If you have ever had to take a chainsaw to a 60 ft. pine tree on your property, then you know the pain of losing a featured landscape tree.  Here in Kansas, we are losing many stately trees to “pine wilt,” which has affected my older neighborhood severely. 

Pine wilt is caused by a plant parasitic nematode, referred to as the pine wood nematode, which is carried on the pine sawyer, an ugly insect in itself which tends to have a taste for our “exotic” pine trees.  As the pine sawyer feeds, the nematodes hop off, infect the tree and live and reproduce in the resin canals of the branch and trunk of the tree.  An infected tree will die within a few months. Of course, landowners are asked to remove and burn the wood immediately to contain the disease.

Our summer field based botany class visited the John Pair Horticultural Research site last week, just south of Wichita, and reviewed some of the research being conducted on pine wilt.  As an aging facility, the research site has trees affected by pine wilt as well as healthy evergreens for comparison.  Their current research is to determine wilt resistant trees for landscape use.

In a small greenhouse located at the site, insect collection chambers have been set up to determine infestation rates.  Filled with dead trees of varied species, emergent pine sawyers are counted and documented.  The degree of infection can then be determined and attributed.

Recent sawyer collections have recently been applied to young pine trees thought to be resistant.  The trees will then be observed and documented for resulting infection. 

I suppose the importance of trees of an “exotic” nature in this area might be questioned, but I have always been a softy for any tree that is clearly beneficial.  Of course, the advice of the extension service is to plant native trees that are resistant to wilt, but one hates to lose a tree for any reason.  Especially as older elms and weaker trees are removed, the landscapes take years to recover. 

The research at John Pair research center is encouraging in that it hits at the heart of city folks who treasure the trees that have taken generations to grow.

When you live in the city, it is not difficult to let awareness of wildlife slip as we enjoy smaller spaces, more confinement and tons of concrete that surrounds us.  Urban wildlife is alive and well though, and there is an abundance of bees and other pollinators living among us, buzzing our flowers,  vegetable gardens, and fruit trees if we’re lucky enough to have them.   

I had so many bees last year that I asked my friend Barb, the beekeeper, if I should be considering a hive.  She laughed good-naturedly, and then told me the bees would starve to death on the resources I alone had to give.  Besides, she added, those bees belong to someone local.  I would be wiser to help that beekeeper by helping his bees.  But how, I asked, can city folks do that?

I found a helpfularticle on www.gooserockfarm.com, a supplier of bee colonies, which applies to us city slickers.  Want to help the honeybee and don’t know how?    Is there really anything the average person can do to make a difference?  It turns out there is and that we do.

It turns out that spring wildflowers are a critical source of pollen for honeybees.  Not just the dandelion, for in itself, it does not provide adequate nutrients. But it is a moderate resource for them.  Add to that other wildflowers such as clover and plantains in early spring and numerous other wildflowers throughout summer and fall, and we have provided for a part of the bees’ needs.

There are some helpful options for the average homeowner.

 First, I can opt to not treat the wildflowers in the lawn with chemicals.  Note that I didn’t call them “weeds.”

Second, I can delay mowing the dandelions until other sources of pollen are available and the bees have moved on.  Actually, that option was easy to achieve this year as the cool weather eased us into the summer with little mowing.

Third, I can help either as an individual or as an HOA member by choosing and planting plants and trees that provide good pollen sources for bees.

Fourth, in that same way, I can choose not to plant plants and trees that are not beneficial to bees.  (One example given was the Bradford pear, grown commonly in my area.)

Finally, if I garden, I can do so organically.  That eliminates the whole issue of chemicals;  I can eat local honey (thank you Barb and Rich for providing some to buy); and  I can support legislation and environmental measures to protect and assist bees.

 As president of our small neighborhood association, I have received repeated pleas from my neighbors to spray the dandelions.  While this year I was able to avoid the issue because of the temperatures and rainfall, but next year I’ll make an effort to solicit their assistance.

So the next time you see those pretty yellow flowers covering the back yard, just remember – the bee you save IS your own.  It is pollinating the food you eat.

There is a great deal of interest in my community about raising honeybees.  Although the days of large alfalfa fields have passed with the days of the livestock farmer, there are areas of nearby fields that provide good forage for hives. There are also good responsible beekeepers who know the science of caring for bees. 

Recently an article was published regarding the nationwide problem of colony collapse which gave great hope for Kansas beekeepers.  Apparently, the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency conducted a study to determine the cause of honeybee decline that yielded some important information.  In searching for causes of the problem, researchers found multiple culprits.   Among them were parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.  The hopeful part for Kansas came in the report conclusions, indicating that Kansas beekeepers are not experiencing colony loss at the same rate.

It is the belief of Kansas researcher Chip Taylor that this is because Kansas colonies are tended by amateur beekeepers rather than commercial ones.  Our bees are not transported for pollination purposes and instead are kept at home.  This, he believes, minimizes the stress on hives, makes them less likely to be exposed to pesticides, minimizes the nutritional issues, and helps in controlling mites and disease.

Local beekeepers Barb and Richard  indicate that the last two years have been difficult on the local bee colonies, largely due to problems associated with the heat and drought.  Some of the new hives required additional feeding due to low forage availability and some simply weren’t able to survive the lack of nutrition.   

While local farmers are assisting beekeepers with better farming practices, it is important that all of us, perhaps especially urban residents, remember the impact of herbicide use.  Bees need early forage and yellow dandelions and other early blooming plants that thrive in our yards provide some of the first pollen available.  We would do well to help pollinators out and NOT spray them.

To be continued..........how can I make a difference for my neighboring bees? They too, are urban wildlife.

As a daughter of a Kansas wheat farmer, I have many memories of crop disasters and appreciate the hardships faced by these families.  In those years, we didn’t have crop insurance and if the wheat died, it was a tough year.  I specifically remember years when hard hail took the wheat down at the peak of the growing period.  In my mind is an image of my Dad standing at the edge of an eighty acre field, crying after a total loss.

Well, Kansas weather has made the news this year with unpredictable dryness, wetness, wind, cold, and untimely snow and sleet.  We are experiencing the third year of drought.  Our wheat was happily growing with several inches of good rain and snow, but recently we have had three weeks of freezing temperature.  For those unfamiliar with wheat farming, wheat can be killed if the temperature goes too low at a time when the wheat grain stalk is maturing.

This week, experts hit the road in Kansas to diagnose how severe the crop loss was.  I found the photos and explanations very helpful in understanding their findings. Ag experts were in the fields looking for damage from two problems:  continuing drought as measured by the moisture available in the subsoil and 2) damage to the plant stems from freezing temperatures.

The measures taken seem fairly straight forward, if tedious.  They walk into fields all over the state and take random samples.  They test potential yield by counting the number of wheat stalks per foot and also pulling up plants to determine the depth of the plant roots, indicating soil moisture.

Plant damage from freezing was determined by examining the plant for damage.  I have provided photos to illustrate what happens when a plant freezes.

 
I haven’t heard the report of my own crop yet, but if it was damaged, it would have been from the freeze this week.  My county had abundant rain and the wheat was looking healthy.  Besides hoping for an income from the crop this year, I’d like to feel a little success as a farmer.  As we say here, it sure seems like it’s been a long dry spell for farmers.   

Ah, spring has brought back the farmers market, a little nice weather and has inspired me to cook some of my favorite fresh food recipes.  I picked up some early spinach that inspired a smothered chicken breast on a nest of fresh spinach, topped with a nice guacamole.   

The recipe gives me an opportunity to use some of my frozen chile as well, so this evening while the chicken cooked I whipped it all together and did my taste test.  “Ay Chihuahua!” Talk about an afterburn! I realized this was the chile I had frozen from the draught year – too little water often will produce a chile that is hot as blazes, even when it is a known mild variety.

Well, I saved the meal by adding an extra avocado and an extra tomato and as usual the combination was delicious, BUT, it did remind me as I planted this year to choose a mild variety of chile and to make sure I planted where sufficient water would be available.  I will look forward to the pungent smell of chiles roasting on the grill as I prepare them for freezing.

It is still cold here in Wichita and I haven’t even planted the lettuce. I plan to do that tomorrow after cleaning my beds out but we will have at least three days below freezing this week, so I don’t see a reason to rush it. 

Isn’t that what gardening is all about?  You work with the weather gods and plant when you know it’s right.  Maybe this year when I whip up the guacamole, “ Ay Chihuahua” will be for the surprisingly good taste, not the heat!

Took a little trip to watch the cranes in Nebraska and it gave me an opportunity to talk about game birds with my brother-in-law while in the car.

I like to think I am a reasonable person about hunting in general, becoming mildly obsessive only if I think it foolish or wasteful.  I eat venison, for example, but deer practically knock on the farm house door.  I don’t however, allow bird hunting.  I think it is wasteful and unfair to my endangered birds.

So, on this trip, I brought up the subject of turkey hunting, which this particular week seemed to coincide with the breeding season.  It didn’t seem fair to me to shoot turkey at that time.

So, I asked my brother-in-law, we’ll call him Charles, why would the state allow a hunt during that time.

"Well, he answered, “it’s only the males we’re allowed to shoot.”

I cast my eyes upon him with a look of incredulous doubt.  “I think that’s my point,” I responded.  “They’re MATING.  It’s not right to shoot them.”

He gave me a sheepish grin.  “Ah, you don’t need to worry.  We only shoot them after they have mated.”

"Ahhh,” I nodded with understanding.  “And how do you know if they’ve mated?”

He grinned again.  “Not to worry,” he said, shaking his head negatively.   “If there’s any doubt, we only shoot the old bachelors.”

We keep him in the family only because we've grown so attached to him.

You might expect me to be sitting by the fireside during these recent Kansas snowstorms, but I’m using the time more productively to prepare for one of my favorite volunteer efforts – creating a love of nature in three to five year old children.

As a Kansas master naturalist, I enjoy working in the local gardens and nature centers and as a lifelong educator, I am dedicated to the idea of kids loving nature too.  At Great Plains Nature Center, one of my favorite activities is a weekly group for preschoolers called “Little Nature Lovers.” 

As you might expect, the attention span for this age group is short, so we have found a switch of activity about every 12 minutes works fairly well with parent help.  My group does one fiction and one non-fiction book on a nature topic followed by a simple craft for them to take home.

The selection of the literature is extremely important.  If your public library is like mine, it has thousands of books for children, but I look for books with particular qualities. 

First, for both fiction and nonfiction, I look for books that reflect animals and life forms that are “real” and not personified.  Sometimes I find a quality story that might have an animal talking, but I always point out to the children that “we” know that animals can’t really talk and that it is just a story.  An example of this might be Owl Babies by Martin Waddel, wherein the baby owls do speak, but say what we might imagine any baby saying that was left alone.  The book’s redeeming value is in introducing what owls eat and the hunting practices of owls.  Still another example might be some of the books by Eric Carle, such as The Very Quiet Cricket, where speech is used, but characteristics of crickets can be found in the illustrations.

Second, I look for books that either have excellent and realistic illustrations, or photos. These are becoming much more available with the new national standards emphasizing nonfiction comprehension.  I particularly like the books written by Jim Arnosky because the illustrations are full and beautiful and worthy of discussion as a picture book.  I also like the Lerner “Pull Ahead” books that have photographs and excellent text.  I am developing this week’s lesson on the eastern cottontail rabbit and chose Rabbits & Raindrops by Jim Arnosky and Cottontail Rabbits by Kristi Gallagher.  The latter is a Lerner publication.

Finally, I look for good content that is accurate and appropriate for the preschool age. I like the Lerner publications for this reason as well.  The pictures and text go well together and allow children to respond with their own prior knowledge.  Sometimes I select books with great pictures and select the best of the information to avoid overload.

Many families are joining the effort to introduce their children to nature as well.  If you are interested in pursuing the effort, I would recommend the “Children and Nature Network” for ideas and links.  The website is at www.childrenandnature.org.