Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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How can birds eat if they have no teeth? Photo of heron by eNature Most people, even most kids, know that birds have no teeth. Likewise, it’s common knowledge that quite a few birds consume almost exclusively hard foods such as grains and seeds. So so how do birds digest these tough morsels if they can’t chew them into more edible pieces? The answer lies in a bird’s stomach—in the lower part of its stomach, to be specific, the area called the gizzard. It’s here that the powerful mixing and gnashing of food that occurs in human mouths...
Fight fire with plants? You bet. OSU fire booklet By Judy Scott With summer and wildfire season upon us, it's a good time to look at your yard and see if it's a fire hazard. One way to reduce the risk of a fire engulfing your house is by surrounding it with fire-resistant plants. Such plants do not readily ignite. They may be damaged or even killed by fire, but their foliage and stems do not significantly contribute to a fire's intensity, said Amy Jo Detweiler, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. In essence,...
Create Some Brush Piles Now And Watch Your Local Wildlife Thrive! Brush pile photo by eNature Autumn is the best time of the year to create some brush piles for the birds in your backyard. Fall trimmings can be piled up in a corner or along the edge of the yard, where it will give ground-inhabiting birds additional cover against winter weather and predators. About half the birds that we feed in our backyards spend much of their lives on the ground nesting, roosting and in search of food. Piles of brush are ideal protective cover for resident...
Create Some Brush Piles Now And Watch Your Local Wildlife Thrive! Brush pile photo by eNature Autumn is the best time of the year to create some brush piles for the birds in your backyard. Fall trimmings can be piled up in a corner or along the edge of the yard, where it will give ground-inhabiting birds additional cover against winter weather and predators. About half the birds that we feed in our backyards spend much of their lives on the ground nesting, roosting and in search of food. Piles of brush are ideal protective cover for resident...
Create brush piles and watch local wildlife thrive! Brush pile photo by eNature Autumn is the best time of the year to create some brush piles for the birds in your backyard. Fall trimmings can be piled up in a corner or along the edge of the yard, where it will give ground-inhabiting birds additional cover against winter weather and predators. About half the birds that we feed in our backyards spend much of their lives on the ground nesting, roosting and in search of food. Piles of brush are ideal protective cover for resident and migrating...
Photo of garlic Select healthy large cloves, free of disease. Photo by Rachel Beck Article By Tiffany Woods Fall is approaching but don't put away your hoe and gardening gloves just yet. September through November is the best time to plant garlic. Its roots develop in the fall and winter, and by early spring they can support the rapid leaf growth that is necessary to form large bulbs, said Chip Bubl, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. What type of garlic should you plant? Some gardeners like to grow...
Tips to deter pillaging raccoons By Judy Scott Raccoons are wonderful animals to watch, but can be a real pain in the garden. They dig in vegetable beds, eat fruit off trees and vines, knock down corn and break into bird feeders. By understanding the life and habits of these masked marauders, you can protect your landscaping and save your precious produce. Nocturnal by nature, raccoons often search for food late in the evening and early morning. They are omnivores and eat fruit, vegetables, eggs, birds, insects, carrion, fish and other aquatic...
What changes do the shorter days of fall bring about to animals and plants? Osprey at Walterville canal An Osprey nest along the Walterville power canal. By eNature With the fall equinox happening soon and fall almost upon us, we’re now seeing our days rapidly getting shorter. Some of us like the change but it seems most folks aren’t too happy to see the days get cooler and nights get longer. Plants and animals are affected too: it’s these variations in day length that help them set their internal clocks. Migratory birds are a prime examp...
By Tiffany Woods Mulching with leaves Now is the time to plan your no-till garden for next year. "The crux of no-till gardening is to pile on enough mulch so that weeds don't germinate and grow up through it," said Barb Fick, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, who has kept her large vegetable garden viable with the no-dig method for years. To establish a new no-till garden in the fall or winter find a sunny spot and outline where the new beds will be. Use a garden hose or rope if the borders are curved....
Image of rosemary From The Herb Companion By Tina Marie Wilcox Q. I have a potted rosemary plant in my house, and ever since I brought it in for the winter (I live in Wisconsin) it has been turning brown and seems to be dying. I’ve been watering it once a week. Am I overwatering it? I try to keep it in the sun when it shines in the kitchen window. Does it need more sun? Please help. A. Your rosemary’s symptoms indicate that death is near. Growing rosemary indoors is difficult because dry heat and other indoor conditions are contrary to the nee...
Rainwater system in McKenzie River Reflections From MOTHER EARTH NEWS By Cheryl Long Harvesting rainwater to use for growing vegetables makes a great deal of sense. Unfortunately, the most common method of rainwater harvesting isn’t the most effective. Typically, gardeners invest in a rain barrel - which holds only 50 or 60 gallons of water - and then dole out the captured water to plants as needed, hopefully emptying the barrel before the next storm. But 50 gallons is only a small fraction of the water you could be harvesting each time it r...
Flora in the McKenzie River area A wide range of plant life exists throughout the McKenzie River area - from the lower elevations of the western regions to above the tree line in the Cascades to the east. Some include: Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax) is a fire-resistant species that is the first plant to grow after a fire. Bear grass in the McKenzie River, Oregon area Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) is a native evergreen known as the king of Northwest ferns. Sword fern in the McKenzie River, Oregon area Boadleaf Stonecrop (Sedum...
Wheelbarrow plant container From Natural Home & Garden By Jenny Andrews If you’re looking for home décor that is beautiful, affordable, suited to any taste and actually improves the health and wellness of your home, look no further than your neighborhood garden center. With their wide array of colors, shapes and textures, houseplants are a perfect way to enliven your home’s interior landscape. They’re a fun outlet for gardening in winter and a perfect way to connect with nature in urban homes without much outdoor space. Living with...
Photo of rain garden From GRIT magazine By Patricia Escarcega Tired of that muddy puddle in the middle of the yard, or that washed-out mini-gulley that forms whenever a downpour loads up your home’s downspouts? If so, it might be time to get a handle on all that runoff and put it to good use with a rain garden. These shallow saucer-shaped gardens, commonly described as “nature’s water filters,” are designed to capture excess runoff that can potentially wreak havoc on your soil and pollute waterways. All you need to create your own rain garden...
From The Herb Companion By Kathleen Halloran When I discover an undemanding plant that thrives in my toughest garden spots, I’m usually not surprised to learn how it comes by its easygoing nature: It’s a native. Many native plants are tough, drought-tolerant, heat-resistant, cold-tolerant and low-maintenance - qualities that make them perfect for that patch of horticultural challenge known as The Hell Strip. That’s the epithet given to the long, narrow strip sandwiched between the street and the sidewalk, usually a rectangle of grass or weeds...
Garden Tips from Mother Earth News From: MOTHER EARTH NEWS Story by: Ellen Sandbeck Summertime, and the living is too mosquitoey and itchy? It’s a common complaint. And mosquitoes are not only a nuisance - they can also spread West Nile virus. Wearing loose, light-colored pants and long-sleeved cotton shirts is helpful in fending off mosquitoes. On particularly muggy and buggy days, you can wear a head net, though sometimes that’s more than one can bear. For many people, the solution is to reach for a DEET-based repellent before venturing out...
Bird watching opportunities in the McKenzie River area Prime Time to Spot Hummingbirds in Oregon Ruous hummingbird in Oregon By Chris Thomas, Oregon News Service It's hard to believe summer is coming to an end, but the birds know it. People who band hummingbirds in order to track their migration patterns say the birds already have put on weight for their long journey south - and in Oregon, August and September are the prime time to see them. Fred Bassett, founder of Hummingbird Research, sometimes invites people to watch the banding process up...
