OkcPets Magazine September 2022

24 OKC Pets • September / October 2022 Homeowners often burn the piles in the spring, which invariably leads to animals being brought to WildCare for help with burn injuries or because they have been orphaned. Common admissions from the moving or burning of brush piles include eastern cottontails, hispid cotton rats, and eastern wood rats. Instead of burning brush piles in the spring, remove them in early fall before animals set up residence in them for winter or build nest sites in the spring. Leave the Leaves The fall brings many people outdoors for the ritual of raking leaves that have fallen from deciduous trees. People can save time and benefit wildlife by leaving a layer of leaves. Leaf litter provides import- ant wildlife habitat, cover, and food for many wild animals, including turtles, bats, birds, and toads. Many butterflies and moths overwinter in fallen leaves, emerging in the spring. Leaves also benefit your yard by acting as a natural mulch to enrich your soil and prevent weeds from emerging in the spring. So raking leaves is one fall activity people can skip! Plant Native Plants Every year, more than 200 Mississippi kites are brought to WildCare for help — nestlings that have fallen from treetop nests, fledglings attacked by cats or dogs while learning to fly, and adults that have been injured flying into windows or hit by cars. Mississippi kites travel from central South America each spring to hatch and rear their young in Oklahoma. They are among the hundreds of species that migrate through or to Oklahoma during spring and fall migration seasons. Mississippi kites specifically rely on insects to survive and feed their young, with cicadas being one of their favorites. Although they will also eat small reptiles, amphibians, rodents, and birds, they are seen most commonly catching insects. Property owners can support Mississippi kites and other migratory birds that soon will make their long fall journeys by turn- ing their properties into native wildlife habitats. Insects, reptiles, rodents, birds, and countless other wildlife depend on the resources provided by native grasses, plants, shrubs, and trees. Those native flora are adapted to extreme temperatures Providing mobile ultrasound services to local veterinarians in their hospital (405) 742-7787 ovdionline@gmail.com https://ovdionline.com/ Dr. Jennifer Neitman, DVM, DACVR 405-256-7043 | By Appointment Only 107 S. Castle Rock Lane | Mustang, OK thechisolmtails@gmail.com