Celebrate Earth Day Every Day

by Judi on Mar 27, 2008

Earth Day is officially April 22, 2008. While celebrating our planet on this day is a nice idea, it’s even nicer to implement earth-friendly ideas throughout the year, every day if possible. With spring and summer right around the corner, it’s easy to do things to help you, your family and the environment. Here are some good earth day activities and ideas.

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat in your yard by providing food sources (such as plants, seeds, nuts, nectar), water sources (pond, stream, bird bath), covered areas (rock pile, bird house, thickets), places to raise young (pond, thick shrubbery, nesting boxes), sustainable gardening (mulch, compost, chemical free fertilizer). Once you’ve done this, you may register your habitat for certification. Visit the National Wildlife Federation for this and more to do, not just on Earth Day, but every day.

My favorite garden shoes (ok, I’ll admit it, they are my favorite summertime shoes.. I wear them all the time) are my sloggers. I bought my last two pair from Target for about $10. My daughter recently bought some similar shoes (what are they called, that have the holes in them that everyone wears?).. well, from another site (and I’ll give them credit if I come across it again - Found it - Hip Mama’s Place is where I first saw them) I found out about Polliwalks - talk about some adorable summer / garden shoes for kids!

Container gardening is an easy way to build a garden in confined areas. Try planting specific garden pots, such as a “salsa garden pot” using a pepper plant, a tomato plant and a few herbs like cilantro, basil or oregano.

Use the USDA Hardiness Zone Finder to make sure the plants you plant in your flower beds will withstand the weather in your area. Or just visit their site - National Garden Association for SO much info.

Set up a worm compost to get some of the best and natural fertilizer there is available and let those little red wigglers gobble up your kitchen waste. Setting up a worm compost is easy and doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. You can make a wooden box, or even use a plastic bin (like a Rubbermaid container).. the key is to provide moisture, bedding and your compost shouldn’t smell foul. One of my long time favorite sites for worm information is WormLady.com. She has great, simple information on worms red wigglers in particular, sells them and also has some links to further information.

If you aren’t able to plant your own garden, your area may have a food co-op or other program. These programs allow you to purchase local in-season veggies all spring, summer and into the fall. This helps the environment too as well as supporting local farmers! To minimize getting to burned out on the same veggies every week, go in on it with a friend.

Get active - meet up with your community and clean up the neighborhood. Whether it’s just picking up trash or planting flowers and mulching the local part, it all helps and this activity brings the community together.

Save energy by joining Project Switch - switch out your costly, ineffective incandescent bulbs to help reduce your carbon footprint.

Join the World Wildlife Organization for their countdown to this 2008 Earth Day - but really, Earth Day is every day - so no matter which year it is, every little bit helps. Make A Change.

If you eat meat, go free range - the meat is healthier because the animal is healthier and usually treated more humanely. Recent studies have shown free range animals contain Omega-3 (a fatty acid essential to human health), whereas contained/caged animals do not. Hmmm…

Now, for some fun activities and information, visit Earth Day at Kaboose - some terrific crafts - like coffee grounds fossils, lady bug rocks and tin can herb containers. Plan an Earth Day Dinner - Angel Hair Pasta with Asparagus and for dessert have some Mudpie Cookies.

Above all, make your earth celebrations activities you and your family enjoy. Happy Earth Day!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Praying Mantis on a Hummingbird Feeder

by Judi on Aug 24, 2006

Originally uploaded by madaise.

I was washing dishes and saw this little praying mantis on one of the hummingbird feeders. Try as I might, I could not get a good clear image of the mantid.

At one point, Cas thought he was sleeping - but I told her I thought it was watching us… just about then, it turned it’s head from facing one of us, to the other. As if he was listening to us talk.

I didn’t think much of it visiting the hummingbird feeder, other than it may help keep the little buggies and bees from getting into the nectar. Then I happened across this post about a mantis making a meal out of a hummingbird - ouch! I think this one is too small, at roughly 2.5-3″ long… so I hope I don’t witness any hummingbird murders.

We can’t really figure how he got to the feeder - it would be a stretch, I’m sure he could make… And I figure it probably “fluttered” there, but just to be helpful, I hung a plant nearby in hopes it would find shelter there. I do have another mantid (brown in color) homing in a spider plant.. I’ve watched it grow from about an inch, to now close to 2 inches or slightly more.

Then, a visit to a friends blog and I see this great photo of a walking stick. The last time I saw a walking stick I think I was about 16… it’s been ages! ;) Take a visit to The Impaitient Gardener to see the walking stick… but don’t leave too quickly.. there are plenty of beautiful pictures to see… take a walk through her garden. :)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Little Hummers

by Judi on Jul 23, 2006

Originally uploaded by Jhaan.

Surfing photos at flickr.com and came across this one of two little hummingbirds. What a beautiful little nest…

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Birds Abound

by Judi on May 23, 2006

I added a new bird bath to the back yard.  I found a really nice plant saucer, red even, in hopes of attracting hummingbirds to it, since they like the color red. It’s nearing the end of May and I have yet to see even one.  I thought I took a few pictures of it, but I can’t find any.  I need new batteries or I would check the camera.  Is it considered camera abuse when you use it to the point the batteries are so dead, it won’t even turn on?

Last week, I saw the cat drinking out it.  Lovely.  It is low, sitting on a cut tree stump.  Can’t imagine that’s very encouraging to the birds.  I won’t have another outdoor cat again.

The other day, I saw Abbey, the Dog, drinking out of it.  Unlike the cat, she didn’t have to reach up to get her licks.

Finally, the other morning, a few starlings were playing in it.  Starlings are not my favorite birds, as they tend to be bullies and rather messy and piggish in their feeding habits.  Because of them, I’ve taken to only feeding safflower seed - starlings don’t care for it and leave it alone.  The regular cheap mix, they would hog and make a huge mess with it.. presumably because they don’t like to share.  But, hey, where were having fun in the bird bath.

All the birds love the bird bath water dripper.  I see them play in it daily.  I also added an oriole feeder to my collection, filled it with oriole nectar, jelly and orange halves… so far nothing. I’ll keep holding out hope.  :)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!