Changing fauna-biota

[steev]

When first I began working the farm, the soil, mainly silt, was devoid of organic matter and highly compacted from half a century of extractive grazing, having been cleared of native oak-chaparral in the forties. Earthworms were not noticeably present.

Over the past decade, adding organic matter has been my most consistent activity, to increase fertility, water retention (that silt drained like a sieve and dried like concrete), and to promote the broadening of the resident fauna population (the small ones, not the gophers, hares, rabbits, pigs, deer, and elk).

I seem to be making progress: earthworms are common; slime-molds occasionally appear; Jerusalem crickets are becoming common. All these critters thrive on the same conditions that serve cultivated plants, and with which they synergize in a productive ecosystem.

Every time I till an area, I later see tracks where the feral? cats have come hunting rodents. My farm wasteland is becoming a jungle!

[12540dumont]

Well if you see monkeys....

[steev]

Sea monkeys?

[richardw]

What animals were grazed in your area 50 years ago steev,any sheep?

Its a great feeling when you see your soil improve in its structure,i remember when the soil in my orchard was so solid and hard to work,now a shovel is so easy to push in,and as you say,the worm population is huge.

[steev]

Sheep, goats, cattle. horses; all through the past half century, before I got it, this past decade. Slowly I'm returning it to plants, although not the native oak-chapparal-grassland.

With the solar fence-charger I got last week, the neighbors were able to get ~3 acres more of my disturbed-ground-loving weeds fenced yesterday and turned three of their horses loose in it; giddy horses, they were occasionally cantering and bucking the rest of the day; today they'd settled down to just eat and crap.

One of last year's carrots is blooming hugely; I've seen at least 6 species of bees/wasps (including paper-wasps, which I didn't know would tap nectar from such small flowers), several flies, and a couple beetles working this plant. I also have a blooming Buddleia, on which I've seen at least 6 butterflies, from tiny blue ones to Monarchs.
I think the valley my farm is in has never had any significant pesticide/herbicide use; I don't see this biodiversity in the urban SF Bay Area; what a pity.

I look forward to propagating and spreading plantings of roses, narcissus, bearded Iris, Buddleia, Kniphofia, Redbud, and such, which beautify and support the ecosystem, while needing little care or resources, not even protection from deer, pigs, or gophers.