Belterra - March 2021 by Peel, Inc.

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THE BULLETIN

Bu llet iN March 2021 Volume 3, Issue 03

News for the Residents of Belterra

The Bulletin - March 2021

THE BULLETIN

The Bulletin - March 2021

THE BULLETIN

Bee houses Bee houses have become popular ways of encouraging solitary bees in the home landscape. While they can be great ways to provide nurseries for the next year’s generation of bees, they need to be maintained in the proper manner for them to be safe. Cleaning bee houses yearly is important to avoid buildup of mold and pollen mites that can be detrimental to these pollinators. Solitary bee houses can be made or purchased. You search online sources for DIY or purchasing a bee house. The key to having a safe bee house is being able to clean it once bees have emerged from the tubes. This can be done in a variety of ways, some of which are having removable wood blocks, using paper linings on drilled wood material, using removable cardboard tubes or natural hollow reeds. If making your own bee house, avoid using treated lumber or fresh cut cedar. Depth and diameter of the holes you drill will be dependent upon what type of bees you want to attract. Typically, smaller diameter holes require a depth of 3-5 inches while holes with a diameter over ¼” should have a depth of 5-6 inches. You can find more information on how to create your own solitary bee house here: extensionpublications. unl.edu/assets/pdf/g2256.pdf Bee houses should be placed in a southeast facing location near flowering plants about 4-5 feet off the ground. They should be attached firmly to a surface, reducing movement to avoid disturbing developing larvae and to make it easier for adults to land. The back part of the house should be closed off to avoid parasites from entering and the front should have an overhang to protect the entrance from moisture.

You may also want cover the entrance with stainless steel wire to keep birds from using the bee house as a buffet. For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urbanipm.blogspot.com This work is supported by Crops Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program [grant no. 201770006-27188 /project accession no. 1013905] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS EMERGENCY NUMBERS

EMERGENCY ...................................................911 Ambulance / Fire..................................................911 SCHOOLS

Dripping Springs ISD......................... 512-858-3000 Dripping Springs Elementary.............. 512-858-3700 Walnut Springs Elementary................. 512-858-3800 Rooster Springs Elementary................. 512-465-6200 Dripping Springs Middle School......... 512-858-3400 Dripping Springs High School............ 512-858-3100 UTILITIES

Water – WCID # 1 & 2...................... 512-246-0498 Trash – Texas Disposal......................... 512-246-0498 Gas – Texas Community Propane........ 512-272-5503 Electricity – Pedernales Electric........... 512-858-5611 OTHER

Oak Hill Post Office ........................... 512-892-2794 Animal Control................................... 512-393-7896 NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER

Peel, Inc.............................................. 512-263-9181 Article Submissions...................belterra@peelinc.com Advertising.............................advertising@peelinc.com ............................................................512-263-9181 The Bulletin - March 2021

THE BULLETIN THE INVADERS – NUTRIA By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center

Simply stated, an invasive species is a non-native plant, animal or insect that is non-native and can cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. There is one invasive animal that is often mistaken for a beaver or otter and it’s called a nutria. They were brought to the United States from South America for their fur and were kept on fur farms. Some escaped and in the 1940’s many were released into the wild when the fur market collapsed. Nutria are now considered one of the most ecologically harmful species on the planet. They can be found in 40 states and all areas of Texas except for the Panhandle and extreme west Texas. Nutria are large rodents weighing up to 20 pounds but are smaller than beavers which can weigh up to 50 pounds. They have orange teeth, are semi-aquatic and multiply very rapidly having up to 3 litters every year. They have partially webbed hind feet to aid in swimming. Their eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on their heads so they are able to keep their heads above the waterline. They have valves on their mouths and nostrils that seal out the water when they are submerged. Nutria have a rat-like tail while beavers have broad flat tails. One sure way to distinguish a nutria from a beaver or otter are the whiskers. Nutria have white whiskers while beavers and otters have black whiskers. So why are they considered invasive? Nutria live in burrows that are connected by tunnels that are dug near rivers, canals and lakes causing erosion and flooding. They eat native wetland plants and will

The Bulletin - March 2021

eat the entire plant—roots and all. Because the roots are eaten, the plants will not grow back. Additionally, with the root system gone, the soil is destabilized which causes erosion. In addition to wetland plants, nutria eat many agricultural plants like rice, corn, wheat, sugar, peanuts and more. They may even dine on your vegetable garden or newly planted grass. Because of their burrowing behavior, flood-control and waterretaining levees are damaged. They also burrow into the flotation supports under boat docks, under building foundations, roads, streams, and dams. The damage weakens the structures and can cause them to lean, sink or even collapse. Not only are nutria bad for our environment, nutria are host to many diseases and parasites including tuberculosis, septicemia, tapeworm, liver flukes, and nematodes. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, it can be a real health hazard for domestic animals, livestock and people to drink or swim in water that is contaminated with nutria feces and urine. For information on controlling nutria, contact the nearest office of TexasAgriLife Extension-Wildlife Services. TWRC Wildlife Center is a wildlife rehabilitation facility that treats injured and orphaned wildlife. We also serve as a resource for your wildlife questions. We can be reached at 713-468-TWRC or check our website at www.twrcwildlifecenter

THE BULLETIN Risky lilies by Jim and Lynne Weber

Death Camas Primarily due to their inability to move around to escape danger, plants have developed an array of weapons to defend themselves against predators. Some defenses are physical, such as thorns or stinging hairs, and others are chemical, mostly in the form of poisons or toxins. After these harmful chemicals are produced by the plants, they are locked away in parts of the its cells called vacuoles, spaces within the cell that are enclosed by a membrane, protecting the plant from contamination. The most common way that people or animals come in contact with poisonous plants is to accidentally eat them. While we don’t normally eat the plants in our landscapes, widely planted ornamentals that are non-native and toxic include oleander, daffodil, elephant ear, iris, wisteria, and azalea. Native plants can be toxic too, and there are two species in the Lily Family blooming this time of year that are fairly common but known to be toxic. They are Death Camas (Zigadenus nuttallii) and Crow Poison (Nothoscordum bivalve), and just their common names give them away! Death Camas, also known as Nuttall’s Death Camas, Poison Camas, Poison-onion, and Poison Sego, is a perennial flower growing 1 to 2 feet tall, with narrow basal leaves up to 15 inches long. A stout stem arises from a large, black-coated bulb, with a round-topped cluster of up to 60 cream-colored, 0.5 inch blooms growing around the top. It blooms from February to April and is found in open prairies, woodland edges, and rocky hillsides in central and northeast Texas. All parts of this plant are poisonous, even when dry. While unpalatable, livestock has been known to eat it, but typically only in early spring when not much else is available. While not in the

same genus as edible Camas (Camassia sp.), humans have been poisoned, mistaking the bulbs for wild onion. Crow Poison, also known as Crowpoison and False Garlic, is one of the first flowers to appear in early spring throughout most of Texas. Looking much like wild onion, it grows from a bulb but has fewer, larger white flowers about 0.5 inch across in loose clusters atop 8 to 16 inch stalks, and lacks the characteristic onion odor when crushed. Its basal leaves are narrow and 4 to 15 inches long, and it is found in lawns, open slopes, prairies, disturbed sites, open woodlands, and roadsides, where it often forms large colonies. When dug up, it will have a cluster of attached bulbs underground. While this plant is minimally toxic to humans, it gets its common name from grain farmers’ past practice of crushing its bulbs and mixing them with a handful of grain to be left out for crows to eat. In turn, the crows would get sick, with some dying, signaling the surviving crows to move on to other sources of grain. Send your nature-related questions to naturewatch@austin. rr.com and we’ll do our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, check out our books, Nature Watch Austin, Nature Watch Big Bend, and Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies (all published by Texas A&M University Press), and our blog at naturewatchaustin.blogspot.com

Crow Poison

The Bulletin - March 2021

THE BULLETIN At no time will any source be allowed to use The Bulletin's contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in The Bulletin is exclusively for the private use of the residents Peel, Inc. DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

The Bulletin - March 2021

THE BULLETIN

The Bulletin - March 2021

THE BULLETIN 1405 Brandi Ln Round Rock, TX 78681

The Bulletin - March 2021