By The Yard

Winter is for Witchhazel 2

Cost Saving Thanksgiving Travel 3

Turkey Talk 4

How to Start Feeding Birds in Your Yard, Including What Feed to Use

5

Why is That There? 6

November Quick Tips 7

Jamie’s Farm & Garden Flyer 8

Recipe: Kicking Greens 7

Miscellaneous Information 9

Inside this issue:

Cooperative Extension Service

Fayette County Extension

1140 Harry Sykes Way

Lexington, KY 40504

Phone (859) 257-5582

Email: DL_CES_Fayette@email.uky.edu

Continues on page 2

in the middle and both ends are black. This fuzzy caterpillar is currently found crawling on sidewalks and sitting on porches all over Michigan.

The story is that by looking at the stripes on the larvae, the amount of black determines how severe the winter weather will be. Wide black stripes mean a bad winter, whereas a wide brown stripe in the middle means a mild winter. The real wooly worm aficionados have even counted the body segments and determined that there are 13. They have additionally deduced that there 13 weeks of winter and that every black segment means one week of bad weather. But, alas, fiction is so much more entertaining than reality.

We have two generations of these striped larvae each year. The first hatches in May and second in August. The reason for those “predicting” stripes has everything to do with genetics and hatching conditions. Temperatures at

With the fall weather comes garden and yard cleanups. For those who are outside raking, they often discover the furry, black and rusty brown wooly worm. Most people have heard about how this little larva can predict just how bad the winter will be. But is this possible? Is a small larva able to do what the weather forecasters with sophisticated predicting equipment cannot? Let’s meet these insect experts.

Wooly worms or banded wooly bears are the larvae or caterpillars of the Isabella tiger moth. The larvae have rusty brown and black stripes on their bodies. The brown stripe is

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Fayette County Cooperative Extension

Horticulture

Wooly Worms and Winter Weather Predictions Those Crazy Caterpillars are Talking Weather Again!

Wooly bear. Photo Credit: cecilwhig.com

November, 2019

HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER

Wooly Worms and Winter Weather Predictions Those Crazy Caterpillars are Talking Weather Again! continued hatching of the eggs can affect width of the rusty brown to black stripes. The genetics of the brood can also affect the coloration. There are some wooly worms that spend their entire larval life either being entirely brown or black. It now appears that sheer chance or dumb luck is involved when finding a larva. If finding several in the same area, they may be from the same brood and show similar coloration

and will give the same prediction.

But the legend lives on about furry weather guys right outside the door, waiting to tell their stories of what winter has in store. And there are still plenty of people with lots of free time to hunt wooly worms and count segments. If it gives them some feeling of control in a chaotic world, it may be worth the effort. But still, listen to the local

weather for confirmation that the wooly worms really know best.

Three festivals are planned each year in honor of the clever creatures: the Wooly Bear Festival in Vermillion, Ohio, the Wooly Worm Festivals in Banner Elk, North Carolina and in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. And the myth continues on, all over the United States.

Source: Gretchen Voyle, Michigan State University Extension

By The Yard Page 2

Winter is for Witchhazel The cold winter season is enough to keep many plants, and most gardeners, in a state of suspended animation patiently waiting for warm breezes and bright sunshine. But, among these droves of winter evaders, there is one with the fortitude to tempt ‘old man winter’ and produce not solely a plump bud or a greenish stem, but a flower with fragrance and style unlike any other blooming shrub. The plant is Witchhazel and it is the hero of a winter garden.

The name witchhazel has little to do with witches or hazels. The word “witch” is a derivative of the word “wych” meaning pliable or flexible. During colonial America, the pliable forked branches of witchhazel made for favorite divining rods of dowsers searching for hidden water sources or precious metals.

There are five species of witchhazel – two native, two from Asia, and one hybrid. Most witchhazels used in landscapes are cultivars of the

hybrid. Even still there is reason to consider the others. Both natives, for example, are unique as one is the last shrub in our area to flower, the other the first.

The Common Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is native to the eastern United States and commonly found along forest edges, sometimes on floodplains and along boggy or rocky streams. It is a large shrub or small multistemmed tree with a broadly rounded form growing to 20 feet tall. H. virginiana is the hardiest of all witchhazels surviving at

temperatures 35 degrees F below zero. Its leaves are dark, glossy green, about 3 to 6 inches long, turning to a clear yellow in the fall. Unlike the other witchhazel species, the common witchhazel blooms in the fall after all its leaves have dropped. In late autumn and winter, the squiggly yellow petals of fragrant flowers appear. Each of the long petals is narrow and crumpled, looking not unlike the legs of a spider or octopus. The fruit that develops will ripen the following summer and have a unique means of mechanical distribution. In other words, when they are ripe, the seed capsules explode apart with a cracking pop and catapult seeds up to ten yards from the shrub.

Our other native, Vernal Witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis) is the earliest-flowering shrub blooming during the warmer days of winter and persisting into spring. Its flowers are extremely fragrant but less noticeable due to their small size and the plant’s habit of holding

Source: Kristine Paulus, North Caroline State Extension

Continues on page 3

Winter is for Witchhazel, continued

By The Yard Page 3

tall with a similar spread. Fall color is chartreuse most years but golden-yellow in good years. Vernal Witchhazel is very adaptable to a wide range of soil types, sunlight exposures, and moisture conditions. It would be an excellent choice for naturalized areas, erosion sites, or neglected areas.

Witchhazels have a unique place in the landscape. Not unlike the daffodils that herald in the spring, witchhazels give us a reason to stir during the hardest part of winter and the hope of warmer days ahead.

Source: Amy Aldenderfer, Agent for Horticulture, Hardin Co. Cooperative Extension

onto last year’s leaves which effectively mask the blooms. The blooms are variable in color from yellow to orange to a rusty color. Each petal is thin and thread-like with the ability to roll up and withdraw as a survival mechanism to avoid freezing damage. This shrub is smaller than the common witchhazel, maturing at 8 to 10 feet

Cost Saving Thanksgiving Travel Tips

DID YOU KNOW?

The amount of long-distance trips increase by about 54% during the Thanksgiving travel period.

Around 89% of Thanksgiving travelers use automobiles to reach their holiday destination. Air travel accounts for about 7.7%.

The US transportation sector accounts for approximately 29% of total US greenhouse gas emissions.

AAA predicts that nearly 54.3 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this

Thanksgiving, the highest volume since 2005. Long-distance travel, 50 miles or more, in the United States is most frequent during the week of Thanksgiving. Most travelers use vehicles as their main mode of transportation during this time and can reduce their impact on the environment by following these tips:

Avoid aggressive driving. Aggressive driving, such as speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking can lower your highway gas mileage by up to 33%.

Avoid high speeds. Every 5 mph above 50 mph is like paying an extra $0.25 per gallon of gasoline.

Pack light. An extra 100 pounds in your car could increase costs by $0.07 per gallon of gasoline.

Place items inside the car, rather than on the roof. Traveling with your luggage inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks can increase your fuel economy by 5% or more.

Carpool. Sharing rides saves you money, reduces emissions, and reduces traffic on the roads.

Check tire pressure. Inflate your tires to the pressure recommended in your owner’s manual to improve gas mileage by up to 3.3%.

Replace clogged air filters. Replacing clogged air filters on older cars with a carbureted engine will improve your gas mileage by as much as 10%.

Source: Nick Bradford, National Environmental Education Foundation

By The Yard Page 4

It’s that time of year when talk turns to turkeys. Technically, there is only one breed of turkey, with several varieties, although many people incorrectly refer to these varieties as breeds.

Turkeys are raised only for meat. They are not raised for egg production, as with chickens, ducks and quail. As a result, turkeys do not produce very many eggs.

The most common type of commercial turkey raised in the United States is the Broad-Breasted White. It has a larger breast than the other varieties of turkeys.

The term heritage turkeys refers to naturally mating turkey breeds native to the Americas. These varieties date back to early Colonial times. They are Beltsville Small White, Bourbon Red, Jersey Buff, Narragansett, Royal Palm, Slate, Standard Bronze and White Holland. Heritage turkeys grow at a much slower rate than Broad-Breasted Whites. The result is a smaller bird but one with a more balanced dark-to-white meat ratio; a more intense, sometimes gamey flavor; and a thicker layer of fat surrounding the breast.

A young male turkey is called a Jake and a young female is called a Jenny, while a baby turkey is a

Turkey Talk

poult. Older females are called hens and older males are called toms. Adult males are sometimes called gobblers.

Turkeys have brightly colored growths on their throat called caruncles and a flap of skin that hangs over their beak called a snood. They also have a wattle, which is a flap of skin under the beak. You will see all of these things turn bright red when a tom is upset or courting a female.

As turkeys get older it is easier to tell the toms from the hens. Toms are typically larger overall than hens and have larger snoods and caruncles than the females.

There are two species of turkeys, both native to the Americas: the North American (Meleagris gallopavo) and the Ocellated (Meleagris ocellata) turkey. The North American wild turkey is the species from which all domesticated varieties of turkeys originated. The Ocellated turkey, sometimes called the Mexican turkey, is native to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Raising wild turkeys is illegal in some states, including Kentucky. The prohibition includes domestic strains of wild birds. The law is meant to protect native populations.

The wild turkey was first domesticated by the Aztecs. Turkeys provided a source of protein and the feathers were used for decorative purposes. Very little genetic selection was used with

these early domesticated turkeys. The explorers took these turkeys back to Europe with them.

After some early genetic selection in Europe, these turkeys were re-introduced into America with the first settlers. While the initial genetic selection of domesticated wild turkeys occurred in Europe, the different varieties were developed in the United States, with the possible exception of the White Holland.

Source: Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky, Extension Poultry Project Manager

Fayette County Extension Office

will closed November 28 and 29

for the Thanksgiving

Holiday

Winter Weather Policy

When Fayette County Schools are closed, call the

Fayette Co. Extension Office, 859 257-5582,

to verify if class will be meeting.

For many, gardening and bird feeding go hand in hand.

While not an expert, I enjoy attracting our feathered friends to the backyard. I started by only feeding in the winter, but now I feed year-round.

Birds need a steady supply of food, water and shelter. Birds often struggle to find a food source in the winter months. Dry conditions can also impact the amount of native food available.

Backyard bird feeding is one way we can help out.

There are many bird food mixes on the market as different species prefer different grains. The seed with the most universal appeal to birds is the black oil sunflower seed. If you are new to bird feeding, this is a place to start — it attracts the greatest diversity of birds to the feeder.

Alternatively, if you feed with a mixture of seeds, make sure it is one of the main ingredients. White proso millet is the second most popular seed at the feeding stations.

As you become more interested in bird feeding, you may want to use several types of feeders and locations, each stocked with a different seed or grain.

Here is a handy list of favorite food sources for birds:

▪ Black oil sunflower seeds: superior food for most species;

▪ Black striped sunflower seeds: most species will use, preferred by titmice and blue jays;

▪ Gray striped sunflower seeds: not as preferred as the other types of sunflower seeds;

▪ White proso millet: favored by juncos, mourning doves and sparrows;

▪ Red proso millet: can be a substitute for white millet;

▪ Peanut kernels: eaten by many species including blue jays;

▪ Niger thistle seed: preferred by finches but also many other species;

▪ Cracked corn: not as desirable and may attract other non-invited guests;

▪ Suet, an animal fat mixture: for high-energy birds such as woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice.

Many first-time bird feeders purchase less expensive mixes. A word of caution — these mixes most often contain a high amount of milo or grain sorghum, a BB-sized orange or white grain seed. No common backyard bird prefers these seeds. You will attract birds using this type of mix, but

you will most likely experience more waste because the birds kick the milo out of the feeder searching for the more desirable seeds.

In my backyard feeders, I have started feeding more cracked sunflower seeds, which have the hull removed, reducing the trash around the feeder. The drawback is that it’s more expensive.

I have two feeders. In the one closest to the house and located in a garden bed, I feed the sunflower chips. In a more open area, I use a mixed feed that creates hull waste.

Each feeder attracts different birds, as some species are perch feeders while others like to scavenge the ground. Whichever variety of feed you choose, you will enjoy the sights and sounds of birds in your garden.

Source: Dennis Patton Horticulture Agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

How to Start Feeding Birds in Your Yard, Including What Feed to Use

By The Yard Page 5

Source: Kansas State University Extension

By The Yard Page 6

When we see a problem in our home and garden, our first inclination is how do I fix this? But the better question to ask ourselves is why is it there? By thinking about the root cause of the problem, often we can prevent it from happening again in the future.

For example, if an insect is in a place it really should not be, try to figure out why it is there in the first place.

How did this insect get in the house? Could it have come in under a door or in with something I brought from outside such as firewood?

Is it coming inside because the weather outside is turning cooler? Lady bugs and stink bugs make their way in doors this time of year because they are think our houses look like rock outcroppings, a great place for them to overwinter.

Is there something here it wants? Is it attracted to something inside, like fruit on the counter or grains in your pantry? Pantry pests such as grain moths can become a problem in kitchens when your

Why is That There?

stored grains and cereals become infested.

Another example of a problem you might encounter is nuisance wildlife.

What is this animal attracted to? Is it hungry? Chipmunks are very common around birdfeeders. Controlling the amount of seed that falls to the ground can help with control of these animals.

Has the environment somehow changed to make things more attractive for this animal? For example, is a porch light causing the area to be darker at night.

Is there a place that is attractive for it to live? Is there easy access under your deck or an old groundhog den nearby? These can be attractive places for skunks to take up residence.

You can also look at diseases in our lawn, garden and landscape the same way.

If you had blossom end rot on your tomatoes, why might the spot have shown up? We have plenty of calcium in our

soils so this problem is often associated with uneven watering.

What is causing the spots on the leaves of my tree? Have we had strange weather patterns this year? If I look at the leaves, do I see insect damage? Leaf galls, which are irregular plant growths caused by insects have been bad this year, but in most cases are not a serious problem.

Why are some areas of my landscape showing disease problems and not others? Am I doing anything different in that area? Does that area not drain as well? Is there a down spout in the area contributing the amount of moisture in the soil?

By changing the way we look at problems, we can help prevent them in the future. By being proactive, we do not have to reach for pesticides as often.

Source: Amanda Sears, Horticulture Agent for Madison County

Sealing entry points is a great way to keep insects from entering the home.

If chipmunks are a problem, check your birdfeeders to make sure there are not a lot seeds on the ground.

By The Yard Page 7

November Quick Tips Although we are past the best time for seeding, lawns will benefit from a fall application of nitrogen. October and November are excellent months to feed as you can promote vigor without excessive growth.

Mow new grass seedlings when they reach two and one half inches tall. Continue to mow lawns as late as needed.

Remove leaves from lawns, especially new plantings, to prevent grass from being damaged.

When you are finished with tools and equipment for the season clean, sharpen, and oil tools for next year. Make sure to drain, or add fuel stabilizer to gasoline powered equipment.

If you have not dug and stored tender bulbs like dahlias, cannas, and gladiolus, do so before the ground freezes.

Clean up peony foliage if you have had any of the leaf spotting diseases. This will help prevent the problem next year.

Drain and store garden hoses and irrigation systems.

November is an excellent time to plant fall bulbs for next spring.

Start a compost pile with all of those leaves. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or technical. A simple pile will make compost if left long enough.

Plant paperwhites, amaryllis and other ready to bloom bulbs for the holidays.

Protect the trunks of fruit trees with wire mesh to prevent gnawing damage from rabbits and voles.

Do a thorough cleanup of the vegetable garden. This will remove many insect and disease problems before they can become a problem next year.

Monitor houseplants for insect problems. Most common pests can be controlled if detected before they become major infestations.

Don’t Forget! Daylight Savings Time Ends Sunday, November 3rd, turn your clock back one hour!

For More Plate It Up Recipes, Visit:

http://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/content/ plate-it-kentucky-proud

Jamie’s Farm & Garden ~ A Virtual Tour ~

a fundraiser for HOPE Spay Neuter Clinic

Thursday, November 7th, 6:00 p.m. Join us as Jamie Dockery, Fayette County Extension Agent for Horticulture, takes us on a exclusive virtual tour

of his serene and tranquil farm and gardens. All to benefit the HOPE Spay Neuter Clinic in their worthy mission

to provide high-quality, low-cost spay and neuter services and to help diminish the feral cat populations.

HOPE will receive all registration monies from this event to help further their efforts. A representative

from HOPE will open the program with a brief discussion of their mission and works, followed by

Jamie narrating an image heavy slide show of his colorful gardens and adorable animals.

Pre-registration of $25.00 is REQUIRED.

Jamie’s Farm & Garden ~ A Virtual Tour ~ Tuesday, November 7th at 6:00 p.m.

Name: _________________________Phone: _____________E-Mail:______________________________

Address: _____________________________________City: ______________State: ____ Zip: ________

Please include a $25.00 check payable to: Fayette County Master Gardener Association Mail To: Gardener’s Toolbox ~ Fayette County Extension Office ~ 1140 Harry Sykes Way ~ Lexington, KY 40504

For more information, call (859) 257-5582

Leaf Collection

The city’s 2019 vacuum

leaf collection program is scheduled to

begin on Monday, N

ovember 4. T

he vacuum pickup is offered

once a year for single-family hom

es that receive city waste

collection service. The vacuum

leaf collection program is a

supplement to the year-round yard w

aste options.

Residents should pre

pare their leaves before the collection w

indow for their service area. R

ake leaves into the area between

the sidewalk and the street. If your sidew

alk abuts the curb or if you have no sidew

alk, place the leaves on the edge of your lawn

closest to the street. Never rake leaves into the street; they can

cause traffic hazards and clog storm drains.

Piles should contain only leaves. O

ther objects, such as tree lim

bs and rocks, can injure crew m

embers or

damage equipm

ent.

Visit lexingtonky.gov/leaves for more info.

Th

ursd

ay, Novem

ber 14th

, 7:00 p.m.

Tates C

reek Pu

blic L

ibrary

“Bu

lbou

s Irises” P

resented

by th

e Blu

egrass Iris Society

Com

e learn about Dutch Iris, R

eticulata, and lesser-known types of bulbous

irises - just in time to plant som

e fall bulbs in your own yard!

All attendees w

ill be entered into a drawing for som

e special door prizes at this m

eeting.

Free and open to the public.

More info at w

ww

.BluegrassIris.org or F

acebook.com/B

luegrassIris

or call Mary L

ynne Lange at (859) 533-1296

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

Lexington, KY

PERMIT 112

Newsletter

Enclosed

Fayette County

“By the Yard”

Fayette County Cooperative Extension 1140 Harry Sykes Way Lexington, KY 40504-1383

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the bases of race, color, ethnic origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. Inquiries regarding compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other related matter should be directed to Equal Opportunity Office, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room S-105, Agriculture Science Building, North Lexington, Kentucky 40546.

Jamie Dockery

County Extension Agent for Horticulture Cooperative Extension Service

Fayette County Extension Service 1140 Harry Sykes Way

Lexington, KY 40504-1383 (859) 257-5582

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE

UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING