NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/315021
JUNE 2014 • NEBRASKAland 9 8 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2014 A License to Feed By Justin Haag Readers have long been sending us photos of their outdoors-themed personalized license plates for publication. As people have a fondness of their vehicles, they also take pride in the government-issued items that identify their chosen rides. If you're like me, your hoarder instincts kick in when it comes time to get a new set of license plates and find a place for the old ones. Thankfully, I've found a way to save those plates and help wildlife while I'm at it: bird house construction. To make one all you need is a license plate, some scrap lumber, a drill, hand saw and some screws and nails. I didn't start out with any measurements. I just fashioned a little scrap lumber to the form of a tray for holding seed that is smaller than the roof. I cut the ends of a couple of equal-lengths of 1x1 to a point and attached those boards to the sides of the tray in vertical fashion. I bent the license plate to match the angle on the pointed boards and drilled two screw holes along the crease, then attached the roof to the vertical boards, and voilà … bird feeder. I went shiny-side up with the roof, but I don't think it makes much difference. For hanging, I drilled a couple of holes near the crease and inserted an s-hook from my junk drawer. I expect the feeder to last a long time, thanks to the anti-corrosive aluminum construction of the roof. Best of all, I'm satisfying those hoarder tendencies while creating a place for birds to take refuge from the weather for a hearty meal. ■ Tour Topic Date and Time Starting Location Bobwhite Quail habitat needs workshop & habitat management. June 11, 2014 11:00 am - 2:30 pm CST Alexandria Community Center 506-510 Nebraska 53 - Alexandria, NE What's the Buzz about Pollinators? June 19, 2014 10:00 am - 2:00 pm MST Mid-Plains Community College 1324 Broadway - Imperial, NE Panhandle Pollinators: A closer look at pollinators and how they affect you! June 19, 2014 9:00 am-1:00 pm MST Wildcat Hills Nature Center 210615 Hwy 71 - Gering, NE CRP Upgrades with High Diversity Seed Mixes, SAFEs and Pollinator Habitat. What is it supposed to look like? June 19, 2014 10:00 - 2:00 pm CST Rosemont Trap Club Rosemont, NE Developing seed mixes for your habitat project June 25, 2014 11:00 am - 3:00 pm CST USDA Service Center 36465 Hwy 34 - Trenton, NE Benefits of Prescribed Fire June 26, 2014 5:30 - 9:00 pm CST Curtis Cattle Company 223 Center Ave - Curtis, NE Pollinator Habitat Past & Present June 26, 2014 9:00 am - 2:00 pm CST Lexington Public Library 907 N Washington - Lexington, NE Where are all the Pheasants? June 27, 2014 12:00-4:00 pm CST UNL West Central Research & Extension Center • WCREC Auditorium 402 W State Farm Rd - North Platte, NE Prairie & Wetland Restoration in Eastern Nebraska July 10, 2014 5:30-8:30 pm CST Tekamah Memorial Park 613 N 13th St - Tekamah, NE Lake Wanahoo Wildlife & Wildflower Walk July 19, 2014 9:30 am - 1:30 pm CST Lake Wanahoo; Main Boat Ramp Wahoo, NE Upgrading & Managing CRP & WRP for Grassland Birds, Pollinator Habitat & Plant ID July 24, 2014 11:00 am - 4:00 pm CST Williams Cabin: from Fullerton: 4 miles South on Hwy 14 to Rd. Z turn East, 2 miles to Rd 19, turn North go 1/3 mile CRP Mid-Contract Management Activities July 24, 2014 9:00 am - 2:00 pm CST One Box Gun Club 79681 Road 435 - Broken Bow, NE Sandhills Plant ID Tour August 7, 2014 10:00 am- 2:00 pm CST Myrtle Hall WMA 82267 445th Ave - Sargent, NE Northeast Nebraska Focus on Pheasants Efforts August 14, 2014 12:00 - 3:00 -pm CST Southwester Knox County: 6 miles West of Verdigre & 5 miles South, Intersection of 518 Ave & 876 Rd Rangeland Management August 21, 2014 7:00 - 9: 00 pm CST Mid-Plains Community College 2520 S E St - Broken Bow, NE The Critical Role of Pollinators September 19, 2014 7:00 - 9:00 pm CST Lewis & Clark Visitor Center 100 Valmont Dr. - Nebraska City, NE Wildlife Biologists from across the state will be hosting a series of Habitat Tours this year. Tours are designed to demonstrate habitat management practices, available conservation programs, how to create the best results on your next habitat project and much more. LANDOWNER TOURS FOR BETTER HABITAT! N e b r a s k a 's For more tour details & to register, please visit: NebraskaPF.com or call Pam at 308-850-8395 Purple Poppy Mallow With a little scrap lumber and an old license plate, a backyard bird feeder can be easily made. By Kimberly Stuhr From its deep taproot to the bright magenta flowers it sports atop deeply cut green leaves, purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata) is a gardener's dream. Sure, individual landscape goals and aesthetic preferences differ, but most would agree that an ideal plant is one that is beautiful and robust, and performs reliably with very little input. Purple poppy mallow fits this bill, and more. Thanks to that taproot, purple poppy mallow tolerates heat and summer drought. Though it only rises to one foot in height, it scrambles along the ground to about three feet in width, forming a dense mat that helps blanket bare soil, retain soil moisture and helps choke out weeds. Unlike its hybrid and imported companions, there is no need to vigorously prune flowers to keep the blooms coming. This native perennial naturally blooms continuously, from late spring to mid-summer with some continued bloom into fall. Purple poppy mallow's cup-shaped, satiny flowers provide nectar for butterflies and bees, and it's a larval host for the gray hairstreak butterfly. When planted near rocks or in a hanging basket, the stems cascade beautifully over the side. Its trailing form fits into formal garden areas as well as wild or naturalized areas. Purple poppy mallow has a long history. Michael Haddock, author of Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas: A Field Guide, says, "The Lakota and Dakota burned the dried roots and inhaled the smoke as a treatment for colds. The roots were also boiled and used for a tea to treat intestinal pains." Today, purple poppy mallow is used mostly for cosmetic purposes. The petals dress up a mixed green salad, and look especially nice lightly pressed into cake frosting. The trick to growing purple poppy mallow is simple: have a sunny, well-drained site. It is definitely an easy-keeper, and a beautiful and showy addition to any landscape. ■ PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAAG PHOTO BY KIMBERLY STUHR Purple poppy mallow in Sarpy County near Gretna.