Page 4 - Wednesday, August 31, 2022
The Sylvania Times
thesy lvaniatimes .com
F arm and Land
The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer -Will Rodgers
“White Spider
Lily”
Fishing
with
Jack
Fishing in
GeorgiaWith
"The Fishing
Guy"
Duke’s Creek is perfect for the family
The Farm
Wife
at Two Pennies Farm
Go Native
Talmadge Fries
An unusual oddity is the White Spider Lily aka
Hymenocallis Tropical Giant. This bulb flower is
very versatile and cold hardy. The only problem
around here is that those forsaken grasshoppers
love the bulbs and will devour them. If you have the
grasshopper problem, you will need to put out extra
insecticide around your plants. The first time I saw
this plant was on a trip to San Antonio Texas, and the
plants were used in landscaping.
The foliage of the White Spider Lily is long and
strong with a crisp dark green color. The foliage
continues to look good through summer, make this
a good accent plant to be used in your garden. In
summer, around late June and July, spidery white
blooms appear in a very prolific manner.
During the heights of their blooming cycle, the
blooms appear like balls of white from a distance. The
foliage will get 3 to 4 feet high, and this bulb plant
mixes well with other perennials like salvia, lantana
and asters.
It usually takes
small bulbs a
year or so to
be able to grow
foliage to the
height of 3 feet,
but given a little
time, this plant
will be a center
piece in the
garden. During
the winter, it will
die back with the first frost, but will return in the
spring.
As always, join your local garden club for a wealth
of knowledge and friendship.
GEORGIA DOVE
HUNTING SEASON
OPENS SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER 3
While most of Georgia’s trout streams are
concentrated in the mountains of Northeast Georgia,
where clean, cold water is just part of the landscape,
one of the most popular trout-fishing spots for me and
my family is
Dukes Creek
near Helen,
Georgia.
Remember,
Trout season
is open now
through Oct.
31st, and also
requires an
additional
license to
the regular fishing license of all anglers ages 16 to
64. Experienced trout anglers will want to take trips
to two specially managed creeks: Dukes Creek near
Helen and Waters Creek in the Chestatee Wildlife
Management Area north of Dahlonega. Dukes Creek
and its tributaries are open to fishing year-round by
reservation only.
This week, let's focus on one of my favorites, Dukes
Creek in Helen. Much of this stream offers large deep
pools with some occasional fast water. Through my
experience fishing Dukes Creek I've noticed the fish do
not like to bite as well after a rain storm. Others have
said that the additional flow actually stirs up the insect
life and brings more food to fish waiting down stream.
However, the ability to actually see the fish rise to the
fly is what I love when it comes to fly fishing. The
stream does have many sections of flat water for dry fly
fishing and nice long pools to drift a nymph through.
The State has done a great job managing this stream
by making sure the appropriate cover and eddies
are created by placing logs and boulders in the right
position. Even though this is an incredibly beautiful
stream don't let it fool you, these fish are keen when it
comes to a short leader and a sloppy cast.
If you are wondering how to get to Dukes Creek,
Drive north to the Smithgall Woods State Park. This
will take you right to the trail head of Duke's Creek.
Also, while you're in the area, don't forget to check out
Raven Cliff Falls for a fun and beautiful hike that the
entire family will enjoy.
To make sure you and your family and or friends have
enough time to enjoy the creek, you could also choose
to stay in Cedar Creek Cabins directly on the creek.
These rental cabins are very secluded and offer, l, 2,
3 and 4 bedroom cabins. Now, if you prefer beautiful
high views, the Tree House Cabins are extremly nice
and offer the very best views of the forest. Standing
too feet above the ground and surrounded by trees,
these treehouses are truly something out of a dream.
You will enjoy modern essentials like internet, walk-
in shower, hot tub, sauna, jacuzzi tub, and television.
Wherever you stay, you will be near Dukes Creek and
able to go fly fishing or hiking anytime you would
like. Not to mention, the wonderful things you and
your family can do to make some more long lasting
memories.
Many homestead chores lead to think sessions. The work
requires the bare minimum of attention and leaves the
mind relaxed enough for new thoughts to bubble up or for
ruminating on old thoughts.
Poo-picking the pasture is one of these chores.
As long as you pay attention where you step, the mind has
license to wander. I was looking at the grasses in the pasture
and trying to ID them, which I’m not very good at. I know
we have Bermuda, Bahia, Poverty Grass, Crabgrass, and
Centipede, but there’s a lot more species in there, some of
which the goats and pony won’t eat. Georgia has 11 native
grasses that are good for forage, and we have none of them
in the pasture. You know I always advocate planting native
species, and here I have a whole swath of non-native grasses at
my feet.
As I was pondering methods to convert the pasture
to native grasses, a thought bubbled up; Hey, I’m a non-native!
Technically, all humans in North and South America are.
Humans originated in Africa, and migrated to North America
about 15,000 years ago via the Bering Sea land bridge. The
First Nations people, having been here since then, would
technically be considered Naturalized. But the rest of us are,
for the most part, the result of the European colonization of the
Americas, which began in 1492. We migrated here.
We act just like other non-native / invasive species. According
to the National Wildlife Federation, an invasive species:
• does not have natural predators or population controls.
• reproduces quickly
• outcompetes native species resources,
• carries new diseases
• prevents native species from reproducing
• changes the food web in an ecosystem by destroying
or replacing native food sources
• provides little to no food value for native wildlife
• alters the abundance or diversity of species
• changes the conditions in an ecosystem, such as soil
chemistry or the intensity of wildfires.
You’ve got to admit, if you read this list inserting ‘humans’
for ‘invasive species,’ the sentences make perfect sense. Ask
anyone involved with studying the earth’s ecology, “What is
the proper response to an invasive species?” and they will tell
you to destroy it. Well, you can’t do that with humans, and it
has never worked with other invasives. Chestnut blight, Dutch
Elm disease, Asian Ladybugs, Chinese Tallow Tree, Kudzu
and all the other bacteria, fungi, plants, insects and animals
that have invaded North America are still here despite all
our efforts to poison, uproot, bum or otherwise kill them. No
matter what measures are taken to eradicate invasive species,
they have all survived.
So how do I resolve the conundrum of being a
member of an invasive species while advocating for the re-
introduction and preservation of native species? I simply try
to not act like an invasive species. I acknowledge that native
species are best suited to this area and encourage them in their
struggle against invasives. I do this by enhancing their native
food sources, encouraging diverse species, providing and
protecting nesting and birthing sites, not being a resource hog,
and relying on natural pest control outside my home. There is
plenty of space and food for all, and I don’t mind sharing.
Special to
The Sylvania Times
The Georgia dove hunting season opens Sat. Sept. 3, 2022,
according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’
Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).
“The opening day of dove hunting season is a highly anticipated
event for wing shooters, and it always feels like the big kick-off
for the fall hunting season,” says Alan Isler, Chief of the WRD
Game Management Section. “During the dove season, whether it
is opening day or later in the season, I want to encourage you to
make plans to visit a public dove field. Game management staff
have been working hard to prepare these fields and attract as many
doves as possible.”
The official 2022-2023 dove season hunting dates are Sept.
3-Oct. 9, Nov. 19-27 and Dec. 19 - Jan. 31. Statewide shooting
hours for all dove seasons are one-half hour before sunrise to
sunset.
More Dove Season Tips and Information:
• Dove Field Forecast (GeorgiaWildlife.com/hunting/dove):
The dove field forecast identifies available crops and anticipated
hunting conditions for opening day.
• Regulations Quick Review: The daily bag limit is 15 doves
per hunter. Collared doves may be taken and do not count toward
your daily limit. Shotguns must be plugged to hold no more
than three shot shells while hunting doves. Hunters must obtain
permission from landowners before hunting on private property.
• Report Banded Doves: In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with several
states, including Georgia, initiated an ongoing dove banding
project. Hunters can participate in this conservation effort by
examining harvested doves for leg bands and reporting band
numbers to the USFWS at www.reportband.gov.
• Private Field Plans? Make Sure the Field is Legal: Check out
the online brochure, “Dove Hunting and Agricultural Practices in
Georgia,” available at GeorgiaWildlife.com/migratory-bird-info.
• Licenses Needed: Hunters 16 years of age and older need
to have a hunting license and a Georgia Migratory Bird Stamp.
This stamp is how Georgia participates in the federal Harvest
Information Program (HIP). Some licenses allow the license
holder to get the Georgia Migratory Bird Stamp at no cost. Hunters
may purchase licenses online at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, by
phone at 1-800-366-2661 or at license vendor locations (list of
vendors available online).
PLANTING DAYS
ACCORDING TO MOON SIGNS
Above-ground crops: 1,4,5, 9,25, 26, 27,28, 29
Root crops: 10,13,14,18,19
Seed beds: 1,18,19, 27, 28, 29
Kitt plant pests: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8,11,12,15,16,17, 20,
21, 22, 23, 24, 30
FISHING DAYS FOR SEPTEMBER 2022
Best: 7, 8, 9,10,18,19
Good: 1, 6,13, 28, 29
Fair: 4, 5, u, 12,14, 27
Poor: 2,3,15,16,17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30
PLANTING TABLE FOR SEPTEMBER
Gardens: Carrots, spinach, kale, lettuce, beets,
onion sets, Swiss chard, tendergreen, turnips,
rutabaga, salsify, parsnips, parsley, cabbage, collard
plants and smooth seeded English peas.
Lawn: This is one of the best months of the year
to build old, plant new lawns. Blue grass, evergreen
mixtures, shady place grass and winter green and
ryegrass should be planted to give perfect results.
Use plenty of plant food, bone meal, tobacco meal,
lime and peat moss.
Ogcechee
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