Friday, 28 February 2014
Indigenous Landscape Design: Attracting Frogs to your Proudly South African Gar...
Indigenous Landscape Design: Attracting Frogs to your Proudly South African Gar...: Frogs are under threat worldwide, from habitat loss, pollution, and, more alarmingly, a new deadly parasitic fungus known as amphibian chyt...
Attracting Frogs to your Proudly South African Garden
Frogs are under threat worldwide, from habitat loss, pollution, and, more alarmingly, a new deadly parasitic fungus known as amphibian chytrid.
Greater Leaf-folding Frog Afrixalus fornasinii
Frogs and toads play an important role in the ecology of
the garden, where they eat insects which make up the largest part of the diet
of frogs, they also eat slugs, earthworms and millipedes
Painted Reed Frog Hyperolius marmorata
If you want to play your part and ensure their survival
in your own back yard, there are several things you can do to create a
frog-friendly garden.
.
Natal Forest Tree Frog Leptopelis natalensis
Build a pond using a sheet of thick plastic laid into a
depression covered with a suitable layer of soil or out of concrete. It need
not be large to be effective and it need be no more than 30 cm deep. In fact
any container big or small that holds water can be used to attract frogs. Water
plants need to planted into the pond to provide shelter and food for tadpoles.
Even more important than the pond itself is the area
around it, so suitable local indigenous reeds and other marginal aquatic plants
need to be planted in and close to the pond which will then provide an attractive
habitat for reed and other frogs.
Natal Dwarf Puddle Frog Phrynobatrachus natalensis
In addition local indigenous shrubs, groundcovers and
grasses must be planted nearby to provide additional shelter and to attract
insects slugs and other food for the frogs to feed on. The more indigenous
plants you have in your garden the more habitat you will provide to make it
attractive to frogs. A garden full of sterile exotic plants will attract very
few if any frogs.
Red Toad Schismaderma carens
Because all frogs breathe partially through their skin,
they are particularly sensitive to toxic chemicals in the environment therefore
you should avoid using insecticides in the garden wherever possible.
African Common Toad Amietophrynus gutturalis
All the frogs photographed above and many other species
are resident and breed in my own garden in Mount Moreland in a number of small
and large tubs, shallow plastic trays, plastic dirt bins and concrete ponds
which have been place in strategic positions within the plants in the garden.
If you would like Ecoman to design you a garden that is attractive to frogs please view my website at
http://www.ecoman.co.za
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Indigenous Landscape Design: Trema orientalis Pigeon Wood Tree
Indigenous Landscape Design: Trema orientalis Pigeon Wood Tree: Trema orientalis is a common pioneer tree which belongs to the hemp (dagga) family, Cannabaceae. Pigeon Wood Trema orientalis ...
Trema orientalis Pigeon Wood Tree
Trema orientalis is a common pioneer tree which
belongs to the hemp (dagga) family, Cannabaceae.
Pigeon Wood Trema orientalis
Trema orientalis has a very wide distribution in the
tropical and warm temperate parts of the Old World. It´s range extends
from South Africa, through Africa the Middle East, the Indian
subcontinent into southern China, Southeast Asia including
the Philippines and Australia.
Over it´s wide range Trema orientalis has many common
names which include pigeon wood, charcoal-tree and gunpowder tree
Trema orientalis has considerable ecological significance
being a very productive tree
with at least 14 species of butterfly using it
as a larval food plant. Many species of birds are attracted to this tree
to eat the vast amounts of small berries that it produces almost continuously
throughout the year or to feed on the abundant insects which live on these
trees.
Pigeon Wood Trema orientalis berries
In my own garden they are frequented by a large number of bird species
which include Black Collard Barbet, Crested Barbet, Yellow Rumped Tinker Bird,
Glossy, Black Bellied, Violet Backed and Redwinged Starlings, Purple Crested
Turaco, White Eyes, Thickbilled Weavers, Klaas Cuckoo Diederik Cuckoo, Somber
Bulbul, Grey Bulbul, Speckled Mouse bird, Ring Necked Doves and many others.
The vast numbers of tiny greenish yellow flowers are pollinated by various bee
species which attract insect eating birds.
Pigeon Wood Trema orientalis flowers
The leaves are also browsed by game animals and can be
used as spinach. This tree is a fast growing species found in previously disturbed
areas and on forest margins. It is a pioneer species that can
grow on poor soil and can be used to regenerate forest areas by providing shade
and protection to saplings of forest hardwoods
Trema orientalis is a nitrogen fixing tree
which improves soil fertility for other plant species.
From a conventional landscaping point of view Trema
orientalis is not a very suitable candidate for a landscape feature tree
because it often looks rather messy due to its leaves being eaten by just about
every conceivable insect however it is a must in every garden that strives to
encourage wildlife.
Pigeon Wood Trema orientalis leaves eaten by insects
Being a pioneer tree Trema orientalis is very useful when
it comes to establishing a new proudly South African garden in particular on
poor soils providing shade and a windbreak for other plants that are being
established.
Trema orientalis is invaluable when it comes to
indigenous forest restoration where it provides shade, nutrients and organic
material in the form of dead leaves and vast amounts of excrement from the many
insects that feed on its leaves. In addition it provides protection for the
slower growing and more tender specimens. Seeds of many trees are also brought
onto site by birds which come to feed on the seeds though this may not always
be a good thing where undesirable alien plants seeds are brought in by birds
feeding on its fruits.
Friday, 21 February 2014
Lily Grass or Weeping Anthericum
Anthericum saundersiae Synonym. Chlorophytum
saundersiae
Anthericum saundersiae is an excellent and very versatile landscape bedding plant that can be grown in the full sun semi and even full shade it is an asset to any landscape design in particular where one would like to plant a productive plant the brings in vast amounts of wildlife into the landscape or garden.
Anthericum saundersiae plant is named after Katharine
Saunders plant collector and botanical artist who was born Katharine
Wheelwright (1824-1901) in
Tansor, Northamptonshire, England she emigrated to
Tongaat, Natal with her husband James who later became the sole
proprietor of the Tongaat Sugar Estate in 1860.
I first collected Anthericum saundersiae which I found
growing in full sun at the Treasure Beach grasslands in Durban in the late
1970`s. The tiny insignificant single stemmed specimen that I collected grew
rapidly under my care and soon started to produce vast amounts of seed which
germinated readily under the ideal conditions that I gave it and in no time at
all I had large numbers of this delightful little plant. Anthericum saundersiae
produces a profusion of little white star like flowers on long thin, arching
stems from mid winter into late summer. Some years later I gave a number of my
still unidentified plants to Geoff Nichols who took a specimen to the Natal
Herbarium at Botanic Gardens where it was identified as Anthericum saundersiae.
I grew and sold Anthericum saundersiae in my own nursery in small numbers but
after they found their way to the Silver Glenn indigenous plant nursery they
were propagated in large numbers making them much more available to the public.
In 2001 I went to stay in Germany where I became familiar
with a very similar and popular specie Anthericum ramosa Syn. graminifolium so
I was not at all surprised when I returned to South Africa seven years later
and found Anthericum saundersiae growing in their countless thousands in nearly
every new garden planting in and around Durban. Whether those plants now in
cultivation came from the one tiny specimen that I collected way back in the
1970`s or from another source I do not know and probably will never know but
the likely hood is certainly high that they did.
Anthericum saundersiae is a very productive trouble free
garden plant that grows to about 700 mm which is ideal for the natural garden
in that it attracts vast numbers of insects in particular large numbers of bee
species from the very smallest to large bumble bees that when they land on the
flower they weight them almost down to the ground causing them to bob up and
down as they move from flower to flower setting the plants in motion as if they
are dancing. I have observed that the foliage is also loved by Scrub Hares, domestic
rabbits and in particular Egyptian Geese.
Although Anthericum saundersiae prefers to grow in full sun
in fertile sandy soil it is a very versatile plant that will grow under almost
any conditions in most soils from sand to heavy clay soils in frost free areas.
Anthericum saundersiae propagates very easily and profusely
from seed but can also be subdivided when seed is not available. Seed
germinates best in raised seed beds or directly on the ground in prepared sandy
soil with a little very well rotted compost added, poor results may be obtained
if seed is planted into a bark based growing medium in seed trays
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Attracting dragonflies to your Proudly South African Indigenous Garden
It has been stated by environmental
scientists that Dragon Flies in the garden are an indicator of a healthy well
balanced environment in addition their sensitivity to habitat quality and their
amphibious life cycle make dragonflies well suited for evaluating environmental
changes.
Machado’s Skimmer Orthetrum machadoi
(female) taken in my garden at Mount Moreland
They are carnivorous not only in the
adult stages of their life cycle, but also in their larval stage. The dragonfly
is considered as one of the best agile predator around.
During their nymph phase, when a
dragonfly has to remain underwater, it eats aquatic insects, worms, mosquito
larva, small fish, and little tadpoles. In this phase, it is empowered with a
thrust mechanism system to boost its speed while following its prey. It also
ejects water from its anal opening to increase its speed in times of need.
They feed on small insects such as bees,
ants, wasps, butterflies, flies, and midges. A dragonfly has the ability to
move in different directions swiftly. Hence, it can easily out-fly its prey on
most occasions
Adult dragonflies often hunt for food in
groups, when ants or termites are available in large numbers or when there are
swarms of gnats are available in their proximity. Dragonflies keep mosquitoes
at bay by feeding on them.
Julia Skimmer Orthetrum Julia (male)
taken in my garden at Mount Moreland
It is rather easy to attract these most
interesting and attractive insects into a healthy indigenous garden by
providing breeding opportunities for them in the form of a natural pond either
large or small in fact a tub with a few local aquatic plants is all that it
takes to provide a breeding opportunity for dragonflies just as long as no fish
are placed in them. There is no need to worry about mosquitoes once the pond
had matured and attracted dragon flies as their larvae are voracious carnivores
which relishing mosquito larvae.
For biological control to work enough mosquito
larvae must survive in the ponds to feed the dragon fly nymphs, which largely feed on
mosquito larvae, so a few larvae will always be found in the ponds,
however this small number is compensated for a thousand fold by the vast numbers
of adult mosquitoes that arrive from other sources that are controlled by the
adult dragon flies.
In my own garden I have a number of tubs
and shallow containers planted to an assortment of aquatic plants that together
with plantings of suitable flowering plants attract very large numbers of
Dragonflies to my own garden which act as a very good control for both flies and mosquitos.
Anthericum saundersiae
To help enhance the garden to attract
dragonflies the addition of plants like Anthericum saundersiae, Chlorophytum
cooperii and flowering grasses which attract large numbers of suitable insect
pollinator provide vast amounts of food for these aerial acrobats.
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