These prairie winecups are among the plants native to Colorado. Photo by the National Wildlife Federation.

Whatever the reason, Denver-area gardeners seem to be increasingly interested in indigenous flowers, grasses and shrubs. Every May for the past seven years, the Boulder office of the National Wildlife Federation has been a key stop for those gardeners. The staff sponsors what’s believed to be a one-of-a-kind event in the Denver area – an all-native plant sale.

Ranger Rick helps one of the volunteers at the 2012 National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Sale. NWF Photo

NWF: What are some of advantages of native plants?
Eirin: There are quite a few advantages. I would say first and foremost is the habitat value. There are certain native insects that will take nectar only from the native wild flowers. Secondly, I would say the plants do not need the increased fertilizer. They do not need, for the most part, high irrigation. Since they are native plants, they can exist on very low fertilizer, just what exists in the soil, and also exist on the precipitation we get in this area. And the native plants are perennials, so you’ll get to enjoy them year after year. They’re not something you’re going to have to pull up every season. They’re going to pop up every spring.

NWF: How do native plants benefit wildlife?
Eirin: When you plant natives, you’re creating an insectary. What I mean by that is you’re creating a place for beneficial insects to reside that are either going to pollinate our vegetables or fruit trees or they’re actually going to eat or kill some of the pests in our garden. We have 17 species at the plant sale that are honey-bee attractors. We also have hummingbird-attractor plants, plants that are good for butterflies and also plants that are wonderful nesting habitat for our local bird species.

NWF: Do native plants require less water than non-native plants?
Eirin: If they’re planted in the micro-climate that they’re supposed to be planted in, they exist on what is termed moderate to low water. That’s water two or fewer times a week.

NWF: Is interest in native plants growing?
Eirin: I think so. I’ve only lived in Denver for three years, but since (the drought in) 2002, with the low water use, people began to get interested in low-water-use plants and that naturally turned toward some of our indigenous plants in the area. It’s so important for us to be using native plants to show the landscape vernacular that used to exist here – the prairies, the grasslands. The native grasses are wonderful habitat and foundation plants in the landscape. The keystone species to our short grass prairie is blue grama and it’s host to a Colorado alpine butterfly. A taller grass species, big bluestem, is host to two rare skipper butterflies.

NWF: Does Denver plant native vegetation in its parks?
Eirin: We have the more traditional parks that I think a lot of people are familiar with, which has the Kentucky bluegrass. Starting in 2006, conversion sites were defined, starting with four parks in the city. They were converted to short-grass prairie. So, there’s been a large movement. Now, just in my district, I have about 350 acres of native short-grass prairie areas. We’re going to be seeing less and less Kentucky blue grass and more native areas being planted.

The columbine is one of the most popular native plants of Colorado gardeners. Photo by John Gale.

Outside Denver? You Can Still Go Native!

Learn more about choosing and cultivating native plants, then turn your yard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat ® site. This month only, Garden For Wildlife Month, NWF will plant a native tree in your honor when you certify your property.

We learn in different ways and these apps appeal to the type of learner who learns by doing – or a kinesthetic learner. Instead of reading or listening to facts, you LIVE the facts!

In most of these apps, you move through a world by tapping or dragging your finger. Often you can play these games without the ability to read, making them appealing to younger children.

Here are my kids’ favorite apps of this type:

• BeBee the Bee - This was my son’s favorite app of ALL the apps we tested. You are Bebee flying around gathering pollen and nectar. When you see a flower, you tap above it and pollinate the flower. You also have to avoid obstacles such as other bees, thorns and dragonflies. My son was already familiar with the concept of pollination so I don’t know if he really learned a lot by playing this game, but he kept asking to play it because he enjoys games where he moves through a world gathering points. My daughter enjoyed this game as well. There is a free version of this app and you can unlock more levels for $1.99 or $2.99.

BeBee the Bee app

• Great Migrations HD – In this app, you learn about migrations of species such as monarchs, salmon, zebras and red crabs. You start with monarchs. One somewhat humorous aspect of this app is that if you have your sound on, the whole time it is playing some very dramatic scary music, like you might hear at the most dramatic moment of a movie. While migrations are definitely dramatic, that gets tiring and in fact, at one point, Nora got so stressed when her monarchs started to die that she said, “I just can’t do this!” I suggested we turn off the sound and then she enjoyed the game very much. She would take the role of the lead monarch, and she would experiment with the wind patterns, predators such as spiders and other obstacles to move her monarch friends to safety. She really enjoyed this game. This app costs $0.99.

Great Migrations app

• Isopod: The Roly Poly Science Game  – You are a “roly poly,” one of those tiny bugs that rolls into a ball when threatened. To play, you hold your iPad in two hands and slowly manipulate it back and forth as if the roly poly was a marble on the surface of the iPad, and you were trying to roll it back and forth. You have goals to bump into some types of insects to win, and avoid others to lose. The insects in the game are realistically drawn and their real Latin names are given. The predator/prey relationships are shown, although some insects have special powers like giving you more health. I found this game exciting because I don’t normally use an iPad this way, and it took practice. My son liked it more than my daughter. Both my kids love bugs, but it would not be a good choice if you are scared of spiders or find it creepy to listen to them chomping on insects. This app costs $1.99.

Isopod: The Roly Poly Science Game app

• Pocket Frogs – This was my daughter’s favorite app of all the ones we tested. It took us a minute to figure this out, but then she was collecting frogs, breeding them and making eggs in her frog nursery. She was completely excited about learning about frogs and managing her froggy world. The sound that the frogs make when they hop around in the pond is completely adorable, and this is coming from a parent who listened to it for a very long time. As Nora got more advanced with the game, she was strategizing which frogs to breed to create the cutest frog possible. This is a free app.

Pocket Frogs app

• Wild Kratts Creature Power – My son is a huge Wild Kratts fan. A few years ago, he became so interested that he and his dad designed costumes like the ones in this show out of cardboard and ribbon, so he could be a cheetah and have super powers. So I was quite sure the app would be a huge hit for him. Sure enough, he loved it. Even though it is not designed for iPad yet, we downloaded it to the iPad and it just didn’t fill the screen. But that didn’t stop Russell. By putting on his creature power suits, he could live like a bee, raccoon and elephant. This app costs $2.99.

Wild Kratts Creatures App – Bee

One feature he loved was that I could take his photo with the iPad and his face would be put into a graphic so it looked like he was wearing one of the power suits.

Wild Kratts Creatures App – My son’s face with the bee body

Which Wildlife and Nature Apps Does Your Family Enjoy?

We’d love to hear about your experiences with these apps or others. Of course nothing connects children with nature and wildlife more than time outside, so be sure to balance your screen time and green time today.

Also, I want to put in a plug for National Wildlife Federation’s award-winning kids’ magazines, because my kids love them. When you subscribe to our magazines, it helps National Wildlife Federation continue our work of engaging children to care about nature! Subscribe to Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. magazines today!

And be sure to check out National Wildlife Federation’s animal and nature apps for kids!

Today National Wildlife Federation had our first appearance on the Dr. Oz Show.  

The show theme was “surviving summer” and as NWF Naturalist I joined Dr. Oz’s “Dream Team” to give viewers some tips on enjoying the great outdoors this summer while avoiding getting bitten or stung by some of the insects and other critters that sometimes “bug” us.

Specifically, we talked about bees, wasps, mosquitoes and ticks.  If you missed it, here’s a run-down of what I talked about in the segment.

Keep Perspective
The first thing is to put things in perspective. You have far more to worry about healthwise from constantly cooping your family up indoors and being sedentary, or from spraying toxic chemicals everywhere, than you ever would from the potential of being stung or bitten by insects or ticks.

Remember, these are important animals.  Bees, some wasps and to a degree mosquitoes are important pollinators–two thirds of all the food we eat is the result of  animal pollinators (mostly bees); so no insects means no food.

Photo by Lou Gold via Flickr Creative Commons.

One more bit of perspective: there are over 4,000 bee species in North America (the honey bee is an import from Europe), the majority of which are solitary and don’t sting, and all of which pollinate wild plants that other wildlife rely on for food.

Remember this next time you are tempted to squash or spray a bee when you’re outside.

Avoiding Stings
Now, for the tips on avoiding getting stung by bees and wasps.  It’s literally about just staying out of their way.   The best way to ensure getting stung by a bee or wasp is to swat at it.  These animals don’t want to sting you. Bees die when they sting. If you threaten them, however, they are sure to sting you.  If you leave them along, they won’t.  It’s pretty simple.

Bee and coneflower

Many wasp species are omnivorous and will try to snatch a bite of your food if you’re eating outside, so simply cover your food until it’s time to eat to minimize this.

Avoiding Mosquito Bites
In terms of avoiding mosquito bites, first and foremost you want to eliminate standing stagnant water, where the insects lay their eggs and which they use as a nursery for their aquatic larvae. Some mosquito species can breed in as little as an inch of water, so check your yard thoroughly. Drainage dishes under flower pots, toys and play equipment, debris piles, and the biggie, clogged gutters that hold standing water, should all be thoroughly drained.

Mosquito larvae take five to seven days to complete metamorphosis into winged adults, so empty birdbaths every few days and fill with fresh water (something you should do anyway so the birds have clean water) and if you have a water garden, use a pump to keep the water surface moving and it will minimize any mosquito breeding.

See this guy? He actually doesn't mind global warming all that much. ( flickr | smccann )

If you choose to use repellants, formulas with up to 30% DEET have been shown to be effective, just don’t get it in your eyes or mouth and wash it off when you go indoors.  If you don’t like the idea of chemicals, go for a natural repellant with lemon eucalyptus, which is also effective if you apply it frequently.

Mosquitoes are weak flyers, so use fans if you’re eating outdoors and blow the buggers away.  And never use a bug zapper.  Traditional zappers use light to attract insects, and mosquitoes are attracted primarily by the chemical and moisture trails exuded by  their victims–not light.  Bug zappers typically kill non-target insects.

Avoiding Ticks
Of all the animals featured on the Dr. Oz Show segment, ticks are probably the one you need to worry most about, simply because they can and do transmit diseases such as Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever to people.

The first thing is to avoid these tiny arachnids (ticks aren’t insects but are related to spiders).  If you live a tick-heavy area, avoid walking through tall, grassy vegetation.  Ticks wait at the tops of plant stems and latch on to hosts as they walk by (they don’t drop out of trees).  Wear long sleeves and tuck your pants into your shoes.  Again, DEET-based sprays can be effective repellents.

Most importantly, make it a habit to regular check for ticks after you or your kids have been outside.  Teach your kids to check themselves.  Some species are very tiny so be thorough.

If you find a tick, remove it immediately. NEVER douse it with vaseline or alcohol and don’t try to burn it off.  These methods will kill the tick but also cause it to regurgitate into the open wound, making it more likely to spread disease.

Instead, simply pluck the tick out with tweezers or just your fingers, and then burn it.  Don’t worry if the head breaks off, it won’t burrow further into your flesh or grow a new tick, contrary to urban legend.  Just disinfect the bite and monitor it.  If the bite gets irritated, and especially if a red bulls-eye rash appears, go immediately to a doctor.

Most tick born illnesses are easily treated if they are caught early.

Watch Exclusive Video
Make sure to check out this web-exclusive video called “Don’t Bug Out” that I did for the Dr. Oz Show website to learn about a few other insects and spiders we didn’t have time to talk about on the show.

]]> http://blog.nwf.org/2012/05/nwf-on-dr-oz-shows-dream-team/feed/ 1 http://blog.nwf.org/2011/01/5-mass-wildlife-deaths-to-really-be-worried-about/ http://blog.nwf.org/2011/01/5-mass-wildlife-deaths-to-really-be-worried-about/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:57:31 +0000 David Mizejewski http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/?p=11432 Read more >]]> In the last week, we heard news report after news report of mass wildlife die-off events, making it seem like the Apocalypse was drawing near.

Birds dropped out of the sky, dead fish covered miles of the surface of rivers and bays, the media started digging up any reference to mass animal deaths they could find, and the public voiced a growing concern about what it all meant.

These kinds of die-offs are unusual but not unheard of in the nature, and so the good news is that while alarming, they don’t mean the world is ending and probably won’t have too much impact on the overall survival of the species that have experienced them.

While most wildlife experts see little cause for significant concern with these events, there are some mass wildlife deaths that we really should be worrying about.

5. Colony Collapse Disorder

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) causes honey bees to mysteriously abandon their hives and die. First reported in the United States in 2006, scientists are still trying to figure out the exact causes. While not native to North America, honey bees are critically important for the pollination of over 100 crops that both people and our livestock rely on for food. Eighty percent of all crop pollination service in the U.S. is provided by honey bees, which means that one-third of all the food we eat is directly the result of these insects. Honey bees also play an important role pollinating wild plants that wildlife depend on for survival. This mass die-off of honey bees could have significant economic and ecological repercussions.

Theories for the cause of CCD include infestation by exotic mites, viruses, a fungus, pesticides or other chemical pollutants, global warming, stress on hives from industrial beekeeping practices, or a combination of these factors that is suddenly pushing millions of honey bee hives over their tipping point and ultimately to death. While native pollinators can help fill in the gap caused by honey bee CCD, unexplained mass die-offs in several native bumble bee species are now also being reported.

4. White-Nosed Syndrome

North American bats are dropping like flies as a result of this mysterious ailment, which is characterized by the growth of a white fungus on the face of bats that hibernate in colonies in caves during the winter. The bats repeatedly wake up from their hibernation and fly about despite the cold temperatures and lack of insect food. In doing so, the bats burn off critical calories and ultimately die. Some bat hibernation caves have experienced mortality rates as high as 99 percent and since 2006 millions of bats have succumbed.

Scientists don’t know if the fungus is the cause of the odd behavior and killing bats directly, or if it is simply a secondary symptom of some other problem. One thing is certain, White-Nosed Syndrome has spread rapidly across the country, adding additional threat to endangered species such as the Indiana bat and drastically reducing once-common species like the little brown bat. Scientists are still searching for a clue as to the cause of these devastating mass bat deaths.

3. Global Amphibian Decline

Amphibians are often considered to be ecological “canaries in the coal mine” because their sensitive skin allows for the exchange of gas and liquids, making them particularly vulnerable to pollution and other disturbances to their habitat. As a result, amphibians are often the first group of animals to die out in disturbed or polluted environments. Dying out is exactly what amphibians are doing all around the world, and scientists don’t know why.

As with Colony Collapse Disorder, any number of causes could be at work either by themselves or in concert, including air and water pollution, global warming, habitat destruction, invasive species and most notably the type of chytrid fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or “Bd” for short. This fungus was discovered in 1999 and has been rapidly spreading and killing mass numbers of amphibians on several continents, including both North and South America, Europe and Australia. As with White-Nose Syndrome in bats, it’s not known whether this chytrid fungus is a new, random pathogen or if it has always been present and is only now spreading because of other, as-yet-unknown reasons. The statistics are frightening: thirty percent of amphibian species on the planet are listed as either threatened or endangered and another six percent are listed as near threatened. Scientists don’t know the status of another twenty-five percent.

2. Gulf Oil Disaster

The official wildlife body count of the Gulf Oil Disaster is 5,686 dead birds, 546 dead sea turtles, and 96 dead dolphins and whales. And that’s just the animals that rescue workers were able to recover in the vast area of the Gulf of Mexico affected by the millions of gallons of oil that gushed into the Gulf’s waters and coastal wetlands when BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. It’s doubtless that the wildlife death toll is more likely in the millions when you factor in open ocean species such as sperm whales or whale sharks that sink when dead or that might not immediately die but eventually succumb to slow poisoning as they eat contaminated food, as well as the fish and marine invertebrates that have also died but for which no one has a count. Even worse, judging from previous oil disasters such as the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, we can expect wildlife will continue to die for months, years or even decades as a result of this disaster.

1. Global Warming

The scale of the impact that global warming is predicted to have on wildlife across the planet can’t be understated.

We are already experiencing the rapid melting of glaciers, more severe storms, an increase in droughts, wildfires and flooding events, the spread of invasive species, and the record decline in Arctic sea ice making the long-term survival of species such as ringed seals and polar bears uncertain.

Countless other wildlife species around the globe will be negatively affected as global warming destabilizes ecosystems unless we act quickly to change the root causes.

In an effort to raise awareness for the decline in honeybee populations around the world, they are helping fund research for scientists to learn more about the problem and find solutions. Over the last three years, one in three honeybee colonies has died. Scientists are calling the phenomenon CCD for Colony Collapse Disorder. In CCD cases, all of the bees in a colony abruptly disappear, deserting the hive.

Fast Honeybee Facts:

• One of every three bites the average American eats is directly attributed to honey bee pollination.

• Honey bees are responsible for the pollination of more than 100 crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

• They provide 80 percent of the country’s pollination services.

• Without honey bee pollination, one-third of our food supply would be in jeopardy.

How You Can Help Honeybees:

• Tweet using #helphoneybees: For every tweet between Nov. 5-11 that includes #HelpHoneyBees, Häagen-Dazs will donate $1 to the University of California at Davis, which is doing great research into Colony Collapse Disorder. The donations are capped at a maximum of $500 for each of the 7 days (a total of $3,500). Find out more…

  For easy copying and pasting:

  Häagen-Dazs to donate $1 for every #HelpHoneyBees tweet Nov. 5-11 to fund Colony Collapse Disorder research http://su.pr/5oMnCY (via @NWF)

  ** UPDATE FROM TWITCAUSE ** “Following our extremely successful first day of #HelpHoneyBees, Häagen-Dazs has generously decided to DOUBLE their maximum daily donation, from the initial $500 to a new maximum of $1,000 per day (for a new grand total of $7,000)! We’re super excited with the news and want to send a special thank you to all of you that have been tweeting! Keep it up!”
   

• Learn more about Häagen-Dazs’ efforts to “Help the Honeybees”: Not only can you spark donations through Twitter, but also with your “bee built” ice cream purchases. They even created a special flavor as a tribute: Vanilla Honey Bee.

• Turn your garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat™: Provide habitat suitable for bees, birds, butterflies and other pollinators.

More Honeybee info:

“The Buzz on Native Pollinators” – National Wildlife® magazine: As European honeybees decline, indigenous bees and other pollinating animals can provide a backup–with a little help from their human friends.

“Busy with Bees” – National Wildlife® magazine: In Bavaria, a team of industrious scientists uses high-tech tools to study the secret lives of honeybees–work that could shed light on the pollinators’ mysterious disappearances.

Three Ways to Plant for Pollinators

Get more tips from this National Wildlife® magazine web exclusive.

1. Select plants that provide a lot of nectar and pollen. Many ornamentals have been specifically bred to produce little or none of these essential foods.

2. Plant a diversity of species so your yard will provide bees, butterflies and other animals with nectar and pollen from spring through fall. To attract bats and nocturnal moths, consider night-blooming plants in addition to day-bloomers.

3. Be a “messy” gardener: Leave some patches of unmulched soil and brush piles that bees, birds and other animals can use to construct nests. Consider building or purchasing a bee house for wood-nesting wasps and bees.

Physorg.com reports:

"There's no reason why our towns and cities should exist as wildlife deserts — wildlife can thrive when we design our urban areas with nature in mind and the 'beehaus' is a great example of how easy it is for anyone to bring the natural world closer to their doorstep." Its makers Omlet claim that at one metre wide and 0.5 metres high (three feet wide and one foot eight inches high), the 'beehaus' is twice as big as a traditional beehive, giving plenty of room for the colony to grow in comfort. See full article.

Bees and other pollinators are disappearing from our country due to a variety of threats to their habitat and climate. And while we depend on bees to pollinate more than two-thirds of our crops, we’re not the only ones who stand to lose. Think about grizzly bears–they’re counting on bees to pollinate the fruit, nuts, and plants that make up their diet.

We need bees; bears need bees; birds need bees… So in honor of National Pollinators Week, here are three things you can do to protect our nation’s bees, butterflies and bats:

ONE: Help protect bees from global warming.

Global warming has been playing havoc with nature’s timing. For the past thirty years or so, pollinators like the Milbert’s tortoiseshell butterfly have been showing up before the flowers are in bloom. According to biologist David Inouye, global warming is causing pollinators and plants to “lose the synchronicity they once had.”

Pollinators like bees, bats and butterflies are a crucial part of any ecosystem–not to mention a fascinating part of our natural world.

TWO: Share a photo of your favorite pollinators

Join us on Flickr, and check out all the great photos of bats, butterflies, and of course bumble bees.

THREE: Tell Your Friends

Bzzz. Thinking about the best way to help bees and bats thrive during #pollinate week: http://bit.ly/OFWzi

Let your friends and family know that you’re thinking about the bees and butterflies that keep our world going strong!

Whether they hibernate, have thick fur coats or take shelter, animals are masters of surviving the cold weather. Here are a number of interesting animals and the fascinating things they do to survive harsh conditions.

1. Japan’s macaques monkeys keep warm by taking hot baths in volcanic springs.
2. Polar bears (or “solar bears“) soak up the sun with their black skin, which is covered by a coat of  clear hair that conducts the sun’s heat. Not to mention they also have a handy 4 inches of fat to
   insulate them.
3. Animals will also flock to warmth created by humans, such as pigeons in Chicago that huddle around the Eternal Flame and manatees that seek out warm water discharge from power plants.
4. Aside from having blubber, penguins avoid losing energy and heat when they exhale by using special nasal passages to reclaim the warm air.
5. Some honey bees huddle together to make a winter cluster in order to keep warm.
6. Bees aren’t the only ones that huddle together, even bats and ladybugs will huddle for warmth in a safe place.
7. Various plants depend on snow to trap heat and insulate them from cold winds.
8. Seals have a special set of blood vessels that function to conserve heat.
9. Occasionally some fish will use a natural anti-freeze to keep from freezing in low temperatures.
10. When water is scarce, wild bactrian camels will eat snow.

Despite all these adaptations you can still do your part to help wildlife survive the winter in your own backyard. Here’s a few bird feeding tips.

ANIMAL PHOBIAS (if you know of more, add them to my list!)

Animals – Zoophobia
Animal Skin or Fur – Doraphobia
Wild Animals – Agrizoophobia
Bees – Apiphobia
Birds – Ornithophobia

Bulls – Taurophobia
Chickens – Alekorophobia
Dogs or Rabies – Cynophobia
Fish – Ichthyophobia
Frogs – Ranidaphobia
Horses – Equinophobia or Hippophobia
Otters – Lutraphobia
The Great Mole Rat – Zemmiphobia
Insects – Entomophobia or Insectophobia
Insects that eat wood – Isopterophobia
Insects that cause itching – Acarophobia
Reptiles – Herpetophobia
Sharks – Selachophobia
Shellfish – Ostraconophobia
Snakes – Ophidiophobia or Snakephobia
Toads – Bufonophobia
Bats – Chiroptophobia
Cats – Felinophobia, Galeophobia or Gatophobia

It’s no surprise why people find some of these animals intimidating. Sure, snakes, sharks and bats are scary to many people and are often portrayed negatively. But here’s something to think about: Have you ever thought that maybe our phobias of them might be a crucial element to their survival? After all, it means that they are keeping predators like us at bay!

According too the Pollinator Partnership website, nearly 80% of our world’s crop plants require pollination. Bees as well as birds, butterflies, beetles, flies and bats transfer pollen between plants. Plant reproduction hinges on this vital task. With honey bees taking the center stage in the media recently we wanted to provide some information about the National Wildlife Federation’s role in protecting these pollinating power-houses.

NWF promotes pollinator friendly gardening and habitat management techniques by encouraging everyone to reduce their use of pesticides in addition to planting native wildflowers and other flowering plants in their yards and businesses. Native plants are especially important because they provide most of the foods that the vast majority of bee species need to survive. We also recommend that organic produce and other products should be bought whenever possible.

It is important to note that the majority of bees that have been in the media lately are the introduced honey bee. Most native bees are solitary and under-researched, so there wouldn’t be an easy way to know if their populations are being affected by the same problem as the honey bee. However, we do know that pollinators overall are being affected by very similar issues.

The latest news on pollinators can be found at http://www.pollinator.org (mentioned previously). This website is run by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, a network of pollinator enthusiasts of which the National Wildlife Federation is a partner. If you are a pollinator enthusiast like me, be sure to check out their information about National Pollinator Week in June!

For more information about NWF’s gardening and habitat management programs, please visit
http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/.

Also, please check out our newest report The Gardener’s Guide to Global Warming for information about how non-native plants negatively affect your backyard.