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geofflambert -> RE: OT Things to ponder (5/26/2018 4:23:40 AM)
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I keep feeders out all year round, but nearly half of them this time of year are for the hummingbirds. The Downy woodpeckers don't mind that at all, they are adept at slurping up sugar water from the humming bird feeders. On occasion I've thought I'd seen Hairy Woodpeckers at those feeders but I'm not absolutely positive. Probably just Downys. This time of year a major concern for me are the other pollinators. I've got a pretty good crop of milkweed going for the Monarchs, and plenty besides. My backyard and garden are not handled as though there should be perfect lawns there. I like clover because the bees like clover and I promote violets and other things as well. I'm always working on other flowering things as well. I've got a Red Buckeye tree going, which I understand the hummingbirds love, but though it is years old now it has yet to flower. The squirrels keep pruning it, which I suspect is not mere happenstance, but that is a very complicated subject. Once the Red Buckeye is mature it will produce nuts very similar in appearance to chestnuts, and the squirrels should love those. I have blackberry and raspberry plants going but between the birds and the squirrels I don't really get any. I have an old maple tree which I do not wish to hurry to it's end, but once it has I would like to grow four trees. A male and a female Paw-Paw tree, and a male and a female Persimmon tree. Those two species are exclusive as far as sexuality goes, and you need to have one of each to get a good yield. Additionally, having a pair from two different cultivars is supposed to increase yield. In the case of the persimmons, my plan is to have a male of a Japanese cultivar. This allegedly will maximize yield but part of the point is that the Japanese varieties produce really mushy fruits and I don't want that. So a hybrid of a Jap male and a North American female should produce acceptable fruits. Anyways, I'm growing all sorts of other flowering plants to attract and feed butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
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