VOL. 9, NO. 6 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension JUNE 1998

Cochise County Master Gardener

The University of Arizona and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.

Garden Basics:Gardening for the

Butterflies

A successful butterfly gardenconsists of four items; sunshine,windbreaks/shelter, nectar/water,and larval food plants.

Butterflies prefer warm, sunnyspots in the garden. They fly bestwhen their body temperature isabout 85-100° -which is why theyare usually seen during the hottesttime of the day. Provide rocks inthe garden which butterflies canperch upon to warm th^nselves.

Sheltering the butterfly gardenfrom windshelps butterflies so theyare not cooled by winds and willnot have to extend extra energysearching for food, mates, and laying eggs. Vitex agnus-castus andBuddleia 's not only provide shelter

but nectar as well. From a butter

flies point of view you can't havetoo many nectar sources! Largegroups of plants will be more enticing to butterflies and diversify thepalette so there is always something in bloom.

According to Desert ButterflyGardening, published by the Arizona Native Plant Society and So-noran Arthropod Studies Institute,the foUowing are just a few of themany plants that butterflies love tovisit. Bee Bush (Aloysia grdtis-sima), butterflies love the nectarand the birds eat the small seeds.Pine-leaf Milkweed {Asclepias li-naria), this plant is the major foodsource for the Queen and Monarchcaterpillars. Side-oats Gramma(Bouteloua curtipendula) andother nativegrasses are great larvalfood plants. Desert Hackberry(Celtis pallida) is a native larvalfood plant and a good all aroundvsildlife plant. Hie Dalea species isanother great larval food plant andwill not only bloom in spring butmany also bloom again in fall.Lantana is known worldivide as a

great nectar producing plant-theyellow and pink varieties seem toattract butterflies the most.

For water, provide an ar^ wherea small dish can be filled with

sand/soil, manure, and water untildmnp. Males will visit the site-abehavior called "puddling." Theywill extract sodium and other nutri

ents neededfor mating. To keep females from just passing through(and the males, too) be sure to include larval food plants, Miich arewhat they are searching for so th^can mate and lay eggs. These canbe planted in an informal placeaway from the main garden as thecaterpillars will chew up the leavesand flowers leaving plante unsightly. And, remember that butterflies are insects and pesticides(including BT, Bacillus thurin-giensis) kill not only the bad guysbut butterflies and their larvae as

well.

Happy gardening!Sources: Desert Butterfly Gardening, Arizona Native Plant Society and Sonoran Arthropod StudiesInstitute; The Butterfly Book, Donald and Lillian Stokes/Ernest Wil

liams; SABO of Bisbee, (520)432-1388, e-mail: sabo@SABO.org. Website: www.sabo.org

Cheri Melton

Master Gardener/StaffWriter

Cochise County Cooperative Extension1140 N. Colombo, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635(520) 458-8278, Ext 141

450 Haskell, Wilicox, AZ 85643(520)384-3594

Cuttings'N'

Clippings• Cochise County MasterGardeners Association will not beholding regular meetings duringJune, July, and August. They willresume on September 2,5:00 pmatthe Mona Bishop Room of theSierra Vista Library. They will beholding their annual potluck picnicin honor of the graduation of die1998 Master Gardener Class andtheir Annual Business Meeting onJune 16 at Ramada #1 in SierraVista's Veterans Memorial Park.All Master Gardeners and Traineesare invited to attend. Please callJoyce at the Sierra VistaCooperative Extension if you planto attend.

The Sierra Vista AreaGardener's Club meets the tiiirdThursday of each month at 2:00pm at the Mona Bishop Room ofthe Sierra Vista Library. On June18 Jena Bamett will speak on Howto Water.

• Arizona Game and FishDepartment's Russ Haughey islooking for volunteers to helpplantseeds of mesquite, hackberry, andwalnut trees on June 17/18 in a

greenhouse in Mesa. Interested?Give him a call at 602-981-9400,Ext. 222.

Newsletter Staff:

Carolyn GruenhagenCheri Melton

Virginia Westphal

Robert E. Call,Extension Agent, Horticulture

Page 2

Readln' Time

It's that time again to get out of the heat (and wind!) and curl upnext to the swamp cooler and read a book or two! Eric A. Johnson,co-author widi Scott Millard on two of my fevorite books. How toGrow the Wild/lowers and The Low-Water Flower Gardener, hascome out with another excellent addition to the Plants for the Arid

West series with Pruning, Planting & Care, How to (jrow MoreThan 300 Native and Adapted Trees, Shrubs, Ground Covers, Vinesand Flowers. This guide Aoroughly covers everything you want toknowabout gardening for the Soudiwest r^on. This book is destinedto become a dog-cared fevorite in my library and I highly recommendit for everyone. If some of the photos look familiar t^t's becausemany shots are from Tohono Chul Park in Tucson.

Lavender lovers-tfaere's finally a book dedicatedto lavenders. The Lavender Garden, by RobertKourik, is a sweet little book profiling sixteen ofhis &vorite lavenders including lavender botany,planting and care, and lavender in fragrances,crafts, and cuisine. If you're thinking of installing adrip system, check out one of the audior's otherbooks. Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape andAll Climates.

Sunflowers have been gaining popularity in thepast few years and two books are out celebratingthe happiest flower in the garden. Lucy Peel's TheUltimateSunflower Book has beautifid pictures ofthe many varieties available and many craft andcooking ideas. The Great Sunflower Book byBarbara Flores is a wonderfiil little book broughtto bloom ftom the horticulturists from Seeds of

Change, an organic seed company in Santa Fe,New Mexico.

Cheri Melton

Master Gardener/StaffWriter

Dollars and Sense

Do Master Gardener prc>gramspay off? Yes! according to a recentstudy by University of Minnesotahorticulturists. The researchers

conducted an economic analysis ofthe Minnesota Extension Service

Master Gardener program (similarto other programs across thecountry in vviuch individuals areprovided horticultural training atlow cost in exchange for a timepledge to extension projects)

Findings of the analysis: TheMinnesota Master Gardeners

contributed time valued at

$924,000 to the Extension Service,providing over $15 worth of workfor every dollar dedicated totraining-an investment return thatmost Wall Street players onlydream about.

Source: M.H. Meyer and A.Hanchek, Master GardenerTraining Costs and Payback inVolunteer Hours, HortTechnology7, October-December 1997, pp368-370.

The Viktuae ©acidcncc-

Landscaping for Wildlife

One of several reasons I

mentioned last mondi for choosingto landscape with native plants isto attract wildlife to your garden. Ifyou are like me, watching animalsand birds in your garden is aconstant source of pleasure.Particularly at this time of yearwhen we spend many mornings andevenings on the patio, we enjoywatching the small dramas playedout before our eyes by the manycreatures that live in the garden orstop by for visits. We have DesertCottontails {Silvilagus audubonii).Rock Squirrels (Spermophilusvariegatus), lizards of severaldifferent varieties, and of courselots and lots of birds. They court

^ and play, squabble over fcxxi andwater, and introduce us to theirbabies.

There are many resources on theWorld Wide Web that provideguidelines for creating landscapesthat attract wildlife. A search for

"landscaping for wildlife" onwww.dogpiIe.com, one of myfavorite metasearch engines despiteits scatological name, andSawySearch (www.cs.colostate.edu/~dreiling/smartform.htmI)another fovorite metasearch engine,yielded hundreds of documentscontaining that phrase. One of themost useful of these was a page oflinks to 75 sites discussing allaspects of landscaping for wildlife.The URL for that page iswww.tiac.net/users/sgprice/backyard/wildlife.htm.

Although the details aboutspecific plants and animals varyfi^om region to region, theprinciples of landsc^ing to attractwildlife are the same everywhere.All wild animals and birds have the

same basic requirements. Theyrequire water, food, and cover.

Water is particularly importantin this arid region. Whereverwateris available, there you will findinsects, birds, reptiles, and otheranimals. Since not too many of usare fortunate enough to have aspring or other natural waterfeature on our prqrerty, we willhave to make one if we want one.

The water feature can be as simpleas an invertedgarbage can lid or aselaborate as a foncy missionfountain. Whencreatinga wateringhole, keep in mind that mostanimals consider themselves veryvulnerable to predators when theyare drinking. For this reason it is agood idea to place your watersource in an open area that isshaded but some distance from

vegetation that could conceal anenemy. This will have the addedbenefit of allowing you to observeanimals drinking. Be very carefiilnot to create a trap that can drownyour visitors. The water should beno more than two or three inches

deep and the edgesofdie containershould be gendy sloped and have arough enough surface that theanimals can easily climb out. Acouple of flat rocks to provideplatforms in the water for animalsand birds to stand on are also a

good idea. If you can create afeature that has running or drippingwater it will be even more effective

in attracting visitors.There are also some things to

avoid. Don't forget to keep thewater feature filled. Thirstycreatures looking for a coolingdrink are as disappointed to find anempty watering hole as you wouldbe. If the source of water is not

dependable, Iheyto conre bac)(become

can contamiWcd^watidisease orgithe animals ^sick^become br<

mosquitoes that can jmiserable or even giv^^ou"fever.

Food is supplied by both plantsand other animals. Plant eatinganimals consume nectar, finit,greens, seeds, and nuts. Pick plantsfor your wildlife gardenthat supplyall of these products. Try for alarge variety of plants and pick amix that keeps something in bloomthroughout the season. If you haveplants you don't want your wildfiiends to eat, you will have to.protect them with barriers,protect small plants from birds;bunnies with chicken wif

cylinders. The squirrels are usuallyclever enough to get what theywant despite our efforts so we justaccept the losses. We are fortunatenot to have to worry about deer,coatis, and javelina at oiu: place buthave had enough exposure to theproblems they have created forothers to appreciate tte challengesthey can present.

It is interesting that most of thedocuments on the Web that discussgardening for wildlife ignorecarnivores. Almost all thediscussions of food for animals,especially birds, speak only ofplants foods. Of course we allrealize that the world is inhabitedby meat eaters as well as planteaters. In feet, we are thankful forthe large quantities of insectsconsumed by birds and smallreptiles. But we don't like to thinkabout animals that eat other(noninsect) animals. Because planteating animals are going to beconcentrated in the food paradisewe have created for them, the meat

(Continued on nextpage)

Page 3

eatersare also going to be attractedthere. Carnivores also have to

make a living and have families tofeed, so some of our plant eatingfnends are going to become meals.Sometimes the results are tragic.On one occasion last year, my wifeand a mother quail unsuccessfullytried to stop a roadrutmer fromdevouring a covey of tiny quailchicks.

One tragedy that can be avoided,however, is allowing our pets toterrorize our wild Mends. We

should not create a huntirig groimdfor our pets. Cats are particularlyhard on birds and small mammals

if left to hunt freely in the garden.Our two dogs are potential threatsto rabbits and squirrels except thatthe wild creatures are professionalsurvivors and our dogs are strictlyamateur hunters who are quicklyoutwitted. Even so, we take care toshoo away the bunnies in the backyard before turning out the dogs.

Cover provides protection fromthe elements and from predators,and you should take pains toprovide hiding places and shelterfor your wild Mends. Groundnesting birds like tall grasses andlow growing bushes to shelter inand nest under. Other birds like to

roost and build nests in trees and

cactus. One of the high points ofour spring this year was vmtching aCurved-bill Thrasher (Toxostomacutvirostre) family build a nest inone of our choUas and produce afrmily of three chicks. The chickshave now all grown up anddeparted looking for employmentand mates elsewhere, but toey weregreat fun to watch while they werehere.

Many small animals like to maketheir homes in man-made

structures. Our pile of fireplacelogs has been home to severalgenerations of squirrels over thelast fourteen years, and both the

Page 4

bunnies and the squirrels like tonest under the floor of my gardenshed. One of the documents on theWeb suggested that no wildlifegarden was con:q)lete without astone wall to provide hiding placesfor small mWnals and reptiles.Another suggested broken clayflower pots could be partiallyburied so as to bec(»ne tiny oavesto provide homes for lizards, frogs,to^s, and tortoises. We often haveHomed Lizards ("homy toads")—Phrynosoma platy-rhinos—whdburrow into slopes in the yard, andI'm curious if they would like aflowerpot home.

WWle I'm on the subject ofhomed lizards, I would like to putin a plea for you to avoid usingpoisons to kill ants. These lizardslive on a diet of ants and will diewhen they ingest thepoisoned ants.Old timers will tell you that "homytoads" usedto be very common andnow have becomevery rare. One ofthe reasons for their disappearanceis the ^despread use of pesticidesto kill their favorite food. Pleasedon't use pesticides to killants.

1 hope I have given you someideas for creating a miniaturewildlife preserve right in your ownback yard. If you have access tothe Web, look up some of theURLs I have given you and youwill find many more ideas. Untilnext time—happy surfing.

GaryA. Gruenhagen, MasterGardenergruenha@sinosa.com

More Victual

GacueningI!!!

Gardening forPollinators

The Arizona-Sonora DesertMuseum, in cooperation with theArizona Native Plant Society, hasjust published a new brochureentitled Gardeningfor Pollinatorsin the Desert Southwest. Itdescribes and illustrates a varietyof native desert plants that can beused as food sources for pollinators(hummingbirds, bats, native bees,butterflies, and hawic moths), andincludes descriptions of feeding,nesting, andterritorial habits of theanimals. You can find a descriptionof the brochure athttp://www.azstarnet.coni/~anps/pubs/pollinators.htnil which has alink to the : Desert! Museum's

Rdifilnlfor^

rs

rS

> Check tree ties

>-Remove stakes if tree canstand alone

> Mulch trees & shrubs>• Remove faded flowers and

fertilize roses

> Stake tomato plants& watchfor curly top - remove> Prevent blossom end rot byeven watering> Water! Water! Water!

The Agent'sObservations

peach trees that have

holes in the leaves. Also

iiiiiilBsome of the dierrieshave a grayish spot forming on thefiuit. I do not see any insects. Whatis causing the holes and what can Ido about them?

It sounds as though your\ trees are affected by

W' syringae. Other commonnames include gummosis, blossomblast, die back, spur blight, andtwig blight. There are severaldifferent races of this bacteria.

Symptoms may appear on sometrees and not on others. These

include canker development ontwigs at (he base of flower and leafbuds, and the base of spurs.Cankers normally spread upward,and the infected simken areas are

usually formed in late winter orearly spring. Gum often exudesfrom the canker during the earlypart of the growing season. If thecanker girdles a limb it will die inshort order. However, the rootsystem staj^ healthy and may evenproduce sucker growfli. Dormantleaf and flower buds may beinfected and arc oflen killed, butsome invaded buds developnormally but wijU collapse in earlysummer. Leaves and fhiit producedby these buds wilt and dry out. Incontrast, leaves and flowers ofother infected buds will remain

symptomless. Leaf infections,especially on cherries, appear as

water-soaked spots that laterbecome brown and dry. At a laterstage shot holes may be seen mleaves sporadically and not alwayssymptomatic of the disease.Control: Make sure that the trees

are pruned, watered and fertilizedproperly. There is some indicationthat duriiig mild, wet wintersbacteria populations can increase.Trees are particularly susceptiblein sandy soils, water logged soilsthat d^ poorly, and duringprolonged drought periods. Careful watering is a must. Precautionsshould be taken while pruning notto spread the disease. Dippingpruners in 20% bleach solutionafter each pruning cut should help.Chemical ccmtrol ofbacterial cank

er is based on protective coppercontaining sprays applied inautumn and spring before flowering. In cherry and peach growingareas there are strains of bacteridcanker that are resistant to coppersprays.

Source: Compendium of StoneFruit Diseases. 1995. Edited byJoseph M. Ogawa, et al. TheAmerican Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN. Pages 48-50.

mesquite trees haveround bumps on

Pli-ljmany of the limbs, hi

drippingfi-om them. Is fliis scale?

the problem issoft brown scale

^Sin ft^- Scale are a"super femily" of over

l200 insects that feed onplmt sap while females protectthemselves with a soft or hard"shell" body covering. Males canbe winged. Scale produce young byeggs or bybearing live young. Theyoung, c^ed crawlers, may crawlout ftom under mother's coveringand move to another location,usually close by, and then set up"housekeqiing." One to five generations will be produced eachyeardepending on the species andenvironmental conditions. Scale are

protected by the covering theymake for themselves, and it is veryhard to penetrate with pesticides.They may cause the tree to suffersomebut do not kill healthytrees. Ido not r«x)mmend controllingthem. However, for those who wantto give it a try here are a fewsuggestions.Control: Physical removal byspraying a hard stream of watermay work, however many timesthey are stuck on the plant verytightly. Rubbing off the scale witha stiff wire brush can be effective,but the neighbors may think youare nuts! Using systemic insecticides can help control scaled butmany times does not work verywell. Suffocating or penetratingtheir "shell" are methods also usedto kill this pest. Dormant oil sprays

(Continued on back page)

iued in fiirthCTanoe ofCooperative Extension woilc, acts ofMay 8and June 30,1914, in cooperationwith the United States D^partmott ofAgriculture, James AChnstenson,xJirector, Cooperative Extension, College ofAgriculture, The University ofAruxma and Arizona Counties cooperatii^ The Univaaity ofArizona College rf Agncutore is anequal oj^joitunity employer authorized toprovide research, educationa! infonnaticm and other services only toindividuals and institutions that hinction without regard tosex,race, religion, color, national origin, age,Vietnam Era Veteran's status,or disability. .....The information given herein issupplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intCTded and no endcnsement by Cooperative Extension is implied.Any products, services, ororganizations that are mentioned, shown, or indirectly tmpli^ in diis publication do not imply endorsement by the University ofAnz<Mia.

PageS

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

TUCSON, ARIZONA 85721

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300

are used when plant leaves are nolonger than a half inch in earlyspring. If used later lerf damagemay occur. Rubbing alcoholappliedto scale will penetrate their waxyshell covering and kill them. Use70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol,mixing 1 to 2 cups of alcohol perquart of water. Since alcohol candamage some plants first test byspraying on a small area. Wait for aday or two to see if damage occurred. You can mix insecticidalsoap up according to the label directions but substitute rubbing alcoholfor halfof the water. A recipe thathas proven effective in the past forscale control and other insects ismade by mixing one cup cooking oilplus 1 Tablespoon of dish detergent(non-citrus). Mix one to two teaspoons of this solution withone cup

of water. Spray mixture on the infected plant until it drips off. It isbest to spray a few leaves and thencheck for leaf bum the next day before spraying the entireplant. Withmany of these treatments the scalewill not drop off of the plant butwill remain attached ev^ thoughthey are dead. Pry some off severaldays after treatment to determine ifthe scale are dead. Ifnot treat again.

Robert E. CallExtension Agent, Horticulture

Backyard WildlifeHabitatis available from the C!oopera-tive Extension's WaterWise

program at The University ofArizona Sierra Vista Campus.Call 458-8278, Ext. 141 for afree copy.

BULK RATE

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

USDA

PERMIT No. G268 ^

Thanks!

To all those who helped with theXeriscapte Tour on May 2-thanks!Without your participation, the tourcouldn't have happened. Many folkslearned about xeriscape and appropriate plants for our Ugh desert andeven took some home fi^om the plantsale. We plan to do this every year(even perhaps a &11 tour?) so pleasekeep your eyes out for possibleyards to be highlighted. One ofthose yards could possibly be yours!If you want to create a more xericlandscape, or see how yours "rates,"contact the WaterWise program.Again, thank you!

Cado DailyMaster Gardener/WaterWise