Hi from Toni & Marc, National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassadors!

What do you see when you look at a flowerbed that has gone to seed?  I see beautiful songbirds, natural mulch that retains water, tiny leaf-litter animals improving soil, materials for next year’s native bird nests, and cover for bugs that are a critical part of our food chain.  Leaf litter is much different than most human litter. It is used and recycled by the soil food chain.

Being a neat freak in the yard not only destroys habitat value, but it’s important to us too. “Perhaps solid waste landfills … are the single largest man-made source of methane in the United States” says Janet Marinelli in an article from the National Wildlife Magazine at www.nwf.org/NationalWildlife/printerFriendly.cfm?issueID=124&articleID=1646

Watch for Chimney Swifts gathering for migration at very large, uncapped chimneys.  They look like smoke going into the chimney – what a show! 
Here are directions to one site in Columbus:  http://columbusoh.wbu.com/content/show/25766

Migration is here.  See approximate fall migration timetable from birdnature:   http://www.birdnature.com/falloh.html

Cricket weathermen!  Count the cricket chirps in 13 seconds and add 40 to get the approximate current temperature. Only males chirp for courting and this only works down to about 55 degrees.  Below that it’s too cold to court.  http://www.snopes.com/science/cricket.asp

Take time out each day to look in your yard and enjoy! 

– Toni, www.backyardhabitat.info

+ Nature ‘Stuff’
- Weds, 9/9, 8:45-3:15, Invasive Plants in Southeast
Ohio, 710 Collegiate Dr, Marietta, see: www.oipc.info for more information
- Sat, 9/12, 10AM, Growing Native Trees in Pots, Inniswood Metro Park,Westerville,  Scroll down at http://www.for-wild.org/chapters/columbus
- Sun, 9/13, 2-5pm, Green Family Fun event, in front of wind turbine and solar panels at Glacier Ridge Metro Park
- Sept 11, 12 or 13, A Swift’s Night Out, 30 minutes before dusk. 1919 West Bridge Street in Dublin. If you’d like to count them and report your tally see http://www.chimneyswifts.org/
- Sat,9/19, 9am-6pm, Scioto Gardens’ Fall Equinox Festival, page down to special events at Scioto Gardens here http://www.sciotogardens.com/events.html
- Sat, 10/3, Wildlfest, Ohio Wildlife Center, http://ohiowildlifecenter.org/ click on Events
- Tues, 10/6, MORPC Summit at COSI, 8am-6pm, www.greenregion.org/

Nan Platt writes:

Bill is just back [from a walk] and he told me of a thrilling moment seeing a deer soaring across Overbrook. Several weeks ago, we had a young fox visit us in the early morning, circling round and round in and out of the plants and shrubbery, before trotting off.

Looking back at its siblings.

We have been enjoying the company of baby foxes recently. Above are two photos that my dad took of one of them.

Earlier this spring, we heard our neighbors had a den in their backyard… several weeks ago, the babies started exploring the area. I’m not sure how many there are, but we’ve seen at least two at once. They wander around our yard like a pet dog or cat. They have been very bold and curious. I’ve seen them following our neighbors as they’ve unloaded their car…they kept a distance of about 8-10 feet…darting backwards if the people changed direction.

One of them came right up to our side door when it smelled the cooking inside; Mike had to shoo it away. They’re so cute, I almost wanted to toss it a treat….(of course I wouldn’t). One day, another one followed Mike around while he was working in the yard. They started becoming so friendly and fearless, we wondered if something had happened to the parents, but our neighbors said they still saw the parents coming and going from the den.

A few days ago, we saw one following a cat….it stayed about 15 feet behind it. We thought it might be stalking it, but when the cat took off running, the fox didn’t give chase. We have found some partially eaten rabbits in the yard. The adult foxes don’t hang around very long and maintain more distance, so it’s been fun to watch the young ones. We look forward to watching the babies grow over the summer!

Dear Adena Brook Neighbors,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying this glorious, early-summer weather.

I need to comment, if you will indulge me, on some misinformation that has made the rounds about some of our wild brethren. I will be brief, but do hope that you will take this information into consideration.

* The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is indigenous to most of the North American continent.
* Adult weight is usually 6.5 – 20 pounds.
* The majority of a fox’s diet consists of invertebrates such as insects, mollusks (yard grubs), and crayfish. They also feed upon mice, rats, young rabbits (not adult), frogs, and eggs. A substantial portion of a fox’s diet is also comprised of fruit and berries. They will also eat carrion….contributing to the overall cleanliness of an area.
* Foxes have disproportionately small stomachs, compared to dogs and cats, and thus, eat only small prey.
* Foxes tend to be crepuscular, meaning that they are active at dawn and dusk, but seldom during the daylight or nighttime hours.
* Foxes are SOLITARY hunters. They do not form packs. They do not live communally as do other canids. They are monogamous during the breeding season and spend the rest of the year alone.
* Foxes do NOT attack domestic animals….cats, dogs, etc. They pose NO threat to pets and indeed, keep their / our environment free of rodents and other pests.
* When crows are heard fussing and carrying on, it is NOT on account of foxes. The two species are not even awake and active at the same times during the day. When the crows are fussing, look carefully for the red-tailed hawk as he is usually the cause of the commotion.
* The average feeding/breeding range of a fox is up to 22 acres thus, they do NOT commonly share territory or over-populate an area.

* We have a family of foxes in the brook area this season and are wonderfully fortunate to be able to see them from time to time. This is a reclusive species and to observe them for a time is a privilege and a joy. They are our wild brethren. We share this earth. We share this community. Please let us NOT fall ‘prey’ to wanton misinformation. Please let us respect these creatures and honor their habits. They and their kind were, after all, here long before we were……..and I believe we do well to remember this.

My best to all during this lovely season. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts.

Kindest personal regards,

Cari Brackett, Pharm.D.
Associate Clinical Professor
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
Department of Family Medicine
500 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-5718
FAX (614) 292-1335

Hi from Toni & Marc, National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassadors!

Celebrate National Pollinator week by coming to our Annual ‘Parade of Certified Wildlife Gardens’ on Sunday, June 28 from noon to 6. All of the gardens are in the Worthington area this year.

For more information see – maps are in Tour Guide on the right side of the main page.

They are also excellent pollinators, far more proficient than European honeybees. To see information about pollinators of all sorts visit the Pollinator Partnership,

Have a happy summer!

About 50 neighbors shared the annual community potluck!

7:18 PM, May 3, 2009

We just saw 4 deer outside our dining room and office windows! We live @ 655 Overbrook, next to the Sleeper’s. After watching us for a while, they headed down in to the ravine and headed west on Overbrook Drive

Laure Nordholt

Last spring, Mike and I learned about wild morel mushrooms, and discovered people scoured the land clean of ‘em! Knowing garlic mustard was edible, we thought if it was promoted as a highly desirable delicacy, like the morels, we might actually eradicate it. I researched and found various recipes online.

Last week, I harvested some from the yard and made pesto for pasta sauce. It was REALLY good!!! It has a mild, nutty flavor. In fact, it was so good, we joked about planting a small square of it in the garden. (I promise, it was just a joke!) Because it would be so easy to grow, and is so good, it may not be a great idea to widely promote it…but I thought I’d share the recipe with everyone here. Now that we have so much spare time (since the garlic mustard fields have been greatly reduced compared to previous years), it may be a reward for pulling the remaining straggling plants each year.

I only used the leaves, as this recipe instructed, but I read in other recipes, that the tap roots may also be used. It was suggested to rinse thoroughly 2-3 times, to wash off any animal urine (that sounded kind of gross, but it would be the case with any garden vegetables, wouldn’t it?). I used a mortar and pestle, but had to resort to a knife to help shred the leaves. I think a food processor may work better. It was very easy and very tasty!! Here’s the recipe:

Garlic Mustard Pesto

I recommend two high-end Italian cheeses here, but you could easily substitute the domestic varieties. Don’t use the powdery stuff in the green cylinder, though. It’s full of so much cellulose you’d be better off shredding the cardboard it comes in.

From pest to pesto.
2 cloves of garlic
4 cups (packed) fresh garlic mustard leaves, washed
1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons of oven-toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons of grated Pecorino cheese
3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 cup of olive oil

Put the garlic, the washed garlic mustard leaves, the salt (which helps to preserve the green of the leaves), and the pine nuts into the mortar.

Slowly mix with the pestle and add the mixed cheeses a little at a time.

When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add olive oil to taste (to the texture you prefer) and stir to incorporate.

To dress your pasta with the pesto, always dilute the pesto with a little of the cooking water from the pasta.

The Winter Aconite are just foliage now, and the impressive though invasive carpets of blue/purple Squill (scilla) are fading, but popping up throughout the ravine area are Virginia Bluebells, Dutchman’s Breeches, Spring Beauties, and the beginning foliage of Trout Lilies and May Apples.

Unfortunately, also coming back to life are the honeysuckle, euonymus, and the garlic mustard.

Please join your friends and neighbors in the coming weeks as we remove and bag garlic mustard and other invasive plants from the ravine and our own yards to make it possible for the native plants to return and thrive.

Hey Susan,
At 4 AM this morning our dog, Cali, started to bark agressively at our front window. I awoke and looked out the window and a red fox was on our porch ‘leaping’ back and forth. I know we have a rabbit living under our porch and I assume that the fox was trying to scare the rabbit. Cali has barked at the coyotes on our morning walk but I was surprised at the fox on our front porch at 491 Glenmont!
Tony Collinger