Our huge Agave bloomed. In After 11 happy years in our yard, our Agave -- which I thought was a Mr. Ripple but is some kind of Mexican Agave hybrid with rippled edges -- started its shoot last spring. Agave flowering stalks are habitat heavens, so we watched the wildlife parade come through. It …
Habitat Gardening (Part 2): Butterflies, Moths, Flies and Favorite Plants
My last article on habitat gardening introduced some basics and exciting things I learned about beneficial insects in gardens. This was after attending an all-day Habitat Gardening workshop given by Frederique Lavoipierre, Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. This column …
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Habitat Gardening (Part 1) – Insects are Good!
I recently attended an all-day workshop on Habitat Gardening that covered our birds and butterflies and pollinators. It also focused on how to welcome beneficial insects to combat pests, therefore avoiding the use of pesticides. Led by Frederique Lavoipierre, Director of Education at the Santa …
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“Good” Weeds for Butterflies and More on our Native Pollinators
This is a follow-up to my post on Attracting Butterflies and Pollinators to our Yards - more takeaways from San Diego area speakers Moe Magoski and Michael Klein, plus photos of pollinators, important butterfly plants we might consider weeds, and some resources. First, Klein shared stats about …
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Attracting Pollinators and Butterflies to our Yards
Who doesn’t want more butterflies in their yards? You need nectar plants of course. But if you want to watch all the butterfly stages -- which means your plant’s leaves will get eaten by the growing caterpillars -- you need to include specific host plants, such as milkweed for monarchs, or thistle …
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The Consequences of Pesticides in Citrus Pest Treatment – and references
An op-ed article I wrote for the Redlands Daily Facts, entitled "Understanding the Consequences of Asian Psyllid Treatment," is being published tomorrow. It was prompted when I noted that articles were not mentioning the negative effects of the recommended pesticide treatments for an alarming pest …
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