Franklin, TX

Over the last few years I have become involved with a wildlife management organization. As a member of this group I have really been able to learn some very valuable information to help in obtaining wildlife exemptions, and to just maintain good management practices. All has been in the hope of having more quality wildlife. At our home just a few miles east of Hearne , Texas I have been able to increase the size and quantity of our heard. And as a side benefit we can watch the young ones mature.

This week due to speeders on the highway in front of our home we lost two of the three deer fawns living on our place. That is 2/3's of the total fawns this year. We live on a dangerous deadmans' 'S" curve but many drivers don't mind the signs...they drive 80 in a 55 zone and don't blink an eye.

As I was pondering what to write about on cooling off and beating the heat in Texas...it dawned on me that wildlife and pets really have it tough! We have had some days at 105 degrees already this summer and with high humidity. Not many animals have the luxury of being able to just go inside when they are pooped from the heat like we can. Well at least most can't. I know there are lots of Flluffys and Puffy's out there that never have stepped over the threshold to leave the air conditioned castles they live in, but many pets do stay outside a lot, and many more don't even know what A.C. is. They are full time outsiders. We have tried to remember to make sure both our 3 dogs and 4 cats have plenty of shade, and water at all times. And we have tried to provide for our wildlife to the best of our ability also.

Some of the things you can do for the birds are easy and relatively inexpensive...birdbaths and hummingbird feeders. Most birds enjoy a bird bath or garden sprinkler to just cleanup a little. But they also water from these sources. We have placed 4 bird baths around our home. They usually have to be filled every couple of days. Also they need to be cleaned once a week to keep growth down from algae.

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Butterflies and Bees need water to , so by simply adding a few stones in a fountain, you can create miniature islands for the insects to ease down to the water's edge. They love it.

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Hummingbirdsare like miniature rockets and burn up lots of energy and need both sugar and water. Hummingbird feeders provide this. We use two types. One simply hangs . They other mounts on windows so you can observethe birds feeding close up.This one is suspended from a small potatoe vine covered arbor. A cool spot for hummers to feed.

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This feeder is one foot away from the kitchen sink and really makes doing dishes a lot easier as Hummers are great entertainers with their aerial acrobatics.

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Birds have to eat......so if possible place feeders in a shady spot.We enjoy watching numerous species feed off the feeders hanging in this small trumpeter vine covered arbor. The birds consume so much we keep two feeders in this location.

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Now you know there are all kinds of creatures and they all require H2Oin order to live .....including toads. Now toads are great and eat all kinds of insects in the garden. At night they enjoy a quick dip ...the only problem is if they jump in and if they can't get out...well they die. We got tired of fishing dead toads out of the water bowls so we place rocks whetre they could exit easier after a dip. It works! :o)

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The little Budda has a small lap that holds water that garden lizards and chameleons drink from. This little garden space has ferns, ivy, and Banana plants that offer shade for the lizards, toads and tree frogs, our insect pest control specialists!

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And Finally the larger animals both wild and domestic need a combination watering hole and swimming pool .....so we built a small lake for them and are still waiting on the rain to fill it up. Don't worry once it is full the mud will settle out and it will be clear...but do you think the deer and the dogs care in the mean time? We doubt it!

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So this summer please remember all your feathered, furry, and scaly friends need to cool off too! No you don't have to invite everybody inside, just give them a break by making sure they can drink all they want , and can even get wet now and again too !

www.treythurmond.com

For the last few years in late June and early July we have enjoyed making grape jelly from local wild "Mustang Grapes" that grow in our area of Texas in Robertson County. There is an old oak tree just a few yards from the house that has one of the largest vines I have ever seen growing on it. This tree was hit by a tornado and damaged to the point of almost death. Instead of taking it down we just let the vine continue to cover it. So it continues to serve a good purpose. I feel it will be years before the tree finally expires. In the meantime we get to enjoy the grapes.

This year we probably want be making jelly for lack of time but it doesn't keep me from nibbling on a hand full when we work out in the yard. These grapes are particularly sweet when ripe and we have been told they actually make an interesting wine. Maybe one day we will attempt making some! :)

Have a prosperous week!

www.treythurmond.com

I have always had a love affair for trees. I love watching them grow from saplings until they are stately and tall . Of course that can take a while! Still, we can go back to some of the subdivisions we worked on years ago and those trees that were pencil size then, now are towering over two story homes.

I have tree identification books because I am always on the prowl for unusual trees that may not be native to our neck of the country. And of course there are those trees the settlers planted on their homesteads. Sometimes I enjoy finding a grove of non native trees and studying the site to see if an old settler's home was once there. In this area they would plant fast growing and sometimes medicinal trees.

One of my favorites is the "Tickle Tongue " or "Tooth Ache" tree.

We have a few of these unusual trees on our property. They aren't the most attractive things. If you chew on the berries or seeds it is almost akin to when a dentist preps you. ( Now don't go out experimenting by putting some unkown berries in your mouth!) The early Texas settlers didn't have the luxury of dentists, so hence "the toothache tree," was one of their remedies. Another name for the tree is "Hercules Club Tree" because the limbs have round nodules on the bark with small spikes at their tip. I guess the limbs would make an awsome club.

If you enjoy selling farms, ranches, and rural properties it always helps to know a little about the native flora and fauna just to make things more interesting and attractive to your prospects.

Have a prosperous week!

www.treythurmond.com

This week the seismic survery crews have been doing what they get paid to do in the local area around our home. They have been setting off charges and taking their seismic readings, all a necessary part in the exploration of domestic oil and gas. Lord knows I am for focusing our primary efforts domestically in this search.. But this exploration in our neighborhood is getting a little close for comfort. Last Friday my wife called and all the somoke detectors where going off in the house, without the presence of smoke and they came on and went off all day long. We finally concluded it had something to do with the explosions the seismic crews were setting off. It stopped over the weekend.

Well today my wife called me again and said the house was shaking so bad, that she was afraid things would start falling off shelves and walls , and that this had been going on all afternoon. Yep. They were setting off charges again today, only this time it was closer to the home than last week, and last week the house wasn't being shaken like a mild earthquake each time they blasted.

Does anyone out there know if these charges are supposed to shake homes? I don't want to appear to be complaining, but we are just a little concerned about not being home when things do start falling off the walls.

Have a prosperous week!

Trey

www.treythurmond.com