Green Thumb Hi Lonesome Master Naturalists
Rita Brown and Marge Lumpe added six Shining Blue Star plants donated by Missouri Wildflower Nursery to this garden. The strawberry plants have sort of taken over the bed, but a few milkweed and other plants have survived. The Shining Blue Star will add interest and provide additional support for butterflies.
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The Nursery is Open
Missouri Wildflower Nursery is open and has many beautiful natives available for your garden projects. There are many benefits when using natives in your landscaping.
1. Save Money and Water
2. Better Resistance to Local Weather
3. Less Maintenance
4. Restores Natural Habitats
5. Rarely Invasive
6. No Fertilizer or Pesticides Needed
Native plants are a beautiful addition to every yard which, not only have an aesthetic appeal but also greatly benefit the environment. Happy planting!
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Barn Owl Update
Barn owls are not only beautiful, they also help with rodent control. Our Barn Owl boxes have several residents this year. As of last check, there are 22 owlets/eggs! Be part of the Barn Owl Project with the Hi Lonesome Chapter. Contact Gerald or Ruth Schlomer to get involved at 660-827-2900.
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Red Foxes
By: Missy Zimmerschied
Since March the world as we knew it, disappeared. It has kept us apart, but also made it possible for me to pursue a leisure activity that Mitchell has also enjoyed. That activity is watching foxes. The past two years a family of red foxes has made their home under the the ag shed at Green Ridge School. Every couple of weeks Mitchell and I sit in the parking lot and watch the foxes cavort. We’ve even heard them call, a raspy scream.
Our family of foxes consists of both parents and four to five kits. Watching the foxes has brought me great joy and made me want to expand my knowledge on Vulpes vulpes. So without further ado, here is some of what I’ve learned.
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Red foxes are native to the northern hemisphere and are found in Asia, Europe, and North America.
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Red foxes are solitary creatures except during breeding season and when raising kits. Vixens (female foxes) have from two to twelve kits. A kit is a fox pup. A dog fox is a male fox. Fun fact: A fox’s tail is called a brush.
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Kits aren’t born that gorgeous red, but instead are gray at birth and get their shiny red coat when they are about a month old.
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Foxes are nocturnal. They are omnivores and are doomsday preppers, stashing food for a later day.
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The average lifespan for a wild red fox is three to four years and in captivity it is from ten to twelve years.
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Red foxes are highly intelligent and adaptable to a wide variety of environments including deserts, mountains, prairies, forests, and even cities.
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This final fact is brilliant. 10,000 foxes live in London, England. They moved in after the Blitz and never left. That makes me happy.
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GLOBAL BIG DAY OF BIRDING
May 9, 2020
On a bright clear and frosty morning, I set out to do the Global Big Day designated by Cornell Labs. I have done Birdathons for more years than I care to remember, and this was my effort for this year.
Birds either heard or observed at home numbered 20 and included: House Wren, American Robin, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Cardinal, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Dickcissel, Eastern Meadowlark, Carolina Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Crow, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Baltimore Oriole, European Starling and Grasshopper Sparrow.
I then headed over to Big Buffalo Creek CA to join Ryan—at a social distance.
The parking lot before the main road into Big Buffalo gave us Indigo Bunting, Eastern Bluebird, Red-winged Blackbird, Field Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue-winged Warbler, and Hawk sp.
Then onto the main road through Big Buffalo where we found: American Wild Turkey, Northern Cardinal, Common Yellowthroat. At this point I determined that I needed to study bird—particularly warbler songs—a little more thoroughly. The Yellow-throated Warbler really had me going. Carolina Wren, Mourning Dove, Orchard Oriole, Brown Thrasher, Chickadee sp., Pileated Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Field Sparrow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Parula, Brown-headed Cowbird, Flycatcher sp., Northern Cardinal, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Chipping Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Summer Tanager, Gray Catbird, Barred Owl, Red-shouldered Hawk, Chimney Swift, Alder Flycatcher, and Nashville Warbler.
Winding around the country, I headed for Hi Lonesome to report what I saw there to send to ebird. There were Dickcissels, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Meadowlark, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Turkey Vulture, American Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Kildeer, American Crow, Eastern Bluebird, Loggerhead Shrike, Bell’s Vireo, and House Sparrow.
Each area was reported to ebird, and I saw a total of 64 species. It was a grand day and one I enjoy every year.
Ryan stayed at Big Buffalo while I headed over to Dodge Pond Road east of Cole Camp with the hope of seeing Bobolinks, but no luck on this day. However, I did see birds there: Dickcissels, American Crow, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Kingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Barn Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Cedar Waxwing and Northern Mockingbird.
After Marge left Big Buffalo, Ryan hiked through the woods and found some super cool species: Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Scarlet Tanager. Around the parking lot after his hike he saw Wood Duck and Bald Eagle.
When he got home he saw both eagles and Bobolinks.
Roxanne birded at home of the morning and had 15 species. She then went to Montrose Conservation and Wildlife area and got 34 species there plus a Lifer!!! A Short-billed Dowitcher.
Gerald and Ruth birded at home and saw the following species: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Wood Pewee, House Sparrow, Baltimore Orioles, Mourning Dove, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch and Northern Cardinal.
Submitted by Marge Lumpe
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