Breakfast in an Atlanta woods

mrwallace2ku said:

Never "feed" wildlife just for a chance of seeing them, wether it be for birds or whatever. Much easier just to landscape food sources (trees, shrubs and ground cover), which is far better AND less expensive in the end.

Great thread and I loved the "bat box" idea as a way to control squitos. Good idea.

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yea, right.

Edisto_Tiger said:

Nice. No chipping sparrows on the ground under those feeders? Or song sparrows or white throats?

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yes...always...but, even the squirrels run like hell when the pileateds swoop in. By the way, we were able to add a pair of yellow bellied sapsuckers to the "local woodpeckers list." (v'been here 30 years and never seen one, until just last week)

Nice. I bet I haven't seen a yellow bellied sapsucker in ten years. Probably on my last Audubon bird count.

Edisto_Tiger said:

yea, right.

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Nothings easy Ed. I gave up on lawns and ornamentals long ago, they need fertilizers, care and more water to survive. I prefer indigenous species of plants and trees, especially those that leave a berry or fruit in which wildlife depend on. It really is awesome to see a well put together landscape mature into a giving garden over the years. May not be for a majority of folks and that is fine I spose.

mrwallace2ku said:

Nothings easy Ed. I gave up on lawns and ornamentals long ago, they need fertilizers, care and more water to survive. I prefer indigenous species of plants and trees, especially those that leave a berry or fruit in which wildlife depend on. It really is awesome to see a well put together landscape mature into a giving garden over the years. May not be for a majority of folks and that is fine I spose.

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Oh, it sounds like a great plan, a great idea. I was just laughing at the "easier" part. I suppose I could hire someone to do it for me ....

mrwallace2ku said:

Nothings easy Ed. I gave up on lawns and ornamentals long ago, they need fertilizers, care and more water to survive. I prefer indigenous species of plants and trees, especially those that leave a berry or fruit in which wildlife depend on. It really is awesome to see a well put together landscape mature into a giving garden over the years. May not be for a majority of folks and that is fine I spose.

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Except for the 30' strip in the back, our whole steeply sloping lot is covered with English ivy. It's a no maintenance (except for preemptory edging/trimming once a year) proposition that saves a ton of cash and labor. When a tree falls in my yard, it stays there...gets covered in ivy and eventually melts into the ground. I tell folks it's because I hate the idea of polluting everybody's water with runoff from my pocket/yard...it's really because I'm lazy and cheap and don't give a rat's ass what prevailing opinion re: curb appeal has to say about all-ivy lawns.

Edisto_Tiger said:

Oh, it sounds like a great plan, a great idea. I was just laughing at the "easier" part. I suppose I could hire someone to do it for me ....

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It is easy in my mind ET...I did it over 15 years ago and I am reaping it's rewards today.

First I have a small yard, but the scale is unimportant. Costs more in the end, but it doesn't have to be built in the first year either. What did I do?

-Cleared the entire property of vegetation I didn't want and left the mature trees/shrubs I valued.

-Re-graded the property for flowing berms and surface water drainage, installed drainage where needed. I did this myself, but wouldn't hesitate to hire a crew to do this IF yard size dictated such.

-Installed a irrigation system so I could get every square inch of dirt on the property wet when I wanted too. Installed the double check valve myself and trenched in the pipes and sprinkler heads myself as well. I only water when need be and only what the plant material requires to survive.

-Install the "hardscape" (paths, bed definitions, water feature (year round water source is the number 1 way to attract wildlife to a space), deckspace(s) and natural rock walls where needed.). I use a path product called "hogs-fuel" out here which is basically ground up tree stumps..good natural stuff and dirt cheap. My water feaure is small (1000 gallons and simulates a small stream (small upper pond-stream-dumping into a larger lower pond)...birds and animals use it daily as a water source-I have to empty and clean it once a year.

-Install the "softscape"...Plant new vegetation/trees and groundcover as needed. Most I have collected as specimens from public forests (one can obtain an inexpensive permit to do so) and others I have collected from private gardens with the owners permission to do so.

Sounds hard, but it really isn't IF gardening is something one enjoys to do.

H2S said:

Except for the 30' strip in the back, our whole steeply sloping lot is covered with English ivy. It's a no maintenance (except for preemptory edging/trimming once a year) proposition that saves a ton of cash and labor. When a tree falls in my yard, it stays there...gets covered in ivy and eventually melts into the ground. I tell folks it's because I hate the idea of polluting everybody's water with runoff from my pocket/yard...it's really because I'm lazy and cheap and don't give a rat's ass what prevailing opinion re: curb appeal has to say about all-ivy lawns.

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Hear ya H2...English ivy is an "invasive species" and hard to get rid of. One good thing about that ivy is it is a good "hillside stabilizer" IF controlled. The problem with that species is that it will grow up trees and eventually strangle and kill them.

"Low to no maintenance" is something near and dear to my heart. I love just the right amount of gardening each year and hate to have to continually garden to control an invasive fast growing species.

In your case...I would get rid of ALL the english ivy and use indigenous species only. It can be tastefully done IF one is motivated. In your case I do not see you as motivated and that is fine, just keep that ivy OFF YOUR TREES.

mrwallace2ku said:

Hear ya H2...English ivy is an "invasive species" and hard to get rid of. One good thing about that ivy is it is a good "hillside stabilizer" IF controlled. The problem with that species is that it will grow up trees and eventually strangle and kill them.

"Low to no maintenance" is something near and dear to my heart. I love just the right amount of gardening each year and hate to have to continually garden to control an invasive fast growing species.

In your case...I would get rid of ALL the english ivy and use indigenous species only. It can be tastefully done IF one is motivated. In your case I do not see you as motivated and that is fine, just keep that ivy OFF YOUR TREES.

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meh..."invasive species" is what murica's all about, right? I mean, what are we?
I like English Ivy because it's relentless...an unstoppable perpetual green tide that doesn't mind occasional ruthless attempts to keep it in check. I never let it climb my trees nor buildings.

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s'been a couple of years since anything like the falcon incidents in 2013...haven't really thought about it until today, when one of these guys popped in, crashed his ass catching a chipmunk 15 feet in front of gawking me...shook himself off, then took himself off. Fuck it, I'm getting some "feeder mice", tether they little rear legs to the ground in plain sight of whatever's looking down. Get some pics.

welp...better him than me...cept he gets a new roof out of it.



just now happened. t-storm blew in, blew that big ol gum right over. s'amazing how infrequently shit like this happens, even in a heavily-wooded mature forest area like ours. thinking/hoping his insurance covers repairs - the tree was alive, was not overhanging, not posing any threat other than looking like shit. I'm glad it's gone now...hate fucking gums.

Dayumm!! That sucks.

Edisto_Tiger said:

Dayumm!! That sucks.

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oh man you know it...

(1.) sucks cause it was a SSW gale that blew the tree onto HIS roof instead of a SSE gale that mighta blown the dang tree on MY roof! I really coulda used a new roof.
(2.) sucks for him cause they just got done remodeling their now wrecked kitchen and he woulda really appreciated the tree wrecking his garage and crappy Nissan instead.
(3.) doesn't suck for me after talking to my lawyer who assured me that Georgia's VISIBLY DISEASED, DYING OR DEAD TREE Liability Laws (which the tree wasn't) has the neighbor's insurance picking up the tabs. I'll rebuild the fence (figure $20) at my own expense.

H2S said:

oh man you know it...

(1.) sucks cause it was a SSW gale that blew the tree onto HIS roof instead of a SSE gale that mighta blown the dang tree on MY roof! I really coulda used a new roof.
(2.) sucks for him cause they just got done remodeling their now wrecked kitchen and he woulda really appreciated the tree wrecking his garage and crappy Nissan instead.
(3.) doesn't suck for me after talking to my lawyer who assured me that Georgia's VISIBLY DISEASED, DYING OR DEAD TREE Liability Laws (which the tree wasn't) has the neighbor's insurance picking up the tabs. I'll rebuild the fence (figure $20) at my own expense.

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Maybe you can find a visibly diseased, dying or dead tree that's JUST about to drop on your property that would somehow cost a FORTUNE to remove/save your house/property? Maybe? If you're creative?