Extension NC STATE UNIVERSITY NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Fall 2013 Empowering Ggardeners. ardenerIncrease plant diversity to enhance wildlife Providing ant to encourage more beneficial garden insects, songbirds, and other types Wof wildlife to live in your yard? The solutions. answer is simple: Increase plant diversity in your yard! North Carolina is home to 3,068 native plant species, which help to support an even in this issue greater diversity of native wildlife. Native plants are ideal for supporting wildlife and are well S A N D H I L L S adapted to North Carolina’s climate. & C O A S T A L Plants sustain life and help support a com- P L A I N plex food system. From pollinating insects to N E W S songbirds and small mammals, all wildlife depend on plants to provide food, shelter, and nesting Composting sites. Not all wildlife feed on the same plants at Selecting Fruit the same time. Having a well-designed landscape nia), and joe-pye weed (Eutrochium) are favored Trees composed of a diversity of herbaceous and woody nectar sources for many butterfly species and also Dealing With plants will provide food and shelter to sustain provide beautiful flowers. Kudzu Bugs wildlife throughout the year. Plant a mix of evergreen and deciduous Winterizing the If you want to increase plant diversity in your shrubs to provide food and refuge for songbirds Lawn yard, the best place to start is with the ground throughout the year. Deciduous shrubs such as layer. Diverse mixtures of perennial ground cov- New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) and but- ers—such as species of Phlox, Viola, Oxalis, and tonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) can be grown S T A T E Geranium—are good choices because they have throughout North Carolina and provide nectar N E W S tiny flowers that only small insects like beneficial for insects and hummingbirds in the summer. parasitic wasps can feed upon. Another choice Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and doghobble Plant Diversity for a ground cover is clover, which is favored by (Leucothoe species) provide shelter for small mam- ‘Shoal Creek’ important pollinators such as honeybees and mals and overwintering birds during the winter Chastetree bumblebees. Clover also improves soil quality and months. Going Native increases nitrogen levels in the soil. Small trees such as flowering dogwood and Annual and perennial border plantings in Drying Herbs redbud provide early spring color and also serve your garden beds will encourage other types of as a nectar resource for butterflies, while wax Organic Weed wildlife. For instance, coneflowers (Rudbeckia myrtle and American holly are evergreens that Control and Echinacea species) and Coreopsis species can serve as shelter for wildlife during the winter. are favored by songbirds such as the American Larger trees—including oak, elm, and pine— goldfinch because their seeds provide a winter provide wildlife habitat and food throughout the food source. Other plants are critical for butterfly year. Check with your local Extension center or reproduction and survival. For example, caterpil- visit www.ncsu.edu/goingnative/ for more plant lars of the monarch butterfly can only survive on recommendations suited to your area. species of milkweed (Asclepias). Plants such as — Sam Marshall species of goldenrod (Solidago), ironweed (Verno- Extension Gardener Extension Showcase Smart Gardening — Composting Jones County Kids efore you know it, you’ll layers. Water each layer thor- be raking leaves. Instead oughly to distribute moisture Become Insect Scientists B of discarding them, use evenly. Toss in a handful of soil Jones County Cooperative those leaves for compost- on each layer to add microorgan- Extension provided an opportu- ing. Composting converts isms. Top the pile with 4 or 5 nity for 32 youngsters to become leaves, food scraps, leftovers, inches of brown leaves to keep entomologists for a week at a and grass clippings into a out flies and other pests and recent insect camp. This science valuable soil additive. When provide a filter for odors. camp helped increase students’ mixed with soil in gardens, To heat up your pile, you understanding and appreciation lawns and houseplants, can spread a thin layer of the of the insects around us. compost improves soil following every 6 inches: dog, Participants from ages 5 quality and plant growth. rabbit, goat, or poultry food; to 13 designed and created an Seedlings, potted plants, soybean meal; or canola meal. insect habitat, distinguished in- garden and field crops, Or dust small amounts of alfalfa, sect predators from plant-eaters, lawns, shrubs, and trees can bone, hoof, or cottonseed meal collected insects in different all benefit from compost. on top of nitrogenous materi- habitats, and mounted insects for Set up your pile or bin als (food scraps, coffee grounds, collection. One popular feature in a flat area protected from runoff and flooding. grass trimmings) as they are added. Keep the was the use of microscopes for It should be more than 2 feet from your home pile moist (feeling like a wrung-out sponge) a close-up look at insect parts. or wooden structures, yet easily accessible. Make and only add small pieces of organic materials Many students reported never sure it’s within reach of a hose to keep it moist. (materials break down quicker if they are less having used a microscope. Build your pile 4 to 6 feet high and more than than 2 inches in size). For more information on Throughout camp, students 3 feet wide so it can retain heat. Start with 4 or composting, visit this website: http://www.bae. earned “money bugs” (plastic 5 inches of brown leaves and shredded paper. ncsu.edu/topic/composting/ insects) for acts of good citizen- Then add 2or 3 inches of food scraps, coffee —Rhonda Sherman ship, correctly answering insect grounds, and grass trimmings. Keep alternating trivia questions, making astute connections from lectures, or sporting T-shirts or hats featur- Food Production — Selecting fruit trees ing insects. At the end of camp, rowing productive fruit trees requires care- Chose fruit variet- “money bugs” were used to pur- ful planning. Selecting what to grow is the ies known to produce chase insect collecting supplies, G first step in being successful. The fruit you select well in your area. Polli- mounted insects for collections, should be compatible with the local climate nation requirements vary insect traps, and insect-themed and the level of management you are willing to with types and varieties. For toys. undertake. Management includes training and fruits requiring cross-pollination, plant at least Each student received an fertilization as well as insect and disease control. two varieties with overlapping flowering periods insect net, mounting board, and Chestnuts, figs, pecans, and persimmons need together. Self-fruiting varieties may also increase collecting supplies to continue little management, while apples, pears, Asian yield and quality when two varieties are planted. pursuing their newly awakened pears, and plums require moderate care. Peaches Most trees must be exposed to temperatures entomological interests. One and nectarines need intensive management to around 40°F for a certain amount of hours to participant summed it up best: produce a successful crop. Other fruit trees may break bud and grow properly. This is known as “Before this, a bug was a bug. grow here, but the quality and dependability their chilling hour requirement. North Carolina Now I understand there are of the fruit, as well as the intense management grown trees have a risk of freeze damage if they many kinds of insects each with needed, make them less viable options. flower too early in the spring. Varieties with their own features, purpose, and A good site for fruit trees will have full sun chilling requirements of at least 750 hours are predators. I appreciate insects a and well-drained fertile soil. Soil testing should recommended to prevent crop loss. lot more now.” be performed to determine the acidity and fertil- To ensure many seasons of enjoyment, con- — Nicole Sanchez ity of the soil as well as the presence of parasitic tact your local Extension center for recommen- nematodes (microscopic worms) in the soil. dations of varieties, spacing, planting, watering, Trees should be spaced away from structures and pruning, and pest control before you plant. other large plants. — Peg Godwin Regional News of the Sandhills and Coastal Plain Pest Alert — Dealing with kudzu bugs Tips udzu bugs are relatively new insects from flowers and seedpods. The insects are attracted KAsia that were first found in the United to light colors and can be found covering things States in 2009 near Atlanta. Kudzu bugs have like sides of houses, tree trunks, or vehicles. square bodies and are brown to olive-green in In most cases, kudzu bugs do not pose a Tasks color. Kudzu bugs overwinter threat and control is not & under tree bark, in mulch, needed, though it may be Avoiding Spider Bites or within house walls. They necessary to control kudzu Believe it or not, spiders are emerge in spring as adults, bugs on bean plants to our friends. They are the most lay their eggs on kudzu vines, prevent yield reductions. effective predator in the land- and then die. The eggs hatch Insecticides containing scape. Whether spiders are in summer and begin a new synthetic pyrethroids are beneficial or not, people are afraid generation. recommended for control. of them. For the most part, spider Kudzu bugs are usually It is important to note bites are insignificant. However, found in clusters. They are this insecticide group is just as bee and wasp stings may known to feed only on plants toxic to bees and beneficial trigger allergic reactions in some in the bean family, including insects.