Birds use a variety of adaptations for surviving in cold climates, including fluffing their feathers, roosting and cuddling, tucking their feet and bills, and even shivering to stay warm, according to Tina Shaw for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. With that in mind, however, there are a variety of ways in which you can proactively protect, support, and provide for backyard birds throughout the winter months. From the value of effective shelter to providing adequate nutrition and beyond, properly preparing your backyard can be made simple. Preparing Adequate Shelter Providing shelter for backyard birds is a simple and effective way to […]
Category: Wildlife
8 Easy Fall Garden Cleanup Tasks
The days are turning shorter and cooler as the growing season ends. As gardeners, it’s hard to let go of the plants we’ve been nurturing for the last six months, but there are many tasks we can accomplish to prepare for next year’s garden. Garden Notes Now is an excellent time to make final notes and take photos for planning for next spring. Having garden notes allows us to dream of warmer days as winter progresses. If you haven’t already, request a copy of the latest Jung Seed catalog to inspire you for next year. Mulching & Composting If you’re […]
The Wings Of April
April has arrived and soon, the wings of spring will dance across our yards and gardens, and landscapes. Spring songbird migration is on and with every strong south wind, more and more migrants will sweep into the Wisconsin area. Here is a guide to some of the amazing spring migrating songbirds of April. In my next blog, I’ll introduce you to even more incredible birds of April. Purple Finch Beautiful and vivacious in a unique wine purple, this finch is found in our area during spring and fall migration. Sometimes confused with the house finch, the purple finch is, as […]
Protect Your Garden From Unwanted Animals
As a young man, I often visited my grandparent’s cabin in northern Wisconsin. The cabin had abundant wildlife, including a large herd of deer. While fun to observe, the deer would decimate the hostas in the landscape every year. After years of frustration, I replaced the hostas with plants deer prefer to avoid. You’ve probably experienced similar problems in your garden, whether you encounter deer, rabbits, or other types of animals. Animal pests can wreak havoc on plants, from veggies to trees. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize damage to the plants. Deer Deer may be the most damaging animal […]
6 Tips For Keeping Baby Copperheads Away From Your Garden
Gardening is an experience that typically brings a lot of wildlife to your front door. In most cases, this is seen as a positive thing; however, when one of those animals, such as the infamous Copperhead, is a venomous snake, it’s easy to see why most people would love to keep them out. With so many places to hide in, Copperheads typically go unnoticed until you happen to walk upon them one day, something that almost everyone wants to prevent. So, to help, here are six tips on keeping these slithery unwanted guests away from your gardening space. Don’t Make […]
Bee Kind Gardening – A Guide To Plant & Pollinator Balance
The word “Native” is an ambiguous definition when it comes to plants. Native to where? To North America? To a geographic region? To your entire state, county, or just your neighborhood? Plants don’t read books, but they are smart; they simply grow where they have suitable conditions for success. All plants have adopted strategies and mechanisms that send cues and signals to attract pollinators that form the foundation of our earthly balance between all plants and animals. Going All Native? Not So Fast! Maybe a gardener will choose to put in plants for a specific habitat or pick plants that […]
Complete Guide To Lizards, Frogs & Toads In The Garden
Any gardener knows that having a familiarity with the creatures that live in their garden is crucial to raising healthy vegetables, beautiful flowers, and other pretty perfect plants. Everyone knows about the benefits that bugs and insects like worms, bees, and ladybugs bring to the garden as soil aerators, pollinators, and pest exterminators, respectively. Any gardener you ask will also have a rant cued up about the frustration of dealing with hungry rabbits, marauding deer, and interloping aphids. Less well known, however, are the pros and cons of the various lizards, frogs, and toads that are likely to call a […]
5 Holiday Gift Ideas For Gardeners
Jung Seed is excited to offer Holiday Gifts for your gardener in your life. We have partnered with two local Wisconsin companies and one non-profit to bring you a unique selection. New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm is family-owned and located near Baraboo, Wisconsin. They have created a place where visitors can relax and enjoy the sweet aroma of lavender while admiring breath-taking views of their farm. New Life strives to provide a place for people to re-connect despite the hustle and bustle of life. Jung Seed is offering a selection of New Life’s lavender products perfectly paired with other […]
Fall Gardening: End Of Season Tasks
Fall brings shorter days, cooler temperatures, and time to enjoy the bounty of the gardening season. Taking care of some garden tasks in the fall is an excellent way to ensure the garden is at its best for the upcoming spring season. Fall Garden Cleanup As vegetable plants decline, they can be pulled up and added to the compost pile, tilled into the garden to break down, or pulled up and covered with organic mulch. Any plants showing signs of disease or infection are best disposed of or burned to reduce the chances of disease organisms overwintering and promoting problems […]
Deer-Resistant Gardening Tips
When you stop and contemplate how amazingly successful and adaptive deer have been in our urban environments, you have to simply admire them. They are even more adaptive than we are. The first element for us to recognize is that our homes, neighborhoods, and developments have encroached on their habitats and not the other way around. Deer are not coming into our yards because they like our company, they are searching for a tasty meal that we’ve unintentionally provided. We, as gardeners and indeed humans, are forced into the awkward and embarrassing position of having to become smarter than they […]