A quick solo trip home from the boat to do summer dentist appointments and to check on Birdland. It’s a long drive, but I broke it up with a layover in Indy to visit my oldest friend, Nancy, and her husband, Karl.
Gardeners looking to plant new trees or shrubs during this ideal time in fall often face a number of choices when shopping around for materials.
Near Champaign-Urbana, Busey Woods is a great place to see some of our native spring ephemerals throughout the season.
Gardeners looking to plant new trees or shrubs during this ideal time in fall often face a number of choices when shopping around for materials.
The mornings in Birdland are mine. Well, mine and Ursula’s and the birds’. I have discovered a new app for my phone from Cornell University: “Merlin,” which can record birdsongs and identify them.
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You will get a higher germination rate if you plant your prairie flower seeds in the fall. You will be planting forbs and grasses in your plot.
As we draw nearer to fall, it’s time to start thinking about bringing houseplants back indoors for the winter.
Spider mites are a common pest on many types of plants. The most commonly encountered species is the twospotted spider mite. While we often think of them attacking houseplants, particularly during the winter months, they can also be a problem on fruits, vegetables and landscape plants, parti…
Still hot in Birdland, but I got up early to take advantage of the cool morning.
Gardeners looking to plant new trees or shrubs during this ideal time in fall often face a number of choices when shopping around for materials.
Gardeners looking to plant new trees or shrubs during this ideal time in fall often face a number of choices when shopping around for materials.
We’re driving north on I-57 on our way home after a wonderful weekend in Birmingham, Ala.
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) is an invasive pest that impacts a wide range of plants as it feeds throughout the growing season. This non-native leafhopper was first identified in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 10 other states. Recent discoveries in Indiana …
What is a watershed? No matter where you live, you are in a watershed. All of Illinois, minus that sliver of land bordering Lake Michigan, is in the Mississippi River watershed. But we can break down this massive watershed into more local streams and rivers.
It’s morning in Birdland, and I’m sitting on the porch with the two dogs and the cat. It will warm up today, but just now, I feel a pleasant, damp chill in the air. Birds trill and tweet and screech and chirp and rustle and warble.
Bagworms are one pest that has reached noticeable size in recent weeks, and the feeding from these larger larvae is now quite distinguishable on plants with significant infestations. This pest is also known as the “evergreen” bagworm due to its affinity for evergreens, but they feed on more …
There are a variety of insects that will feed on squash. One of the more troublesome is the squash vine borer.
The last time Heidi came to visit us, just before the pandemic, she smuggled me a container of dragonfruit through customs. She had grown it on her rooftop garden. It was delicious.
In recent visits to local prairies, I was reminded of a spectacular native plant that is often overshadowed by its more common hybrid cousins.
Near Champaign-Urbana, Busey Woods is a great place to see some of our native spring ephemerals throughout the season.
As gardeners, we often look at insects in two different lights. On one hand, insects that damage any of the plants we care about are considered pests that need control. On the other, pollinating insects are incredibly beneficial since they facilitate the vital process of pollination, and man…
It seems spring has returned after a week of cold damp. Our little peach trees don’t seem to be frostbitten despite the dips in temperature overnight.
Near Champaign-Urbana, Busey Woods is a great place to see some of our native spring ephemerals throughout the season.
The Fourth of July holiday often includes parades, barbecues and fireworks.
Picking a tree for a windbreak is a big decision. A windbreak protects a home from the constant Illinois wind and blowing snow.
It’s a chilly day in Birdland, and the yard is a riot of daffodils, but we’re slowly transitioning from yellow season to pink, as the ornamental quince buds open.
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) has received a lot of attention lately with reports of expanding populations statewide and subsequent increased human contact with this toxic plant. However, there is confusion about the risk this plant poses to humans and animals, along with what measures s…
Several creative ways to celebrate Father’s Day will be lining the aisles at this morning’s Market at the Square in Urbana.
Dozens of ClarkLindsey residents are continuing their love of gardening on the grounds of the Urbana retirement community.
Hold on to your hats! It is windy here in Illinois. Wind can be destructive to our homes and landscapes, plus it can make being outside miserable. This is why many Illinoisans plant windbreaks around their homes to keep that biting wind from causing a drafty house, prevent drifting snow and …
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