A slug is gross looking, but also cool to watch. Sciencey-type people refer to slugs as Gastropod mollusk, in case you care to know. However, you probably care more about getting slugs out of your garden than watching them do their thing.
The soft bodied slug needs moisture to survive. To avoid the sun and keep its gooey body moist, it likes to hide under rocks or logs. Its body produces a slime that helps it move across the ground without getting scraped.
Winter can be a dreary sad time for your garden. One of the easiest way to add color and activity to your garden in the cold months of winter is to add a bird feeder.
Giving your feathered friends a treat not only helps them on their journey but adds a flutter of color to your yard as they fly south. Imagine the delight as a red cardinal or Stelar jay stop by to partake of your seeded treats.
There are dozens of myths and beliefs surrounding the lives of butterflies. From legends to mythology, many mystical qualities are attributed to the common butterfly. However it is their radiant and colorful beauty that has brought butterfly gardening to the forefront of hobbies for people from all walks of life.
There are a myriad of reasons for wanting these flittering creatures to be a part of your gardens. Butterflies have inspired humankind since antiquity, not just for their decorative value but also as spiritual beings, symbolic of metamorphosis, rebirth, love, hope, and freedom.
In addition to the fact that mosquitoes are both annoying and cause some level of discomfort when you’re unfortunate enough to be the entree on their daily menu, they also carry disease which can affect the animal, bird and human populations. In order to keep the possibility of such a fate to a minimum, you’ll need to initiate steps to control these pests in the home environment.
While we humans may like our gardens because of the way they look or the inviting spaces in them, butterflies visit our gardens for their own non-aesthetic reasons: they are looking for nectar sources and larval plant foods. To truly entice these lovely creatures into our yards and gardens, we need to give them a lot of reasons to be there.
One of the biggest challenges for vegetable gardeners is pest control. Anyone who has tried to keep a determined deer from eating the sweet corn knows how difficult it can be to deter animals, including insects, birds, rabbits and other wildlife from what, for them is a natural smorgasbord. From their perspective, there sit these wonderful veggies, all neat and weeded, almost as if you placed the plants there just for them. And so animals that we might otherwise enjoy can become a nuisance when it comes to the garden.
While avoiding wildlife is nearly impossible, chemical pesticides are often an effective means of deterring unwanted insects. However, many gardeners are uncomfortable using these harsh chemicals that can leak into water supplies and harm the environment. They also have concerns about using chemicals in the foods they feed their families. Here are some ideas for more organic pest control.
The oldest historical mention of hummingbirds likely dates back to the Taino Native Americans, who were reportedly the first humans to greet Columbus when he landed in America. The Taino believe that hummingbirds are the spreaders of life on Earth, and their warriors were known as Colibir, or Hummingbird warriors, because they are a peaceful bird that will defend their territory with the heart of an eagle.
How long they have been in America is unknown, but they have delighted bird watchers for many years, with their quick dashes into the garden, and the shine of the sun on brilliant feathers. While there actually are duller colored birds, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the most commonly recognized for its iridescent feathering, and dazzlig ruby-red throat. The color though, is not all it seems.