Some people maintain a burn barrel in this area, because we have plenty of trees always dropping branches, twigs, sticks, and dead lumps of wood on the lawn. Green sticks are tough to break up and irregular branches make it even more difficult. After the latest storms I found lumps of old, dead wood from the maple in the front yard.
Extinguish That Burn Barrel
For some, the word beneficial applies to insects, and it often does. But a good balance in the yard promotes many more of God's creatures than insects. Beneficials also include:
- Earthworms
- All soil creatures, even moles.
- Spiders.
- Birds.
- Soil microbes and fungus.
- Toads.
- Weeds and wildfloweers that host favorite creatures, like bees and butterflies.
Therefore, wood is a host, shelter, and food source for many beneficials. Lumps of wood and logs are great to place on the soil for their slow decay into the lawn. Larger ones can be condos for burrowing creatures, and their placement on soil guarantees a nifty place for toads, insects, and various arthropods. Anything that moves will attract birds, and birds will keep down pests.
Irregular sticks go on a pile as part of the Jackson Bird Spa. Sticks become a shelter for insects and a place for birds to rest. I placed a large log behind the spa area, so birds can perch on the upper part, and they do - all day long. They get a good, safe view of the entire feeding and bathing area.
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| My classmates remember the Moline Community Pool as a great place for fun and friendship. Why not build one for the creatures? |
The Community Pool
We now have several areas for the birds
- The Jackson Bird Spa features food and 10 shallow bird baths.
- The Creature Convention Center has a large feeding area plus two baths.
- The bedroom window has a birdfeeder for finches and chickadees, the Jackson EZ Bird Swing, and a hanging food platform.
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| This K-Mart rigid pool was small enough for the Ichaboat and easily trimmed down for shallow water and easy access. |
I carved half of the pool side away, to make the depth less intimidating. That gave me an enormous blue plastic ring, utterly useless. I left the second one whole and put it in the wild area in the back, so shy creatures could use it.
We get constant traffic now, using suet and some seed. Many sunflowers are growing up to feed birds and butterflies.