NEO-PIPE

Leave some gifts for wildlife this winter!

Our annual rituals of raking leaves and cleaning up our gardens can be detrimental to wildlife – removing their prime sources of food and shelter just before winter hits.

Here are some winter wildlife tips:
• Leave the leaves where they fall to help conserve soil moisture and improve fertility.
• Leave ‘standing dead’ to provide food, protection, and nesting sites for wildlife.
• Build a brush pile to provide hibernating habitat.
• Provide a water source that won’t freeze.

Did You Know?
Native plants are adapted to local conditions and typically require less maintenance to thrive. Some native shrubs for winter color and habitat include: winterberry, juniper, and bayberry.

Keep your pond happy and healthy this winter!

Worldwide, natural ponds and wetlands have decreased in abundance over time, due to construction, agriculture, and the increasing needs of our population. As a result, man-made ponds can provide an important ecosystem for insects and wildlife when properly managed.

Waterfowl use ponds during migration, frogs and other amphibians utilize ponds to overwinter, and a large variety of animals will utilize your pond for a quick drink
during droughts.

Overwinter your pond by removing dead leaves and debris, trim dead or dying
foliage, and ensure your fish are healthy before winter sets in.

Did you know?
Certain species, like salamanders, dragonflies, bluebirds, and martins are indicators of good water quality in your pond.

Love Your Leaves
Autumn leaves are so much more than a stunning natural spectacle.

Fallen leaves are a valuable resource for composting, enriching the soil, and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

Leaves provide insulation for plants and help to protect delicate root systems during the winter months.

Their decomposition supports beneficial soil organisms, contributing to a healthy ecosystem.

Did you know?
Autumn leaf color and timing is influenced by pigments in tree leaves, shortening daylight, and weather conditions?

Find out more at:https://bit.ly/3PW7PYk

Compost is Food for the Soil

Composting is a sustainable alternative that diverts food waste from landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Compost can be used as fertilizer to enrich soil health, improve water retention, and enhance plant growth, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

In your yard or a compost bin, collect fruit and vegetable scraps, layer with leaves and yard waste, and turn regularly to encourage decomposition.

Did You Know?
According to the US EPA, in 2018 it is estimated that yard trimmings comprised 7.2% of all Municipal Solid Waste landfilled.
For more information visit: http://bit.ly/USYardTrimmingsData

KEEP IT COVERED!
Sediment is the #1 pollutant in Ohio streams. Fortunately, we can all help reduce the amount of sediment that gets into our streams and rivers!

Seeding new construction sites prevents erosion, retains moisture, and promotes vegetation growth. Lawns act as a protective layer, preventing soil erosion and runoff. (replacing some or all of your lawn with native plants is even better!)

Cover crops like clover or rye can improve soil fertility, reduce w**d growth, and minimize erosion.

Vegetated streambanks help stabilize soil, reduce sedimentation, and maintain water quality.

Overall, these practices conserve soil, prevent nutrient runoff, enhance biodiversity, and contribute to sustainable land management.

DID YOU KNOW?
Native seed mixes, cover crops, and live stakes are an affordable way to stabilize a streambank, hillside, or coastal bluff!

For more information contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District.

Beat the Heat!
Help conserve one of our most precious resources, water.
Here are a few water conservation practices on your property:
• Water your lawn during the morning when the air is cooler to avoid rapid evaporation.
• Promptly repair leaky hoses and spigots.
• Position sprinklers so they’re spraying your plants and not your
sidewalk.
• Use a broom to sweep debris from hard surfaces rather than using water.
• Install a rain barrel.
• Adjust your watering schedule to fit the weather – let Mother Nature water your lawn for you!

Fun Fact
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. uses ~408 billion gallons of water per day, with about 50-70% of outdoor water usage going to lawn and garden maintenance.

This June follow these lawncare tips to keep your landscape healthy and looking great:

• Aim your mower so that grass clippings stay on the lawn and provide nutrients for
the lawn.
• Mow high at 3-4 inches to encourage root growth and drought tolerance.
• Keep your mower blades sharp. Sharp mower blades leave the grass looking better
and make mowing easier on your mower and yourself.

Did You Know?

Mowing high to 4" can reduce the number of annual w**ds in your lawn. Annual w**ds like crabgrass have a harder time germinating under the shade of a longer lawn.

Plant for Pollinators this May!

When choosing plants for pollinators, it’s a good idea to plant at least one species for a specialist bee. Try Golden Alexanders for the Golden Alexander Mining Bee, or a rose mallow for the hibiscus bee. Generalist species will use these plants, too!

A diverse garden makes everyone happy!

Don’t forget the importance of nesting resources. Leaving standing stems and leaf
litter throughout the winter and spring provide pollinators with critical habitat.

Fun Fact

A pollinator needs to visit each blueberry flower at least 10 times to ensure that enough seeds can develop and produce the best tasting blueberry.

Say No To Volcanoes
Native trees provide habitat for native wildlife/ including pollinators, absorb tons of carbon dioxide and gallons of stormwater, and can live 1000 years, but they won’t survive if they are smothered by “volcano mulch".

Keep mulch at least 6 inches from the trunk. Mulching close to the trunk will girdle the roots and allow bacteria, fungi, and insects to pe*****te the bark and damage the tree.

Fun Fact!
According to research by entomologist and native landscaping advocate Doug Tallamy, oaks support more butterflies and moths and provide more food for birds
than any other North American tree genus. Oaks can support 534 unique Lepidoptera species.

The final IMPOSTER of National Invasive Species Awareness Week is Tree of Heaven (ToH).

ToH is highly invasive and difficult to kill. Introduced in the 1800s as food for silkworms, it failed in this regard but succeeded in becoming a landscape tree. ToH is a tenacious survivor, growing tall, fast, and releasing over 300,000 wind-dispersed seeds per year. If damaged or cut down, adult trees will send up hundreds of sprouts from their roots. It thrives in poor, disturbed and urban soils.

An amazing NATIVE alternative is Cucumber Magnolia aka Cucumber-tree. This stately tree has large spreading branches and large dark green leaves that turn an attractive yellow-brown in the fall. Although its flowers are not as showy as those of other magnolia species, the cucumber-tree yields interesting pinkish-red fruit pods.

If you are looking to replace the invasive species in your yard or community check out your local Soil and Water Conservation District Spring Plant Sales. Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District (Ohio), Ashtabula Soil and Water Conservation District, Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District, Summit Soil and Water Conservation District, Lorain Soil & Water Conservation District, Erie Soil and Water Conservation District, Stark Soil and Water Conservation District, Portage County Soil & Water Conservation District, Medina County Soil & Water Conservation District

Today's IMPOSTERS are Callery pear and Common privet.

Callery pear is a spring flowering tree that was once the darling of the nursery industry. The 'Cleveland Select' cultivar was a tidy, uniform, spring flowering tree. It was considered to be sterile as pears require cross-pollination with other pear varieties to produce fruit. As more new cultivars of the Callery pear were developed and planted, these trees were no longer sterile. This species is now a bird-dispersed invasive. Escaped Callery pear seedlings are tough and thorny, creating impenetrable thickets that are difficult to eradicate.

An amazing NATIVE alternative is Serviceberry. Serviceberries are well-behaved, petite, and bloom at the same time of year as the invasive Callery pear. They also yield tasty berries in June for humans and wildlife alike!

Common privet is a common hedge species whose, black berries are dispersed by birds. It can thrive in a forest understory, outcompeting native plants. Its berries, while favored by birds, are not as nutritionally complete as our native shrubs.

An amazing NATIVE alternative is Red osier dogwood. This shrub is tough as nails, thrives in a variety of soil conditions, has pretty white summer berries for the birds, and lovely red stems for winter interest.

Today's IMPOSTER is a butterfly bush. While butterfly bush may attract butterflies (mostly tiger swallowtails), it doesn't provide for native insects throughout their life spans.

Butterfly bush has also started to seed into natural areas and is considered by many to be an up and coming invasive.

An amazing NATIVE alternative is Summersweet Clethra alnifolia. It's great for pollinators and smells AMAZING!

Today's native imposters include an invasive common landscape vine and shrub.

It's National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW)!

A study in 2005 estimated that invasive species cost the US $120 billion in damages annually. Invasive plants specifically can clog waterways, wetlands, and bioretention areas. This reduces the functionality and infiltration.

In contrast, long-rooted, thirsty, native plants increase infiltration and reduce stormwater runoff, all while providing for native pollinators and other wildlife.

One of the major sources of invasive plants is our own yards. Many exotic landscape plants have over time become invasive and spread beyond our neatly kept beds and lawns.

This week NEO PIPE will be focusing on some amazing natives and their invasive imposters.

Only Rain Down the Drain!

Did you know most storm drains are connected to pipes that drain, not to a water treatment plant, but directly into the nearest stream, river, or lake?

When it rains, stormwater runs off the land, collecting pollutants, such as soil, grass clippings, leaves, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, auto fluids, and pet waste, then
flows right into the nearest surface water where it causes algae blooms.

Keep your yard pollutant free and keep sending “Only Rain Down the Drain!”

Fun Fact

How much is an inch of rain?
An inch of rain is exactly that, water that is one inch deep. Per the USGS Rainfall Calculator, one inch of rainfall equals 6 gallons of water per square yard or 27,154 gallons of water per acre!

Winter Salt Awareness Week is coming to an end!

Check out this week's final presentation "Winter Ops that Reduce Salt Use" with Laura Fay from Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University. This presentation is hosted by Wisconsin Salt Wise.

https://www.wisaltwise.com/

Let's all do our part to keep Freshwater Fresh!