landscaping native plants ecogardening natural land use Maypop Hill

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An occasional report of what’s growing at Maypop Hill Nursery and the Miley homestead in
An occasional report of what’s growing at Maypop Hill Nursery and the Miley homestead in
Norwood, LA; to subscribe to the free newsletter, contact us by email:
Norwood, LA; to subscribe to the free newsletter, contact us by email: maypophill@gmail.com
maypophill@gmail.com.
.
Website:
Website: maypophill.com
maypophill.com
The Maypop Hill
The Maypop Hill
Newsletter
Newsletter
June 2023
June 2023
Remember me? 24 degrees on March 18, 2023
Guess what happens to flower buds
and fruit when temps drop
well below freezing.
It means that there
will be almost no blueberries this year. Our peerless pear trees
will also be pretty much pear-less this year. Last year, all our
pineapple pears disappeared overnight, the day before we were going to pick them.
Who dunnit? Possum? Raccoon? or Sparky?
Thistles are armed and dangerous. We mow them down after they finish
flowering. A pretty and pretty thorny pollinator plant, its pollen
and nectar feed many bees, butterflies, and leaf-footed bugs.
This big lug may be Cirsium altissimum ? or horridulum?
who ?
me ?

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Wet sand
makes for
good
footprints of
wildlife.
We mostly
see deer,
raccoons,
and dogs at
the barn and
at the creek
at the
arboretum in
Gloster,
Mississippi
We love the plastic-coated fold-outs
which help identify wild animals and
plants. They may be available at feed
and hardware stores, and online
.
Making Tracks and Field Tripping
Is there a war on wildflowers? If
there is, it seems that riding
lawnmowers and roadside
maintenance tractors might be
winning the war. Now and then,
you may see a empty lot, like this
one in north Baton Rouge, that
lets Nature do her thing.
maybe Clasping Coneflower,
Dracopis amplexicaulis

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Maypop Hill tries to
use Permaculture ideas,
which were first
introduced by Bill Mollison,
who recommended planting
in growing zones.
In one bed, we planted
perennial vegetables,
including muscadine grapes,
strawberries, asparagas, and
left room for annuals like
zucchini and cucumbers.
Zone 1 uses the “wet slipper” concept,
which recommends that if you use garlic
chives a lot, put a pot of it close to the
kitchen --- ->>
Zone 2 plants are further away, where
rubber shoes might be needed to collect
blueberries, pears, blackberries
-------
Zones 3, 4, maybe even 5 are given to
large scale gardens for corn, potatoes,
watermelons, etc., as well as edible forest
gardens with pecans and persimmons,
and pine trees which drop needles for
useful mulch,
Yard art garden
Newest garden gear 
cool shirt, huh? And the neck fan is a stylish way
to beat the heat while weeding and working and
walking around taking pictures of wildlife.

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Maypop Hill Nursery & Publications
4979 Spec Garig Rd., Norwood, LA
Betty & LJ Miley, specializing in native plants of the South
email: maypophill@gmail.com web: maypophill.com
Geaux native!
A Tale of Two Smart Meters
Several years ago, the electric company installed two “smart meters”
on our house and workshop.
In the days immediately after, the hundreds or thousands of
bumblebees that we'd taken for granted over the years just up and
disappeared, as well as most or all frogs, crickets, Purple Martins,
and a colony of bats that had always flown over the house at twilight.
We also saw greatly reduced numbers of migrating birds such as
goldfinches and robins.
After a while, we started looking at possible causes for this odd and
unexpected decline of wildlife. Apparently, the smart meters, which faced each other, emit
microwave radiation multiple times per minute (according to the manufacturer).
Smart meters, smart phones, wireless internet connections, and cell towers all utilize a band of
the electromagnetic spectrum that multiple studies have shown disturb or even
harm living things.
“FCC limits were not developed to protect our flora or fauna. Wireless radiation “safety” limits for
trees, plants, birds and bees simply do not exist. No US agency nor international authority with
expertise in science, biology or safety has ever acted to review research and set safety limits for
birds, bees, trees and wildlife.”
https://ehtrust.org/5g-and-small-cell-environmental-effects-birds-bees-trees-
and-climate/
Our solution? Faraday cages which block the strongest radiation. One meter is covered with a
piece of metal window screen held in place with a cord. The other one, pictured, has a fitted
guard we bought online. Insect numbers have improved. Migrating birds, not so much.
Humans call this plant Spiderwort,
or Tradescantia . . . or weed.
I call it
breakfast