Show Section Monday April 26 2003 Pagel The Herald Journal Hiwks Md owls are common in CadwVriayThay with strong hooked bis Hawks may are eat other bints such as songbirds and crewi Both owts and hawks eat amall mammals such as squirrels mica and rabbits They also eat Inga snakes and insects Great homed owls are meat-wls- n among the law predators of skunks I " Magpies are in the crow family These mischievous scavengers eat almost anything especially birds eggs and garbage Dear Many suburban dealers love to see deer In their yards even though these plentiful native herbivores eat shrubs grass and eventukps- Pesticides - uompommg often affect more animal Ms WBMe than they were Intended to Those applied to the lawn may NR beneficial earthworms Pesticides sprayed on trees and flowers can turn into a fertile oardeninomodkimBuldalrox or sol aside a lidded gtrbigt cm e Ttvow In hiw and ' ryrtrsak kuKtndvtgttebli script aggi with iMdi Law ereyn aoV and walar occaiic utfv Funol In ani down compost Into humus and watering hofpo ft gistaylvsly Turn compost frequondy and harvest rich black humus n can ki helpful poRbtalore Hie bees Some even have long lasting affects and may six to eight weeks Spread In Rower or vegetable harm pots and children gmcnsioriDooiiinDoomiQrpraauci Lilt up a rock and see a whole new world Pilbugs often Ive In gardens under in nearby mountains and feed on nectar from Rowers Backyard fsedsrs Had wfth sugar syrup can attract them And they niay stay to fssd on Rowers Rks tnimpot vine or honeysuckle ki turn they! eat aphids spiders fhil flies and other smaR Insects Hummingbirds Sve rocks or in other damp places and feed on r decaying animal orvegetabto matter These (OrnoG wmm crustaceans roR into a bai when disturbed Centipedes are carnivorous while earthworms consume decaying vegetation Their castings add nutrients to the ground providtog food to microorganisms As they track through the ok earthworms leave it aerated a gardener's prize Four-legg- ed Predators Although we think of vwlves cougars and coyotes ‘ as predatoitin the wild backyard predators are more Rkeiy to be dogs and cals Both pray on mice and votes while cats are wefrknown as bird hunters Cache County Extension plaint spe- cialist Loralie Cox noted that we natii- rally find enjoyment in a diverse ur backyards arc actually assortment of plants in our yards It’s artificial miniature ecosy s- - second nature to group plants by water need as well as by fheir requirements terns A web of life re formed from plants trees for sun or shade birds grass squirrels “Diversity Is good to have” she srud insects and much more V: “Native plants are always a good ’ choice You can reduce turf decrease Sun wind water and physical struct skeleton like that givesa'-a the water needed and increase diversi- tures are ' The and term ' ty support body shape While some backyard gardeners like "ecology” derives from the Greek ' to plant native flowers and shrubs pth-- v “oikos” meaning household It’s the os take advantage of the array of exotic study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological plants available at local garden stores Cox said that plants indigenous to : environment: There are advantages and inconve- - 'i' South Africa and the Mediterranean do niences because humans create these well in this area They are used to a dry too When environments On one hand we can ' climate hut are ' form several different rones in a small plant shopping she advised looking to area something that does not happen in see if the plant’s native home is at about nature But on the other hand we may the same latitude as Cache Valley ' ' stunt diversity by using a monoculture Diversity in the such as' turf grass to take up most of the system of a backyard can be more in that small area than is pos- extensive yard apace By Pat Bohm Trostla features writer i ':- -' : : cold-har- - dy human-influenc- ed - ' JESS sihle in nature Adding nutrients to soil or physical features like a stone wall ' canadd new niches to the backyard environment For instance a water fea-ture especially with still water attracts wasps Although We think they are bothersome wasps do prey on other insects like caterpillars or even catch flying insects in midair Pesticides are another feature original to landscapes By playing up the natural strength of healthy plants gardeners may minimize pesticide use : By uung the right amounts of water and fertilizer we support plants natural resistance to pests More is not better said Cox “We overdo Sometimes lawns go had because there’s too much water” she 'nqtetL‘ v': Although wie group plants according to their water needs trees are usually set in the middle of grassy areas But bees need much deeper watering than : lawns — their roots are in the top 2 feet of soil compared to grass roots which - : man-ma- de are only 6inches down Iq the last few seasons trees stressed by drought she' said have been susceptible to toe ips beetle a tiny bark beetle Plroper watering will control the bee- tie by upping toe tree’s resistance to infestation and makepesticide applica- tion unnecessary “Insects are 90 percent beneficial or' ' ' neutral” said Cox ‘Thereare only a few that are a nuisance It’$ important to identify what the insect is before spraying anything Pesticides kill pollinators and beneficial insects" ' Pnyilig mantises ladybugs bees even waspsand spiders all have their places in the baickyatd Web of life Man- Uses and ladybugs are both predators that feed on other insects A scatter of ladybugs can solve any gardener's " aphid problem For more information on creating a healthy habitat for plants and wildlife water-wis- e landscaping and more call Cache County Extension Service ' : ' |