Seeing mounds of soil, or open holes in your grass or flowerbeds? Could be a gopher or a mole. Both of these critters create tunnels and are active underground, improving the soil by aerating it and mixing nutrients. But they are otherwise very different. Gophers are rodents that eat only plants, favoring bulbs and roots, […]
What happens when you combine mild weather, a rain that lasts for a day or two and rapidly growing plants fighting for space? Nature has provided perfect growing conditions for the disease rust. One of the most common fungal diseases of garden plants, there are thousands of different species of rust that infect trees, shrubs,
It’s perfect weather for rust Read More »
There is a new worm in town – the invasive jumping worm. Also known as Alabama jumpers, Jersey wrigglers, wood eel, crazy worms, snake worms, Asian jumping worm, and crazy snake worms, they have been found in Napa and Sonoma Counties (not yet in Marin). They are smooth, glossy gray or brown and 1.5 to
Be on the lookout for this invasive worm Read More »
A fast and easy way to get rid of weeds is to use one of the popular weed killers – just spray it on and the weeds die within days. But what if that same product contacts desirable plants, like your roses, vegetables, or fruit trees? You certainly don’t want them exposed. Herbicides, aka weed
Herbicides can kill more than just weeds Read More »
We’ve had a lot more flooding this winter than most, and it can impact the natural nesting areas of rodents, forcing them to seek higher ground including inside your home (particularly into “high ground” such as attics). Storm debris, cut tree trunks and limbs, and materials may become lodged in drainage ditches or along streams
Unwelcome Visitors Read More »
With the abundant rain this winter, your house may have areas with wet and decaying wood that can become an ideal nesting site for carpenter ants. Even small amounts of damage from flying debris or trees that strike the siding, roof shingles, rain gutters or electrical meter bases can allow moisture to collect in wood,
Wet Weather and Carpenter Ants Read More »
Want to be a citizen scientist for a few days? Join the annual Great Backyard Bird Count! For four days in February, the world comes together for the love of birds. People spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations
Time for the Annual Backyard Bird Count Read More »
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a process you can use to solve pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment. The definition of IPM is: IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification
Learn about IPM with Diego Read More »
As you drive through neighborhoods in mid-February, you may be delighted by the large trees clothed in puffy cloud looking blossoms of white. Common throughout Marin, ornamental pear trees, specifically ‘Bradford’ pears, put on a spectacular show. In the mid-1960’s landscapers and municipal planners planted lots of them – they grew fast, took any kind
Could it be Fire blight? Read More »
If you spot a small animal that looks like a mouse scurrying across the yard, it could be a vole, also known as a meadow mouse. But how can you be sure if it a mouse or a vole? Both of these rodents are five to eight inches long and have gray or brown fur.
