Woodpecker Indicator

When I say "Yellow-bellied Sapsucker" you are probably drawn to say "sufferin' succotash, that sounds like a fictitious animal if I ever heard one". Well, in this case, it may actually be a suffering White Pine. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) is a woodpecker known for feeding on the sap of trees and on insects that get caught in the sap. Other birds exploit the holes made by sapsuckers and thus, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is considered a "keystone" species, one whose existence is integral to the health and stability of a community.

Recently, I noticed a woodpecker tapping into my White Pine tree. Much to my delight, it was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, the bird I studied for a year as my senior research project in my undergraduate program. While studying the feeding pattern of this bird species, I observed and counted thousands of holes, and saw the bird only once. During that year with my research team, we discovered that, among pine trees, sapsuckers have a significant preference for black pines and will "NEVER" eat from a White Pine so long as they have other options. And they almost always do; they feed from a variety of both gymnosperms and angiosperms. The characteristic pattern of holes made by sapsuckers can be seen in some White Pines, however, and that day I discovered them on my neighbor's side of the White Pine.

Upon my excitement at seeing 'an old friend', I immediately emailed my former professor at Valparaiso University's Biology Department, Dr. Laurie Eberhardt. She reminded me of her own research conclusions on sapsucker feeding. Sapsuckers tend to feed from trees that have overall poorer health. When a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker feeds from a White Pine, it is an indication that the tree is producing an elevated amount of amino acids - which is effectively the trees immune response to sickness. The feeding by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in my White Pine indicates the tree is probably sick. Removing the tree will remove a food source for this interesting migratory bird species but the tree will likely need to come down anyway as its condition worsens and potentially becomes a safety hazard.

[Image courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds. My own images are too fuzzy.]

Concept Development - Perspective Sketch

Here are three images to give you an idea of how the layout developed.

My perspective sketch will help visualize the final design. I made it by drawing over a perspective view in SketchUp with pencil, then inking it and finally, coloring by hand with watercolor marker.

Before I created the SketchUp model, I drew a quick sketch of the interaction between the new path and the south-facing wall. While it is not to scale, it demonstrates the relationships between the new path, the espalier trees, and the rain barrels.

These pencil colored images were drawn to visualize possible layouts for the new sidewalk. I considered cutting the White Pine into discs to lay down as stepping blocks. Taking into consideration  water collection areas, and the fact that the rear entrance probably needs a more substantial pathway than one made of wood, I made the decision to reuse the existing concrete as the material for the new path.

Shadow Analysis in SketchUp

Performing a Sun/Shadow Analysis can be incredibly helpful during the design process. It's helpful to architects who want to assess solar input to a building for passive or active solar collection. For landscape architects, it has always been ingrained in the materials of our field.

The sun gives life to our plants, the building blocks of our trade, along with the soil and water they bed in. The sun-shadow cycle is to plants as the blankets-on/blankets-off cycle is to people, it determines their waking hours and resting hours.

Sunlight has other effects on plants as well; it's what dries the morning dew. By removing moisture, the sunlight can prevent certain plant diseases, while an increase in shade or quantity of water will make plants more susceptible to plants diseases and fungal infections that thrive in moist environments.

My sun-shadow study had surprising results for me. I learned that the White Pine on the south-west corner of our lot casts more shade than I suspected on our largest garden bed. By using the date and time functions in SketchUp, I was able to see at what time of day our garden bed is in the shadow of the White Pine. This set of images shows the shadows in our yard from the very beginning of our growing season to the end.

If the sunniest hours of the day are from 12-noon to 4pm, this garden bed is progressively covered by the White Pine during these hours. Removing it could increase access to sunlight by several hours each day. I have been hesitant to remove the White Pine for reasons of cost and privacy however, this analysis has proved to be a strong argument for 'repurposing' our pine wood!

The Undead of Winter: Tree Pruning

Chicago Winters are the time of dormancy for plants. For gardeners and landscapers, it is a time to rest and plan. But if you have fruit trees, the dead of Winter is the ideal time to prune.

You will want to wait to prune until after the trees are fully dormant, which can be as early as late January or as late as March. Definitely, prune before the buds begin to swell in the Spring.

Winter pruning is ideal because it reduces the risk of infection. Come Spring, when plant pests and diseases are active, your Winter cuts will be sufficiently healed.

Water Sprouts:
Our trees don't have a problem with Suckers or Whorls, but they make up for it with Water Sprouts. All three of these are undesirable types of growth that will not improve fruit production. Why have fruit trees if you don't intend to harvest some nice fruit, eh? In the above image, I am removing one of many of these thin upright branches growing near the central trunk of the tree.

Air Circulation:
This image sequence shows you Before, During, and After shots when pruning the Water Sprouts from our Apple Tree. Compare them to see how much we were able to open up the core area of the tree. For trees to be able to produce healthy fruit, they need good air circulation.

I was told by a friend to approach tree pruning with the goal to allow birds to fly through the core and canopy. With that, it's important when pruning in the Winter to keep in mind how the tree will look in Spring after the leaves emerge and take up more space.

Harvest, and Safety:
We learned last Summer that, if we were going to make it easier on ourselves to care for fruit trees, it was time to take a No-Holds-Barred approach to pruning. As I said before, since we're growing these trees for their fruit, then I intend to harvest the entire tree (with a small donation to the wildlife in my yard). As you can see in the above sequence, we sawed off a large branch that was (1.) completely out of reach for harvesting and (2). careening rather dangerously over the public alley.

Fruit Tree Pests:
Another major change to our fruit tree care this year will be education and action against the pests that make our harvest and fruit consumption cumbersome. In the past, I've done my best to keep even one day ahead of the insects that have such an amorous affection for our trees. Here's what I learned so far:

I suspect we have one or both of two common larvae tunneling through our fruit. 

Apple Maggots:
What you see: worms
Tree: Apples and Cherries
What to do: hang a Sticky Trap (a red ball or yellow triangle) in Late June through harvest. 2 traps per tree. Remove any fallen fruit immediately.

Codling Moth:
What you see: tunnels
Tree: Apples
What to do: spray Dormant Oil on leaves prior to leaf budding in late Winter or early Spring.

I'm also learning how to use Horticulture Oil, and nylon footies (yes, the kind you use at the shoe store) to protect fruit.

Good Sources for More Information:
Chicago Botanic Garden: monthly gardening checklist
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service: not our climate but they have Excellent illustrations of fruit tree training and pruning techniques.

Advice from an Engineer, Landscape Architect

I had the opportunity to speak with an Engineer about the Rain Barrels and the problem with one not draining. The great thing about speaking to another person when working on a project is that they help you see the things that are already right in front of you. The great thing about talking with an experienced professional Engineer is that they know stuff I don’t know. Like how a few inches can make a big difference.

The Engineer explained to me that the height of the Rain Barrel above the ground, which is where the water outlet is – the soaker hose, can make all the difference in the water’s drainage rate. Soaker hoses require pressure to operate well and at the height at which my rain barrel sat, that water wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Those of you who read my second entry (Set up a Rain Barrel in three easy steps, Oct 8, 2009) will recall that I began with the Rain Barrel sitting on three stone pavers at approximately nine inches above the ground. When I finished the project, I left the barrel sitting on one paver, about three inches above the ground – an obvious difference that I consciously changed not knowing it would have such an effect (see the fourth entry, Waterclogged, Oct 9, 2009). Knowing that Soaker Hoses can be temperamental, and that they require pressure to push the water through, I intend to build a tall riser made of wood for this barrel.

An alternative would be to allow all the rain from this (north) side of the roof to travel through the downspout, across a constructed runnel, to the Rain Garden in the front yard, and completely eliminate the use of a Rain Barrel.

I spoke with a Landscape Architect friend who has his own hands on experience turning his traditional home landscape into a complete, sustainable water system utilizing Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens, Runnels, Bioswales, a Green Roof, Pervious Pavers, and a miniature urban Prairie. (Yes, I intend to emulate him). He suggested a runnel for my drainage system on this side of the house, which would allow me to eliminate the Rain Barrel and make the Runnel and Rain Garden my sole system there.

This would only be influenced by the ability of the front yard to hold a Rain Garden. It’s a small space with two trees that could be damaged by standing water. Watch for a development in the Rain Garden design as I tackle this decision.

Plans, and the planning planner who plans them.

I apologize for the delay (to myself and the curious few who were awaiting them). I am a planner, not a professional Planner, but one who plans, and plans and plans, enjoying the creative investigation, ongoing inquiry, and organizing that is part of making a 'plan'.

With delight, I now present my Site Analysis and Proposal ("Plan") for my current residential project.

Site Analysis

 Proposal

I have been fortunate to be able to access this space at will, because I live here. As a result, whenever I had a question about the landscape, I defaulted to making a trip outside to investigate and gather primary research. This may have delayed the design process but is also quite an opportunity and one of only a few cases when one can do this. What I mean is, while I am woo'ing my neighbors, I'll proceed with the construction of my landscape design, which is, of course, part of the woo'ing process.

A few points of note:
1. The evergreen tree. This is a very healthy White Pine that none would want to cut down except an urban gardener or one who wants more sun on the south side of her home. I happen to be both of these. On the downside, if we cut down the tree, we might have to pay money to have this done, and we might find the tree provided a nice service, such as a wind break for the back yard. All in all, the tree may stay.

I'm trying to avoid paying for this service (Hey, anyone want some really nice and straight white pine wood that's great for woodworking!?) and if we should find there is a wind issue, I'll be prepared to plant something else in it's place. You may have noticed, I have not provided a planting plan. A task for another day; a plan for another blog.

2. The Plum tree problem. I recently visited our metropolitan area's fair botanic garden and learned that plum trees need to be planted in pairs in order to procreate successfully. I'm guessing our plum formerly had a mate in a nearby yard, when it was producing fruit successfully, and is now a desperate young widow throwing pollen to the wind in hopeless efforts for offspring. I have provided two options for planting a 'pair' tree for this plum: another dwarf plum tree in the yard or, a wall-trained plum tree against the south side of the house. I just need to insure that the two trees are compatible species and that they will flower at the same time.

3. The vegetable garden beds. This is not my original design. I sketched one on paper while standing in the yard, then designed another in AutoCAD where I had measurements to follow. The temporary cold frame (see previous blog) in this location would fit almost exactly into the northwest box you see in the drawing (keep in mind, north is up in the drawing and because it isn't exact, I will likely redo either the cold frame or the drawing). As the days of this season progress, I'm learning about winter sun patterns from observing the sun and from a housemate who has lived here longer than I have. There may be a few small adjustments made to accommodate the best lighting for the permanent garden beds.

4. Trees in general. Some of the issues with the trees in the Site Analysis are being resolved by simply pruning them more regularly. This increases sun access on the site and improves the health of the tree. Additionally, I intend to research organic pest control solutions for next season's crops.

If I have left out anything, dear readers, please don't hesitate to contact me. Your inquiry is my opportunity.

Cold Frame, Hot Materials

Hot not as in 'stolen', rather used here to mean 'found', and free, and useful for framing, mass and insulation. Now that's totally cool. A cold frame is a structure that surrounds a garden bed, allows light to penetrate, has an insulating mass on the interior, and thus allows gardeners to extend their growing season.

I set out this past weekend to locate discarded items useful for making a cold frame to cover one of my vegetable garden beds. I have never before made a cold frame and while I have a complete landscape plan for the lot (see upcoming post), I wanted to get something built NOW.

Today, I made a very simple cold frame that can be constructed in a very short period of time (depending on how well-developed your project is when you begin).

I began with a garden bed that has already been in use, and even had small plants that I grew from seeds several weeks ago.  My ‘found’ materials include:

• 2 windows (approx. 3’ x 4’)
• 2 wooden boards (2” x 10” x 8')
• several bricks

Cold Frame Framing

In this picture you can see where I put the boards, which will contain the soil, and the bricks, which will absorb heat from the sun and slowly release it through the day. Currently, the boards are being held up by other bricks but will soon be held together by nails with shorter wooden boards on the ends.

The board on the south side (right) is nestled into a trench about 2 inches wide and 2 or 3 inches deep, spanning the length of the board. This places the board lower than the other and allows the windows to angle just a bit southward, towards the sun. (For my ideal cold frame, the framing will be designed to place the windows at an angle appropriate to Chicago’s winter solar position).


Cold Frame Finished

It took me about two hours to build this cold frame. While it was designed to be a temporary structure, it’s one that I know has worked for others. When I’m enjoying fresh spinach in January, I’ll let you know.