Bluebird Aerator

Published on Mar 31, 2009 | Bluebird Fields

A compost bin just out the backdoor is handy; it keeps most of our food waste from going down the drain or into the landfill. It would be even more useful if I could get into the habit of taking the food bits straight outside instead of letting them "settle" in the lidded tub we leave in the sink to collect them. Taking potato peels to the bin is much more pleasant when done immediately. But I'm lazy when it comes to compost. I never forget to put the scraps in the kitchen bin; I just forget to transfer them to the big bin outdoors. A few weeks ago, I peered into the compost bin, wondering if even the bottom layer could be used in the [...]...

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Published on Nov 01, 2009

Mother Nature does not remove fallen leaves-and for good reason. Leaf litter provides food and shelter for earthworms, pill bugs, millipedes and a multitude of smaller life such as eggs and larvae of insects and spiders of many kinds. These creatures are all essential components of the food web providing sustenance to toads, frogs, lizards, and countless other animals.

Nearly all backyard birds require protein from insects to feed their young. A yard without thrush and towhee mining for morsels in the litter and bluebirds and flycatchers snagging bugs from ground and air is a yard devoid of life.

But, the story of leaves goes even deeper into the web of life in the [...]

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