The Garden Enthusiast-
Backyard Nature Station Update July 2012
Fellow Backyard Nature Lovers,
Happy 4th of July!
~We will reopen on July
5th~
************************************************************************************
-It's Hot! -
Please take care of yourself. Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water and don't forget that your outdoor friends need water too!!
What’s new in the store?
Birding: Slate
birdhouses by local artisan (Daryl Frye) and hand carved bird houses by Dick
Chenoweth. By early next week will have some new fruit feeders (to attract blue
jays, catbirds, mockingbirds brown thrashers, scarlet tanagers, orchard
orioles, red-bellied woodpeckers), and by special request – stacker cakes.
Garden art: Handmade Wooden American Flags by local
artist; also just got in the garden and
regular sized American Flag, including one that is an all in one flag and pole
system.
Tool Shed: Garden Gypsum
Miscellaneous: Deer Scram, Scoot Squirrel Repellent,
Snake Repellent Granules, Hi-Li-for lowering and raising you hanging baskets
and birdfeeders, and new Birds and Blooms Issue- Gardening for Butterflies
Children: New books
Botanical Interest Seeds: We'll be removing our
current stock in mid July and reordering for fall. The first seeds should be in around the first of August. If
there is a particular seed you want from this company we will get them in for
you. Not all seeds on their website are available to retailers but we will
order what we can. Check them out on the web @ www.botanicalinterests.com.
Visit with the Pros
Coming this month
– you’ll have an opportunity to drop by and talk with members of the Dekalb
Master Gardener Association, who will be at the store to answer your gardening
questions.
July 14th from 10-12pm (Phil Edwards)
August 11th from 10-12pm (Dale Bartlett)
September 8th from 10-12pm (Jimmy Dorsey)
October 27th from 10-12pm (Jane McLean)
Old Town Tucker Update
*******Las
Colinas, Sweet Dees and Local Number 7 will be closed July 4th*******
GREEN MARKET ON MAIN – Old Town Tucker’s own farmer’s
market Sundays from 10am - 2PM on Main Street
Several new vendors have been added. Not every vendor comes
every week. If you want to sign up for the weekly market update which tells you
which vendors will be there and any specials they might be having, let me know.
**If you want to volunteer for the market or any of the Old
Town Tucker events, please let me know.**
Coming events
Put this
on your calendar – bring the kids, your friends (and some sunscreen) and have a
day of Fun!
Tucker Summer Festival on Main Street
(Entire street will be closed down
for this one)
July 28th: 12 – 6pm
5 bands
Contests
(watermelon and hot dog eating, hula hoop, giant sling shot water balloon)
Bicycle show
Sand Sculpture
demonstration
Face painting
Local Celebrity
Dunk Tank
Food trucks, adult
beverages, boiled peanuts, sno cones, popcorn, cotton candy
And more….
**Want to volunteer
for this event? Call Jamey at 404-556-7666**
June 9th- Cruise In:
July 14th- Cruise In (live music)
August 11th- Cruise In (live music)
September 8th- Cruise In (live music)
November 17th- BBQ and Bluegrass Festival
December 8th- Christmas on Main
March 2, 2013- Chili Cook-off
Classes
Please take advantage of these classes when
you can.
(Note:
preregistration is requested – class size is limited – call 404-474-7072 to
register or for more information)
Fall 2012- Bird Songs (Pam Higginbotham) - Whether you are new to birding or want to
raise your level of expertise, learning bird songs is essential. It’s a tough
task, but doable with the right guidance and information. Pam can help you “get
a handle” on some of Atlanta’s common birds. Donations to Atlanta Audubon
Society accepted.
Fall 2012- Plantings for Birds (Pam Higginbotham/Atlanta
Audubon Society)-Native plantings are stressed, especially those that
provide food (berries, seeds, and the like) or are habitats for insects (which
draw in all of the insectivorous birds – warblers, wrens, bluebirds, vireos,
etc. – to your yard). Donations to Atlanta Audubon Society accepted.
Mycology 101: Fun with Fungi (Brady Bala) - Learn the
basics of Mycology with a Hand on Tutorial of Building your own mushroom log
Community Events (& SPIRIT)
Continue to help the
Henderson Park Community Garden win money for a greenhouse. Vote daily. They
are in 3rd place. They have to place in the top five to win. Simply click this
link - http://votehpcg.org - to go directly to the HPCG voting page on the
DeLoach web site. Once there, enter your
email address and name, and submit your vote every day. You can even sign up
for a daily reminder to vote (which is what I did).
Dear
Tucker Community and Friends,
The Tucker Civic Association, in conjunction with RIVERS ALIVE, will be hosting its 5th
Annual Rivers Alive Clean Up and would like to enlist your help. You are
receiving this letter because you have expressed an interest in becoming
involved for the first time, or your past help and support have been a valuable
part of our success, and we are expecting another great year of improving the
Tucker area.
This
year’s event will take place on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 4200 Cowan Road,
Tucker, GA (2 buildings to the right of the Ace Hardware) from 9:00 AM – 12:00
PM. *Heavy rain date is Sat., Oct. 20th, 9a-12n. We think you would be a
great addition to the team!
If
you would like to provide your support by volunteering let us know "Yes" or "No" by August 14, 2012 by emailing [email protected].
If
you will be participating, please provide us the name of your group, number of
volunteers, and a lead contact person with their information. A small
group of a few people is OK too! Once your information is received, we will
provide you with a packet to assist with planning for activities the day of the
event. The planning packet will include directions, what to wear, what to
bring, a waiver, etc. Please note that all participants must be 10 years old or
older.
We've
attached the official RIVERS ALIVE flyer which we hope
you'll share with others that may have an interest in participating in this
year's efforts. Also, it's a good idea to forward this email and flyer to
your perspective participants in order to start building your team right away.
Please
don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] if you have any
questions. Thank you for your continued support of our
waterways and your Tucker community.
Sincerely,
The Tucker Civic Rivers Alive Team
If you are interested in participating in this year's Rivers
Alive please let them know via email at [email protected] It's planned for
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2012, FROM 9A - 12N.
Staging area location still to be determined
Bird of the Month:
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird
beats its wings about 53 times a second.
Length
2.8–3.5 in
7–9 cm
Wingspan
3.1–4.3 in
8–11 cm
Weight
0.1–0.2 oz
2–6 g
·
The
Ruby-throated Hummingbird does not show a strong preference for any particular
color of feeder. Instead, it prefers specific feeder locations.
·
Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers. Like many birds, they
have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans
can’t see.
·
Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds normally place their nest on a branch of a deciduous or coniferous
tree; however, these birds are accustomed to human habitation and have been
known to nest on loops of chain, wire, and extension cords.
·
Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds are eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. But in
terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North
American hummingbird.
·
Male
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don’t stick around long. Pairs are together long
enough for courtship and mating – just a matter of days to weeks. Then he’s off
on his own, and may begin migration by early August.
·
The
oldest known Ruby-throated Hummingbird was 9 years 1 month old.
·
Migration
·
Medium
to long-distance migrant. Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds spend the winter in
Central America, and most get there by flying across the Gulf of Mexico. Some
birds stay in North America along the Gulf Coast and at the tip of Florida;
these are usually birds from farther north rather than birds that spent the
summer there.
·
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of red or orange
tubular flowers such as trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, honeysuckle,
jewelweed, bee-balm, red buckeye and red morning glory, as well as at
hummingbird feeders and, sometimes, tree sap. Hummingbirds also catch insects
in midair or pull them out of spider webs. Main insect prey includes
mosquitoes, gnats, fruit flies, and small bees; also eats spiders.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds sometimes take insects attracted to sap wells or
picks small caterpillars and aphids from leaves.
Nesting
Nesting
Facts
Clutch Size
1–3 eggs
Number of Broods
1-2 broods
Egg Length
0.5–0.6 in
1.2–1.4 cm
Egg Width
0.3–0.4 in
0.8–0.9 cm
Incubation Period
12–14 days
Nestling Period
18–22 days
Egg Description
Tiny, white, weighting about half a gram, or less than one-fiftieth of
an ounce.
Condition at Hatching
Naked apart from two tracts of gray down along the back, eyes closed,
clumsy.
Nest
Description
The nest is the size of large thimble, built directly
on top of the branch rather than in a fork. It’s made of thistle or dandelion down
held together with strands of spider silk and sometimes pine resin. The female
stamps on the base of the nest to stiffen it, but the walls remain pliable. She
shapes the rim of the nest by pressing and smoothing it between her neck and
chest. The exterior of the nest is decorated (probably camouflaged) with bits
of lichen and moss. The nest takes 6-10 days to finish and measures about 2
inches across and 1 inch deep.
Nest
Placement
Tree
Females build their nests on a slender, often
descending branch, usually of deciduous trees like oak, hornbeam, birch,
poplar, or hackberry; sometimes pine. Nests are usually 10-40 feet above the
ground. Nests have also been found on loops of chain, wire, and extension
cords.
Behavior
Hovering
Like all hummingbirds,
ruby-throats are precision flyers with the ability to fly full out and stop in
an instant, hang motionless in midair, and adjust their position up, down,
sideways, and backwards with minute control. They dart between nectar sources
with fast, straight flights or sit on a small twig keeping a lookout, bill
waving back and forth as the bird looks around. Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
aggressively defend flowers and feeders, leading to spectacular chases and
dogfights, and occasional jabs with the beak. They typically yield to larger
hummingbird species (in Mexico) and to the notoriously aggressive Rufous
Hummingbird. Males give a courtship display to females that enter their
territory, making a looping, U-shaped dive starting from as high as 50 feet
above the female. If the female perches, the male shifts to making fast
side-to-side flights while facing her.
Ongoing at The Garden
Enthusiast-Backyard Nature Station-
Wish List –add your list of what you’d love for people
to give you from the store.
Gift certificates
Hope to see you soon,
Linda, Brittany, Jessica, Jeremy & Greyson
The Garden Enthusiast - Backyard Nature Station
2316 D Main Street
Tucker, GA 30084
Hours: Tuesday –
Saturday 10am – 6PM
Sunday 10am - 5PM
Monday Closed
Contact us at 404-474-7072 or
[email protected]
