The
Hill Country Gardener
January
is good time to start new habit
By
Delaine Litman-Hohenfeldt
With
the beginning of a new year many people make New Year’s Resolutions,
many of which pertain to the breaking of bad habits.
But January is also a great time to begin a new, productive habit
that will be fun and free.
If
you are a gardener, either indoors or outside, or a bird watcher, this
activity might just be for you. Get
a wall calendar or dated journal for 2007.
Many companies give away nice calendars this time of year, so
there’s no need to have the expense of purchasing one unless you want
something special.
Bird
watchers who feed the birds around the home can make a note on the
calendar or in your journal of the birds you see at the feeder each day.
If you do not know the types of birds you see, you can look them
up in a bird field guide such as one published by the National Audubon
Society or an excellent book called Birds in Missouri that is
available from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The MO Dept. of Conservation also publishes a poster called Feeding
Backyard Birds that can be picked up at their office for free.
The poster has information on when, where and how to feed
backyard birds plus habitat information and colored illustrations of 34
birds found in Missouri.
For
those internet savvy birdwatchers, try the website at http://www.duncraft.com.
Look on the left side of the homepage for the “About Us”
section, and click on “Online Bird Guide”.
Here you can search for birds by name or attributes such as
habitat, color, bill length and shape, general size, preferred foods,
location, shape, wing shape, and family.
Their information is very helpful and the detailed colored
drawings of the birds are accurate. Best of all it is free!
Gardeners
can use a calendar or journal to keep track of weather information,
insect activity, garden plans, seeds started, when plants bloom, and how
much is harvested from a veggie garden.
The calendars are easy to store from year to year and may provide
valuable information when planning gardens in future years.
Birding
information will allow you to see if numbers of certain species have
increased or decreased from year to year, what time of year to expect
migratory birds, and what type of feed attracts certain types of birds.
Since
there is not much to do outside in the garden in January, you can use
this time to plan for spring, read gardening books and seed catalogs,
and take care of our feathered friends.
When you put out feed for them, remember to give them a supply of
fresh water as water is often in short supply during the winter.
Have
a great January, and next month we’ll get back to some early spring
gardening!
Delaine
Litman-Hohenfeldt, executive editor of The Ozarks Chronicle/The Ozarks
Home & Garden, is a professional horticulturist.
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