The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) occurs December 14 to January 5 every year. The CBC is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of community science involvement. It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the U.S., Canada, and many countries in the Western Hemisphere go out […]
Christmas Bird Count Week Read More »
Neonicotinoids (commonly referred to as neonics) are the most widely used insecticides in the world, commonly used on farms, in our gardens, schools, and city landscapes. They are systemic insecticides – they are absorbed into plants and can be present in pollen and nectar, making them toxic to bees and many other beneficial insects. These
It’s National Fig Week – time to recognize this popular fruit that’s actually a little bundle of tiny flowers inside a small, thin sac. Most figs grown in home gardens are called common figs with varieties like ‘Brown Turkey’ and ‘Celeste’, and they’re self-pollinators. Figs lose their leaves each year and are easy to grow.
Keep Pests Away from your Figs Read More »
October 29 is National Cat Day. It was created by Colleen Paige in 2005 with a goal “To help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year and also to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their lives for the unconditional love and companionship they
What is National Cat Day? Read More »
October is National Raptor Month – a time to recognize these amazing birds of prey. A raptor is a meat-eating bird with keen eyesight, eight sharp talons, and a hooked beak. They’ve been around for millions of years, with nearly 500 species across the globe. Most are active during the day, while 178 are night
It’s National Raptor Month Read More »
With hot weather and water restrictions, lawns are definitely not looking their best. Do you really want to keep the swath of green growing or make a change and swap it out? If you’re up for trying something different, now’s a great time to do it. You can get financial rebates from the local water
Time to ditch the lawn? Read More »
While we are all dealing with climate change today, 35 years ago there was another environmental threat that was successfully abated. Damage to the ozone layer, that fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, was happening at an alarming rate. Caused by a number
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer Read More »
These flying pests are annoying with a bite that can be anywhere from mildly irritating to seriously painful. AND they can transmit disease, so it’s a good idea to start with preventing them from breeding. Don’t let mosquitoes breed in your yard! Anything that can hold water for more than five to seven days can
Keep those pesky mosquitoes away Read More »
National Water Quality Month is dedicated to making the most of the relatively small amount of fresh water we have – only 3 per cent of the total water on the planet, and two thirds of that is locked up in ice caps! Having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural
August is National Water Quality Month Read More »
One of the easiest insect pests to recognize is the whitefly. These aren’t actually flies and look a bit like tiny white moths. You might notice them sitting on the underside of an infested leaf or see them flutter off as you water or handle the plant. They’re easily disturbed but fly only a short
See some fluttering around your veggies? Read More »
