Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

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I count myself among the minions who feel that we are custodians of the earth and its inhabitants. When dealing with “pests,” I use Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the use of a variety of controls - cultural, organic and chemical to limit - the impact on the environment.

The desert has some pests that you wouldn’t want in your house. Scorpions and tarantulas can cause harm while lizards, geckos, earwigs and crickets are annoying. One way to deal with these critters is to use glue traps. You may be aware of glue traps as a method for trapping rodents, but the basic glue trap is excellent for trapping vermin before they enter the house.

The trick is to place these traps where the invaders will step on them and be caught. The best location is generally on the sides of garage doors and doorways leading to the outside. While I don’t want to save every insect that gets caught in these traps, I do feel obligated to release lizards and non-venomous snakes. I might even try to free a tarantula if I can figure out how to avoid getting bitten.

The primary release targets for me are the lizards which sometime stumble into the glue traps near the garage doors. It took several tries to find the best method, but I think I have the system perfected at this point. I have released a half-dozen or more creatures using this technique and they don’t seem to be too badly affected by it.

I try to inspect the glue traps daily once the lizards are “out”. I think one very hot day in a glue trap without water can kill a lizard even if the trap itself has not physically harmed it. The first hint that a lizard is in the trap will generally be that the trap has been moved by the animal’s struggle to release itself. A second indication might be a long tail extending from the trap. When approaching the “tail” in the trap, be careful as snakes and lizards may look alike from the tail end.(click for larger image)

Once the animal has been identified, I gather a flat tool such as a small putty knife and move the trap with victim to a shady area. The following steps depict the technique I use from this point:

• Carefully open the trap to expose the animal. Rocks may be used to keep the trap open and avoid further entanglement of the lizard.(click for larger image)

• Take sand and spread it on the glue trap by moving the trap from side to side. Gather enough sand to have extra on hand throughout the procedure.(click for larger image)

• Carefully grasp the tail and begin to scrape the glue and tail off of the cardboard. Care should be taken to be sure that the putty knife or other tool is under the tail and not scraping off the skin and scales of the animal. If glue is coming up with the tail, this indicates you are far enough under the tail to avoid most damage.(click for larger image)

NOTE: Some lizards will have brittle tails that break easily which helps them escape from predators. This may happen and if so, don’t be too alarmed. The idea of course is to avoid breaking the tail altogether and to avoid any injury.

• Continue to scrape the tail and as the tail is released from the trap, continue to spread sand on the newly exposed surface.(click for larger image)

• As the tail is released, move the grasp closer to the uppermost part of the tail to avoid damaging the thinner portions. Once the tail is released, grasp the lizard by the base of the tail.

• With the tail firmly grasped, begin by releasing one back leg continuing to cover newly exposed parts of the glue trap with sand. As the leg is released, gently grab and hold it along with the tail. This reduces the lizard’s ability to move. NOTE below how the grip has been moved higher on the tail. (click for larger image)

• Work the second leg free. Dust the trap with sand again. At this point grab the lizard in the middle of the torso. Don’t grab too hard as it may cause damage.(click for larger image)

• Free each of the front legs. You may need to hold one or more of the legs as it is released depending on the amount of movement the lizard is exhibiting.

• Finally, work the neck and head free.(click for larger image)

• Gently pull off any glue that will release without injuring the lizard. See if the toes will spread. Dust the bottom of the lizard with the sand pressing firmly, but not hard to reduce the stickiness of the skin.

• Wet the lizard a bit to provide some relief from the heat. If it is during the heat of the day, release the lizard under a bush or tree. If it is cooler then the release can take place anywhere. Watch the lizard to see if it is injured and to assure that it can move freely.

NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the animal does not move immediately. They often wait a moment or two after being released to try their escape.

Hopefully the lizards released this way will be able to return to their environment and finish their lives in a normal fashion.

What types of Integrated Pest Management have you found effective in and around your home?

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

Candid Camera for Drivers

In my opinion, Phoenix drivers have to be among the worst in the country. To discourage speeders, the city has installed automated cameras conspicuously placed on a “trial” basis along sections of the 101 to see if they would decrease the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. A speeding ticket in these areas carries a hefty fine, which led some of the more cynical citizens to believe there was an alternative reason for the install.

Generally speaking, anyone traveling the 101 on a regular basis knows the location of these cameras and even if they are speeding, they will slow down when approaching the surveilled area to avoid receiving a ticket. The out-of-towners are the ones most likely to be caught by the lenses. I am told that when the ticket arrives, there are two pictures, one of the driver and one of the license plate. It has been my distinct pleasure not to know this as a fact.

During evening hours these cameras can be very disconcerting as flashes can be seen when the area is approached. There were a few times when I was driving in a group of cars and the flash went off. I would quickly check my odometer to make sure I wasn’t speeding, but there was always that nagging doubt in the back of my head. For the next month or so, I would sweat out mail delivery to make sure I haven’t received a ticket.

Speeders are a resourceful lot. To combat the camera’s peering eye, some drivers have license plate covers that can only be described as either super reflective or extremely polarized. They both hide the license plate number from the technology while allowing policemen to see them. Last year there was a bill before the state legislature to ban such license plate covers, but it didn’t pass. Go figure!

Don’t Enter When Flooded

Every once in a while, there is a tendency to forget that this is the desert and the nature of the region is quite different from other locales. One of the differences is that when there is a deluge, many roads are flooded. Water does not easily soak into the desert ground, but seeks low points to run. Streets can quickly become raging rivers and low spots become lakes. There are signs around the valley warning against entering areas when it is raining. There is real danger here. Water is a formidable force and cars can be easily washed away.

There were so many people who would not heed these warnings that the city has passed a “stupid motorist” law. Basically the law states that if you are brazen enough to enter one of these flooded areas, you are on your own. No rescue help will be forthcoming. You were warned and others are not going to risk their safety to assist you. Of course fines are also levied.

To make matters even more intense, there are numbers of streets in the outlying areas that are not paved and when it rains there, the roads can become covered with mud and sand. A year ago, I arrived at our street just after a monsoon storm and I had to park my car nearly a mile from the house to walk through two feet of mud covering the road. Luckily a large truck came by and offered me a lift. The next morning the plows were out moving the mud and sand off of the road. On the plus side, this happens much less frequently than snowstorms in the northeast.

Changing Patterns

The Phoenix area is trying to make changes to alleviate the traffic crunch. Like many large cities, bike lanes are slowly being put in place. There is a very nice bike lane along Cave Creek Road that extends for quite a distance. The problem so far is that these are isolated, unconnected corridors.

Converting bike lanes into plausible avenues of transportation would need a strong commitment to connect the lanes with others and to bring them into the more urban areas. This is still a long way off. There is some encouragement for bikers as the local buses have bike racks and the light rail trains will also have similar accommodations for cyclists to bring their bikes along.

Mass transit

Most major cities have a rail-based mass transit system, but Phoenix is just starting to develop that part of their infrastructure. In December, 2008, the Metro Light Rail experience is slated for initiation. Unfortunately, this covers only a small 20-mile section of the city and even this has taken quite some time to complete. Hopefully, this will be successful and the taxpayers will be encouraged to fund extensions into other parts of the city.

Any effort to reduce the number of vehicles entering downtown will help to reduce the traffic density. Like most other large cities, parking is another problem. We always try to keep coins in the car to feed those meters if we can find a metered open parking space in the center of the city.

Even after more than a year, traveling along the roads of Phoenix seems a bit strange. It is just a different experience.

Are there any interesting or different driving experiences in your area?

08/22/08 Update - I was contacted via email by a reader who has lived in the Valley much longer than I have and they explained that the “stupid driver” will be rescued, but will be billed for the service. Another point was noted about the change lanes — they are intended to get “off” of the road and not to “enter” into the flow of traffic.

All comments and clarifications are welcome!

The Phoenix Driving Experience - Part I

NOTE: Did you ever wonder about the psychology behind what happens when a traffic lane is closed? Should you pull over and merge into an open lane early or speed up and go right to the front of the line? CYNTHIA GORNEY addresses this issue in a Sunday, NY Times Magazine Section article, The Urge to Merge, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/magazine/03traffic-t.html

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Written by Jeff

When we first arrived in Phoenix, we had no direct means of transportation. Our cars were being shipped and it would be several days before they would arrive. We relied on friends for the occasional ride during those first hectic days, but most of our needs could be met by taking a short walk to one of the nearby malls.

We made it a point to secure an apartment near shopping centers and services we would need while we house hunted. The day we received the call that our cars would be arriving was an exciting one, but also one of some anxiety. Now we would have to learn our way around and learn about the nuances of Phoenix driving.

Although driving in the US is basically the same, many areas have their unique idiosyncrasies related to motoring. Phoenix is no different.

Driving is Driving, right?

The first lesson we learned is that shade is a commodity. Our apartment had one uncovered parking space and one covered space, i.e. shade. After a couple of days, we developed a strategy regarding which car should be parked in which spot. We also learned how to “play” the free parking space game by jockeying our cars around to maintain a premium spot close to our apartment.

If you need to be convinced that shade is a commodity, go to a mall in July or August. There are usually a few token trees bordering parking areas—and there you will find cars parked beneath their sparse branches even if they are located far from the stores.

Lesson two was actually a corollary of lesson one. Buy a padded steering wheel cover so you can touch the steering wheel on those hot days. The only other option would be to wear oven mitts and this might be distracting to other drivers who see you as you pass.

A Positive Change

Most of the roads in the area have a center lane reserved for turning and that is a good thing. There is so much traffic that without these lanes, there would be great difficulty navigating turns onto and off the main roads. When making a left out of shopping centers on heavily traveled streets, these become safety zones- pull out into the turn lane and wait for an opening. It certainly eases the transition from mall to road.

Turns for the Worse

There are two types of turns that drivers in the Phoenix area make, which took a bit of adjustment on my part. The first one is the stop light u-turn. At almost any traffic light, when it turn green or presents a green left arrow, drivers make u-turns. In my experience u-turns were prohibited under those circumstances while in this area it seems to be the rule of thumb. This can be very disconcerting to drivers new to the scene. It is more necessary than ever to keep those eyes on the road at all times.

Another driving surprise is the arced simultaneous left turns made coming off some of the major highways. At the apex of the arc, it appears as though the approaching cars are going to collide even though the painted lanes indicate otherwise. It can catch a person off-guard the first couple of times!

The Phoenix Driving Experience - Part II

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post