Archive for the ‘Animals and Bugs’ Category

• A Nestling Fell Out of Our Tree

  Date: 2010.06.11 | Category: Animals and Bugs | Response: 2

  UPDATE on Friday Afternoon: The baby bird is dead.

  We checked the nest this afternoon, and the poor baby didn’t make it.  I kept checking the nest from my window last night to see if the mother had come back, but she had not.  Our neighbor said that he also had a dead nestling in his year.  Poor babies….

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  We arrived home this afternoon to find a mother bird sitting on the ground next a nest that had fallen from our tree.  Underneath her was a tiny baby bird, a nestling*.

  With my neighbor’s help, we put the nestling back in the nest and put the nest back up in the tree.  At one point, the mother came back, but she sat down on the ground where the baby bird used to be.  Then she jumped on to a tree limb, but after a little bit, she just flew away.  She has been back, but I can’t tell if she is feeding the baby or not.  She just comes and goes.

  I have a bunch of photos, but I can’t get them to upload to my computer, so I’ll put those up as soon as I can.

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• Pinecone Bird Feeders

  Date: 2010.04.11 | Category: Animals and Bugs, Arts & Crafts, Punky, Spunky | Response: 1

  Punky has been asking to make Pinecone Bird Feeders for a long time now.

  One quiet evening, we finally got together all the components and made them.

  

  There was a lot of finger licking…

  

  … and concentrating.

  

  Punky and Spunky worked hard…

  

  … and ended up with these…

  

  … which we hung from our bird feeder…

  

  that my dad built for me.

• Last Chance to Stop Genetically-Engineered Alfalfa

  Date: 2010.03.03 | Category: Animals and Bugs, Environment, Food, Health, Natural & Green Living | Response: 1

  Stop Genetically Engineered Alfalfa and Protect Organic Food!

  GE Alfalfa “threatens the very fabric of the organic industry.”
  - George Siemon, Organic Valley cooperative CEO

  Dear Farm Friends,

  Today is critical for protecting organic agriculture!

  The USDA recently released a draft of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Genetically Engineered “Roundup Ready” Alfalfa, and if we don’t speak up, it’s clear they intend to approve its commercial use. We can’t let this happen.

  You may not think about alfalfa much when you’re drinking organic milk, but organic alfalfa is important to organic farming, as a nourishing animal feed that’s also a nitrogen-fixing soil enhancer. Once GE alfalfa is introduced, its contamination of non-GE plants – including organic – is all but inevitable. And because alfalfa is fed to dairy cows and other livestock, contamination puts organic dairy and meat at risk, too! Learn more

  In their EIS, the USDA states “There is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic alfalfa.” We know that you do care. Let’s not be Monsanto’s guinea pigs!

  Now is your chance to be heard. Tell the USDA to protect organic food and farmers from GE contamination, and NOT TO APPROVE Monsanto’s GE Alfalfa. The comment period ends TODAY, March 3, at 5pm Eastern time.

  There’s been a lot of response already from concerned Farm Friends – thank you! – but USDA still needs to hear from as many people as possible. Tell your friends! You CAN make a difference. Tell the USDA that you care about GE contamination and your right to GMO-free organic foods.

  Learn more and get talking points on our website. Then take action at the Center for Food Safety, or submit comments online to the USDA directly. (USDA link is http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a6b7a1)

  After you write, let us know at rootstock@organicvalley.coop.

  Thanks for all your support for family farmers and a sustainable organic future for all!

  Sincerely,
  The Farmers and Staff of Organic Valley Family of Farms

  from Organic Valley

• A Worm House for “Baby”

  Date: 2009.08.04 | Category: Animals and Bugs, Punky | Response: 2

  Punky found another worm and decided that it needed a house,
  so I put together this little home with a container that held tomatoes.

  Pretty cute, huh?

  If I were a worm, I’d love to live in there.

  

  He named his worm “Baby” because it is “little like a baby.”

  

• Punky the Veterinarian and the Worm Condo

  Date: 2009.06.23 | Category: Animals and Bugs, Punky | Response: 5

  Last week, Punky told me he wanted to be an “animal doctor for bugs and birds.”

  We’ve obviously had a lot of fun with caterpillars and butterflies, but tonight was all about worms.  I moved a big piece of wood in the backyard and under was a worm.  Punky immediately picked it up and told me that the worm loved him.

  We bought our worm friend inside the house and looked up how to make an indoor (temporary) house for him.  Here is how to make a Worm Condo taken from HowStuffWorks:

  What You’ll Need:

  2 clear containers (one slightly smaller than the other)
  Soil
  Worms
  Screen or piece of stocking
  Rubber band
  (We used a mason jar for the outside container)

  First, you’ll need a clear plastic container. Place another container, an inch or so smaller in diameter, inside the larger container. You are creating a narrow enough space between the containers so you’ll be able to see the worms tunnel.

  You’ll see worm tunnels clearly in the worm condo.

  Fill the space between the two containers with a good supply of fresh soil (not potting soil), and keep it moist (but not soaked). Put in some worms, then cover the container with a piece of screen or stocking for good air flow. Secure this cover with a rubber band.

  Now watch the worms as they tunnel through the soil! (Be sure to keep this out of the hot sun, and free the worms after a few days of observation.)

  Here is our Worm Condo:

  

  You can see Punky pointing to his worm, who he named “Kid”

• A Death in Our Backyard

  Date: 2009.06.16 | Category: Animals and Bugs, Loss, Punky | Response: 5

  A poor little bunny was killed by one of our dachshunds this weekend.

  

  A week or two ago, the dachshunds almost caught the “Mommy Bunny.”  But, thankfully, she got away.

  As sad as it was, it was a good lesson on death for Punky.  He had a hard time understanding “how” Reese had killed the bunny and why it wasn’t going to walk around again.  I think he kept waiting for it to get up and hop away.

  We colored pictures for the Bunny, and Punky and Daddy brought them over to it.  If you look closely in the photo, you can see Daddy showing the bunny the drawing.

  

  Spunky’s Bunny & Punky’s Bunny
  (Yes, Mommy drew them; although, our kids are very artistically gifted)

  My hubby tried to help Punky draw a bunny, but we all agree that his looks more like a pig or something.