Welcome back to the July/August
edition of Joani’s Corner. These are the good months to reduce
your gardening to just the essentials. Of course you will still
need to water your plants as needed and try to save your weeding,
replanting and other necessary garden chores to a small area at a
time and in the cooler part of the day..
Do keep a check
on fire ants as they don’t seem to mind this weather at all. They
are not always obviously found in your lawn either. They are
always out for revenge so treat as needed and do it before they
bite you.
There will be a full moon July 7th. It was called the Full Summer
Moon in Colonial America. Other names were the Full Ripe Corn
Moon, Full Buck Moon, Full Thunder Moon and the Moon of the Middle
Summer. Called the Full Buck Moon as the bucks continued to grow
new antlers at this time and of course the Full Thunder Moon
because thunderstorms are so frequent during July.
As it
will continue to be hot and humid. Plan your gardening chores
early morning then relax by the pool or indoors during the hottest
time of the day.
There will be a full moon August 5th. It
was called the Full Dog’s Day Moon in Colonial America. Other
names were the Full Fruit Moon, Corn Moon and Moon of the Green
Corn
After the heat of July and knowing there is another
hot month here, I’m about ready to quit gardening and spend all my
time in the pool. But I’m a gardener through and through as
probably you are also. So continue your necessary gardening in the
cooler time of the day. Enjoy the air conditioning, catch up on
your reading and maybe plan on what to plant in your vegetable
garden. Now is the time to think about that because some things
can be planted this middle of this month. Check Tom’s side for
what to plant and when.
Central
Florida-July
Average High - 92º - Average Low - 73º
Expected rainfall is 7.15"
In 1998 the record high was 101º
In 1981 the record low was 64º
Central
Florida-August
Average High - 92º - Average Low - 73º
Expected rainfall is 5.25"
In 1980 the record high was 100º
In 1957 the record low was 64º
Tallahassee-July
Average High - 92º - Average Low - 73º
Expected rainfall is 8.04"
In 1932 the record high was 104º
In 1967 the record low was 57º
Tallahassee-August
Average High - 92º - Average Low - 73º
Expected rainfall is 7.03"
In 1995 the record high was 103º
In 1997 the record low was 57º
Jacksonville-July
Average High - 89º - Average Low 74º
Expected rainfall is 5.21"
In 1986 the record high was 103º
In 1965 the record low was 57º
Jacksonville-August
Average High - 88º - Average Low 74º
Expected rainfall is 5.21"
In 1999 the record high was 102º
In 1965 the record low was 63º
Melbourne-July
Average High - 91º - Average Low - 72º
Expected rainfall is 5.38"
In 1980 the record high was 102º
In 1977 the record low was 60º
Melbourne-August
Average High - 90º - Average Low - 73º
Expected rainfall is 5.78"
In 1999 the record high was 101º
In 1983 the record low was 60º
Florida Wildlife Adventures
Young Alligators will be Hatching
at the end of July
For July:
-Shorebird migration starts in mid-July and peaks in
August.
-Swallow-tailed kites, purple martins and
tree swallows begin gathering in preparation for
migrating south for the winter.
-Look for frigate
birds flying overhead in South Florida.
-Watch
for nesting shorebirds and keep vehicles and dogs from
disturbing them.
-Young alligators and crocodiles
will be hatching at the end of July.
-Mosquitoes
and chiggers are at their highest peak.....take care
while camping or hiking. Use repellent and dress
accordingly.
-Baby raccoons, foxes, armadillos,
possums and bobcats will be leaving their dens and begin
following their parents. Deer mating season is now taking
place in the Everglades.
For August:
-First flocks of blue-winged and green-winged teal
arrive to winter on Florida lakes and wetlands.
-Yellow warbler migration begins.
-Two year old
black bear cubs will begin weaning from their mothers.
-Short-tailed shrews will begin a second round of
breeding for the year.
-Baby sea turtles are
hatching on our beaches so be careful while walking.
-Thousands of great southern white butterflies can
now be seen migrating through Florida’s coastal areas.
(click to enlarge)
Hints:
Did someone spit on your plant? It certainly looks like
someone did. The bug that did this is often called a frog hopper as
it often hops around when disturbed. It’s often seen flying around
your garden but you probably wouldn’t see it as it’s only ½ an inch
long! This bug feeds on grass and can cause lots of damage.
This ‘frothy’ mass is produced only by the young nymphs as they rest
to protect themselves.
So.....what bug makes this?
You’ll find the answer way down at the bottom of the page.
Squirrel Chronicles
Chapter - 6
(at least I think it’s chapter 6, I’ve lost
track ......those squirrels are driving me
‘nuts’!)
Photos by an exasperated Joani MacCubbin
It seems that we had more birds than usual visiting
our yard this spring and now summer has arrived and I’m
thinking that they have decided to stick around. As I
write this chapter at my desk I can hear them singing
outside. It will provide the perfect backdrop for yet
another edition of the continuing saga of the Squirrel
Chroniclers. To keep this ‘merriment in the trees’
going, I’ve decided to resurrect all the bird feeders.
Actually I don’t know why I kept them. I swore off them
forever after many previous squirrel encounters .....and
to avoid a complete ‘squirrel caused’ mental breakdown.
As I hadn’t seen many squirrels for awhile...... I
‘assumed’‘.....they had moved on to bigger and fuller
bird feeders in some other neighborhood far away.....(or
hopefully to another country!!).
I cleaned and
dusted off the old feeders then it was off to the store
buy the bird seed. Since I hadn’t bought any for a long
time, I did notice that the prices had gone up just a
little. But, I thought it over for 2 or 3 seconds
then.....oh, what the heck, I’ll just get 1 small bag.
Thinking, in my ‘thoughtful, loving and penny-pinching’
mind, that it probably wasn’t a good idea to buy more.
The birds really shouldn’t expect me to feed them all
the time. And.....maybe I shouldn’t interfere with them
being able to find food on their own. Oh well..... one
little bag couldn’t upset Mother Nature’s plan.
Now what type of seed should I get? There were so many
different kinds to choose from.....regular, ‘Gourmet’,
black oil sunflower....and a few others. As I read the
bags I found out each attracted different types of
birds. Since I knew the names of a few of the birds that
we had in our yard, I wasn’t sure what others flew in
from time to time. So after a little mind haggling, I
decided to buy 2 little bags instead of just
one......the ‘Gourmet’ and one ‘Regular’!
I got
almost to the checkout counter and I started
thinking.......and that in itself is a dangerous thing.
As there really weren’t as many squirrels around and
they had probably forgotten where my bird feeders
were.....I may as well buy the bigger bags, they were
much cheaper per pound and I really wanted to start and
continue to feed the birdies. Decision
made.....exchanged the little bags for the big bags and
it was off to the check-out ..... parted with about
fifty bucks.....who needs groceries or a tank of gas!
When I returned home I began filling all the
feeders and finding places to hang them. The signal must
have gone out as almost immediately the birds began
arriving. It was so nice and relaxing watching them from
the large window in the family room. It took about a
week before the feeders needed refilling. No
problem.....I sure had plenty of birdseed on hand.
Refilling complete, feeders re-hung, birds happy what
more could you wish for?
Two days later I noticed
that the feeders were emptying faster than before and
there was lots of seed on the ground. Ah, ha the
squirrels must have returned although we hadn’t seen any
lately. The third day we kept a close eye on the
refilled feeders but still no squirrels. Hopefully it
was just very hungry birds. This ‘no squirrel
observation’ didn’t last long in fact the next day we
saw 3 squirrels in attendance, others chattering nearby
and the feeders were totally empty by the end of the
day.
Did you know that squirrels can gracefully
soar from limb to limb, feeder to feeder, orchid pot to
orchid pot just like the Cirque de Soleil acrobats? This
has to end! It was back to the store to
check
out those’ squirrel-proof feeders’ that are guaranteed
to keep squirrels away. They were very creative in
design. One was about 18" tall, 5 inches in diameter
with a caging system that when something with ‘squirrel’
weight lands on one of the little perches it’s
decorative metal leaves slip down and covers all access
to the seed holes. Cute, clever idea....sure hope it
works. Another squirrel-proof feeder showed promise and
that, too went into my shopping cart. .....$20 more paid
out to discourage the squirrels.
When I got home
I emptied what few seeds there was left in the old
feeders. How those furry little monsters could have
missed those few that were left, I can’t imagine????
After the new
feeders
were filled to the brim with birdseed, it was time to
take them outside. It was so exciting to see just what
might happen. I knew I had tricked them, it felt so
good. Later in the afternoon the little furballs showed
up and we watched as the squirrels tried and failed to
gain access to the birdseed. They must think I’m stupid
or something.
Two days pass and life was
good..........well it seemed good for awhile. Those darn
squirrels had figured a way to access one of the
feeders. They had conquered the cute one with the leaves
that covered the holes when they tried to get to the
seed. They figured the system out and instead of
approaching the feeder from the bottom which would have
closed the holes over....they gained access from the top
and therefore were back feasting at the MacCubbin
Restaurant once again. Incidently that feeder was
guaranteed. It’s going back to the store!
Ok.....all is not lost. There is still one
squirrel-proof feeder left and that seemed to be
working. But the furry monsters just took that one on as
a challenge and by the next day they had figured that
one out also.
Now what should we do next? After
a little web searching, I found out that squirrels
didn’t like sharp noises. Ah, ha.....another idea
entered the scene......when I saw the squirrels dining I
could run outside with two aluminum plates and bang them
together. No more parting with money......and it could
be good exercise. I tried it....... Wow, can those
squirrels ever run and climb.....whoopee, what a sight
to see! What fun!! Now, picture this......me running
outside 6 or 7 times every hour banging pie plates
together, temperatures in the mid 90's, humidity feels
like it’s 100% plus. Can you just imagine what the
neighbors might be thinking if they saw me doing this a
few times? They’d think I’d gone way over the edge.
Since at this time there is no known cure for ‘squirrel
caused’ disorders, it’s time to quit! Thankfully most of
the neighbors work during the day and hopefully I was
not seen.
There has to be another way. Maybe
it’s time to check in with Tom as he did witness the pie
plate sprints......any ideas?? He did! “Let’s go to the
store and buy some water guns”.......what a wonderful
idea! Back to the store and into the toy department. I
chose a large water cannon and he chose an assortment of
6 squirt guns. With 7 water guns how can you possibly go
wrong with an investment like that? Another 10 bucks or
so spent but it seems to be a good idea. I filled up all
the guns while Tom was inside working.......someone had
to do the housework as I was preoccupied with squirrels.
When they were all filled I called Tom and we went
outside to try out our new weapons. My cannon worked
wonderful for the first few squirts then it totally
failed and leaked all over me. Not even one of Tom’s
little guns worked either. They leaked and got him all
wet, too. He refilled and tried the big water cannon
again and it worked great for a few shots then totally
fell apart and dribbled water all down the front of him.
The squirrels had once again escaped our ‘sure fire’
retaliation.
We now have raised our white flags
and surrendered to the squirrels. We returned the
feeders.......we returned the guns...... The birds
are on their own.
Answer to ? ?
Whatizzzit ? ?
It’s a Spittlebug!
See you right back here in
September!
Until then, if you have any questions or comments drop me a line
at joani@betterlawns.com.
