too wet during the winter.
These are the questions I ask myself when plant shopping at nurseries or online.
- Does it make sense for my garden conditions?
- Is it a source of nectar or pollen or a host plant for pollinators?
- Is it a food source for birds, insects or mammals?
- Will it add to plant diversity in my critter friendly garden?
- Is it native or garden friendly (a non invasive plant)?
- Have I included plants that bloom in the early spring and some that bloom until late fall to help critters getting ready for winter?
- Have I included shrubs and evergreens? (They provide structure to the garden and cover and food.)
- What worked this past year? Should I plant more?
August 2024 First Wednesday Challenge-Take A Walk In Nature
I challenge you to take a walk in
nature. Head out to your local greenway, natural area or even your
neighborhood. Walks in nature promote health and well being. They're
also good for the planet; research has shown that when people are
invested in being in nature, they are almost always invested in
advocating for it.
 |
| Smallanthus uvedalius is blooming at Richland Greenway. |
In nature you'll find native wildflowers, invasive plants, pollinators, all kinds of insects, mammals, birds, lizards and maybe a snake. It's also where you can boost your health, improve your mood and introduce your children or grandchildren to the wonderful outdoors and all those plants and critters.
The August 6, 2024 issue of the Washington Post has a great article on how important being outside is to kids: "How time in nature builds happier, healthier and more social children".
September 2024 First Wednesday Challenge- It's Migration Time and Birds Need A Few Things
Fall migration has begun and we can
expect millions of birds to fly over many of our cities. The drought has
been hard this summer and I hope there are enough native plants with
seeds, berries, nuts and insects to help fuel birds as they pass
through. As for fresh water, Nashville is on a river and there are
enormous lakes nearby, so birds can flock there when they stop to
recharge.
 |
| Bird Cast |
Birds migrate south as winter approaches because insects and other foods are dwindling. They're traveling to areas that have food and nesting. Some birds stay put because they can find adequate food and water, others are traveling anywhere from a hundred miles to several hundred. The birds that are being monitored by Bird Cast are long-distance migrators. "They typically move from breeding ranges in the United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Central and South America. It's an arduous journey and over 350 different species of North American birds are long distance migrators." (source)
 |
| Goldfinches can stay or migrate depending upon food sources |
Migration
is a natural phenomena that happens every fall and spring. Their
journey is physically taxing and the lack of adequate food supplies
along the way, bad weather, exposure to predators and the ever
increasing danger from colliding into lit up buildings all add to making
this journey hazardous.
There are things we can do. Very important things!
- Provide food
- Provide fresh water
- Make
your windows obvious, especially the big picture windows. Add decals,
paint spider webs, stripes or designs, this will keep birds from
colliding into them when they stop at our feeders.
- Go lights out at 11pm to 6am during migration (spring and fall)
- Become an advocate: Work to get your community involved in turning off their outdoor lights from 11pm to 6am every night.
October 2024 First Wednesday Wildlife Challenge- Kids Need Time Outdoors
We need to get our kids outside more...There are many good reasons to be outside for all of us, but, it's especially true for children who seem to be spending less time outdoors than ever before. When researching the numbers I was shocked to read that the average child spends only 6 -7 minutes outdoors everyday. That's so different from my free to roam childhood when as a part of a small gang of neighborhood kids we rode bikes, climbed trees, explored the woodlands and were unsupervised almost all day. Each generation has less time outdoors, let alone unsupervised time outdoors. I am not recommending that you free range kids, just give them more opportunities to be outdoors in nature. There are so many benefits for them and for nature.
What
are kids doing if they aren't playing outside? They're spending a lot
of time in front of electronic screens. The reality is that most
kids are coming in way above what the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends. In fact, 87% of
children had screen time exceeding the recommendations. The latest
statistics show that most American children spend about three hours a
day watching television. Watching television, working on a computer,
looking at social media, or playing
video games can total 5–7 hours a day. (source)
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
- no screen time before 18 months.
- introducing screen time gradually to children between 18 to 24 months
- no
more than one hour per day of high-quality programming for children
from 2–5 years. (Sesame Street or Little Einsteins are considered
high-quality programs)
- kids 5–17, should get no more than two hours of screen time a day, not including virtual learning or homework.
Here are six crucial ways playing outside helps children (from Harvard School of Medicine)
1. Sunshine. Vitamin D production, improved immune system, healthy sleep and improved mood
2. Exercise. Children should be active for an hour every day, and getting outside to play is one way to be sure that happens.
3. Executive function. Being outside gives kids opportunities
to practice problem solving, use their imagination, solve problems with playmates and help in developing other life skills.
4. Taking risks. Children need to take some risks. "Risk-taking
is all about identity formation. As kids mature, they need
opportunities to discover who they are, to set their own boundaries, and
to establish their own values and beliefs apart from those of their
parents. Wise risk-taking builds resilience, boosts confidence,
encourages perseverance, and curbs fear." Climbing trees, jumping
off boulders and walls, picking up bugs, and reaching out to make
friends are ways kids can take a risk. Activities need to be age appropriate.
5. Socialization. Children need to learn how to work together, to share, to cooperate, how to treat others and how to make and be a friend.
6. Appreciation of nature.
So much of our
world is changing, and not for the better. If a child grows up never
walking in the woods, digging in soil, seeing animals in their habitat,
climbing a mountain, playing in a stream, or staring at the endless
horizon of an ocean, they may never really understand what there is to
be lost. The future of our planet depends on our children; they need to
learn to appreciate it, to connect to it. Research shows that kids who
grow up connected to nature are more often motivated to get involved in
conservation actions. (source)
 |
November 2024: First Wednesday Challenge- A Conversation About Leaves
It's the First Wednesday Taking Care of Wildlife In Our Gardens Challenge and I'm here to talk about leaves.
Leaves
are miraculous and beautiful....In my part of the world it's golden
leaf time. Elms, shagbark hickories, spicebushes, Eastern hop-hornbeam,
witch hazels and maples are glowing. I love autumn.
I've known since I was a little kid that leaves were a lot of fun. Back then I loved walking through the leaves that had fallen on the sidewalks, they crunched and crackled when you stepped on them. Neighbors made great piles that were fun to jump into and later that day they burned them creating a huge bonfire. Honestly, that's a smell that takes me back a few years.
In middle school science I learned that the job of a leaf was to make food for the plant. But being a curious person I wanted to see what an internet search would yield many, many years later! Searching "the job of a leaf" yielded thousands of pages. Almost all start with this simple explanation: "The most important job of a leaf is to make food for the plant. They're responsible for turning sunlight into food."
"A leaf is considered one of the most important parts of a plant as it is a source of food for the plant itself and also for animals who feed on it."(source) Wow! I loved reading that. Finally, a definition that acknowledged that an important job for leaves was not only feeding the tree, but also feeding animals.* By animals they meant insects or as E.O. Wilson defined them, the little things that run the world.
 |
| Title: Magical Garden |
Dr Wilson wrote a paper in 1987 hypothesizing what would happen if insects disappeared. He concluded that most flowering plants would disappear (because they’re pollinated by insects), the food web that supports amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, etc. would quickly collapse, and the biosphere (living part of the world) would rot due to the loss of insects that consume dead plant and animal matter.
Insects are still disappearing.
Unfortunately, we've done too good a job of eradicating bugs! We've armed homeowners with pesticides, we've hired folks to spray yards for mosquitoes (they kill all insects), we plant non native plants that aren't host plants for insect young, we've lost natural areas, and then every fall we pay lawn service contractors to haul away one of our most valuable ecological resources-fallen leaves.
Yes, fallen leaves are one of our most valuable resources for the health of our gardens.
Leaves can:
- protect your plants’ roots from drying out or freezing
- suppress weeds
- preserve soil moisture
- decay into leaf mold which is a great soil amendment
- return nutrients to the soil
- shelter seeds so they can bloom
- be part of a soft landing for insects
- btw,
a thin layer on your lawn will not smother it, instead it can do all
the things we've listed in this list for your lawn
And...you
can still have fun with leaves. Build a brush shelter with your
favorite little kid. Use branches, sticks and stems, and leaves to make
brush piles that will shelter native wildlife. It's also okay to jump
into a leaf pile.
Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.
