12 replies to this topic

[Chickalo]

Hello Formiculture!

 

So my mom allowed to have a spot in the backyard to fill with native plants and stuff.  Here's the spot:

What I'm going to do is clear the area, dig up a hole, replace the hole with soil suitable for the plants and native ants.  Next I'm going to fill it up with the plants of my choice and take care of them I guess?  I will be posting updates, if I get the chance I'll start this weekend.

 

Until next time we meet,

Chickalo

[ANTdrew]

Before clearing, I’d make sure you don’t already have native plants in there. You can post photos here for me to ID. Don’t replace the soil. Native plants want native soil, even if it’s terrible. If your goal is to help insects, you want to avoid tilling up the soil. Just dump the plants in the native existing soil, and they’ll figure it out. They call all the natives weeds for a reason.

[Chickalo]

Before clearing, I’d make sure you don’t already have native plants in there. You can post photos here for me to ID. Don’t replace the soil. Native plants want native soil, even if it’s terrible. If your goal is to help insects, you want to avoid tilling up the soil. Just dump the plants in the native existing soil, and they’ll figure it out. They call all the natives weeds for a reason.

Alright thanks!  It's dark over here (both of us being on the eastern seaboard) so I'll get some photos tomorrow

[ANTdrew]

I look forward to seeing what you’ve got.

[Chickalo]

Got some pictures...
Heres an overview


Here are all the plants







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[Chickalo]

In terms of ants, I found Brachymyrmex and Formica and a foraging Camponotus


I also booped some salamander snoot



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[Antcatcherpro3]

You won't believe how many salamanders I have in my yard..

And in your second photo of the plants I have that same one in my yard.

[Chickalo]

Oh yeah, by the way, feel free to tell me to get better photos of any of the plants for identification

Edited by Chickalo, June 2 2021 - 4:28 PM.

[ANTdrew]

I can see hostas and peonies in there. Close ups of the leaves and any flowers would help.

[Kaelwizard]

Looks like the eastern red backed salamander I had.

[ANTdrew]

Those peonies are a great ant plant even though they're not native. How is the sun level in that section of the garden? What is the soil like? That will determine what you can plant.

[Chickalo]

Looks like the eastern red backed salamander I had.

It is!  In other places around my backyard I also found the leadback variant.  Same species, different colour.

Those peonies are a great ant plant even though they're not native. How is the sun level in that section of the garden? What is the soil like? That will determine what you can plant.

My parents recently had the town cut down the huge tree that was blocking sun (it's now a stump, and you can sometimes find Camponotus pennsylvanicus foraging there!) so it's pretty bright.  I'll take soil samples today and get back to you in 1-2 days once it settles.

[Chickalo]

Walking for the first time in over two weeks (it opened a bit again to back to crutches smh) I looked into the garden bit to find over grown plants, with things hidden inside.

Note:  I didn't have my phone at the time so no photos, sorry
First, there was a small rabbit hiding in the overgrown weeds.  They obviously ran away when they saw me coming.  There was also an abundance of wasps (no bees D: ) and one I suspected to be a queen, however wasn't quick enough to grab

 

Now the ANTS!
 

I found queens!  Well, not in the way you'd probably expect.  The wild Brachymyrmex depilis colony has alate pupae now, if there is flights I'll definitely try to start a huge colony of just lots of queens, even though I've heard they suck to keep.  I saw some formica workers running around under some rocks and managed to grab some pupae in case I find a parasitic queen.  If there's anything I noticed, it's that the Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony residing in my home rules the majority of the ground level, often seeing majors foraging there.  Then, about the rock wall level is the Formica, and finally at top is the Brachy. 

 

Other than ants I found many Dysdera crocata (woodlouse spiders), isopods, worms, centipedes, millipedes,  etc.  I found what I think was a psuedoscorpion, two.  Looked like tick with long arms and little pinchers.  I actually found a Myrmica queen there last year so maybe Myrmica might populate a portion of it eventually, who knows?

 

Until next time,
Chickalo