Rattlesnakes prey primarily on rodents, but also rabbits, squirrels, birds, lizards, and frogs. Despite the unfavorable reputation with their venom, they are a necessary part of any desert ecosystem. Their shelters are rocky crevices and dark burrows ~ anywhere they can hide and be obscured.
The rattler is a clear communication tool that announces the presence and boundary of a rattlesnake. If you hear this song, step away, and walk in the opposite direction. Their top crawl speed is 5mph so they won’t run you down! The rattle is made of keratin, the same material as our hair and fingernails, and it forms a new notch every time a snake sheds its skin.
If you encounter a rattlesnake near or around your home, call Fish & Game to have the snake removed and relocated.
The snakes were here first!
If you panic and kill it ~ well, sometimes that is just the way it goes.
If you are bit by a rattlesnake:
stay calm, and seek immediate medical attention.
(A folk remedy for snake bites that may slow down the spread of venom is to apply a wet poultice of pure tobacco to the area of the bite.)
According to the U.S. Geological Survey;
“By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year.
This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber. It also doesn’t take into account the critical importance of bats as plant and crop pollinators. So the actual monetary worth of bats is far greater than 3.7 billion dollars per year.” (www.USGS.gov)
Proposing this framework from the economic benefit of a species brings up complicated feelings ~ that the worth of an animal’s right to exist and be treated with respect should not be determined by its monetary value. But with the systems we currently coexist in, this information is valuable. Decreasing the need for chemical sprays and poisons for mosquitoes and other bothersome insects is a worthwhile foundation to stand on. If we support more species who feed on mosquitoes, the less dependent on using poisons we can be. Building and sustaining habitat for bats benefits any ecosystem.
Bats are increasingly at risk with coming into contact with a dangerous fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, also known as white nose syndrome. Do not approach or touch any bat that you may come across, and if you do, wash your hands and clothing immediately and report any sightings with your local Fish & Game.
Saw-whet owls love to nest in the holes of trees, using the burrows where the likes of flickers and pileated woodpeckers once dwelled. They are a small and sensitive species of owl with a sweet night song and want the lush density and privacy of a forest to live in.
Habitat loss is the major contributing factor to the population decline of saw-whet owls. The saw-whet depends on the hand-me-downs of other birds or animals. Resourcing a safe location is critical for them to thrive.
(So keep that dead tree with the hole! A saw-whet could use it.)
Saw-whet owls deserve their space.
Disturbing a nest or getting too close can
interrupt their nesting or feeding habits.
Females are larger than the males. Saw-whet females engage in sequential polyandry, meaning she chooses more than one mate.
They breed once yearly, between March & July. The mother chooses the nesting site within the male’s territory and will lay up to 4 – 7 eggs and incubates them for up to 28 days. When the chicks hatch, she broods them for at least 18 days.
The name as we know it came from the songs they make when they are calling out for a mate ~ having resemblance to the ‘whetting’ of a saw.
Brush off the Seeds from your shoes / clothing / gear to prevent the spread of invasive plants!
Have you seen our local mule buck with the fleshy skins tags? Malnutrition is a sincere concern amidst our neighborhood ungulate population. This leads to a variety of health risks, from susceptibility to mites, mange, and chronic wasting disease.
The introduction of Kentucky bluegrass (not originally from Kentucky at all, but brought over from Europe and northern Asia) arrived with the wealthy socioeconomic status of upkeep and resources related to the ‘immaculate lawn’ ~ a purely ornamental, performative gesture.
The problem with turf grass is that it provides no nutrition and outcompetes native flora to thrive and sustain the variety of creatures who require healthy and sustainable habitat to thrive.
Replacing Kentucky bluegrass with blue bunch wheat grass, crested wheat grass, or rough fescue ~ to start ~ are viable alternatives. Or adding these varieties of plants to your lawn to encourage vitality and proper sustenance for our local wildlife.
. . .
Stickers Available on Etsy
From an unlaunched project called Share Our WyHome: promoting habitat restoration education.