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Gardening InformationWeed Dangerous to Hummingbirds
by:
Marilyn Pokorney
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Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney
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If you love hummingbirds, support your garden, yard, and
property clean of weeds. Especially burdock. The prickly
seedheads of common clotbur can trap and kill hummingbirds.
During September, 1998, three hummingbirds were caught and
died in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. A fourth
hummingbird was reclaimed by bird watchers.
According to National Park Service biologists, the burrs act
like Velcro. The barbed points on the burrs cling
steadfastly to fur, clothing, skin, feathers--almost
anything that comes near.
As the bantam birds thrash about trying to free themselves
they become even as more entrapped.
While not more has been written just about the subject, a
consulting bird watcher in Burnaby British Columbia reports
that the weed makes on occasion claim the lives of small
birds and even as brown bats.
Burdock, besides acknowledged as Cockle Burr, is a biennial plant
which can grow to nine feet in height. Another names include
Fox's Clote, Thorny Burr, Beggar's Buttons, Cockle Buttons,
Love Leaves, Burr Seed, Clothburr, Turkey Burrseed and galore
others.
Burdock was foreign
from Europe and is now wide
distributed in waste areas, abandoned farms, or any
uncultivated area in North America. It can besides appear in
gardens and lawns.
The plant produces a rosette of large leaves, produces 15 to
40 or more pink or lavender flowers, and has a taproot of up
to 40 inches in length.
The plant must be eliminated before the flowers ripen and
form the brown prickly burrs which spread the seeds.
Selective or spot weed-killer treatment isn't always effective
because of it's deep taproot. Pull up or excavation the
plant is the most effective but the entire taproot must be
removed. The sooner this is done the easier it is to do.
Smaller plants can be dug up exploitation a standard garden fork or
dandelion digger, and larger ones exploitation a long-handled bulb
planter.
For more on natural, organic weed control visit:
http://www.apluswriting.net/garden/weeds.htm
Just just about the author:
Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net
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