by Executive Director, Joe Holtrop

Lately I’ve been admiring the cedar waxwings in my yard clumsily gorging themselves on fruit. They started with the Indian plum back in May, then moved to the red elderberry, then serviceberry, and now the red-flowering current and Oregon grape.

One of the things I enjoy most about landscaping is how dynamic it can be. It’s a continuously changing cycle: new spring leaves, blossoms, fruit, autumn color, leaf drop. Included in this dynamic mix are wildlife, like bees, butterflies and birds. We call this habitat, and if you want to attract wildlife to your yard, you need good habitat. And if you want a variety of wildlife species, you need a variety of plants, preferably native plants. By planting native trees and shrubs in your yard, you’re doing your part to restore natural habitat and ecosystems.

As most of us learned as kids, habitat boils down to:

• Food

• Water

• Shelter

• Space

The diet of birds is highly variable, but regardless of the typical adult bird diet, the vast majority of birds (96% of North American terrestrial species) feed insects, especially caterpillars, to their fast-growing young (even hummingbirds). That’s where the importance of native plants comes in. Although the pests in our vegetable gardens make us think otherwise, most native insects are pretty selective about their plant preferences; they overwhelmingly prefer native plants.

Once the young birds fledge, many species turn their attention to fruits and seeds. And lucky for us, many flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs have attributes that we humans find attractive. For example, the four of the five shrubs I talked about last month (red-flowering currant, serviceberry, evergreen huckleberry, red-osier dogwood) make for great landscape plants while also being quite popular with birds.

Late spring and early summer is peak time for fruit maturation, but you can extend the buffet calendar by incorporating early and late season fruits. Indian plum is one of the earliest to ripen, quickly followed by red elderberry. Good late season fruits for birds are blue elderberry, evergreen huckleberry and Pacific crabapple.

Water is often overlooked, but it may be the key to attracting birds to your yard. Bird baths are magnets for birds and can be quite entertaining. I’ve observed as many as five species competing for space in our bird bath.

Bird feeders are another quick way to attract birds, but they shouldn’t be a substitute for natural sources of food. I never put out hummingbird feeders but still have dozens of them in my yard, due mainly to the fact that I have a variety of plants that produce blossoms throughout the year.

Plants are obvious providers of shelter. Evergreen trees provide safe nesting and roosting conditions for many birds. Whereas species that stay close to the ground prefer thickets of vegetation, like salal and snowberry.

If you need more evidence of the importance of native plants for birds and the environment, check out the National Audubon Society article Why Native Plants Are Better for Birds and People. You can also find Audubon’s plant-finder page at www.audubon.org/PLANTSFORBIRDS. Our Wildlife Use of Trees & Shrubs Native to the North Olympic Peninsula publication, found on our website at clallamcd.org/conservation-around-the-house, lists local native trees and shrubs along with the birds, mammals, and butterflies that they commonly attract.

The fight to control knotweed species (Polygonum spp.) in Clallam County has been underway for over 20 years, and unfortunately this tenacious plant persists. Japanese, giant, Bohemian, and Himalayan knotweed are all highly invasive, non-native plants of concern in Clallam County, as well as many other counties throughout Washington. They are found in dense patches, typically along streams and riverbanks, but also in roadsides and gardens. Knotweed begins sprouting in April, and has bamboo-like stems, large leaves, and whitish to whitish-green drooping clusters of flowers that appear from July to September. Depending on the subspecies, they can reach more than 12 feet in height and are very aggressive colonizers that generally spread by rhizomes, but sometimes by seed.

Originally introduced as an ornamental, knotweed is frequently spread by accident when root or stem fragments are moved by people, machinery, animals or water. Tiny root fragments as small as one inch can produce new plants, which makes it very difficult to keep this plant under control.

Knotweed is a huge concern along streams and rivers. It is extremely aggressive and fast growing, able to grow up to a foot in a week. It prevents other plants from growing beneath it, and can compete with, and permanently displace native vegetation leading to impaired fish and wildlife habitat. At the end of the growing season, a mass of dead stems remain standing that crowd out native seedlings, and leave river banks vulnerable to erosion and flooding. Flooding can also transport knotweed throughout a river system, leading to a viscous cycle of new infestations all along the waterway.

Once established knotweed is very difficult to eradicate. Your assistance with identification and control is imperative to help keep knotweed in check in Clallam County. For more information please refer to Clallam County Noxious Weed Control Board's website.

Horse & Livestock Virtual Workshops

With COVID still keeping us from doing our normal in-person workshops, we decided it was time to jump into the world of virtual presentations. Workshops will be held via Zoom and a link for the workshop will be emailed out a week prior to the event. The workshops will be recorded, so if you aren’t able to attend during the day and time offered please register and check the box upon registration to request a link to the recorded presentation be emailed to you after the workshop.

 Fall Pasture Management

When: Thursday, September 17, 2020
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Registration: Click here

Fall is a crucial time of year for managing pasture grasses, as actions now will greatly impact next year’s production. Join us to learn pasture management tips to boost forage production, including seasonal management, rotational grazing, fertilizing, liming and over-seeding.

September is Eat Local Month

Eat Local First Olympic Peninsula is hosting a month-long celebration in September to explore the many options we have in our area to enjoy local food.

Throughout the month, the community is invited to connect with our local food system through farmers and farmstands, restaurants, farmers markets, local grocers and retailers, food banks, and seafood producers. Check out Eat Local First Olympic Peninsula’s website, Facebook or Instagram for more information on eating local to support our regions farms and ensure more dollars stay in our community which helps support the longevity of our farmland.

Eat Local First Olympic Peninsula will also highlight farmers, farmers markets, restaurants, local grocers and food retailers throughout the month of September. Apply here to be featured on their website, social media and through print ads to help educate consumers on the importance of choosing local food.

Clallam County Environmental Health is currently offering a $100 rebate for completing an inspection of your onsite septic system. This offer is good through October 31, 2020. Homeowners can also submit a financial hardship request to cover the entire cost of locating and inspecting high priority onsite septic systems (OSS).

Washington state law requires that septic systems with gravity-fed drainfields be inspected once every three years. Other systems with pumps, such as mound, sand filter, and pressure systems, must be inspected annually.

Don’t know when your septic inspection is due? Quickly look up your status at: www.clallam.net/HHS/EnvironmentalHealth/SepticDataOnline.html.

Online septic courses are available to teach homeowners how to maintain and inspect their own systems. More information, including directions on applying for the inspection rebate, can be found at: www.clallam.net/HHS/EnvironmentalHealth/onsite.html.

Clallam Conservation District offers an Onsite Septic System Cost-Share program to help financially challenged homeowners repair or replace failing septic systems that threaten water quality. The program, which relies on state grant funding, kicked off in 2014 and has helped repair/replace 18 onsite septic systems to date. For more information visit: https://clallamcd.org/financial-assistance

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During this time of social distancing, Facebook has become a great way to reach out to our community. We encourage you to FOLLOW US on Facebook for articles and links to educational material and upcoming events.

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