Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Back 40 Update

A better view of the pin oak sapling. The Staten Island native meadow mix bed. This is my biggest pot; like most everything in my backyard, it was found on the street and recycled. While moving some soil, I found a number of grubs who had buried into the earth for the winter:They buried themselves after this disruption.
Most of the seeds in the mix, which were wild collected for Fresh Kills Park, are quite small. They are all perennials: Flat-top goldenrod, Smooth blue aster, Evening primrose, Switchgrass, Canada goldenrod, & Indian grass. The wooden skewers, which I call squirrel punji sticks, are my answer to the critters, who like my islands of dirt (see the pin oak above for some of their work) in the sea of concrete. Same with the lattice of bamboo, which I harvested locally.

mthew

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4 responses to “Back 40 Update”

  1. Out Walking the Dog

    I wish I’d thought of squirrel punji sticks when I lived in Dallas. All my pots were marauded on a regular basis by the fox squirrels that run rampant there. I tried a variety of home-made barriers, but never thought of punji sticks! Brilliant. Market it, Matthew.

    Perhaps I should curb my enthusiasm enough to ask: does it work?

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Since when has actual efficacy had anything to do with marketing? I have found that they do work on smaller pots; this latest effort is a tub almost two feet across, so we will see. BTW, these are regular wooden skewers sold for shish-kabob and grilling.

      Reply
      1. Out Walking the Dog

        Oh, yes, I knew the punji sticks were regular wooden skewers, re-purposed and “re-branded”. For your marketing campaign, you just need to steal the hard work done by someone else to create & sell them. Then repackage and resell at a much higher price: All-American Anti-Squirrel Punji Sticks, scientifically proven (of course), easy to use, and endorsed by a variety of fifth-rate celebrities as well as Joe-Down-the-Block. How about an infomercial on late-night TV?

        “Squirrels driving you crazy? Fear no more. I’m here to tell you that Squirrel Punji Sticks saved my garden, my marriage and maybe even my mind.”

        Whaddaya think?

      2. mthew

        You’re on to something here. I could also say that they, like those miracle sneakers they’re advertising in the subway now, “enhance your performance.”

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