WHY?
QUITE SIMPLE REALLY – WATER IS LIFE.
On the ranch we have over 100,000 gallons of water available at all time in our troughs – occasionally some run dry for maintenance, but we do our very best to keep them up & running.
There are long troughs, small troughs & round troughs. The more rectangular ones were designed specifically with our local bat population in mind. Catch a quick sip while airborne.
There are many reasons we keep water available on the ranch:
Dispersed water help keep coyotes, deer, foxes, cats and the like spread through the land. Instead of congregating, in areas with water and forage – They are able to eat more diversely through the land. This helps our plants, and our cattle when we need to come back to these pastures.
If one of our cattle or horses were to mistakenly cross a fence – They still have water. It is quite a sight when we watch a cow come in from a long day of grazing, to fill up to twice her size with water!
WE NEED WILDLIFE – Native bee’s, butterflies, foxes & browsers like deer!
This is Date Creek, but it does not belong to just our family. This land is home to so much life, we have the responsibility to care for each.
HOW CAN YOU HELP WILDLIFE?
BAT HOUSE For those that are mosquito magnets, a bat house is a must! One little brown bat can eat 60 medium-sized moths or over 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in one night – meaning you won’t need to slap on chemicals like deet! click here for bat house plans
2. BIRD FEEDERS This is a great activity that young ones will love! Seeds and fruits help our feathered friends! Plus, if you ordered beef, ask for some beef fat to make bird suet! Bird suet recipe here
Jay’s Bird Barn in Prescott has an amazing selection of bird seed for all home types and bird varieties! (You can get a nice cut of beef from our freezer there, too!)
3. WATER Not all of us have an open back yard, which is okay! If you have a pond, beautiful! Bugs and bee’s will love it – Here is a bee waterer that you can use so you don’t spend all day pulling drowning bees out
Here are more watering ideas – For butterflies, mantids and bee’s!
Suspended bird baths help to avoid predators and bats will love it too!
4. Plant Trees and shrubs! This creates a beautiful habitat for native wildlife and a piece of paradise for you!
5. Check out our tips to helping our favorite pollinators – Bees!
Here is our easy guide to helping out your local pollinators!
We have a list of plants they love, and tips to keep them around! *Don’t forget to KEEP IT ORGANIC! Chemicals and sprays have the capacity to create a ‘picture perfect’ yard, but damages the wildlife that comes into contact with it! *I love industrial strength white vinegar as a weed killer!*
Please, if you try any of these send us a picture or post it to instagram with #DCRanchlife and we’ll be sure to check it out!