Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Ducks in the Corn Gluten

First of all, today is our wedding anniversary and besides the truck load of composted buffalo poo, I got a great surprise a new camera! I bought my old Canon SureShot years ago,three laptops ago. It still takes good pictures. But it is listed as not very good at macros.  So Ted got me a PowerShotSX 120IS.  I have yet to try it as we are having rain and more rain. Amazing for our low water area.  The ducks below came to visit a few days ago on a dry day.

drake and hen
A few days ago I looked out in my boulevard garden and saw the drake and the hen paying a visit. She was sitting very comfortably. They are so used to people feeding them down by the creek that they barely acknowledged me as I got quite close to them.  To the the right you can see a South Dakota native plant Pussy Toes  Antennaria neglecta. The flower buds feels soft like kitty toes. They are described as growing in lean, dry soil
drake, tulip & meter
I looked closer and realized that the ducks were eating the corn gluten that I had applied to prevent the emergence of foxtail grass, a grass that I have battled for several years.  Good News:  So far I see very little of this grass sprouting.  100% Corn Gluten is just corn gluten. A protein that breaks down into a fertilizer, but somehow suppresses sprouting. I like it and apparently so do my visiting ducks. But, I haven’t seen them come back.  We’ve had a few warmer days so I imagine the ducks are being well fed down by the creek.
drake drinking from my homemade bird bath
I made this cement bird bath out of left over cement

 drake, hen in purple
She may look muted and a bit plain, but under her wing she matches his colors.

15 comments:

  1. Awww...the ducks look very at home in your garden, and they make quite a handsome couple. We had a stray duckling show up in our pond a few years ago. Turned out to be a female, and when she was all grown, she was beautiful. Like yours pictured above, she was not drab in the least.

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  2. Beautiful ducks, beautiful photos!

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  3. I found your new blog Gloria, looks great.

    Eileen

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  4. What a nice surprise to the garden, it is always great to have new visitors. Congraluations on the new camera and happy anniversity. Take care.

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  5. Hi Annie, Gatsby Gardens and Garden of Threads. I got the email and your comments but for some reason when I publish comment they are not showing up. I love all your comments. Please don't stop. I'll try to figure this out.

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  7. Hi Annie, Gatsbys Gardens and Garden of Threads. I received your comments, but when I publish them they are not showing up. Please don't stop commenting, I love all your comments. I will try to figure this out.

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  8. Gloria it Looks like the ducks are settling right in. We used to have visiting ducks in the pond but this year it is so dry there is no pond. This also means there are less mosquitos than usual, which I like.

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  9. Gloria, Manure and a new camera! How romantic! The pussy toes are a familiar sight; they grow in my front "lawn" (aka weed field)along with a number of other native volunteers. -Jean

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  10. Melanie, the weather is odd this year. We are above normal for moisture and sounds like you are dry. Go figure

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  11. Jean, too funny - yes only a gardener appreciates a pick up load of composted manure. The pussy toes are fun. I like gray green in the hot boulevard garden. Yesterday I took my first pics with my new camera! What fun.

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  12. I love seeing the ducks around here too - they normally appear just after it has rained. Ours too are very used to getting fed......... I have had to chase them out of our hall in the past - they see a front door open and off they go investigating - or else they end up in the pond.

    Congratulations on your wedding anniversary Gloria and have a lovely weekend figuring out your new camera. That was a great present. :) Rosie

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  13. Great duck pics. Gardens and ducks seem to go together. jim

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  14. The happiest of anniversaries to you. I just found where you wrote me on blotanical. So sorry I didn't get back to you. I've not been on there in a while because the format drives me crazy.

    Your blog is lovely as are your photos.~~Dee

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  15. Great pics with a new camera! How exciting. I'm impressed with the "left over cement" bird bath - very industrious of you. Inspiring.

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