Fall is a wonderful time to get out and enjoy the garden. The weather and the progression of colors together is an unbeatable combination. It's fun to get out and see the new changes that take place every day. There is always something new to see. In addition to seeing the changes in color every day, its also a great time to observe new birds and even the monarch butterflies, as they make their great migration. As a maple collector, the migrating birds not only add interest to the garden, they also help keep garden pests in check. This is a time that next Springs pests, such as aphids and leaf hoppers are laying eggs to overwinter on our maples and make next Spring a nightmare. Birds such as migrating sparrow varieties, warblers, thrush, and kinglets love to feast on these pests to build up energy reserves on their way south. You will find as your maple collection grows and your landscape evolves, more migrating birds will stop by on their way North in the Spring and on their way back South in the Fall. So just by creating this environment you are already half way there. Another step in attracting migrators, is something simple as setting out a pot dish as a temporary bird bath. They will stop for a drink (as shown in the 3rd photo below) and eat some aphids in return. Doing something simple to attract migrating birds will pay dividends next Spring. You will have the piece of mind that you controlled these pests in a very organic way, while enjoying the sounds and visual show of birds, and knowing you did something to help play a part in natures great migration. Here is a link to my favorite migrating bird who makes the biggest impact on Japanese Maple pests in my garden. It's the Kinglet (both Ruby crowned and Golden crowned stop by). They flutter in and out of my maples so actively, that it's almost impossible to catch a picture. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/id If you want to attract kinglets into your garden. Use your smart phone and follow the link below. Play the sound turned up on your built in speaker and any Kinglets in the area will make their way into your yard. They seem very social and are attracted to the sounds of the recorded call. (Yes I am quite the nerd when it comes to things I'm passionate about) So if your like me and no longer care if the neighbors think your nuts, then you will hang out in the back yard this fall calling the birds on your smart phone :-) http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/sounds Here is a photo of a monarch butterfly who found our Ginkgo biloba 'Tubiformis' a great place to rest overnight. We live on the N. coast of Ohio along the shore of lake Erie, so it's amazing to think this little butterfly made it across the lake (a 57 mile flight over open water), down from Canada, and decided to rest on our Ginkgo overnight. The picture was taken in morning sun, as the Monarch warms their flight muscles in preparation to continue the journey SW to Mexico. It's very humbling to think what we would need to make such a journey and the monarch makes it on a wing and a prayer. Truly remarkable!
Great photos. I can see wild geese heading south these days, but they don't stop in my garden ;-). But I can see a lot of pisserine species, and blackbirds, chicadees, etc. I always live a basin full of water outside the kitchen door, so in summer I can watch them bathing.
You're lucky the geese don't stop, they make a terrible mess! Good fertilizer though I suppose. :) Ducks are more welcome, and sometimes will follow the tractor when I'm mulching filed edges. We sometimes get a heron in a pond near the house. This year we've seen herons but no visit yet. Of course all birds need to watch out for hunters around here. We don't allow birding on our land, but borders aren't always respected as they ought be... Blackbirds and swallows will sometimes strip young buds from maple trees in spring, I've occasionally seen them and it looks very wanton. Luckily doesn't happen that often; I wonder if it's really some insect they're looking for.
Oh my gosh...I'm not alone in my Spring time problem. The native sparrows (well actually they are not native, I think they originally came over from Europe.. Someone can have them back if they want them)..anyway, these sparrows always attack my maples. It started five years ago with only a few of them "sampling". The others didn't seem interested. But every year they grow in numbers, like the parents are teaching the offspring's. One year they ate every bud off my willow leaf. This year they hit Filigree and aureum, both did not recover as well as the willow leaf. The willow leaf forms secondary buds and by June, you would never know. But others don't recover and the twigs all fail. Lost a good part of my Filigree past spring and the aureum is not as full now. Every year I say I need to protect them, but then get too relaxed feeling like it will not be that bad. But this Spring I am going to look into nets used to protect berry crops to protect my maples from the crazy sparrows.
