These babies are adorable, but they have gotten some ouchies from a source you may never have thought of!
From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center
We would like to remind homeowners to avoid using fertilizers! If you must use fertilizer, please water it into the soil to prevent causing chemical burns to wildlife.
Every year we receive screech owl fledglings into our care because of chemical burns to their feet. This is a very painful experience for young animals to endure. Without understanding what to do, they remain in place, allowing the burns to keep causing damage, sometimes down to the bone.
Just because something is safe to us doesn’t mean the same for our animal friends. Always be mindful of what chemicals you are using and where they may end up!
I tried to find what specifically would cause the burns, but I couldn’t locate anything specific, as far as what chemicals cause them.
There’s all kinds of mixes of fertilizers and plant nutrients and herbicides and insecticides, etc mixed into them, so I’m sure the ingredient list is long, and half are probably some trade secret anyway…
Another thing I did see though, is it said that many contain bonemeal, bloodmeal, or fishmeal, which makes them very attractive for animals to eat them as well, along with whatever else is mixed in.
These are both things you could use yourself or have someone come apply to your property, and also, the large quantities used in agriculture.
I ask because I know western culture is very much invested in mono-cultured lawns. I was going to (and am!) encourage people to ditch their manicured lawns in favour of a native plant gardens/grasses. The effect this has on local wildlife heath is not insignificant, and if it also means cute lil baby owls aren’t being needlessly injured, it’s a no-brainer in my mind!
I don’t get the fascination with grass lawns. I’d much rather have some cool plants. Also raking leaves is a crappy chore, and the bugs (like fireflies) need them as nest material for the winter.
I live in a HOA community, and they treat the lawn a few times a year and it always made me nervous they were going to burn my dogs’ feet and belly, and ears. I had Basset Hounds, so just about every part of them touched the ground. Thankfully they never were, but I don’t know what is in that stuff. Plus, I like the bugs, as longs as the majority of them stay outside. I have a lot of cool spider friends, and we also live near water, so I want the dragonflies to be safe and happy as well.
All this stuff, the plants, the dead leaves, the bugs, they’re here for a reason, and we should let them do their thing. They’ve had millions of years to learn their jobs, and the way we treat things as a species, we’re total noobs, so we should sit back and learn some things from nature.
thanks for saying this. Adverse effects of our approach to landscaping can be dire for all sorts of critters, including solitary bees and other insects as well.