Farm & Ranch
The Garden Guy – Cup Plant
Cup Plant – One Stop Cafe for Birds and Pollinators
By Norman Winter
When it comes to the backyard wildlife habit, the cup plant does it all. To me, it is like the flag bearer perennial for bees, butterflies and birds. It is a stalwart native in 34 states including those that border states around Texas, minus New Mexico and could be just the plant needed for North Texas farm and ranch landscapes.
However, its size makes you feel like it is the composite, or aster if you will, that ate New York. It is big, bold and wonderful and this is the time of the year it shines the most. If you are getting interested but are unfamiliar with the cup plant, it is known botanically as Silphium perfoliatum, and, as I alluded above, cold hardy from zones three to nine. It can grow tall, four to 10 feet and colonizes, so it is a plant for the back of the border.
Though it may be hard to imagine, they can dwarf a brown-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba, or a Brazilian sage, Salvia guaranitica, both also considered large plants and terrific partners for the cup plant.
You may be asking, why is it called a cup plant? This is one of the magical attributes of the plant. As the plant grows, it develops large square stems that give the impression of piercing the center of the large leaves. It’s actually two leaves without petioles that are attached to the stem, forming a perfect cup to collect rainwater. Small birds like finches take advantage of this natural reservoir of water. These same birds also feed on the seeds as they mature and get ready to disperse.
You will find the blooms to be covered in what may best be described as a pollinating frenzy. Every kind of bee, including honeybees by the hundreds, bumble bees, and plenty of those you don’t know, including wasps, are there doing their thing.
You will also notice eastern tiger swallowtails, long-tailed skippers, fiery skippers and yellow sulphur butterflies. It is like a Serengeti for pollinators. You are also likely to find hummingbirds on the plants as well.
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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