Taking its common name from the Algonquin Indian word seganku meaning “urinating fox,” there are four species of skunks in the United States: the hog-nosed (Conepatus leuconotus) and hooded skunks (Mephitis macroura) in the Southwest; the spotted skunk (Spilogale), including the eastern spotted skunk found throughout the Great Plains to Texas and Florida, and the western spotted skunk, found pretty much everywhere west of the eastern spotted skunk; and the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), the most common and recognizable species, found throughout the country except for the deserts of Nevada and Utah.

While animals like copperhead snakes, lizards, and the snowshoe hare use camouflage to “hide” by blending into the scenery, the skunk actually advertises its identity with its bold black and white coloring. The sharply contrasting colors warn predators that they pose a threat (think of the red, yellow, and black coloring of the coral snake and the flamboyant colors of the poison dart frog), and would-be attackers should proceed at their own peril.

To survive in a world full of predators, skunks have developed a highly effective biological weapon. Owing to their short legs, running is not an option. Instead, the skunk backs away from the predator, raises its tail as a warning flag, and stamps its front feet; sometimes they throw in a handstand. Should the aggressor fail to back off, the skunk curves its body with both nose and rear end pointed at the threat and lets loose with a foul-smelling spray from its anal glands.

Nature’s version of tear gas, the skunk’s spray is so potent that one well-placed spray can leave its victim gagging and gasping for breath. Large dogs will sometimes kill skunks but are more likely to retreat after being sprayed, and it usually takes only one altercation to instill a higher appreciation of this lowly creature. The sulfuric acid in the spray can cause temporary blindness. It also contains ingredients that get trapped in fur and released when damp, which is why it is so difficult to deodorize a dog after a run-in with one.

Skunks can live pretty much everywhere. They sometimes excavate their own burrow but more often they use the abandoned burrows of woodchucks, muskrats, foxes, or badgers. They will also use hollowed-out logs or trees, caves, rock or brush piles, or underneath buildings as den sites. Dens have one to several entrances, each about eight inches in diameter.

They are active mainly at dawn and dusk and search for food along established routes. Signs of a skunk’s presence include tracks, droppings, a musky odor, and evidence of their digging. A persistent smell and freshly excavated soil next to a hole under an outbuilding or woodpile are indicators that a skunk may have taken up residence.

Although not normally considered a major threat, skunks can attack honey-bee hives. In order to get to the bees, they scratch at the front of the beehive. Guard bees that come out to investigate are swatted down and eaten. Putting the hives up on a stand or a stack of pallets make it harder for them to get at the bees. Another option is to put the entrance at the top of the hive. Our bee yard is protected with electric fencing, mostly as a bear deterrent, but it also keeps out skunks (and raccoons). Burying chicken wire underneath the fencing will deter most critters from digging underneath the fence.

Skunks can be carriers of rabies and other diseases, so avoid direct contact with them. Symptoms of rabies include abnormal behavior such as aggressiveness, seizures, stumbling, and vocalizing. Although skunks tend to hunt at dawn and dusk, spotting one in the daytime does not necessarily mean they are rabid; females with a litter often hunt during the day to feed their babies. Vaccinating your pets is the best way to protect them.

Skunks are a necessary part of the ecosystem. They eat many of the critters we’d like to keep in check including moles, mice, cockroaches, spiders, scorpions, bird and rodent carcasses, and even some poisonous snakes. To the benefit of the farmer and gardener, they also eat grasshoppers, crickets, snails, and beetle grubs. For the most part, they only become a nuisance when their burrowing and feeding habits cause us problems.

Although perceived as aiming their stinky jets at any hapless creature that crosses their path, skunks are really passive in nature and actually try to avoid confrontations. In almost every situation, they won’t bother you unless you bother them.

Tips to “Skunk-proof” Your Home and Outbuildings

• Make sure garbage cans have secure, tight-fitting lids.
• Clean up bird seed litter. Pick up fallen fruit from fruit trees. Don’t feed pets outside; if you do, clean up any uneaten food. Make sure compost is inaccessible.
• Keep poultry coops and runs secured at night.
• Keep potential den sites closed to discourage denning on your property. Fill abandoned groundhog holes and fence the bottoms of decks or porches to prevent access by skunks.
• If you find a skunk trapped in a window well, (carefully!) place a rough board in the well that extends to the top and it will climb out on its own.
• If a skunk gets into the house, open a door and calmly allow it to exit.
• Block access points into sheds, garages, basements, and attics so a skunk can’t find a warm place to sleep in buildings.
• Consult your local Animal Control office or a pest removal service for trapping and disposal recommendations.

The post Keeping Skunks at Bay appeared first on Homestead.org.

I thought back to earlier in the day and remembered that I had unwittingly put out the welcome mat for this particular visitor when I left the feed-room door open that morning. After a few minutes, the hissing stopped. I gingerly got my feed and left, leaving the door open so the hapless creature could leave the same way it came in.

About the size of a large house cat, the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is North America’s only marsupial, a mammal that carries and nurses its young in a pouch. One of Earth’s oldest surviving mammals, opossums have been around for at least 65 million years, first appearing in North America about the time dinosaurs went extinct. With little need to evolve for survival, the modern-day version of this marsupial is somewhat of a living fossil, retaining many of the features of its ancient ancestors. Despite its rat-like appearance, the opossum is closely related to other pouched mammals, such as the kangaroo, koala, and wombat.

The critter got its unusual name in 1608 from Captain John Smith, one of the British settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. The colonists traded with the Algonquin Indian tribes, and the opossum was named for their word apasum, meaning “white animal.” Opossums are found in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, along the West Coast, and in portions of Mexico, Canada, and Central America. In North America, they are typically referred to as the North American opossum, or merely ‘possum.

Virtues of the Lowly Opossum

The oft-maligned opossum is actually a fascinating creature that suffers from an image problem. Frequently perceived as a dim-witted, rat-like scavenger whose most impressive trick is playing dead, there’s actually a lot more to this creature than meets the eye—virtues that just might transform the aversion of some to this odd, waddling mammal into, at least, tolerance.

Turns out opossums are the unsung heroes in the fight against Lyme Disease. Ticks that carry the Lyme Disease bacteria are found on mice, shrews, squirrels, and chipmunks, but not so with the opossum. Research by scientists at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York found that opossums eat over 95 percent of the ticks that land on them during their meanderings. “We found that the average opossum kills thousands of ticks every week as they wander through the forest,” says Felicia Keesing, ecologist and Professor of Biology at Bard College, and Adjunct Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. “The opossum wanders through the woods and ticks get on them just like they might get on any animal wandering through the woods, but opossums groom them off and kill them in the process.”

These solitary scavengers will eat almost anything. Besides consuming gargantuan amounts of ticks, the opossum’s diet includes snails, slugs, and beetles, making them a welcome addition to the garden. They’ll also catch and eat pests such as mice, rats, fire ants, and cockroaches, and they’re one of the few animals that prey upon shrews and moles. As if that isn’t enough, opossums are immune to snake venom, and actually kill and eat snakes on the homestead, even venomous ones like rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths. They also eat roadkill, making them an important part of nature’s cleanup crew.

Playing ‘Possum

Perhaps the opossum’s most well-known characteristic is the ability to feign death when confronted by an enemy. Opossums use several defense tactics when threatened, including running, climbing a tree, growling, baring its 50 sharp teeth, and hissing. When these tactics fail, the opossum has one last trick up its sleeve—”playing ‘possum.” In an involuntary response similar to fainting, the opossum rolls on its side, with lips drawn back, teeth bared, and tongue hanging to the side, mimicking a dead animal. In this unconscious state, they also secrete a foul-smelling liquid like that of a rotting carcass. Because most predators prefer live prey, the enemy will interpret these signs that the opossum is dead and lose interest.

Coexisting with Opossums

Opossums are non-aggressive, reclusive animals that only want to be left alone. Unfortunately, they often fall victim to misinformation, and the results can be disastrous for them. Not exactly the cutest animal, they’re further burdened by the misconception that they’re rabid when they drool and hiss, which is actually a bluff tactic to scare off predators. In fact, opossums tend to be resistant to rabies, a trait thought to have something to do with their low body temperature (94 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit), which doesn’t provide a suitable environment for the virus to live.

Having no defenses, opossums are often the target of inhumane acts to get rid of them, especially in urban areas where they are cruelly trapped or poisoned. They have a life expectancy of only 1 to 4 years due to their many predators, which include foxes, bobcats, coyotes, owls, and dogs; however, their habit of eating roadkill results in far more being killed by automobiles than any other predator.

Opossums are increasing in numbers and expanding their range throughout North America. Not particular where they take up residence, and highly adaptable, they can thrive in almost any habitat where there is food, water, and a denning site to meet their needs. Because the living environs of wild creatures often overlap that of humans, a better knowledge and understanding of all wild animals and the role they play in the greater ecological scheme are essential to a peaceful coexistence with humans.

That couldn’t be truer than in the case of the opossum. These harmless creatures pose absolutely no threat to people, and they are far more beneficial as scavengers than harmful for any damage they might do. The good news is, if you can keep them out of the places where you don’t want them, opossums are actually pretty amazing creatures to have on the homestead. Typically, they go about their business so quietly that you won’t even know they’re around. Should you happen to encounter one, do nothing! These reclusive animals seldom stay in one place long. The best thing to do is watch from a distance and enjoy one of nature’s most beneficial wildlife species.

If, despite all the good that opossums do to rid your property of pests, you would prefer that they move on, there are simple, non-lethal ways to discourage them.

10 Ways to Discourage Opossums from Hanging Around

1. Eliminate all food sources. Keep in mind that opossums hunt at night, relying chiefly on their sense of smell to find food.
2. Feed pets indoors or bring in any leftover pet food before dark, when opossums are most active.

   

3. Keep compost containers secure, and use tightly-fitting lids on garbage cans. Regularly spraying trash cans with a mixture of half ammonia, half water will keep scavengers away.
4. Clean barbecue grills and grease traps after use.
5. Harvest fruit and garden crops when they’re ripe, and pick up any fruit that drops from trees or bushes. Also clean up spilled birdseed.
6. Remove brush piles, dilapidated buildings, and holes under concrete slabs to eliminate possible hiding places.
7. Keep your yard well lit at night. Opossums favor darkness and won’t consider your property welcoming.
8. If gutters or other vertical surfaces are being climbed, cover them with an 18-inch piece of sheet metal, or apply vegetable shortening up to a height of 18 inches.
9. Motion-activated sprinkler systems are an effective deterrent. Place them near the trouble spot, such as your chicken coop or garden. The system will activate when an animal comes within its reach, teaching it to steer clear of the area.
10. Should you have to remove an opossum, use a live-catch trap baited with a can of cat food, but first check to ensure that trapping is legal in your area, keeping in mind that in most jurisdictions, you can’t trap and release in a different location. You can also call your local animal control office for help with removing “nuisance” wildlife.

The post We’re not Playing, ‘Possum: Opossums are Actually Good for the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

In 1985, my family moved to a small farm in Sharpsburg, Maryland. The wooden-frame house was built sometime around the turn of the 20th century, and I’m guessing it was about this time that the owners planted sugar maple trees around the front and sides of the house. We moved there in August when the daytime temps were in the 90s, yet there was no need for air conditioning. The large canopies of the maple trees blocked the sunlight and kept the house cool all summer.

(We were sad to lose one of the maples to a lightning strike one summer, and years later, we lost another one that had begun to crack and break up from old age. The trunk on that one was as wide as our front door, and some of the lower limbs were a foot in diameter. We got several cords of firewood out of the wood, which kept our wood stove fed for a couple of winters.)A good landscaping plan can make a home significantly more energy-efficient. Strategically placed trees and shrubs can do double duty, providing cooling shade in summer and insulation against heat loss in winter. According to the U.S Department of Energy, properly selected, placed, and maintained landscaping can reduce household energy bills by as much as 25 percent. While landscaping can involve a significant expenditure up front, it will pay for itself over the long haul in lower energy bills.

Landscaping strategies for conserving energy depend largely on where you live. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, shown below, divides North America into 11 planting zones to help homeowners determine the best landscaping choices for their region. Each growing zone is 10°F warmer (or colder) in an average winter than the adjacent zone. If you see a recommended hardiness zone in a gardening catalog or plant description, chances are it refers to this map.

Create an Effective Windbreak to Reduce Winter Heating Costs

Landscape windbreaks, such as a row of trees or a hedge, are commonly dense evergreen trees and shrubs. A row or hedge of evergreens is preferable to deciduous trees for blocking the wind because their mature heights in relation to typical home heights are ideal for wind blockage. They are also dense enough to stop most of the wind and have foliage that extends to the ground. In addition to planting banks of large trees and shrubs, planting smaller shrubs next to a home further reduces the impact of wind. The figure below illustrates a typical plan for windbreaks.

Plant Deciduous Trees Around the House to Reduce Summer Cooling Costs

When the summer sun beats down on your home, blasting the air conditioner or running ceiling fans are the only ways to cool your house. Fans don’t use much electricity, particularly if set to a low speed, but they just move the air around rather than cool it. Air conditioning, on the other hand, uses a lot of electricity. If you’re like me and want to run the air conditioning as little as possible, a good landscaping plan can, over time, help to lower summer cooling costs. The cooling provided by an even partially-shaded house means a lower energy footprint and more green in your wallet.

Trees planted on the west and south sides of the house provide the greatest savings since they provide shade from the afternoon’s hottest summer sunlight. Deciduous trees are better than non-deciduous (evergreens) trees, as they will lose their leaves in the fall and allow what sunshine there is to effectively do the opposite and provide more warmth to the home. Be sure to plant trees that are tall enough to shade the roof, windows, and walls for the months of June, July, and August.

The ideal shade tree is 25- to 50-feet tall with a big canopy. A tree that size will partially shade the roof of a one-story home, but will not reach an unmanageable size. As a general rule of thumb, large trees should not be placed closer than 15 feet from the foundation so the roots won’t cause a problem with the foundation. Keep in mind how big the trees will get at maturity so they will be properly spaced and provide the desired shade.

Smaller trees and shrubs also have a role to play in energy conservation. They can be planted closer to the house than tall trees to shade east- and west-facing walls and windows in the morning and afternoon when the sun is lower. Spreading evergreen shrubs with dense foliage, such as yews or junipers, planted close to the house, can fill in rapidly to shade walls and windows (as a bonus, these shrubs can provide sheltering places for birds in harsh weather or a quick place to hide from aerial predators.) In wet and humid areas, avoid planting up against the house so air can circulate freely. Check with your local extension office or garden center before buying a landscape shrub for advice on species that are invasive or prone to serious pest or disease problems in your area.

The high cost of home heating and air conditioning is pushing more homeowners to explore ways to reduce home energy use. Outdoor landscape plants—which help control erosion and are pleasing in themselves—can play a large part in controlling household energy use. For that reason, it’s important to consider the entire landscape plan in relation to energy conservation on the homestead.

The post Eco-Landscaping Can Trim Home Energy Costs appeared first on Homestead.org.

North America is home to 47 species of bats. Most are insect-eaters, the exception being three species found in Arizona, California, and Texas that feed on nectar and pollen. Texas holds the title of “battiest” state in the union—32 bat species call the Lone Star State home at various times of the year. According to Bat Conservation International, bats make up about one-fifth of the world’s mammal population.

They are nocturnal, hunting in the dim hours between sunset and sunrise. Contrary to popular perception, bats are not blind. They can see, though most bat species use a form of sonar known as echolocation, a sensory system where they literally hear their way through the night sky, crying out through the darkness in high-pitched (ultrasonic) noises and listening for the echoes to return. The sound waves bounce off insects and solid objects and send back a “picture” of sorts that helps the bat navigate in the dark.

As the primary predators of night-flying insects, bats are critical to reducing insect pest populations, including those pesky mosquitoes that take some of the fun out of being outdoors in the summer, and bring us such mosquito-borne diseases as West Nile and Zika virus, among others. Bats on the homestead, and around the world, are part of a healthy ecosystem and integral to the balance of nature. Without them, we would be overrun with insect pests and forced to use more and stronger pesticides that also kill beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs, and dragonflies.

Brown and Red Bats

The most common of native North American species, the big brown bat, is found in every part of the country except for the southern portions of Florida and Texas. Russet to dark brown in color, this bat averages between four and five inches in length with a wingspan of about 13 inches. Their favorite roosts include attics, barns, bell towers, behind window shutters, and man-made bat houses. These efficient feeders prey on a wide variety of nocturnal insects including June bugs, flies, beetles, moths, and mosquitoes.

Little brown bats look a lot like big browns, but smaller, between three and three and a half inches long. Common throughout most of the country, they can be identified on the wing by their swift, erratic flight. They voraciously consume thousands of insects in one outing, eating as many as 1,000 insects in an hour! Mated females form maternity colonies inside abandoned buildings, hollow trees, rock crevices, or similar areas. Males and unmated females roost under shingles, the eaves of buildings, loose tree bark, and rock outcroppings.

Every summer, a small number of little brown bats take up residence in our porch eaves. Over the last few years, we let our property grow up to create a diversity of food, habitat, and cover to attract bats and other wildlife. Our neighbor’s pond helps to lure bats to the homestead by attracting many of the water-breeding insects on their menu. We embrace these insect-eating machines that spend their nightly forays dining on mosquitoes, stink bugs, moths, beetles, and a host of other insect pests. In fall, when the nights start getting colder and insects get hard to find, our furry visitors fly off to their winter hibernation site to wait for spring.

One of North America’s most colorful bats, the eastern red bat, ranges in color from rusty red to yellow-brown. Long, pointed ears and swift flight at low levels mark this bat as it forages for crickets, flies, beetles, and cicadas. They are known for congregating around corn cribs, where, much to the delight of farmers, they feast on grain moths. Red bats are found in wooded areas east of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to as far south as central Florida, roosting in trees where they resemble dead leaves or pine cones.

Free-tailed and Long-nosed Bats

The Mexican free-tailed bat is found at lower elevations throughout California, across southern Nevada, and southern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Oklahoma. Colonies are also found throughout the southeastern U. S. from Mississippi down through Florida and over to South Carolina. Their colonies can number in the millions. Besides caves, free-tailed bats roost in culverts, old buildings, tunnels, and under bridges. With their long, narrow wings, Mexican free-tailed bats are speedsters in the bat world, designed for fast, long-distance flight. They get their name from their tail, which extends freely beyond the membrane connecting their tail to their hind legs.

When hungry free-tails come out at sundown, humans reap the benefit. In central Texas, for example, 100 million free-tailed bats emerge from Bracken Cave every night to cruise over lawns, gardens, farm fields, and orchards, gobbling up insect pests. According to Fran Hutchins, director of the Bracken Cave Preserve, “As the bats munch their way through nearly 300,000 pounds of bugs each and every night during the growing season, they provide a huge service to U.S. agricultural communities.” And that’s not all. Studies revealed that these free-tailed bats were eating 44 different agricultural pests, 20 of which are migratory, meaning that the bats are having an invisible effect, intercepting vast insect migrations from reaching downwind crop areas, places that may never see bats.

Long-nosed bats are a keystone species in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of the southwestern U.S. The bat’s head shape and long tongue allow it to delve into flower blossoms and extract both pollen and nectar. As they travel from flower to flower, they transfer pollen that becomes attached to their bodies, which causes the plants to produce fruit. Worldwide, over 500 species of plants rely on bats for pollination, many of which we use for food and medicine. In addition, bees, moths, lizards, and many birds depend on plants pollinated by long-nosed bats, either for food or shelter. If they were to disappear, there would be a serious disruption to the region’s ecosystem.

Special Needs

Because bats have highly-specialized habitat requirements, they do not adjust well to environmental changes. Most produce only one offspring per breeding season, and they often live in large colonies that can be wiped out in a single catastrophe, leaving them extremely vulnerable to extinction. With many species suffering population declines due to loss of roosting habitat, loss of wetlands (which serve as insect-breeding grounds), and pesticide poisoning, homesteaders can do their part to encourage bats by making their landscape more bat-friendly.

Welcoming bats to the homestead will pay dividends in terms of organic pest control. These winged wonders play an important role in nature’s systems of checks and balances. In a healthy, diverse ecosystem, for every insect pest we might find, there is a natural predator. One of these is the silent hunter of the night, the underappreciated bat.

How You Can Help Bats on the Homestead

 As more and more land is gobbled up by development every day, bats are losing suitable habitat. People can help provide these useful creatures with places to live and feed by making a few adaptations to their landscape.

• Bats will live in man-made bat houses if they are placed on a south-facing structure away from natural predators. Bat houses and kits can be purchased online, or you can make your own using plans from Bat Conservation International.
• Bats prefer habitat with a mix of open and wooded areas. Plant a variety of perennials, herbs, and night-blooming flowers like moonflower, yucca, datura, evening primrose, cleome, nicotiana, night-blooming jessamine to lure nocturnal insects.
• Bats are drawn to aquatic areas, where insect populations tend to be greater. Adding a pond or wetland to your landscape will help to ensure lucrative foraging for bats. They will also make use of a birdbath.
• Avoid using pesticides that can harm nontarget organisms such as bats and other wildlife. Some pesticides are more “environmentally friendly” than others, and should be considered for sites where bats are known to forage.

Going Bats! The Benefits of Bat Houses on Your Homestead

The post The Benefits of Bats on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

As we’ve developed the landscape, we’ve also dramatically altered the path those raindrops take.  Now they fall on roofs, continue over driveways and lawns, down sidewalks, streets, and other impervious surfaces. Rain becomes runoff, picking up pollutants like grease, oil, pesticides, fertilizers, and pet waste along the way before entering storm drains that lead to nearby bodies of water. The toxic buildup harms aquatic life and animals that visit for a drink and creates challenges for water treatment facilities.

Storm runoff can also erode landscapes and contribute to flooding. While rainstorms may not seem like they’re producing a lot of water, according to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources factsheet, an inch of rain on 1,000 square feet is approximately 600 gallons of water.  Instead of letting the rainwater go to waste, why not trap the water with a rain garden and grow something that beautifies your landscape and helps keep your local waterways cleaner in the process?

The Solution for Slowing and Filtering Storm Runoff: a Rain Garden

According to the Pittsburgh-based Green Building Alliance, the concept of rain gardens originated in 1990 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where a developer designed a nature-based system that mimics naturally occurring water filtration. Each home in the subdivision had a 300- to 400-square-foot rain garden. The project showed immediate results in reducing stormwater runoff. Since then, rain gardens have gained popularity and remain one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to restore the natural water process.

A rain garden is a shallow vegetated basin located in well-draining ground, usually on a slope. When filled with deep-rooted, moisture-loving plants, it is designed to intercept and temporarily capture stormwater runoff and snowmelt from roofs and non-porous surfaces, such as driveways and patios. The rain garden allows the water to percolate slowly into the soil, while the plants work to absorb contaminants before it reaches groundwater aquifers.

With some basic tools, a bit of planning, and a weekend or two of work, you can turn a water-logged area of your yard into a beautiful and eco-friendly asset. A rain garden can be as simple as adding plants to help absorb the water in a low spot where stormwater from your yard or downspouts can percolate down through the soil, rather than leave your property as runoff.  During a storm, the rain garden fills with water that slowly seeps into the ground, allowing the soil and plant roots to filter and remove surface pollutants. It is not a mosquito attractant. The water is soaked up within 24 hours, which is not long enough for mosquitoes to complete their breeding cycle.

Choosing the Location

Rain gardens can be located near the house to catch runoff from the roof,  or a low spot farther out into the property that collects water from the lawn, roof, or driveway. Keep in mind that they should be located at least 10 feet from the house (so infiltrating water can’t seep into the foundation) on a gentle slope where water tends to collect. When considering placement and design of your rain garden, consider how the rain garden can be integrated into existing and future landscaping, outdoor gathering spaces, or children’s play areas. Choose an area that receives full or partial sun to grow healthy plants and help evaporate standing water.

Getting Down to Work

The depression should ideally be at least four inches below the turf level of your lawn. If you are unsure about what could be below the area where you plan to dig, call 811  to request that the approximate location of buried utilities be marked with paint or flags so that you don’t unintentionally dig into one! There is no charge for this public service, and skipping it could be a costly mistake! Outline the shape of the garden using spray paint or a garden hose. The depth of the garden is important. Since they do not hold water or pool it for more than several hours after a storm, digging a flat depression 4 to 8 inches deeper than the surrounding ground will be enough to catch the water and allow it to trickle down into the soil. The steeper your yard’s existing slope, the bigger the flow of unabsorbed water, so the garden’s bottom will need to be deeper to compensate.  If the slope is less than 4 percent slope, the depth should be 4 inches; 5 to 7 percent slope, the depth should be 6 inches; and 8 to 12 percent slope, the depth should be 8 inches. There are many websites that delve deeper into the details, should you need them.

There is no “right” size or shape—you can start small and expand it over time. While digging the rain garden, pile the dirt around the edge where the berm will be. (The berm is a low “wall” around three sides of the rain garden that holds the water in during a storm.) On a steeper lawn, the lower part of the rain garden can be filled in with soil from the uphill half; extra soil might need to be brought in for the berm.

You can plant a rain garden anytime, but keep in mind that planting during the dry season will make frequent watering essential until the young plants are established. Adding compost and sand to the soil will increase its ability to absorb water. The type of alteration to the soil depends on the current soil type, so it’s a good idea to obtain a soil test. (Collect a soil sample and send it to a local soil testing lab or your county extension office. Make sure to follow their instructions for sampling and submission to get accurate results.) Native plants are the best choice for rain gardens. They are hardy and have adapted to your region’s climate, soil type, and growing conditions. Consult your local nursery or county extension office to find out which native shrubs, perennials, and flowers are best for your area. When choosing plants, consider height, space requirements at maturity, and color. Keep in mind that a diversity of plants is pleasing to the eye, beneficial to wildlife, and creates a strong root system that will resist erosion and inhibit weed growth.

Rain Gardens Are Low Maintenance

When native plants are used, your rain garden will not require pesticides or fertilizer. During the first or second year, occasional watering may be necessary, particularly during periods of low rainfall. Likewise, some weeding might be needed, but once the plants take hold and grow, they will eventually out-compete the weeds. Once the plants are well established, your rain garden can be maintained with little effort. Like any garden, it can be dynamic as you add new plants or remove plants that don’t do well. In my area, deer are a major problem, so plants need to be deer resistant.

By reducing stormwater runoff, rain gardens can play a valuable role in preventing flooding, reducing erosion, filtering pollutants out of the water, and allowing more water to soak into underground aquifers. As an added bonus, rain gardens provide native habitat for birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects, and food for pollinators. They also provide shade for turtles, toads, and rabbits. But most of all, in creating a rain garden, you will be playing an active role in lessening the impact of the storm runoff generated by your house, carport/garage, driveway, and sheds.

Our Earth provides us with water. It’s our responsibility to protect and preserve all natural resources for current and future generations. Our actions, no matter how seemingly small, have an impact on the delicate balance of ecosystems and the overall health of the Earth.

For Further Reading

Rain Gardens: A How-To Manual for Homeowners – Comprehensive, 32-page how-to manual.

National Audubon Society Native Plants Database – An excellent source to find native plants suitable to your region’s climate.

The post Rain Gardens Enhance Your Landscape and Improve Water Quality appeared first on Homestead.org.

Many gardeners like to clean up their perennial beds in the fall when the herbaceous plants have stopped blooming. When they do that, though, they not only deprive wildlife of needed food, they are eliminating one of the great joys of the winter landscape. Often etched with frost or outlined in a casing of ice, the intricate remnants of last year’s blossoms and the buds of next year’s growth reflect both the bittersweet poignancy and the promise that are central to gardening.

Following is a sampling of native perennials whose seed heads add a touch of art and beauty to the winter landscape, while also providing a bounty of food for wildlife at exactly the time they need it the most.

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)

Milkweed is a widespread and somewhat weedy wildflower found in most of the eastern United States and the easternmost prairie states, as well as southern Canada from New Brunswick to Saskatchewan. Frequently found in fence rows, fields and prairies, and on roadsides, if given the opportunity, milkweed will establish in gardens and even thin lawns. Milkweed is tolerant of light shade, but generally prefers full sun. Seed pods mature and dry in the fall and the floss fluffs out in glorious wisps, waiting for the winds that will scatter the seeds.

Nature’s mega food market for insects, over 450 insects are known to feed on the sap, leaves, and nectar-laden flowers of milkweed. It’s not uncommon to see flies, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, and butterflies browsing the flowers, all at the same time. Goldfinches and many other birds use milkweed fiber and milkweed seed down to construct and line their nests.

The Monarch butterfly, a declining species throughout most of its breeding range, cannot survive without milkweed. During their brief caterpillar stage, the caterpillars only eat milkweed plants. In the butterfly stage, the monarchs lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants. However, with shifting land management practices, milkweed plants are disappearing from the landscape, which is a major cause for the decline of this beautiful butterfly.

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

Blooming from late summer through fall, there are more than 120 species of this hardy, fast-growing perennial. Generally speaking, goldenrod plants are tall and slim with fluffy golden flower spikes. After the blooming season, the flowers are transformed into voluptuous beige sprays containing the seeds. Goldenrod can be planted in the fall or spring. Sometimes thought of as a weed, it grows rapidly and is an aggressive spreader.

Once butterflies and bees finish feasting on goldenrod’s fall nectar and pollen, birds such as juncos, sparrows, and finches move in for the seeds. But one of goldenrod’s biggest draws is the range of insects the genus hosts, estimated at more than 100 species of butterflies and moths. 

Bee balm (Monarda spp.)

Also called wild bergamot, oswego tea, and horsemint, bee balm is in the mint family and, like mint, spreads by slender underground rhizomes. Though clump-forming, it is not invasive like mint. A new plant starting where it is not wanted is easily pulled out by its shallow roots.

A perennial ranging from 2 to 4 feet in height, bee balm produces tubular shaped, red flowers from June through August. The nectar of bee balm is a favorite of hummingbirds, butterflies, and hummingbird moths. Bee balm also attracts insects, which, in turn, attracts insectivorous birds.

If you want to watch natural hummingbird territoriality at work, plant bee balm. Its whorled heads of scarlet or pink flowers oozing with nectar are cherished and zealously guarded by Ruby-throated hummingbirds. Long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers also sip nectar from the flowers. After the flowering stage, a large hard-shelled nutlet filled with seeds attracts finches, sparrows, juncos, redpolls, and a host of other birds.

Blazing Star (Liatris Spicata)

Blazing star, also called gayfeather or prairie star, is a hardy perennial native to the prairies and meadows of Eastern North America. L. spicata plants grow from a corm, forming large, tuberous roots. This perennial can tolerate heat and drought, sailing through some of the toughest summers without missing a beat. Planting blazing star in full sun will ensure that the plants put on a good show of flowers, and will keep them as compact as possible and help prevent flopping.

In spring, delicate grassy foliage is followed by tall, sturdy stalks blooming from the top down with vibrant, feathery purple, pink, or white “bottlebrush” flowers from July through August. With their tall wands of striking blooms, blazing star makes an eye-catching addition to sunny gardens. In the fall, leaves and stalks turn a rich orangey bronze with wheat-colored seed heads.

The nectar-rich flowers of blazing star are favored by monarchs and other butterflies and other insects, which will, in turn, attract insectivorous birds such as the black-capped chickadee, American goldfinch, tufted titmouse, and indigo bunting. Dozens of species of birds eat the copious seeds produced by blazing star. It is also a favorite meal for rabbits and deer, so plan accordingly.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

An attractive perennial with purple drooping rays surrounding a spiny, brownish central disk, it is an incredibly hardy plant, being both heat and drought resistant. The flower closely resembles a daisy, with its long, oval-shaped petals and round floral disc. In fact, coneflowers are part of the Asteraceae family, which includes daisies, asters, and thousands of other species. Purple coneflowers go through an initial blooming period, after which they may lose their blossoms; however, it is not unusual for new petals to appear, particularly if you deadhead your flowers.

Coneflowers have three primary benefits to wildlife:  the nectar is attractive to native bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and moths all summer long; it is a winter food source for a wide variety of birds including sparrows, goldfinches, blue jays, cardinals, black-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers, and juncos; and lastly, the leaves also draw in additional insects that don’t feed on nectar. 

American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana)

In spring, with its simple foliage, you might question why the plant’s name alludes to its beauty.  However, from late summer into winter, when clusters of intense purple berries festoon the plant, it becomes apparent this shrub lives up to its name. Its berries are among the most eye-catching found in our fields and woodlands.

This deciduous shrub can reach a height of 9 feet, although most shrubs range from 3 to 5 feet tall. While the shrub grows best in loamy soil, it also grows well in other soil types, including clay soils. The key to American beautyberry doing well is planting it in sites that range from full sun to partial shade; however, experienced gardeners say that berry production is greatest when the plant is bathed in bright sunlight for no more than half a day.

It has been suggested that the unique lavender color acts as a gaudy roadside sign beckoning migrating birds that need to refuel before resuming their southward migration. Whitetail deer, raccoons, and opossums will eat the plant’s stems, leaves, and fruit, particularly when other foods are hard to come by. Other mammals that will dine on beautyberry include rodents, the nine-banded armadillo, raccoon, and the Virginia opossum. Quail also eat the berries, but songbirds seem to make greater use of them than any other group of wildlife—more than 40 species of birds feed on the purple berries.

Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)

Staghorn sumac is a 15-25 foot, colony-forming, deciduous shrub with crooked, leaning trunks, picturesque branches, and velvety twigs. On female plants, yellow-green flowers are followed by fuzzy, bright red berries in erect pyramidal clusters that persist through winter. It is commonly found in thickets on dry uplands, fields, and along forest edges. In winter, the bare, widely forking, stout, hairy twigs resemble deer antlers in velvet, hence the alternate common name, velvet sumac.

A dramatic addition to the fall and winter landscape, its seed head is a cluster of burgundy red fruit, densely covered in bright red hairs, makes this native shrub a standout. Master gardeners have suggested pairing sumac amongst a mass of prairie dropseed or switchgrass, two warm-season native grasses.

Sumacs have high wildlife value. The caterpillars of a number of moths and several butterflies feed on sumac and rabbits and deer will browse the wood as winter food. The drupes are winter food (often late in winter when few other wild foods are available) for ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, wild turkey, grouse, about 300 species of songbirds, as well as important sustenance for birds migrating in the fall. Its flowers support bees, wasps, and flies with nectar and pollen.

Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

Common teasel is a biennial plant, which means they start growing one year but don’t flower until the next. Found in open, disturbed areas in various soil types, it forms dense patches of rosettes, then slowly enlarges its footprint by dropping seed, usually in close proximity to the parent plant. Although fairly aggressive, teasel’s shallow root system allows plants to be removed easily. In early summer of the second growing season, the stem grows to a height of up to 7 feet and forms flowers at the terminal. Tiny lavender flowers begin developing in the middle of the flower head and continue blooming towards each end.

The area where the side stems join the main stem forms a cup-like formation that catches water, and the word “teasel” is thought to be derived from the word for thirst. Why the plant grows these water-catchers is uncertain: it could be a trap for insects trying to climb up the stem, and there’s even a suggestion that the plant can derive nutrition from the drowned insects.

Teasel’s bristly seed heads are a valuable food source for birds such as goldfinches. Bumblebees find the densely-packed floret of this biennial an easily accessible source of nectar and pollen, collected simply by walking over the florets. The shoulder-high, prickly stems of the dormant plant remain upright throughout winter, providing food for birds even when other food sources are hidden under snow.

Nature, which never has an offseason, has not been idle. Autumn is the time when summer’s fading native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers are making seed heads ready for the next year’s growing season. The seeds from these remnants of summer past will find their way into the ground where they will germinate at the appropriate time, continuing the circle of life.

Note: Some of these perennials can spread rapidly. Do your research before planting any species with which you are not familiar. More information on these and other native species can be found in the national database of the University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center https://www.wildflower.org/plants/. For a map of USDA Hardiness Zones, go to https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

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My father helped us out by buying us a chainsaw that my husband used to cut firewood for our wood stove, and he surprised me one day with a new typewriter. A lot of the teachers that my husband worked with were pursuing Master’s degrees. Since I had always been an ace in English composition, I put the word out and got jobs editing thesis papers. I worked while the kids napped or at night. Sometimes I got cash; other times I would trade for things like tax preparation, garden tilling, or babysitting (teenagers forced into it, but nonetheless welcomed!). Once I got a bushel of apples as payment. I canned several quarts of homemade applesauce, some of which I traded for other goods—who knew apples could be turned into dollars!

Times back then were definitely slower. My neighborhood was small, and I knew most of my neighbors. We chatted while waiting with our kids for the school bus or when we got together for cookouts, Little League, birthday parties, or church services. We engaged with each other; we were a community and pitched in to help each other when needed.

One year, on Thanksgiving, we got over 30 inches of snow in less than 48 hours. Because our community was somewhat rural and off the main drag, we were one of the last neighborhoods to be plowed. Needless to say, a trip to grandma’s wasn’t gonna happen that year… so we planned a neighborhood Thanksgiving feast! A kind neighbor volunteered to host us and everyone brought a dish. I think it was one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I’ve ever had.

So what does that have to do with bartering, you ask? Not a lot. But my point was that folks in our small community got to know each other pretty well. There was no internet back then. We had close connections with neighbors, connections that opened the door to bartering. Trading for things we needed seemed like the most normal thing in the world—bartering just kind of happened organically.

Bartering has been around longer than money as we know it. Since man first set foot on the world stage, humans have traded for food, tools, weapons, and other essentials for life. The history of bartering dates as far back as 6000 B.C. Introduced by Mesopotamian tribes, the practice of bartering was adopted by the Phoenicians. Babylonians also developed a bartering system where goods were exchanged for food, tea, weapons, and spices. Salt was another popular item exchanged—it was so valuable that Roman soldiers’ salaries were paid in salt, which they used as currency to obtain goods. In the Middle Ages, Europeans traveled around the globe to barter crafts and furs in exchange for silks and perfumes. Colonial Americans exchanged musket balls, deer skins, and wheat with Native American tribes. And, of course, today’s politicians barter all the time to get their pet projects through (“You vote for my bill and I’ll vote for yours”).

Due to a general lack of money during the Great Depression, bartering helped people through really hard times. But once economic stability was regained, and, especially with the advent of  “dual-earner couples,” bartering fell by the wayside.

The old adage, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” is still true today. With the rise in the cost of living since the pandemic, people can trim their budget by trading goods and services, often without any money changing hands. As a retiree with more time on my hands, I’m able to offer canned and baked goods and services like house sitting and pet sitting in exchange for odd jobs such as shoveling snow, carpentry, and dealing with computer issues (my nemesis)—jobs I don’t have the expertise, tools, energy, or patience to do.

Back when I bartered to stretch the family budget, trades were made mostly with friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Today, there are dozens of internet sites devoted entirely to bartering. BarterOnly.com,  eBay, and Barterquest give anyone who wants to barter access to a huge market. There are even specialized bartering sites devoted to a single product or service.  SharedEarth matches people looking for local gardening plots with landowners. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist.org, and Nextdoor.com are primarily used for buying and selling, but also provide avenues for trading. Even sites that don’t include a section devoted to barter can still be used for this purpose; just post a “For Sale” listing and include the words “for trade” in the title.

If you’re interested in bartering, but don’t think you have anything to trade, here’s a list of suggested activities to give you ideas and help you get started.

Raise chickens.

You can grow chickens for meat or eggs or both. Chickens require little maintenance, and fresh eggs are perfect for swapping. I let my customers know that my hens free-range (lots of good insects!), and are fed the best organic layer feed money can buy. In addition to cash customers, I’ve traded for fresh-cut herbs, clothes alterations, and even a haircut.

Plant a garden.

Fresh food is a highly sought-after commodity for people looking to eat healthily. You can advertise your produce locally on Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor.com, or set up at farmer’s markets and fairs. Be sure to mention that you are interested in making a trade, and include what you might be willing to trade for. My daughter runs a wedding and event venue on her farm in Maryland where she hosts a farmer’s market twice a year that brings in huge crowds. Vendors can sell anything “farm-related, handcrafted, homemade, or homegrown,” but the primary focus of her events is small livestock and agricultural produce. In addition to selling their wares, vendors can swap with other vendors

Learn to cook or bake.

People have to eat, and with their busy schedules, not everyone has the time to cook. Focus on one or two specialty dishes that you can market in your community to acquire things you need. While it might take a while to build a clientele, word of mouth will reward your efforts to provide a quality alternative to commercial takeout.

Learn a new skill.

Learning a new craft or skill will not only save your family money because you’ll be able to do it for yourself; it will also give you a service to barter. Years ago, I took an H&R Block income tax course, and instead of going to work for them, I created my own business doing basic tax returns and sometimes did trades with customers in lieu of payment.

Hone a skill you already have such as tree trimming, sewing, lawnmower repair, or basic carpentry. Passing out flyers in your community can help drum up business. Make it known on the flyer that you’re open to bartering.

Plant a flower garden.

There’s a growing market (pardon the pun) for fresh-cut flowers. I gave up buying expensive sympathy and “get well” cards years ago, realizing that a flower bouquet may not last as long as a card, but is just as uplifting, if not more so. My daughter has a beautiful flower garden that she opens up several times during the season to the public. She has a large network of local buyers who come to the farm and accepts trades, especially a good bottle of wine or homemade cheese!

Start a bartering club. A great way to save money and create connections with neighbors is to start a local bartering club. You and your neighbors can trade for things you need while creating a close-knit community and keeping more of your hard-earned money. Grassrootgrantmakers.org has some excellent advice on how to start and operate a neighborhood bartering club. Once you find a core of interested people, you can get together to discuss club rules and how it will work.

In times of high inflation and tight money, bartering can leave more cash in your wallet.

The post Keep More Cash in Your Wallet by Bartering appeared first on Homestead.org.

In times of economic downturn, there are two ways you can reduce the financial strain of inflation: create an additional income source, or prioritize costs and cut back on non-essential spending to save money. I’ll leave the revenue-increasing strategies to others with more experience on that side of the equation. I am old enough, however, to have lived through several recessions and periods of high inflation that required tightening the proverbial belt and waiting for better times.

The focus of this article is on how to achieve more control over what goes out the door, financially speaking. You are probably aware of some of the steps below—and may have already put them into practice—but if you learn just one or two cost-saving measures here, then it will have been worth reading.

Pay off your credit cards.

One of the biggest drains on family budgets is high-interest debt. This includes credit card debt, personal loans, and any other form of borrowing that carries a high interest rate. Reducing these liabilities can significantly improve your financial stability and free up cash flow. According to wallethub.com, the national average annual interest rate on existing credit card accounts is 23%. Your credit score (also known as your FICO score) is one of the factors that determines the amount of interest you pay; the higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate. (Your credit score also factors into the amount you pay for homeowners and auto insurance.)

Credit cards should be viewed not as a way to get something now that you can’t pay for, but as a way to get something you want or need now, but won’t have the cash for until your paycheck, Social Security benefit, income tax refund, or anticipated windfall hits your bank account.

If possible, pay off the balance every month. If you have credit card debt that you’d like to pay off faster, look for 0% APR balance transfer offers or low-interest personal loans from your bank. A 0% balance transfer can give you time to pay back what you owe without paying interest. Your entire payment is applied to the principal. Personal loans, meanwhile, can help you consolidate high-interest debts at a lower fixed rate.

Shop insurance policies to save money.

I routinely shop my homeowners and auto insurance policies every two or three years. It’s been my experience that companies offer a low rate to get your business, then raise it substantially a year or two later. This year, my homeowners policy increased by several hundred dollars. When I called to find out why, my call wasn’t returned. That made my decision to get competitive quotes for both home and auto insurance an easy one. With a time investment of only a couple of hours, I saved over $600 by bundling both policies (with the same coverages) with a new carrier.

Buy used.

A few years ago, I bought a new car for $32,000. Not long after, my daughter bought the same make and model, but two years older with 30,000 miles on it, and paid $17,000. Her car payment was half of what I was paying. I’d still be making a car payment long after hers was paid for. If you want new and can afford it, then by all means, go for it, but bear in mind that buying a used car can be a big cost-saver. Likewise, buying tools and equipment from live and online auction houses, Habitat for Humanity (ReStore), Craigslist.com, and TractorHouse.com can save you a ton of money.

Barter.

Trading for goods and services can be a great way to cut your homestead costs. If you have a special skill to offer, an abundance of a certain vegetable, handicrafts, or almost anything, you have a commodity to offer for trade. Consider being part of, or starting, a Homestead Exchange where goods and services are traded. The exchange will enable you to meet people that are doing what you’re doing, hold similar values, and understand the struggles you face. It’s a great way to learn from those who’ve been doing this for a lot longer and share your experiences with others.

Join a community co-op.

A co-op can serve as a valuable resource, offering members the opportunity to pool resources, share knowledge, and build a network of support to help navigate the complexities of homesteading. Working as a unit, members leverage their collective abilities and resources, such as tools and machinery, in activities such as bulk purchasing of supplies, group workshops, and cooperative food production. This collaborative approach not only makes the challenging lifestyle of homesteading more manageable and cost-efficient, but also enriches the experience for all members. If there isn’t a co-op in your area, consider starting one.

Stock up on non-perishable food items.

It’s as inevitable as death and taxes: food is always going to be more expensive, so storing staples now means saving money down the road. This is especially important if your food budget is fairly constant year over year. If you catch something on sale (things your family will actually eat), pick up a few extra. Staples like beans, rice, grains, sugar, pasta, and oatmeal can be stored for long periods of time without spoiling. Just be sure to mark expiration dates and use the oldest items first.

I’ve read that grocery stores typically stock enough food to feed the local community for three days, so if a distribution emergency hits (think back to Covid), the shelves will empty pretty fast. Having a long-term food supply on hand means greater food security, saving you time and money in the process.

Learn to do things for yourself.

We live in a society where it’s routine to pay people for all kinds of services: housecleaning, auto maintenance, plumbing, electrical work, landscaping, tree trimming, appliance repairs, upholstering furniture, even food delivery. Since one of the primary goals of homesteading is to be self-reliant and create a self-sufficient lifestyle, why not expand your knowledge and expertise at doing some of these jobs yourself.

I recently called the contractor who put on my new roof to refer me to someone who could re-attach my front bumper after it fell off (a long story!). He told me he could do it and two days later, my bumper was back on, good as new. It came out during our conversation that he also did plumbing, car repairs, electrical work, tree trimming, excavation, and carpentry—he was truly a “jack of all trades.” Amazed, I asked him how he learned to do all of this stuff, and he said, “If another man can do it, I can do it.” A tad chauvinistic perhaps, but you get the point.

There are unlimited DIY tutorial videos online with advice and detailed instructions on just about any project you can imagine. Start with an easy project, like learning to grow sprouts, installing a fire pit, building a hoop house, or starting a composting system to build your confidence and go from there. Living as a homesteader requires many hands-on skills. It can be fun and rewarding to learn a new skill or create something, especially when it makes your life easier or better and you end up saving money.

Pay off your vehicles.

If you can manage it, paying off your vehicles can save you a bunch in interest. When my mother passed away, I received a small inheritance. There were lots of things I could have spent it on, but one of the smartest moves I ever made was to pay off my car. Not only was there no more car payment—I saved hundreds of dollars in interest. I realize I’m probably jinxing myself by saying this, but I paid off my 2007 Chevy in 2010, and except for tires, oil changes, and a couple of small repair bills, I’ve been driving a (relatively) “free car” to this day.

Consider installing a wood stove.

If you’ve been struggling with high heat bills in the winter, installing a wood stove is something you might consider, especially if you have a woodlot on your property or access to free firewood. I’ve never had my electric bill go down, so chances are, these high prices are not going to go away. Sure, it will require an investment to buy and install a wood stove, but heating with firewood can eliminate a good portion of that winter electric bill for many years to come. Frugality aside, the coziness and warmth of a wood fire brings people (and families) together.

Pay it forward: help your neighbor.

I’ve saved the best for last with this one. Being self-sufficient doesn’t mean that you will never need anything from anyone else. There will come times when you will need the help of your neighbors, just as there will be times when you can lend them a helping hand. Maybe there’s an older couple that needs help chopping firewood and getting it into their woodshed, or a neighbor with a fence that needs mending—offer to help and maybe enlist another neighbor to come with you. Community spirit is contagious and all it takes is one to set the example.

Homesteading is all about bringing together a community of like-minded individuals committed to shared goals and mutual support. The Prairie Homestead has some great tips on how to cultivate a homesteading community.

In the end, inflation may be beyond your control—but your response to it doesn’t have to be. By embracing some simple practices, you can stretch your resources without sacrificing your values. Whether it’s paying off debt, learning new skills, or helping a neighbor stack wood, small shifts can lead to savings and, perhaps, a deeper sense of connection. As tough times come and go, this kind of resilience becomes not just a strategy, but a lifestyle—one rooted in adaptability, generosity, and hope.

The post Fighting Inflation: Frugality Wins the Day on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

“During late spring and early summer, when nesting birds need to find a constant supply of high-protein food for their offspring, insects make up the great majority of many bird’s diets,” says Craig Tufts, chief naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation. Tufts’ advice to gardeners is to learn which birds live and nest in your area and lure them in with bird-friendly, native landscaping. Talk with your local agricultural extension office to find out which plants will offer insect- and bird-attracting leaves, berries, seeds, pollen, and nectar that will appeal to and sustain birds and their insect-eating offspring. Adding a water source, brush piles, or shrubs for cover and protection from the weather and predators, nest boxes, and a dead tree or two (they provide nesting areas and harbor insects) will make your property irresistible to backyard birds.

Which backyard birds are the best bug-eaters? The truth is, most birds spend the breeding season combing your yard and garden for cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, whiteflies, aphids, earwigs, grubs, and other delectable insects. Out of necessity, they work morning ‘til night to fill the stomachs of their hungry offspring.

Below is a list of common backyard wild birds and some of the insect pests they eat. Depending on where you live, these bird groups can be your best allies in the fight to control garden pests.

Top Ten Wild Birds for Controlling Insects

Chickadees: All three species (Carolina, mountain, and black-capped) help control aphids, whiteflies, caterpillars, leafhoppers, earwigs, moths, and beetles. In the winter, they search tree crevices for insect eggs and hibernating adults, preventing insect blooms come springtime. Chickadees do not migrate, so they eat insects year-round.

Woodpeckers: Plots with lots of trees will find that woodpeckers are frequent visitors, even if they do tend to nest in more heavily wooded areas. With more than twenty species in the U.S. alone, they make short work of moth larvae, beetles, borers, weevils, caterpillars, and millipedes. The characteristic tap-tap sound of the woodpecker that you hear means it’s busy helping keep insect populations down.

Bluebirds: A striking bird with a sweet song, the bluebird is particularly effective at keeping grasshoppers under control. These prolific insect hunters also feed themselves and their offspring crickets, beetles, snails, sowbugs, larvae, and moths.

Nuthatches: Moving up and down the trees headfirst, nuthatches search for insects, insect eggs, and cocoons hidden in tree bark and branches. They also forage for borers, caterpillars, ants, and earwigs. Non-migrating, they provide efficient pest control during the winter months, seeking out and foraging on hibernating insects and their eggs.

Warblers: These small, colorful birds, known for their sweet songs, are extremely active insectivores, searching brushy areas, orchards, chaparral, parklands, and forest edges for caterpillars, larvae, aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies, and spiders.

Wrens: Wrens have a great appetite for insects, snails, and slugs. Minimizing insecticides and pesticides in the yard will ensure a healthy, abundant food source for wrens. They will also pluck spiders from webs, and glean ants, gnats, and other insects from foliage and tree bark.

Titmice: These omnivores are common backyard visitors that forage the limbs and trunks of trees, sometimes hanging upside down, for aphids, leafhoppers, stink bugs, snails, treehoppers, caterpillars, and beetles.

Swallows: These insect lovers can consume hundreds of flying insects every day, from moths to mosquitoes, as they swarm across fields and meadows, providing exceptional pest control. They also forage on beetles and grasshoppers.

Cardinals: The official state bird of seven eastern states, cardinals live in a variety of habitats where they help farmers and gardeners by eating plant-harming pests including aphids, grasshoppers, slugs, snails, cotton cutworms, and bollworms. They also eat beetles, leafhoppers, cicadas, moths, and stink bugs.

Grosbeaks: Living mostly in wooded areas, grosbeaks forage in shrubs and trees and on the ground for larvae, caterpillars, beetles, ants, sawflies, moths, and grasshoppers.  They also snag food while hovering, and sometimes fly out to grab insects in midair.

Of course, birds can’t completely rid your yard and garden of insects—and you wouldn’t want them to. Some insects are actually beneficial because they prey on other insects that can do damage to your garden. But attracting bug-loving birds will go a long way toward maintaining a healthy balance of “good” and “bad” insects. So the next time you see or hear a bird in your yard, you’ll know that your garden allies are hard at work, keeping your garden and landscaping healthy and productive.

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Individuals who’ve worked in the conservation field for decades, and studied the ecology of forests, fish, and wildlife, agree that the populations of many species are on the upswing. Many have become habituated to living around people, appearing in places where they didn’t exist just a few decades ago, often putting them in conflict with people. After talking with biologists and natural resource officers who deal with wildlife management for a living, I came away with a better understanding as to why we’re seeing more frequent negative interactions with wildlife.

To set the stage, the animals perceived as nuisance wildlife all have one thing in common—they are highly adaptive. They are generalists, able to live in many different habitat types, and have a varied diet, so when one source of food disappears, they can readily move to an alternate source. Having learned that where there are people, there is food, these opportunists are showing up in our yards and farms in increasing numbers, and they have no problem taking what they see as easy pickings, whether it’s garbage, pet food, garden crops, small livestock, and in some cases, even our pets.

One reason for the increase in wildlife populations is a decrease in hunting.  In the U.S., we’ve seen a cultural decline in teaching our children to hunt. Children now shoot fake guns in video games rather than getting up early to go deer hunting with Grandpa. Several decades of negative press aimed at hunters hasn’t helped either. Fewer hunters mean higher wildlife reproduction levels, which, in turn, drive up the competition for food and habitat. As food becomes hard to find, animals are forced into human-occupied areas, hence the raids on trash cans, gardens, henhouses, beehives, and bird feeders.

While it’s true that we need to respect and learn to coexist with wildlife, we also need sound, humane hunting and trapping practices to control their numbers. Not doing so leads to overpopulation, which leaves wildlife vulnerable to starvation and disease. When biologists study and track animal populations, they can adjust management goals. If a species’ population is stable, harvest goals can maintain those numbers, but if they skew too high or too low, harvest levels can be adjusted to achieve a population level in balance with available habitat and food supply.

Another reason for the increase in numbers is the encroachment of humans into formerly wild habitats. For the last 200 years, people moving into places that were historically forestland or prairie have depleted and fragmented the habitat available to animals, pushing them ever closer to heavily-populated areas, which puts them in conflict with people. Deer living in an area between major highways or around the edges of a golf course are unnatural situations. The deer are not there by choice—they are there because they have nowhere else to go.

Yet another reason we’re seeing more wildlife is the lack of natural predators. In the animal world, it’s a delicate balance of eat or be eaten. When a predator at the top of the food chain, whether bobcat, coyote, or wolf, disappears in an ecosystem due to the loss of habitat that supports them, the prey species (the animals that the predator ate) are the beneficiaries. Urban expansion into previously wild places has caused the decline of top-level predators by erasing large portions of their habitat, thereby allowing species lower on the food chain to multiply unchecked.

Wild animals living in proximity to human dwellings can lead to property damage, harassment of pets, loss of small livestock—and albeit rarely, the threat of rabies. Next to bats, raccoons are the second most common carriers of rabies. Raccoons have become somewhat reliant on human handouts or garbage for food, and are more than happy to take up residence in outbuildings, sheds, attics, and under porches or sheds, wherever there is a nearby source of food (or heat in the winter).

Black bears are lovable creatures in the wild, but on the homestead, they can wreak havoc. A bear paid a visit to our farm one night, no doubt lured in by our honey bee hives. One morning, we found two hives knocked over and damaged and the bees gone. The remaining hives were left intact. Knowing the bear would return for more honey, we enclosed the hives with electrified cattle fencing with a voltage high enough to deter an animal that could weigh up to 500 pounds. We had bears come through periodically after that (as evidenced by big limbs broken off our autumn olive and peach trees), but no more attacks on the hives.

Deer are becoming a universal problem, especially in populated areas where there is no pressure to cull their numbers. In these areas, they free range on ornamental shrubs, young orchards, blueberry bushes, and vegetable crops. With the absence of predators, the deer population multiplies, and so do the nuisance reports. The ideal solution to minimizing deer damage is to keep the population in balance with its natural habitat by culling, but there isn’t always a desire to do so.

The most persistent predators on our farm are rats and foxes. The rats eat chicken eggs and chicks, and I’ve lost more than one free-ranging hen to a cagey fox. Snakes are big predators of mice and rats, so they mostly get a pass except for rattlesnakes and copperheads, which get a free ride to another part of the farm. Our dogs help keep the foxes away, but they aren’t always outside where they can thwart a fox attack; the aptly-named “wily” fox merely waits for an opportunity to strike when the dogs aren’t around. They attack swiftly and stealthily, most times vanishing before you even know they’re there.
It’s important to remember that while an individual animal exhibiting behavior that conflicts with human expectations may be labeled as “nuisance wildlife,” we must be careful not to apply this term to an entire species. All native species contribute to balanced ecosystems. As stewards of the earth, we need to look for ways to minimize conflict so we continue to have wild animals around to enjoy. Sound conservation management, humane hunting and trapping, and taking measures to minimize negative interactions with wildlife will go a long way toward controlling nature’s creatures that are only trying to survive.

My chicken coop is now predator-proofed to keep the rats from eating the eggs and the foxes from killing the hens. I’ve won the battle this time, but I believe the rat, along with the fox and the coyote, will be around to inherit the earth.

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