Mad Dogs and...

Posted by Paul Decelles July 31, 2011 at 3:12 p.m.

Biologists? Now that my summer semester is over, I just had to get out yesterday to do some hiking so went over to Prairie Park for a couple of hours. What struck me was how green the prairie area was with no maintenance.

Prairie Park by pdecell

Do you think maybe this is an indication of the sorts of plants we should use around our yards rather than the usual garden store fare?

Here by the way are a couple of shots from my visit.

First up is a hummingbird moth-resting- until I went to take the NEXT shot.

Sphinx Moth by pdecell

Next a very nice orb weaving spider that was hanging out near the nature center itself.

Argiope aurantia by pdecell

There was at least one other photographer out-a fellow from Ottawa with his new camera- and I steered him to the spider. Hope his shots came out well and that enjoyed his visit to the park.

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SandCoAlmanac (anonymous) says…

My yard looks something like your first pic, except the path sort of resembles the swath I mow around the house. I don't water or fertilize my yard and it looks great to me. Tons of native grasses, flowers and some miscellaneous stuff, like clover crowd each other for space. Ticks in the tall grass are a small negative, but I don't use pesticides, so ... that's the way it is. I cleared a border around the driveway for buffalo grass, which is brown now, but it will become green one of these days. No matter. Oh -- I use an herbicide for poison ivy only so far. I have limits to my tolerance of 'weeds.' Bird variety is good here, and even saw a ring-necked pheasant swoop into the tall grass a couple of years ago. I save on cat food, too. My yard cat has all the mice she can eat, except when I feed her in the winter months. It's a little different from some domestic property, but there's no place I'd rather be!
July 31, 2011 at 5:32 p.m.
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…

Well I wish my yard looked like the prairie but it doesn't. I live in a townhouse so can't do too much but do have a mixed native/hardy non native border along my drive way...that's my butterfly garden. It has Coreopsis, Ironweed, Yellow Cone flower, Mint, Lavender, Butterfly Weed, some Sedums. Right now it is pretty ratty looking because the warm season grasses have taken over and the Yellow Cone Flower are done for the season. I leave the heads on for the goldfinches. I need to get some more late season stuff- Asters and some of the late blooming sunflowers.

I don't water extensively but do spot water. But today I am giving the area a deep drink.
July 31, 2011 at 5:57 p.m.