Is there a skeleton in your garden? If your garden is a rain garden, two plants will make you think “skeletons” – mad dog skullcap and boneset. A member of the mint family, mad dog skull cap (Scutellaria lateriflora) blooms in mid to late summer. Early settlers believed that this plant cured rabies, hence the […] Continue reading "Autumn’s Natural Skeletons and Witches"
A great habitat will support all kinds of animals, even some that may not be included on your personal “desired animal” list. Many people aren’t concerned if they see an owl, rabbit, fox or turtle in their yard. But a snake is another story. Continue reading "Creating Habitat for Snakes"
Besides providing the right plants, and protecting your garden from pesticides, one of the next most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the winter cover they need in the form of fall leaves and standing dead plant material. Frequently however, this is the hardest pill […] Continue reading "Leave the leaves!"
Residents of the North Capitol Hill neighborhood in Denver have noticed a lot of activity at the Denver Turnverein. Founded in 1865, the Denver Turnverein is a member-supported nonprofit focused on the educational, social and physical benefits of dancing. Under normal circumstances, the building would be filled nightly with music and dancers. In the age […] Continue reading "Demonstration garden beautifies area, teaches others about native plants"
Few sounds are as disheartening to a homeowner as that of a bird colliding with a window. And with good reason, since studies show not only that such collisions are frequently fatal — one in two results in the death of the bird — but that they are also all too common. In the United […] Continue reading "Simple Ways to Prevent Birds from Colliding with your Windows"
You can easily grow native elderberry (Sambucus L. ssp. canadensis) in semi-shaded areas with moist loam or clay soils, or in rain gardens. Their wild habitat is floodplains, shorelines and edges of swampy woods. Continue reading "Native Elderberry"
One of the most critical roles plants play in nature is supporting food webs—that is, all of the animal life as it exists and interacts in our ecosystems; it is in performing this essential ecosystem service that plants introduced from other parts of the Earth, do not measure up to our native species, in serving […] Continue reading "A Mystery Explored: Maintaining Biodiversity"
Some may say that dirt was created when she was born just so she could grow her native plants. I’m not so sure that is true. But what is true is that Donna VanBuecken has a passion for the health of the Earth by planting native habitats. And equally, she loves to share that passion […] Continue reading "The End of an Era"
Do you remember the bug-spattered car windshields and radiator grills, when you were a kid? After a ride in the country, the insect guts and gore had to be scraped and scrubbed off the windshield. The radiator grill captured larger insects that didn’t bounce off. It was clogged with big, black beetles, mantids, moths and […] Continue reading "Neonicotinoid & Insecticides: Where have all the insects gone?"
Ecological Pathways: Poisonous Slugs No-till farming (not plowing and harrowing and disking the land frequently), benefits field and forage crop production by reducing soil erosion, Garden Slug conserving water (if irrigation is necessary), improving soil health, and reducing fuel and labor costs. It’s generally a ‘good thing’ to do. Neonicotinoids are the most widely used […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Jan 2015)"