Kick the Chemicals! Care for your Garden and Beyond Season 2!

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Want to solve garden problems while creating landscapes that are in sync with the natural environment? Join us for our new season of webinars that will focus on attracting and protecting pollinators in your garden, successfully managing rats, and replacing that thirsty lawn – all without chemicals!  Co-sponsored by YardSmartMarin and Marin Master Gardeners, talks …

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Moths are Pollinators Too!

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Birds, bees, and butterflies as important pollinators.  Did you know there are lots of other pollinators, like ants, beetles, moths, and even the wind?  While often considered the ugly cousin of the butterfly, moths are not only beneficial pollinators, they’re often equally gorgeous! There are more species of moths in the U.S. than all the …

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Christmas Bird Count Week

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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 …

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Praying Mantids in the Garden are Mostly Good Guys

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It’s the time of year that you may encounter a wonderfully weird, insect-hunting machine in your garden – a praying mantis. Named for the way they hold up the forepart of their body with its enormous front legs – like they’re praying. Ranging in size from two to four inches long, they’re masters of camouflage.  …

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Reptiles, and Especially Lizards are Great Pest Controllers

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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 – cold-blooded animals that breathe with lungs, and have dry, scaly skin.  One of the …

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It’s National Raptor Month

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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 …

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Look for this gorgeous spider in the garden

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The black and yellow orb weaver spider is one of the most colorful in California gardens. The female is large (body often over an inch long) with the signature black abdomen with broad yellow bars. Hanging in the middle of their intricate web, they’ll patiently sit and wait for the vibrations of a flying insect …

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National Moth Week is July 17 – 25

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Given their muted colors, their unjust reputation as just pests, and their night flying nature, most people fail to take notice of moths. Yet they outnumber butterflies, their nearest relative, by more than 10 to 1. And there are upward of 11,000 moth species in the United States alone — that’s more than all the …

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