A new study by the Pesticide Research Institute indicates that the presence of neonicotinoids has fallen by half in ornamental plants sold by major retailers. Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticide that is widely considered to be a major threat to the future of bees and other pollinators. The study tested plants purchased …
I had a happy reunion with the garden after Judy and I returned from our trip late Saturday afternoon. The first thing I noticed were bright swaths of yellow that seemed to dominate the area in front of the house. Yellow – sometimes clear and light, sometimes golden, or shading into orange.
Our recent March snowfall is trying to tell us something. What it is trying to tell us is this: there are too many damn rabbits in the garden.
So the numbers are out on the eastern Monarch population in Mexico for the winter of 2015-2016, and the news is good. The Monarchs roosting in pine forests occupied a total of 4.01 hectares (a little under 10 acres) this year, more than three times last year’s 1.13 hectares (less than 3 acres). The population …
According to the website Monarch Watch, the peak for Monarch Butterfly abundance in Chicago should be roughly during the first half of September. However, in our garden the Monarchs seem to be on an expedited timetable. This year in July and August we would often see multiple Monarchs, as many as five at once. In …
First of all, we now have not one, but two Monarch butterflies making multiple daily appearances. I’ve seen them flying close together, though perhaps one is pursuing the other. I’ve tried to advise them that they’re not getting any younger and they should get busy and lay some eggs. Not sure if they listened, though. …
In the Herb/Cutting Bed, we’re growing Borage (Borago officinalis) for the first time. I decided to give it a try for the little blue flowers (I love blue flowers), but also because I’ve heard that it’s a great plant for bees. This is one of those plants that is covered in little hairs. The hairs …
For about a week there’s been a single Monarch Butterfly flying around our garden, and paying particular attention to the Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). After I got a fuzzy picture with my phone, Judy sat outside on the front steps waiting for the Monarch to appear so she could get these photos with her Nikon …
Did you forget about that slice of watermelon sitting in the back of the fridge? You’ve been ignoring it because throwing away food makes you feel guilty, and you’re hoping that the refrigerator fairies will carry it away. However, that dumpsterish odor is making this approach more and more difficult. Good news! You can take …
In a recent post I speculated about a possible fungal disease disfiguring some of my plants. Alert readers Brenda Coulter and Julia V correctly identified the problem as four-lined plant bug. It’s odd how after they mentioned this bug, I started seeing it everywhere. This either says something about my limited powers of observation, …
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