http://www.kmov.com/story/3272...

Reposted in: The thread "Butterflies, Birds, and Bees News Articles" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

Everyone is free to post to the articles thread! I figured it would be easier to have one thread we could follow since some of us (including me before I was moderator) are bad about not venturing into the forum. So feel free to share articles on the article thread and hopefully more people will see them! That goes for everyone!

There needs to be more people like her in this world.

the world would be a so much better place with more people like her!

It's sad really that so many people feel that the only option is the 'green desert' devoid of life, beauty, nature, or interest.

The standard landscape recipe looks a bit like this:
1.)Plant a few alien ornamental trees.
2.) Add gobs of sterile turf grass.
3.) Mix in a few bubble gum pink roses, lilies or irises devoid of pollen.
4.)Sprinkle with a dash of dyed red cypress mulch.
5.)Spray liberally with Roundup.
6.) Coat well with pesticide.
7.) Add a colorful, cheery bird feeder.
8.) Embellish with plastic butterflies of your choice.
Voilà Enjoy!

True in too many instances.

You are speaking my language, dear girl!!!
I wish everyone would take a "walk on the wild side".

Forgot to add the photo. Duh.
Sites like this make so much sense...habitat friendly. We have to get beyond "pretty".
No, this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea and I get that. But nature is being eradicated by the concrete of the Fast Food Nation and manicured lawns.
Okay, I'll climb down off of the soapbox now. I'm not usually this radical, but you pushed my button.
I apologize.

This post made me remember reading a book called "The Secret Garden", I read as a young girl. That book made me love natures landscapes.

Amen, Amen, and Amen!

Bringing Nature Home by Tallamy is a great book too.

In two weeks at the FL Wildflower Symposium, they'll be showing the film "Hometown Habitat: Stories of Bringing Nature Home" featuring Doug Tallamy!

For anyone who can take the time-- this is really informative!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Thank you, Cheryl!!!! What a fantastic presentation!!!

And the photos - oh my!!!

It really was! Wish I had teachers like that! This guy is very convincing, but he needs to be talking to the various government entities that are screwing up our nature.

Does anybody know if scale and /or mealy bugs have any natural enemies? I'll let the rest of the bugs be (except horn worms).

Don't know the answer to your question, Carol. I'm still hoping to find a predator for fire ants and chiggers.

I could do without the ants too, but I'll only spray inside the house. I do put out bait for them in the garden though. I guess I can live with the caterpillars, as they are food for the birds, Unfortunately the only birds around lately are finches, sparrows, and doves which are all seed eaters. Even the hummers are scarce by normal standards, now that nesting season is over.

@ctcarol
Carol, an old tried and true combo for me for ants, scale and mealy bugs is a half water, half apple cider vinegar spray bath as well as using a little ACV when you water for cleansing the soil. Old, old, old method but for me it has always worked.

You have to be pretty diligent about it for about a week or so, maybe even apply it directly to the 'critter' by using a Q tip but even so it works.

Same thing works for fleas and other annoying things so it might work for chiggers if you apply it before you go out in chigger territory.

Thanks , Sharon! The q- tips and alcohol work on my orchids, but on things like shrubs, citrus trees and many cactus/ succulents, not so much. The ant bait stations are at the base of my lemon and lime trees. I put Terro ant bait in a saucer and cover that with an overturned pot because citrus are prone to both. The ants farm the scale and mealies, and I don't want to spray them, if I can avoid it.