Overheard at the Garden Gate
SLGC
The most recent recycling guide
from Shaker Heights and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District
Mark and Cynthia visiting Clivia grower, Kevin Akins, near Columbus this March! He's one of the premier Clivia breeders in the US. Of course, they purchased a few plants while there!
SLGC ladies well represented at the Philadelphia flower show.
It's native plant sale time at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
Please use the link below to purchase your plants between now and May:
https://www.shakerlakes.org/plantsale/
You can order and pick up plants in person, have plants delivered to you, or shop in person for annuals and perennials on Saturday May 11 from 1 to 3.
A Reminder to Get Ready for the Nectar Collectors!
Lee Jacobs
It might seem early, but April 15 is a good rule of thumb for putting your hummingbird feeders out. My personal experience over the years has been that they arrive within the first two weeks of May. In 2019, however, I received a visitor April 20th! These diminutive delights are easy to attract and require only moderate care:
Only use granulated cane sugar, NOT beet sugar (check the package!) for your feeding mixture. The ratio is 1:4 sugar to water. Never use pre-made red dyed mixtures. I use 3 oz sugar and 12 oz water that I boil and cool and store it in the fridge in a glass bottle.
Your feeder in Ohio only needs to be filled 1/4 - 1/3 of the way as you need to change the nectar every 3-4 days to prevent mold from growing. If you can't commit to this, you should not put feeders out. You will sicken the birds if you don't keep a clean feeding station.
Put your feeder in a location you can enjoy i.e. on a patio. Conveniently, they feed around 5 o'clock so wear white while having a cocktail and hold still. They are not bothered by conversation, just movement. Try placing your feeder closer to you and they may become tame. They might even perch on your finger!
Mimicry in Your Backyard
In case you missed the virtual presentation on Camouflage, Mimicry and Evasion with Judy Semroc, sponsored by the Western Reserve Nature Conservancy this month, you can click here to see the YouTube presentation. Judy's program detailed examples of how animals and plants mislead and deceive in order to survive. Her fabulous photography revealed patterns, coloration, behavior, and much more that animals use to avoid predation and conceal their young in the natural world. It was fun to attempt to spot creatures in the photos!
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Are You on SLGC’s Photo Composite?
Is your photo included in the composite on the Members Only page of the website? Click here to check. If you don’t find yourself, send your photo to Dozie for inclusion.
Anyone else have something to share? Send it to your editor for inclusion in the next newsletter.