DesertStrawHouse

Monthly Newsletter

Hi and welcome to DesertStrawHouse! Getting here has taken me a beat, but my goal is a monthly email. I’ll try to cover what you should be doing each month, if there is an interesting plant in season/blooming, helpful tips or explanations, or maybe an article in the news that caught my attention.  If there is something you are interested in and would like me to cover, let me know! And thank you for subscribing.

What's is Wildlife Habitat?

There are several variations but you can narrow it down to four key components. Food. Water. Shelter. Space. 

Food: Simple enough. Throw some birdseed out right? Absolutely nothing wrong with a little birdseed as long as you have a balance of plants, insects, lizards, etc for your birds to choose from as well. Butterflies and native bees like a variety of flower shapes and colors for nectar. You want to make sure that if you supplement with seed or feeders you have a variety of native natural sources such as grasses, flowers, and berries available as well.

Water: While this is the most overlooked, this doesn’t have to be a big complicated pond. Butterflies drink from puddles in the sand. You can make a basin and use a drip emitter to fill it when your irrigation comes on for a small watering hole. Birdbaths work for more than birds. Using natural mulch keeps moisture readily available for lizards and insects. It’s important for all wildlife to have access to water for bathing and drinking year-round.

Shelter: This is protection against the weather, a safe roost, and a nesting area to raise their young. For insects, this is leaf litter. (don’t forget you NEED those insects for the prettier wildlife) For almost everyone else this is going to be grasses, shrubs, trees, that kind of thing. This is where natural pruning comes into play as well. If that Texas Ranger is pruned into a geometric shape it is not much use as a shelter or a food source. Rock piles look very natural in our landscapes and are excellent shelters for a wide variety of wildlife.

Space: This is also referred to as Cover. It’s the idea that wildlife has access to forage, seek cover from predators, protect their young, and have access to diverse conditions. You can provide all of these things even in a limited amount of space. A yard that is cacti and gravel would not be able to provide this. There is no diversity. Now add a few nectar plants, a shrub, and maybe a tree and you have the makings of a wildlife habitat.



 

WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN THIS MONTH

While January is one of the slow months in our desert gardens, there is still a lot to do. The days are pleasant but there is a possibility of frost at night. Winter Solstice was in December and the days are short so plants are growing slowly or are in dormancy. If a plant is not actively growing, its water needs are much lower.  Winter is also when we get most of our rain. So between the slow growth/dormancy and rain, it may be possible to discontinue all supplemental irrigation. At the very least, reduce it considerably. Check the soil around your plants. If it’s damp a foot or two below the surface, you do not need to irrigate.  And remember to always turn off your irrigation system for 48 hours after the rain. If you don’t have a “smart” timer or rain gauge, now is the time to check with your local water district for rebates. Not all of our plants are in dormancy though and winter is their time to shine! When you are planning your wildlife habitat make sure to have plants that bloom in each season. The Cascalote (Caesalpinia cacalaco) tree is covered in magnificent yellow flowers from fall into spring. Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata) and Golden Dogbane or Dysssodia (Thymophylla pentachaeta) bloom year round and Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi) is about to be a riot of 3-foot-tall hot pink blooms. 

If you did not sow your wildflowers this fall, do it now. Lightly rake the area first to break up the top surface, and disperse your seeds over the area. Cover with a very thin layer, 1” or less of compost or natural mulch (not rock), and lightly water.

Now is when you want to plant bare-root fruit trees. You can also continue succession planting your root vegetables, leafy greens like spinach and lettuces as well as broccoli.

And finally, this is a good time to look at the infrastructure of your garden. Do you need to fix anything? Finish any projects. Check to see what rebates your local water district is offering. https://cvwatercounts.com/rebates/

 
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