Hummingbirds

Last Saturday’s (3-30-2002) Gardeners’ Big Day was a great success. The day included great speakers, vendors, lunch, and good conversation among participants. Although all speakers and topics were great, everyone was talking about the hummingbird presentation.

Lois White from Smithfield presented an informative and energetic presentation on attracting hummingbirds to your yard. Lois is a dynamic person with an obvious love of hummingbirds. On Lois’s biography she writes that she has a lifelong interest in these stunning tiny birds. She has had a miniature refuge in her yard for 15 years with up to 25 feeders. Lois has a great love, admiration, and respect for our world’s tiniest birds. Some birds nest in her yard and large numbers stop over a few days on their migration both spring and fall.

Lois provided many helpful hints on how to properly feed and care for hummingbirds. An important area of emphasis was proper feeder care. This is critical. If you want to feed hummingbirds, you must be committed. This includes daily commitment to the feeder’s care or else birds will leave or be killed.

Lois uses a homemade 1:4 mixture: 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water. Bring the water to a rolling boil, add sugar and stir with wooden spoon. Cool and serve. It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Never use honey, sugar substitute, or premixes when making your nectar mix. Research says that honey will attract bees as well as a black fungus that will cause a fatal liver and tongue disease in hummingbirds. Also, the use of red food coloring in your solution is both unnecessary and unhealthy for the birds, especially when your feeder already has the appropriate red plastic blossom.

Hummingbird feeders require routine cleaning every 2 to 3 days, especially in warm weather. Check feeders daily to be sure there are no ants, mold, or off-odor solution present. Feeders made of plastic, glass, or ceramic should be washed with a vinegar solution. Use a bottlebrush to clean hardened debris on feeders, and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Lois attracts her hummingbirds mainly with feeders. You can also attract them with flowers. There is a long list of flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds. Some annuals that you might have success with include geraniums, verbena, dianthus, vinca, morning glories, salvia, and smaller-flowered petunias. They like red colors and fragrant blooms. However, popular flowers for hummingbirds in my yard are sage, fuschia, and impatiens.

Thanks Lois for your great presentation. Hopefully those in attendance will not only attract hummingbirds to their yards, but also do it safely and properly.

Originally Published in Canton Daily Ledger on 3-30-2002

Landscape Waste…Trash or Treasure?

We have all heard that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. That is especially true when it comes to composting garden and yard waste. In fact, many people call finished compost “black gold”.

Composting is the ancient art of mixing by-products from your yard with water, air, and time. What better way to dispose of leaves in the fall, grass clippings throughout the summer, and kitchen vegetable scraps than to turn them into compost?

Composting is a biological process in which microscopic organisms break organic waste into a dark, rich, and crumbly substance called humus. Like other critters, these microscopic organisms need a proper diet made up of a balance of green and brown materials.

Green material might include grass clippings, pulled weeds, vegetable garden waste, rotten fruits, and more. Brown material is often leaves in the fall but can also include dead flowers, shredded newspaper and other dried up plant material.

Basically, composting is like making lasagna. By-products from your yard are layered, alternating green and brown materials. A ratio of 1-part green material to 2-parts brown is a good start. In the beginning, you might also include bare soil or animal manure, which contains microorganisms that get the pile working.

When you are done, water the pile and wait. A properly functioning pile will heat up in the center. Once the pile starts “cooking,” it will break down faster if you turn it regularly with a pitchfork or rototiller. I sometimes leave a small tiller by my compost pile, so it is easy to turn.

Locate your compost pile in an accessible, but inconspicuous area. The average homeowner compost pile size is 3 feet by 3 feet. A compost pile can be as simple as piling materials in a corner of your yard. My compost area includes three bins constructed with discarded pallets from a local store. This allows me to have three stages of compost at once.

For a different twist on composting, try vermiculture. Also called worm composting, vermiculture uses small red worms to compost kitchen waste. I have a small tub of worms in my basement making “black gold.”

For more information on composting for the homeowner go to web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost.

Originally Published in Canton Daily Ledger on 10-12-2002, 7-23-2005, and 3-3-2012

Birding Equipment…How to Use Binoculars

University of Illinois
Master Naturalist Training

We are enjoying watching the birds at our backyard feeders in the winter. They add action and color to an otherwise static winter scene. 

Bird watching is a popular hobby in America. According to a 2016 US Fish and Wildlife Service survey, more than 45 million people watch birds around their homes and away from home. If you aren’t already, you too can be a birder. All you need is the will and some basic equipment. 

Most people use binoculars to bird. The most common ones that I see are 7 x 35. The first number signifies magnification, and the second number gives the size of the lens in millimeters. A bigger ratio of magnification to lens size gives a sharper image. Therefore an 8 x 42 is sharper than an 8 x 32; however, the 8 x 42 is larger and bulkier to carry.

Regardless of the type of binoculars you have, you need to know how to use them. Binoculars need to be calibrated for each user, using the single adjustable eyepiece knob. Everyone’s eyes are different, so they must be calibrated for your eyes. Once you know your number, it will never change. For my binoculars, I use the 2+ setting, while my husband’s setting is different.

Adjust the binoculars to fit your eye width using the center hinge. If you wear glasses, roll the rubber edge down or twist each eyepiece all the way inward. Those without glasses need that extra space left alone. Finally, rotate the center wheel to focus both eyes on the subject in view.

If you are serious about birding, you might also consider getting a spotting scope. Spotting scopes work from a farther distance away and often require a tripod for stability. Scopes magnify a subject 20x to 80x, compared to the 7x or 8x on most binoculars.

Illinois Audubon outing with scopes

Birders typically carry a notebook to record their findings. Some also use their smartphone or tablet to play bird calls and look up identification characteristics.

One of my favorite birding websites is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.birds.cornell.edu. There you’ll find directions on calibrating your binoculars and downloadable birding checklists for your location. Start building your bird life list today.

Birding from the comfort of your home is a fun winter activity. In 2018 I produced a YouTube video on Bird Feed Types and Tips. I talk about how adding variety to your bird feeders attracts a wider variety of birds. Learn about types of seed and feeders that you can use in your yard.

Originally Published in Canton Daily Ledger on 2-2-2013 and 1-20-2018

Light Pollution Mars a Starry Night

During our recent trip to Miami to visit our son and daughter-in-law, my husband and I visited the traveling Van Gogh exhibit. It was amazing! Particularly moving was the 360 degree immersion that put us within his paintings where we watched a progression through various paintings and quotes. I also liked the changing flowerpot and his many painted versions of sunflowers. But, it is his starry night paintings that are most popular and meaningful. They reminded me about the following article I wrote in 2012 about light pollution. 

Light Pollution

Ferree Pool at night

Some of my most memorable life moments happen at night when looking at a starry sky. For me those moments happen on camping trips, while boating down the Illinois River, and when I canoed the Canadian boundary waters. They also occur regularly in my own backyard while swimming at night or sitting in one of my favorite gardens. Especially breathtaking and memorable, are the winter skies that I’ve seen from our outdoor hot tub. Fortunately for me, my home is in the country away from any city lights and the light pollution they emit.

What is light pollution? According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), light pollution is defined as “excessive and inappropriate artificial light.” They categorize light pollution into four types. Urban sky glow brightens the night sky over inhabited areas. Light trespass puts light where it is not intended, wanted, or needed. Glare causes excessive brightness which causes visual discomfort. And, clutter refers to bright, confusing, and excessive groupings of light sources. 

Why is light pollution a problem? Most people recognize that they can see more stars in a dark country location than they do in town. Bright night lights are also said to impact wildlife behavior and plant growth. Research done at Purdue University and University of New Orleans found that light pollution directly affects plants’ growth cycles and indirectly affects trees by interfering with the lifecycles of their pollinators.  

What can YOU do to reduce light pollution? The IDA recommends using a strategy that saves money while also reducing the impact of artificial light at night. Shield your outdoor lighting and only use it when needed. Use timers and dimmers and shut off lights when you can. Use only enough light to get the job done. 

I have been interested in outdoor lighting for several years. Last year (2011) my husband Mark and I installed a new wired outdoor lighting system to safely light the main paths in our outdoor rooms with soft, indirect, beautiful light. All of our lights are on timers, including brighter lights at the main entrance to our home. We prefer the more dependable and softer light of a wired system over solar lights.

When entertaining in the summer, we add light with tiki torches and lanterns. In the winter, we add subtle, stringed lights near the high use outdoor areas such as the hot tub and covered gazebo. And, when we want to view the stars while soaking, we turn off the tub lights or use the less harsh red ones. 

I invite you to go outdoors and marvel at a twinkling starry sky. You might find that you agree with Vincent Van Gogh who said this about his famous Starry Night painting, “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

Originally Published in the Canton Daily Ledger Column, 11-24-2012

Michigan Moto 2021...Hiking Michigan Forests

I accompanied my husband Mark and two friends (Larry and Justin) on their dirt bike riding trip to Michigan. While they rode motorcycles and quads, I hiked the beautiful Michigan forests. 

The first day (June 11, 2021) we arrived at Sleepers Heaven cabin near Petoskey, MI in the afternoon. We stayed in the green cabin, which is set up for hunters, motorcyclists, and snowmobilers. The cabin is near the Tomahawk moto trails and they could ride to the trails from the cabin. 

Corn Cockle

Herb Robert geranium

The first day I checked out the woods around the cabin. There I saw several plants I've never encountered before, including Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and Hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana). I also found columbine, foamflower, and more (see below for list and pictures). 

The next morning I ventured to McCune Nature Preserve to hike. Such a peaceful, pristine, natural area. I entered a pine-maple forest dense with many ferns. A bird chirped loudly next to me and a chipmunk froze near a fallen log when it saw me. There are also American beech and yellow birch trees here. The sugar maples are so large, they have shaggy bark. A storm must have came through here as I can see its path of destruction. 

I sit on a bench along the slow moving sandy bottom, clear stream where forget-me-nots and buttercup grow. Only a few people pass by, and in between I hear a chickadee call "see saw," watch a butterfly, and hear the wind softly whisper in the trees. Listen harder, and I can hear more birds filling the air surrounding me. Next to me a large fallen tree has ferns and fungi growing on its fallen buttress  forced from the ground by past tremendous power. Yet, the dainty ferns, fungi, grasses, moss, sedge, and false mayflower gently feed off the dying tree - pulling its energy and life force to start the cycle anew. 

After a couple hours of hiking I take another break on another uniquely carved bench along a stream. There is so much to see here - new plants, as well as old favorites. I found a lady slipper, though the bloom was dried. Wild onion and strawberry look good enough to eat. I walk along scotch and white pine; balsam fir; red, striped, and sugar maple; and hazelnut.

There is a bog area with a zigzag boardwalk through it. I carefully skirted around a water snake along the edge. Water plants bloom in the distance. There are different ferns in here: sensitive, broad beech, and possibly marsh fern. I also saw a bluebeard lily, galium, and wild sarsaparilla. 

One area was dark under the cover of the sugar and red maple trees. Underneath tall, 3-5 foot oak ferns blanketed the ground. I half expected a dinosaur to come around a distant tree n the prehistoric  feeling forest. 

I am absorbed into this place - one with the plants and nature around me. As the bench I sit on says, "It's OK...No Worries." 

I hiked 4.3 miles for 2 1/2 hours. Here are some of the plants and pictures from McCune Nature Preserve. 

columbine

Cabin Area Plants

1. Corn cockle (Agrostemma githago)
2. Hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana)
3. Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
   
4. Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)
5. Alternate leaved dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)
6. Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis)
7. Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
8. Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

 Tiarella

McCune Nature Center Plants

1. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) 
2. Red maple (Acer rubrum)
3. striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum)
4. red pine (Pinus resinosa)
5. scotch pine (P. sylvestris)
6. white pine (P. strobus)
7. eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
8. American beech (Fagus grandiflora)
9. yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
10. False Mayflower (Maianthemum trifolium)
11. wild onion (Alliums sp.)
12. wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
13. balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
    

14. 

    Lady's Slipper Orchid

    American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
15. sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
16. broad beech fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera)
17. marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris)
18. oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
19. lady’s slipper orchid 
20. blue bead lily (Clintonia borealis)
21. twinberry (Lonicera utaliensis)
22. Galium sp.
23. wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
24. Rare club moss (Lycopodium abscurum)
25. false Solomon seal 
26. Amelanchier sp. 
27. Pin Cherry (Prunus serotina)
28. forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)
29. marsh marigold (Carthage palustris)

    

    Bluebead lily

30. Yellow water buttercup (Ranunculus flabellaris)
31. Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana)
32. Spring cress (Cardamine bulbosa) 
33. golden ragwort (Senecio robbinsii)
34. COMMON SPEEDWELL (Veronica officinalis)
35. Nodding trillium (Trillium cernuum)

False mayflower

Oak Fern along path

Sensitive Fern

Confidence and Courage... Keys to My Successful Moto Training Adventure

For a while now I’d been wondering about taking off-road motorcycle riding lessons, so when Jeff Siegers from Jeff Stanton Adventures suggested we add that onto our specialized couple’s adventure riding package, I got really excited. As is usually the case, though, as the day approached, I got more and more nervous about it. Yoga and mindfulness training helped keep the jitters to a low simmer, and my Mantra became, “I want to. I choose to. I can, and I will! 

With a mindset of confidence and courage, I arrived at TwoHats Ranch just before noon on Sunday, June 13, 2021. This is the base for Jeff Stanton Adventures. One other rider (Jake) and the instructors (Jeff Siegers and Jeff Stanton) were at the lodge ready to go. Bill from Ohio soon joined us, as did two boys that work the ranch who had never ridden before.  Triumph Tiger motorcycles are their usual fleet, but they added a smaller Yamaha TW200 for me. 

We got on the bikes and rode out to a grassy field to the short training course. As instructed by Jeff Stanton, we stayed in first gear and stood up the entire time. First, we zigzagged through cones, around a mowed cul-de-sac, and back through the cones. I had good throttle and clutch control, but went wide and put my foot down at first. Soon we all learned to turn tighter without putting down our feet.

Once we all mastered the cones, we rode single file through a mowed figure eight, crossing each other at the intersection. That was easier, especially when I remembered to look through the turn and not at the ground. Our next obstacle was riding up and around a mowed off-camber turn, over two sets of logs, around small boulders, and across a wooden bridge. Jeff placed long boards on either side of the bridge for added challenge. I did good riding the obstacles and was feeling a lot more confident.

Then, they took us into the woods. I was so excited when I entered the woods, thinking "Wow, I'm riding in the woods!" That was short lived. I went around the first tight obstacle pretty well, but the next one I hit too much throttle and flung myself into a tree and onto the ground. They were right there to help me. I sat down for a break while Jeff Stanton rode my bike across the creek and through the hard stuff. I kept my cool and got back on the bike, continuing through the wider, woods path. These were flatter, with only sticks and roots to maneuver. It was fun and I kept smiling to myself.

After break they put me on an 850 Triumph Tiger. I have always been self-conscious about the bigger bikes, and immediately dropped it in the grass. Jeff Stanton told me I used too much front brake and to remember that the "clutch is my friend." Standing up took away some of the bigger bike anxiety. With their riding tips, soon I was coasting around the figure 8 loop. I ventured out to do wider circles through tall grass, across the wooden bridge, and around the upper mowed pasture. I easily rode the Tiger back to the lodge, avoiding sandy areas per Jeff Stanton’s instructions. However, when I pulled next to the other bikes to attempt to park, I again pulled the front brake too hard and went down in the gravel. I felt pretty stupid until I got up and realized the guy behind me did the same thing. 

After a short break we went for a ride on the roads outside the ranch. Jeff Stanton led us over gravel and hard packed dirt roads. I rode the Yamaha with excited fear and smiled the whole time. Near the end he took us down a very challenging deep sand road. It was scary and difficult, but I did it. Jeff asked me halfway what I thought and I said I sure had a lot of adrenaline. He said to barrel through it – but, that is hard to do.

Jeff Stanton leads Rhonda & Mark 

My adventure motorcycle training finished up with a 100 mile ride the next morning. I rode the Yamaha, this time with Jeff Stanton, Bill, and my husband Mark on our own Triumph Tiger 900. Again, I was all smiles and so proud of how well I rode on various surfaces - that is, until we hit another deep sand road. At first, I stood up and barreled through. However, I hit a deeper sandy spot and went down into some small trees along the roadside. I felt a pain in my left wrist, but I got up and right back on to finish the morning ride. Every time I pulled in the clutch my hand hurt more, but I persevered for another 30 miles or so to our lunch stop.

Jeff Siegers grills lunch

Lunch was in a gorgeous natural setting along the prettiest little stream. Jeff Siegers had a pop-up tent set up with table and chairs, plus a cooking table. He grilled me a portabella mushroom with onions and peppers. The guys had McRib type sandwiches. It was good food in a lovely, relaxing location. For added entertainment, gypsy moths crawled all over the tent, table, chairs, and us.

Road through National Forest

As planned, after lunch I rode two-up with Mark on our Tiger and they trailered my Yamaha. It really is a different experience as a passenger, having no control and total trust in the driver. I know Mark is a good rider, but the deep sand is unfamiliar to him on the Tiger. Mostly, though, we were on a variety of road surfaces.

The best was a very narrow one through deep tree cover of maples and beech that canopied a grassy road. As a passenger I got scared on some of the sand roads. Mark struggled and couldn't "paddle through" with my foot pegs and feet in the way. A couple times I got off and walked ahead. I'm not sure I smiled as much as a passenger, though the gravel that used to bother me was now a welcome change to the somewhat terrifying sandy roads. 

We saw lots of wildlife along the ride. Once there were turtles laying eggs on the dirt roadway. We also saw deer, turkey, snakes, fox, heron, and many other birds. I even saw an osprey with a snake in its talons fly over me. Riding in Michigan is beautiful, through mostly forest, with occasional farms and pastures. Lots of boggy areas, with small pond and lakes tucked in here and there. On the seasonal roads we rode through maple, oaks, pine, beech, and birch trees, blanketed underneath with oak fern.

In the end, I did it! It wasn’t perfect and I still have a lot to learn, but after 2 days I do feel more confident about my riding skills, better know my limitations, and a little more about what I’m doing wrong.  I went in with a mindset of confidence and courage. I came out learning that the "clutch is my friend," I can ride a bigger bike, and that I can ride off pavement on various road surfaces – even sand. 

This was an amazing experience that I highly recommend. In addition to riding instruction, we stayed at an upscale hunting ranch, tucked in dense forest where white tail deer openly roamed nearby. They served us delicious meals with lots of time for informal discussion with some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Overall, Jeff Stanton Adventures provided us a skill building venture we will savor for years to come.

Rhonda and Mark Ferree with Jeff Stanton

Jeff Stanton and Bill ride ahead of us

Another Forest  Road

Ferree Tiger with Jeff Stanton van at Two Hats Ranch

More pictures and video found on Jeff Stanton Adventures Facebook and Instagram Pages 

Note: Upon returning home an Xray showed I had a small fracture in my left wrist, though it certainly doesn't deter my enthusiasm for adventure motorcycle riding.

Southwest National Parks Provide Surprise and Fun During COVID Travels

It was a cold day in late January as we started our journey from home in Central Illinois to our February Airbnb In Morro Bay, California. Our journey took us through several states and many unique landscapes and ecosystems. Along the way we visited four of our nations finest national park sites. 

Our first was White Sands National Park in New Mexico. It was an unplanned stop, but as is usually the case, a wonderful surprise addition to our trip. Tucked within military mission training sites, this park is a stark landscape of deep white gypsum sands. The overcast cool day, dark rain clouds, and white drifts gave the impression that we were in the Arctic, not a desert. Dotted among the crystal white sand dunes are some of the hardiest plants. Similar to arctic plants, the plants here are adapted to the harshest of conditions: dry, hot, cold, infertile, and wind blown. Yet, the soaptree yucca, rubber rabbit brush, cholla, and little bluestem grass thrive and add graceful green to the vast whiteness. I climbed the dunes to see the views, then sledded back down with screams and giggles of delight. Wow, that was fun! 

The next day found us in Tucson where we visited Saguaro National Park East. We had visited the western part of the park in 2014 while there attending a Garden Writers Association meeting. The eastern portion had less saguaros overall, but I liked it better in many ways. The hard paved road around the park took us through hills and valleys full of desert plants unique to this area. Giant saguaro stood tall among prickly pear, cholla, acacia, barrel cactus, mesquite shrubs, and more. On the Mica trail we walked among the desert plants while viewing the snow capped Mica mountains in the distance. 

We left there and headed toward our next stop in Blythe, CA. On the way, we decided to make another unplanned stop - this time at the nations oldest preserved archaeology site. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves an ancient cultural site of irrigation farmers who grew corn, cotton, prickly pear, squash, and more. Completed about 1350, this central walled compound contained a four-story house, ball court, mounds, and networks of irrigation canals. 

Our final park stop before reaching our February home was Joshua Tree National Park. As we moved through the cholla teddy bear cactus garden, giant smooth boulders, Joshua Trees, and Hidden Valley, this park quickly moved to our top ten favorite places. The teddy bear cacti’s deceptive furry looking spines glowed in the morning sun. Ocatillo cactus started to come alive following the recent rare snow event, sending out red spikes and small leaves along their long, spiky stems. Small and large Joshua trees dotted the expansive Mojave desert with shaggy trunks and spiky leaves. As we climbed up and down and around the hidden valley nature trail, the plants put on a show of various colors and shapes, where pinyon pines, oaks, and junipers joined the cacti and succulents. 

Five days and 2400 miles later we arrived to a brilliant orange and yellow sunset ocean view from the picture windows in our temporary Morro Bay home. After a 10 day quarantine, we hiked, biked, and kayaked natural areas all around Morro Bay (see other blogs about our adventures). 

We added one more National park visit on our way home in March at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. After a short look around the visitor center (surprisingly open during COVID), we hiked the large log trail. The massive petrified tropical trees were fascinating. So many colors in the logs from minerals during the petrification process. We were short on time so drove through the rest of the park, only stopping briefly at the other end to see the picturesque desert view. It is truly a painted desert with layers of colors in the rocks, very few trees, and only a few shrubs scattered across the wide desert. We need to go back and explore this park more. 

Our National Parks are truly unique and astonishing, each in their own way. I can’t wait to visit more parks this year. We have camping reservations for Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Rocky Mountain National Park this fall.