Ranger Buck - Safari Waters Ranch

03/04/2023

🐦 Birds need pesticide-free native habitat!

"Related research on the effects of tree origin in North America has shown, similarly, that locally-native plants in gardens are more beneficial for insect and bird populations. Results that now have been confirmed, and expanded to the urban environment, in the new Lund University study."

Read the article: https://phys.org/news/2023-02-urban-birds-native-trees-long-term.html

03/04/2023

Safari Waters Ranch is an environmentally sustainable community. Pollinators need native plants to eat, live, and have babies. Adding native host and nector plants are an easy way to create a habitat for pollinators.

Native plants have so many benefits. They are low maintenance, help the climate, conserve water, reduce mowing costs, protect soils, reduce the need for fertilizer and pesticides (which not only hurt our deer, zebra and wildlife, but also impact impact the lakes), encourage biodiversity, attract butterflies and birds, and provide food for caterpillars that birds need.

It starts with us! We can restore biodiversity and ecosystem function, one homeowner at a time. We can do this!
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RESOURCES:
• Native plant list for Athens:https://npsot.org/plant_lists/NorthEastList.pdf
• The National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder is a tool to find plants that host the highest number of butterflies and moths to feed birds and other wildlife where you live. nwf.org/NativePlantFinder
• Homegrown National Park is a grassroots call-to-action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks.
www.homegrownnationapark.org

• National Audubon Society Plants Database is a great resource to explore the best plants for birds in our area. audubon.org/native-plants
• The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database is a great place to search native plants.
wildflower.org/plants
• The Xerces Society has lots of great information. www.xerces.org
• Pollinator Friendly Yards is a wealth of information.
Some things to think about:
• Every bug in your yard is dinner for someone.
• 96% of birds feed their young insects
• The active ingredient in ‘Weed and Fee’ lawn products reduces bird hatching success and causes birth defects in birds.
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NATIVE PLANT SALES
Here are some plant sales in the area that sell native plants (and some Facebook groups to follow). Arrive early and take a wagon or cart.

* Henderson County Master Gardener Association (15 min drive)
April 7-15, 2023, online sale; pick up likely April 22

Trinity Valley Community College Pavilion (100 Cardinal Dr., Athens)
https://txmg.org/hendersonmg/event/plant-sale-online/
www.facebook.com/HCmastergardener
Not all native plants; do your research.


* North Central Chapter: Native Plant Society of Texas, Tarrant County (2 hr drive)

May 6, 2023 | 10 am - 1:30 pm

River Legacy Park Elm Grove Pavilion
, 701 Northwest Green Oaks Blvd. Arlington
www.txnativeplants.org/plantsale/ (page not yet updated)
www.facebook.com/groups/1479128372319091
All native plants!


* Trinity Forks Chapter: Native Plant Society of Texas, Denton (2 hr drive)

April 29, 2023 | 10am - 1 pm

Flower Mound High School (3411 Peters Colony Road, Flower Mound, TX)
https://npsot.org/wp/trinityforks/
www.facebook.com/TexasNativePlants.DentonArea/

All native plants!

* Collin County Master Gardeners (2 hr drive)

April 15, 2023 | 9:00 am - 1:30 pm 

Show Barn in Myers Park & Event Center (7117 Co Rd 166, McKinney, 75071

https://ccmgatx.org/events/spring-plant-sale/
www.facebook.com/ccmgatx
Not all native plants; do your research.


* Johnson County Master Gardeners Sale (2 hr drive)

Johnson County Sheriffs Posse (1315 South Main Street Cleburne, 76033)

https://jcmg.square.site/?fbclid=IwAR2FPNIqwRFFjxCHt5HQOYmI9t9InOIX9bFPxyGSlEKgTAVzULOLwicY-mQ 

www.facebook.com/johnsoncountytx/
Not all native plants; do your research.


* Denton County Master Gardener Association (2 hr drive)

April 29, 2023 | 9 am - 1 pm

Trinity United Methodist Church-Denton (633 Hobson Ln. Denton, TX 76205)

www.dcmga.com/connect/events/spring-plant-sale
www.facebook.com/DentonCountyMGA

Not all native plants; do your research.

* Northeast Texas Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas, Longview
: www.facebook.com/NPSOTNortheastTexasChapter/ 



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NATIVE PLANT NURSERIES: https://npsot.org/wp/resources/nice/
* Archie's Gardenland, Fort Worth, archiesgardenland.com/
* Denton Plant Factory, Denton, dentonplantfactory.com/
* Eco Blossom Nursery, Fort Worth, ecoblossom.com/
* Marshall Grain, Grapevine, marshallgrain.com/
* Meador Nursery, Denton, meadornursery.com/
* North Haven Gardens, Dallas, nhg.com/
* Painted Flower Farm, Denton, paintedflowerfarm.com/
* Shades of Green, Frisco, shadesofgreeninc.com/
* Stgalls, Nursery, Forth Worth, stegallsnursery.com/
* Weston Gardens in Bloom, Fort Worth, westongardens.com/

10/31/2022

Punkin was born on 10/31/10. Her mother is Dot. She is a mare Chapman/Grant mix subspecies of the plains species from SE Africa. 

Punkin is very friendly. She was born on Halloween and if you look closely, you can spot two spooky eyes on her left back hip.

10/26/2022

As part of our neighborhood wildlife plan, SWR provides supplemental shelter (nesting boxes) for wood ducks, bluebirds, songbirds, and bats. Approximately 52 bluebird boxes are maintained annually.

Kathy McCarroll reported that when cleaning out the boxes this year, 40% were utilized by bluebirds. While this is not great, it’s an improvement over last year of 32%. Before the 2021 winter freeze (Winter Storm Uri), we were seeing results in the 70% range.

Bluebirds (mom and dad) feed their nestlings at least twice an hour. 68% of their diet is made up of insects: grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, spiders, and caterpillars. They also like fruit - e.g., flowering dogwood, holly, mulberry, wild grape, Virginia creeper, pokeweed, Viburnum and American Beautyberry.

Bluebirds do not eat seed from a bird feeder, but they love mealworms, peanuts, sunflowers, suet dough, fruit, berries, and eggshell bits.

What else can you do to help?

•Plant native plant trees and shrubs, especially plants with berries and fruit.
•Go chemical-free. Pesticides, herbicides and other lawn chemicals are dangerous for birds and reduce the number of insects they need to feed their babies.
•Keep open areas with low grass and perches from which they can hunt insects.
•Leave it alone. Dead trees provide important nesting and roosting sites for bluebirds and a whole host of other cavity-nesting birds. Leave dead trees standing (or leave dead limbs on live trees) when it’s safe to do so.
Learn more: https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/birding-basics/attracting-bluebirds-tips-faq/
Learn about how pesticides and herbicides impact birds: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/news/when-it-comes-pesticides-birds-are-sitting-ducks

Bluebird Timetable:

•Scouting: February to Mid-March: Bluebirds start checking out nesting sites.
•Nest building: 2-6 days.
•Egg laying: 5-7 days.
•Incubation: 12-14 days.
•Hatching: May occur over 24-48
•Fledging: 16-21 days. When the babies are 28 days old, they can fly well. They can feed themselves by Day 30.
•Number of Broods: One to four broods per year.
Source: https://www.sialis.org/basics.htm

It can take 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to feed one clutch of birds. Let's do what we can to support all of the diverse birds we enjoy at the ranch.

10/25/2022

The Native Plant Society of Texas is offering a hybrid course: Landscapes for Birds.

Learn about the benefits of bird-friendly native plants, desirable plants for your area to attract birds, and design considerations for your landscape. The content is specific to the DFW area.

The online class will be on Saturday morning, Nov 12 at 8 am, followed by an in-person Plant Walk at Spring Creek Forest Preserve in Garland on Sunday morning, Nov 13, but pending change due to weather.

In the class you will:
* Learn about the importance of birds and Texas' role in bird migration
* Identify threats to birds and steps to reduce them
* Understand the relationship between birds and native plants
* Create and maintain bird-friendly native plant landscapes
* Become familiar with up to 50 native Texas plants that benefit your local birds

Learn more and register at:
https://nativeplantsocietyoftexas.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/nativeplantsocietyoftexas/event.jsp?event=889&&fbclid=IwAR0rCgOk1YtWREPMgBCjBbKQmT7aa7qOG4JfdnOoTUcFLUAebOCBEfwTGrA
There is no prerequisite for this class, but a $65 fee is required.

10/14/2022

Zoe was born on 10/21/2009. She is a Chapman/Grant mix which is a subspecies of the plains species from SE Africa.
She is very friendly.
Zoe can be identified by her short tail. It was bitten off by a ferocious lion when she was a baby. Ok, that's not true, but that's her version of the story. It was bitten off when she was a baby, but the zebra in question is still under investigation. We have our suspicions though.

10/14/2022

Squiggles was born in 2005. She is a Chapman/Grant mix which is a subspecies of the plains species from SE Africa.
Squiggles can be identified by the squiggles on her back and elongated circle on her face.
When looking for the circle on her head, don't confuse her with Dot. Squiggles has a more elongated circle on her face and Dot's circle is perfectly round.

10/14/2022

Dot was born in 2000. She is a Chapman/Grant mix which is a subspecies of the plains species from SE Africa.
Dot can be easily identified by the round, black circle (dot) on her head. She also has a white oval on each shoulder. She is a bit stand offish; we'll just say she's shy.
When looking for the circle on Dot's head, don't confuse her with Squiggles. Squiggles also has a circle on her face, but Squiggles has a more elongated circle on her face and Dot's circle is perfectly round

10/14/2022

Stormy was born on 7/16/10. Her mother is Lightning, the oldest mare at SWR, and her father is Big Boy. She is a Chapman/Grant mix which is a subspecies of the plains species from SE Africa.
Stormy can be easily identified by the two storm-looking markings on her head. Her personality matches her name, which is just a nice way of saying she can be a bully.
About Fun Fact Fridays: Learn cool, random, and interesting facts about SWR wildlife, plants, and more.

10/14/2022

Zed is the only adult male at SWR and is easy to identify because he is the only zebra that doesn’t have a mane and he doesn't have any shadows between his stripes. Zed was born in 2007 and purchased by SWR when he was five years old to be the stallion. 2021 was the 8th year for Zed to have foals.
Zebras are highly social animals and live in groups called herds. Herds prefer to graze together and will often groom each other.
Zed is frequently seen watching over the herd as he is innately prepared to defend the herd against predators. Zed is a Selous’ zebra, a subspecies of the plains zebras from SE Africa. The plains zebra are endangered.
Zebras communicate through facial expressions, vocal expressions (braying, barking, snorting, sniffing, balking), and even the positions of their tails and ears (pulled back when angry, standing erect when calm and friendly).

10/14/2022