toms pictureFrog Picture

 
Oregon's Premier Water Gardening Nursery
 
Wildlife Issue Newsletter                      2010

September 2010                       Volume 3    Issue 9

Labor Day Weekend Sale
40% off

ALL WATER PLANTS, GARDEN PLANTS, AND POTTERY.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND MONDAY
(SEPTEMBER 3rd - 6th)



FALL Sale  September 07 - 20th

30% OFF ALL WATER PLANTS, GARDEN PLANTS AND POTTERY. 


Tinkerbelle's Tips

Tinkerbelle Hughes
toms picture
 

PREDATOR CONTROL

Is your pond becoming the neighborhood lunch wagon or a playground for furry and feathered friends?


Hughes Water Gardens offers these suggestions:
 
Fishing Line for Herons:  Criss-cross fishing line above your pond 7 feet or higher with about 3 feet in between.  This will make it harder for humans to see but the heron will be deterred for fear of entanglement. 

Heron Replica (decoy):  Herons are a territorial bird and if they think they see another bird they may stay out of the area.  Important: The more realistic the replica the better. (Heron are smart and skilled hunters). Regular relocation of the replica is necessary for the same reason.

Gazing Globes:
Non-breakable floating gazing globes are placed in your pond so heron see their reflection. This causes the heron to believe another heron is nearby and leave.

Pond Dyes:
Pond dye not only helps with algae control but it also makes it harder for predators to see your fish. The disadvantage: it is harder for you to see your fish as well! We have black and also blue dye choices that can be very attractive in your pond.

Construction and Planting Techniques:
Making your pond deep with straight sides can help fight predators.  Raccoons can swim but prefer not to. Heron generally like wading into the pond. Both prefer an easy lunch. By providing an abundance of plants and or rock caves, your fish can hide.  Plants however can become a play toy for raccoons.

Traps:
Humane traps for raccoons can be effective. The question is where do you relocate the animal after you capture them?  Your neighbors out in the country will not appreciate any donations.

Scarecrow: 
This is a battery powered, motion-activated impact sprinkler. It simply connects to your garden hose. This has been proven effective for both heron and raccoon. 

Hot wire (electric fence):
By far the most effective. By placing one or two low voltage wires around the perimeter of your pond you build an almost impenetrable fortress for your valued plants and fish.  Of course, there are a couple of downsides (figures!).  Firstly if you are not careful humans and pets might experience the low voltage charm.  Secondly you will have to adjust to your new visual aesthetics of the pond. In plain language, it just does not look quite as nice.
 
Pond & Garden Guard II:
A motion detector that has sound, strobe light, and reflective mirror.  It covers all the bases.

Still not sure? Come in and the staff at Hughes Water Gardens can assist you.


Free Classes

Sept.11, Saturday
10:00
Building Ponds & Waterfalls

September 18, Saturday
10:00
Planting your Pond with Winter Interest Aquatic Plants

September 25, Saturday
10:00
Pondless Waterfalls & Creeks
2:00
Winterizing Your Pond

All Classes are free and last from 1 to 2 hours .

Classes take place at our nursery.




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Attracting Frogs to your Pond

There are two main native frog species living in the Willamette Valley. These are the Pacific Tree Frog and the Northern Red-legged frog.
 
The Northern red-legged frog is considered a sensitive species. Its numbers are fairly strong but shrinking. Red-legged frogs prefer cool damp forests and wetlands. They are up to 4 inches long, mottled brown in color  and are recognizable by a dark  "Zorro" like mask around their eyes, a characteristic light stripe along their lip line and in adults, a reddish color under their back legs.  They lay their large egg mass in the water and need aquatic plants to anchor the egg mass in place. The Red-legged frog's diet consists primarily of invertebrates (insects etc.). Their decline in the Northwest is due, in part, to habitat loss and to predation by the much larger non- native bullfrog. 

The Pacific tree frog, remains abundant and are commonly seen in the Willamette Valley. Adults are about 1.25 to 1.5 inches long and are usually green or brown. Mating season runs from early March until late May or early June.  You'll know when mating season begins, as the male frogs will begin to sing. Though some
may dislike this onslaught (or chorus-depending on your point of view) of sound, it will quiet soon enough, leading to an abundance of tadpoles. At Hughes Water Gardens, tadpole season is very popular with children and adults. Watching the process of transformation from tadpole to frog, is a fascinating and an enjoyable activity. The Pacific Tree Frog is the only frog in our area that can lay more than one batch of eggs during a season.  

Attracting frogs to your pond:

Provide still water and plant material.
Plant material is needed for
female frogs to attach their egg mass to. It's also a place for frogs and immature froglets to rest and hide.  Use all the categories of pond plants - submerged plants for oxygen, such as hornwort, floating plants such as water lettuce and water hyacinth, floating leaved plants such as waterlilies and marginals like cattails, irises, etc.  Plants provide natural filtration, reducing your need for algaecides and other pond cleaning chemicals.

Don't over clean your pond.
A little algae on the sides and
a layer of muck on the bottom provides food and cover for tadpoles. Have a mixture of sun and shade. Tadpoles love to bask in the sun, but also need some shade. Keep the habitat as natural as possible. Make the access to water easy by creating gradual slopes into the water and by providing logs and rocks to hop onto.

Hint: You can supplement tadpoles diet with commercial fish flakes or small pieces of boiled and cooked Romaine lettuce two or three times a day.

Water quality:
Tap water contains chlorine and other chemicals that
are harmful to frogs.  Always dechlorinate  your water when filling or adding new water to your pond. Reduce chemical use around your landscape. Frogs, with their porous skin, are very sensitive to pollution.  Garden chemicals can easily migrate into the pond due to run off and drifting on wind currents. This can kill not only your frogs, but also your fish! Over use of pesticides will deprive the frogs of their favorite food-insects!!

Speaking of fish, Koi and Goldfish will eat any tadpoles,
that they can fit into their mouths. In order to have
a successful crop of tadpoles, you may have to forgo
these two types of fish.

Shelter:
Provide shelter for frogs outside of the pond as well.
Frogs need damp and cool places to rest and hide.
They spend much of their time outside of the pond.
You'll often find them resting under flowerpots and
amongst the leaves of plants like Canna lilies and
Bananas. 

Frogs benefit our lives in many ways.
  • They are insect eaters and help reduce insect populations.
  • They are adorable and fun to watch.
  • Their serenade is a serene sound after a hectic day.

Never introduce a non-native species (North American bull frog) into the environment.  Non-native animals and plants compete with native species, all too often destroying them in the process. 

In conclusion:

Enjoy your froggy guests and remember:
Don't croak about the noise, sing with them !

toms picture


Dragonflies and Damselflies

Telling the difference between dragonflies and a damselflies
 
Dragonflydragonfly
4 wings
stocky body
Front and back wings are different shapes.
Non-folding wings, generally straight out while at rest
Large compound eyes that are connected.
 
Damselfly
4 wing
Slender body and long slim tail
Front and back wings are similar shape
Folding wings, generally folded over their backs while at rest.
Large compound eyes that are separated
 
Natural History
The dragonfly got it name from its fierce jaws, which they use to catch flies and other winged insects, including mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.
 
Dragonflies are prehistoric insects.  A fossilized impression of a dragonfly wing, found in a coal mine in England, is the oldest known dragonfly specimen, dating back 300 million years.
 
Ancient dragonflies may have been considerably larger than those we see today.  The largest known dragonfly had a wingspan of 24 inches. Today, the wingspan islk slightly over seven inches.  Other than being smaller, modern-day dragonflies do not look very different from their ancestors.
 
Wings of Wonder
Dragonflies can fly forwards, backwards and sideways at speeds up to 25 to 30 miles per hour, their highly "geared" wings allow them to hover and soar.  Damselflies cannot fly as fast, nor do their wings allow them to soar, but they are highly maneuverable, able to turn 189 degrees with a single beat of their wings!
 
Keen Eyesight
Dragonflies' ability to maneuver makes them able to out-fly their prey.  But dragonflies also have the advantage of excellent eyesight, in fact they have nearly 360 degree vision:  If you've ever watched dragonflies, no doubt you have noticed their huge eyes. Each of the two large eyes is made up of thousands of six-sided units.  Together, these smaller eyes enable a dragonfly to detect even the slightest movement. 
 
Are Dragonflies and Damselflies beneficial? 
Yes! Dragonflies are sometimes called "mosquito hawk" because they catch and eat so many mosquitoes.  Always on the hunt, dragonflies consume gnats, flies, and mosquitoes - all of which humans consider pests.  Dragonfly nymphs also feed on mosquito larvae.
 

 
 
Our Mailing Address
25289 SW Stafford Rd, Tualatin, OR 97062 
 
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9 to 6
Sunday
10 to 5

Our Telephone
503-638-1709
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