Spring is nearly here, and flowers are blooming – bulbs, fruit trees, vines and more. National Plant a Flower Day, March 12, is a good time to get some plants in the ground, and especially those that can attract and support beneficial insects in the yard. Planting a Healthy Garden includes types of plants to […]
Plant Some Flowers Read More »
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Sponsored by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab or Ornithology, participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or
Ready, Set, Count Birds! Read More »
January 10 is Save the Eagles Day. The bald eagle is a classic icon of the United States, standing for strength, courage, and freedom. Chosen in 1782 as a symbol for our national emblem, today the bald eagle is depicted on a variety of official U.S. items, including passports, quarters, and the one-dollar bill. These
It’s yard clean-up time – removing any remaining fruits and vegetables from the ground and trimming trees and shrubs that have dropped their leaves. Don’t remove everything – keep in mind what the natural enemies in the garden need, even during the winter: food, water, and shelter. Who are the natural enemies? They are the
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Some of the BEST pest controllers you can have in your yard are reptiles. Yes, those things that might slither past your feet on the patio are REALLY GOOD for the garden. Lizards, skinks, toads and snakes are all reptiles, animals that are cold-blooded, breathe with lungs, and have dry, scaly skin. One of the
Welcome reptiles to your yard Read More »
In the early morning hours, you may see a striking work of art stretching across a doorway or between plants – an orb weaver spider web. Their elaborate, sticky, wheel-shaped webs, measuring up to two feet in diameter, are recreated daily. They eat their web and build a new one! The web extends the spider’s
Be on the lookout for this beautiful spider! Read More »
Bats. Their mere mention evokes visions of silent, blood-sucking creatures that haunt the night skies or so the scary movies would have us believe. Centuries of superstition and misinformation have landed the furry, winged mammals with the undeserved reputation of nighttime villain. T’aint so. Overall, bats provide positive benefits to the environment – consuming huge
Shy and misunderstood, bats are a benefit to the gardener Read More »
Easily recognized for their rather ethereal beauty, the “dragon” portion of their name comes from their fierce jaws that they use to catch their flying prey. The “fly” portion of their name is apt – they are the world’s fastest insects, capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 mph. Dragonflies and their smaller counterparts,
These ancient, elegant insects are a bane to mosquitos Read More »
With the bounty of flowers blooming this time of year, you’re likely to spot one of the most helpful little critters in the garden, though you may not recognize her as such. What appears to be a small bee hovering like a tiny helicopter over Queen Anne’s Lace, but looks and may even sound like
Syrphid flies – the honeybee look-alike Read More »
