North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William Freels" <w.freels@worldnet.att.net>]

AMEN
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <martha_davis@highstream.net>
To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 5:16 PM
Subject: [NAFEX] Fruit & ecological systems


>
> Donna &/or Kieran schrieb:
> > Cats may take their toll, but the humans are doing more than their fair
> > share.   What's really reduced the quail population in Tennessee is
fescue,
> > they say that it's so thick that baby quail can't move around in it.
The
> > other thing, that really gets me, is the damned weedeaters.  People move
out
> > in the country and try to make their entire yard look like a carpet,
> > including cutting all grass and weeds right up to the road.  They have
nice
> > smooth expanses which would be convenient for watching wildlife, if only
> > there were any wildlife left to watch.  Sure, deer and rabbits eat
grass,
> Donna comments are certainly well taken.  Another movement that addresses
some
> of these concerns in a more pallnnned ecological way in the permaculture
> movement and forest gardens.  They are often a planned ecolofical system
> including fruit plants and nuts, but also other food plants and
insetariary
> plants etc etc.
>
> Martha
>
>
>  > but quail need bugs and weed/grass SEEDS, which aren't produced when
> > everything is kept 2" high.
> >     Another thing that gets me is the horse population.  Used to be that
> > horse lovers would have one horse.  Now they have 4 of them, in the same
> > space.   The horses not only eat everything down to the ground, but they
are
> > dependent on lots of hay and grain.  I hardly ever see anyone actually
ride
> > one of the creatures.
> >     If you stop and think about it, most NAFEXers increase species
> > diversity.  Certainly compared to the average American lawn, we create
more
> > green stuff at different heights, creating both cover and food.  At our
> > place, the soil was so terrible in the cleared area that few species of
> > weeds would grow.  Now the soil is better over an acre or so, and we
have
> > provided a great deal of food to the voles, flying squirrels( they like
> > tomatoes), chicken snakes (they like eggs) hawks and owls (they like
> > chickens), cardinals (they like chicken feed, and peas pecked fresh from
the
> > pods) and a multitude of birds that like blueberries.  A bit of
controlled
> > predation is not a bad thing, especially as so many wild predators are
gone.
> > The real enemy for birds is loss of  food and habitat.  I remember
someone
> > years ago commenting that after bug zappers became a fad, they heard and
saw
> > far fewer birds.    Donna
>
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