Rust is one of the most common fungal diseases of garden plants, there are thousands of different species that infect trees, shrubs, ferns, perennials, edibles and more, like pear, peach, and pine, rhododendrons, roses, chrysanthemums, fuchsias, geraniums, lilies, and snapdragons. Rusts have been a scourge to humans for centuries, impacting important food and fiber crops […]
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If you’ve got something messing up your lawn and you’re not sure what it is, look at how they dig. Skunks create holes about the size of their nose when they dig for earthworms, grubs, and other soil insects with their long, front claws. Raccoons enjoy diets that are almost identical to skunks but use
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Like any living creature, natural enemies need food, water, and shelter, all generally available in the garden. Here are some ways to attract them and keep them there:
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Spiders are generally considered to be beneficial; as predators, they keep insect pests in check. But many don’t want these 8-legged crawlers moving around inside the house. To prevent spiders from entering your house: To manage spiders that may have made it inside: While some research suggests citrus scents like orange oil may deter spiders,
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You know the saying – a weed is simply any plant in a place you don’t want it. Are you seeing grasses, dandelions, bindweed, and others popping up in your lawn, flower beds, vegetable gardens or other exposed spaces? Even in teeny spaces between bricks on your patio? What’s a gardener to do with such
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If you’re a parent, a pet owner, or both, and enjoy spending time in your outside spaces, have you removed potential hazards for kids, dogs, and cats where you may be playing? There are some possible dangers lurking, especially related to pesticides; here are some things to consider: Weed and feed products for grasses are
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More than a century of your data powers Audubon’s science. The nation’s longest-running community science bird project fuels their work throughout the year. The Christmas Bird Count occurs December 14 to January 5 every season. A group of 27 conservationists initiated the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) as a way of promoting conservation by counting, rather
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Today is World Pollution Prevention Day – observed around the globe on December 2 to instill awareness on environmental pollution and its negative impacts on our health and the planet. International organizations such as the United Nations (U.N.), the World Health Organization (WHO), Greenpeace, and others have been urging countries all over the world to
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With cooler damper weather comes the potential for disease in the garden. Are you seeing spots or brown soggy patches on petals of your favorite camellia blooms? It may be camellia petal blight, a fungal disease that affects all cultivars of Camellia japonica. Infection initially causes small, brown, irregularly shaped blotches in petals that enlarge
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Do you cringe when you happen upon an eight-legged creature scurrying across your front porch? If it’s a spider, you’re in good company. Fear of spiders, known as arachnophobia, is one of the most common phobias around. It may come from concern about being bitten by a deadly type or simply the idea of the
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