Welcome to our family blog about getting more wild
Nine years ago we moved to this 3/4 acre of horse pasture on the coastal prairie in northern Humboldt County, CA. We started with two measly trees and packed but well-fertilized soil. Now there are at least 60 more trees, an ever-expanding berry patch, vegetable gardens. And four frog ponds.
In the Summer of 2008 we started to get our yard ready to be certified as a wildlife habitat. The National Wildlife Federation's backyard wildlife habitat program is our model. Below is a list of their requirements. Since then we've achieved certification as wild backyard #126,046.
We're compiling in this blog a list of critters, plants, books and resources, and will post it as it comes.
-Kris, Zak, Rainer and Frida, Spring 2014
Eternity, by William Blake
He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy. But he who kisses the joy as it flies lives in eternity's sun rise.
This child knows that fennel tastes like licorice
If you have a garden and a library, you have all you need. -Cicero, 106-43 B.C.
Backyard, September, 2005
Backyard, September, 2008
Backyard, Summer 2010
Backyard, Spring, 2013
National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat Program Requirements ( * = we got it covered)
Places to Raise Young (minimum 2): mature trees *, meadow/prairie *, nesting box, wetland, cave, host plants for caterpillars *, dead trees/snags, dense shrubs/thicket *, water garden/pond*, burrow
Sustainable Gardening Practices (minimum 2): Soil and water conservation- riparian buffer, capture rain water from roof*, xeriscape (water-wise landscaping) *, drip or soaker hose for irrigation, limit water use *, reduce erosion (ground cover, terraces) *, use mulch *, rain garden
Controlling exotic species- practice integrated pest management *, remove non-native plants and animals, use native plants *, reduce lawn areas *
Organic practices- eliminate chemical pesticides *, eliminate chemical fertilizers *, compost *
Look deep into Nature, then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Inspiring Books and Other Resources
Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions, by Mark W. Moffett
American Wildflowers Coloring Book, by Paul Kennedy
Amphibian, DK Eyewitness Books, by Barry Clarke
An Unlikely Vineyard: the education of a farmer and her quest for terroir, by Deirdre Heekin
Ants: Nature's Secret Power, 2006, 54 minutes
Bio-Dynamic Agriculture: An Introduction, by Koepf, Pettersson and Schaumann
Botany in a Day: The Patterns and Methods of Plant Identification, by Thomas Elpel
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Succesful Gardening, by Louise Riotte
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by McDonough and Braumgart
Design Outlaws: On the Ecological Frontier, a Companion Book to the film Ecological Design: Inventing the Future, by Editors Zelov and Cousineau
Dirt! The Movie, by Benenson and Rosow
Family Herbal, by Rosemary Gladstar
From Plant to Seed, by Gail Gibbons
Full Moon Feast, by Jessica Prentice
Giants in the Earth: the California Redwoods, ed. by Johnstone
Healing Wise, by Susan Weed
Honeysuckle Sipping: The Plant Lore of Childhood, by Jeanne R. Chesanow
In Search of Nature, by Edward O. Wilson
Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants Through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children, by Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
Mushrooms DeMystified, by David Arora
My Backyard Jungle: the adventures of an urban wildlife lover who turned his yard into habitat and learned to live with it, by James Barilla
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, by Bebler and King
Nature in Your Backyard: Simple Activities for Children, by Susan Lang
Nova: Lord of the Ants, PBS, 2008, 52 minutes
Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony, 2013, BBC, 88 minutes
Plants That Never Bloom, by Ruth Heller
Redwoods: The World's Tallest Trees, by Jeremy Joan Hewes
Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together With Children, by Sharon Lovejoy
Small is Still Beautiful, by Joseph Pearce
Sol Viva: How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre, and Peace on Earth, by Anna Edey
Sunset New Western Garden Book, by Editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine
The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region, by Miklos D. F. Udvardy
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Western Region
The Private Life of Plants, 1995 BBC film presented by David Attenborough
The Reason for a Flower, by Ruth Heller
The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields, by Jeavons and Cox
The Tree of Time: a Story of a Special Sequoia, by Kathy Baron
Wholeness: On Education, Buckminster Fuller and Tao, by Alex Gerber, Jr.
Wicked Bugs: the Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects,, by Amy Stewart
Wicked Plants: the Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, by Amy Stewart
No comments:
Post a Comment