The American Robin is a harbinger of spring. As soon as we see those familiar red breasted birds bopping across our lawns, heads tilted to the side, yellow beaks hovering hopefully for a breakfast worm, we know winter is finally releasing its hold. They are more closely related to Eurasian blackbirds than European robins, but… Continue reading The American Robin
Unlike hives of honeybees the bumblebee enters winter in a hive of one. And it isn’t so much a hive as it is a hole.
You’re strolling through the woods on a gorgeous spring or early summer day when to your horror you spot a young robin flopping about on the ground. What is a person to think? The obvious. The poor bird has tumbled from its nest and needs to be rescued. Not so fast my kind hearted friend!… Continue reading How a Mother Robin Empties Her Nest
Red Wigglers may not have the biggest hearts but they probably have the most. These favoured worms of the compost crowd have five hearts, two stomachs, one brain and zero ears, eyes, nose or teeth.
What can a person get in return for a single daffodil? Not one, but several islands! Prince Charles leases a group of uninhabited islands off the coast of Cornwall to The Isles of Scilly Wildlife for the price of a single daffodil. In return, The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust cares for the archaeological and… Continue reading One Daffodil in Return for Several Islands
One lone ladybug can consume 60 aphids a day making them a most welcome asset to anyone’s garden.
When I was about seven years old we were staying at a campground that sold red wigglers for fishing. Being a rather strange and oversensitive child (who grew into a strange and sensitive adult) I spent the money my parents gave me for chips and a pop on a Styrofoam packet of worms instead. I took… Continue reading Never Dump Your Fishing Worms in the Forest. Here’s Why
Peony buds are amazing. One second they're the size of a ping-pong ball and the next...bam! They burst into a bloom bigger than a baseball hat. And then there's the beauty. Peonies are breathtaking. They invite you to lean down and bury your face in those buds and blooms. But what...what the...are those ants crawling up your left… Continue reading Why Are Ants On Your Peony Buds?
Well...not wrong exactly. Hummingbirds like red but not any more than they like other colors. Truth is they don't give a flying hoot...wait...that would be an owl. What kind of sound does a hummingbird make? Anyone? Fodder for a future article I'd say! But back to hummingbirds and their color preferences. Hummingbirds don't care what color the… Continue reading Hummingbirds Like the Color Red Right? Wrong!
Short answer? No. No it will not. I wanted to believe the myth after working in my garden yesterday and inadvertently slicing a poor, hardworking, earthworm in half. Fortunately, the news isn't all bad. Read on. Earthworms have a head on one end and a tail on the other, though it is difficult to tell which is… Continue reading If a Worm is Cut in Half will it Turn into Two Worms?
Garden Trivia 