Hi Eric,
As someone with a lifelong interest in nature-friendly gardening, I want to
take this opportunity to point out that keeping leaves (where there is no lawn
to be smothered) is extremely helpful to wildlife. White-throats and other
bird species kick through the leaves because it's a good place to look for
overwintering insects. With so many kinds of insects reduced in number, it's
crucial for folks to keep leaves in their landscape, if they can. Many kinds of
butterflies, for example, overwinter as eggs, caterpillars, or pupae in leaf
"litter" (I don't like this use of the term, with its negative connotations),
which illustrates how easily people kill wildlife when yards are overly
"manicured".
Sincerely,Marlene
In a message dated 2/5/2019 2:46:55 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
I don't have good records to compare year-over-year, but we have had a
consistently large flock of white-throated sparrows at our feeders in Fairfax
County (Fort Hunt area) this winter -- far more than we've had over the past
four years. At least six at a time, and often at least a dozen (their constant
motion makes getting a firm count challenging!). Perhaps in part because we
didn't get our backyard leaves raked before the rain and snow hit?
-Eric PourchotAlexandria, VA (Fairfax County)*** You are subscribed to VA-bird
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