This is that young feisty male I photographed before (Sept. 26th). He's just so cute, and he'll be gone soon, that I couldn't resist. Very surprised to see a Blue Grosbeak today since they've been gone for quite some time. Probably a young bird here.
When I first planted my trees they were small and slow growing, so I enjoyed having grass and wildflowers fill my oasis. Better to look like a prairie than a patch of dirt. But then the trees got pretty big, and still I was taking the grasses and wildflowers for granted. Then along came the drought, and gradually it became just the trees (with mulch spreading underneath as fast as I could make it happen). I decided I prefer it this way, not only because of snakes, but the grass and weeds use water that should be there for the trees. Everyone else seems to prefer it without the grasses, too.
So now that I don't want the grasses back, that little rain we received recently has grass and weeds (wildflowers, whatever) growing everywhere, even through the mulch. Probably it won't rain and all the grass and weeds will die, but I don't want to have to mow it if it gets tall because mowing it is hard enough (for my husband) but with 2-3 inches of mulch there, it would be nearly impossible. There are just too many for me to pull out by hand, though some that are real close to trees and bushes will have to be hand-pulled.
Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your dilemma. I looked at the pictures again from July 12, 2011 and 2010, and both look good.
I'm working on creating an oasis for birds, butterflies, etc. on a long abandoned farmstead on the edge of the Caprock east of Lubbock. After four years of work, I'm doing a lot more mowing and limiting tall, rank growing wildflowers and grasses to smaller, well-defined areas as the trees begin to grow. And I've been doing a lot of work to eliminate/control noxious weeds, since this is an agricultural area with lots of nasty invasives that can easily out compete native plantings.
It's your land and do what works for you and the birds and other critters.
You and your blog have been an ongoing inspiration for me. So keep us informed.
And now a question, what kind of pines did you plant in your pine forest?
Frank
Thank you, Frank,for your kind words. The whole process of creating a habitat is filled with decisions. I used to paint portraits, and that too was a decision with every brushstroke.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're doing much like I did. Habitats evolve, and I'm learning as they do they get more attractive, even if not as lush and green. Please keep me informed about your project too, and photos would be nice.
To answer your question, I wanted the most native pines I could get, which seemed to be the Papershell Pinyon (pinyon remota). I couldn't find them at the time, so settled for four Mexican Pinyon. A couple of years ago I found the Papershell Pinyon and planted four of them. They were tough to get started but are doing good now. So are the Mex. Pinyons, except for one of the Mexican Pinyons that looks unwell. Lots of sap leakage and too many dead needles. I'm watching it closely and watering it extra. Although all my pinyons look great (except that one), the difference in the species is in the favored elevation, drought tolerance, etc. They both passed the drought tolerance with flying colors. In fact, I see no difference in them. My elevation is 4000' which is best for Papershells. Mexican Pinyons prefer a higher elevation.