Beneficial Insects for the Garden

John's Garden - A tribute to my dad

 

My Garden Critters

  By Beth Reis

 

     I have always loved garden critters. Whether it's worms, spiders, frogs, toads, butterflies, dragonflies or bees; I love them all! I really do enjoy each one and the fact that each serves very useful purposes in both my vegetable and flower gardens, is an added bonus. To achieve healthy plants, which also provides me with attractive gardens, I am always trying to find ways to attract these beneficial critters to our yard.

Honey Bee Swarm Removal

 

Craig  Dahlin the Honey Bee Rescuer

July 16, 2013

Craig Dahlin riding the Adirondack Railway

    Our phone conversation started with, "Have you ever seen a swarm of honey bees?" I hesitated before answering; it was my brother Craig on the line.

   We are having a unofficial, friendly "bee counting contest", Craig was winning hands down. Even with my suburban backyard full of native plants I can't compete with the diversity that Craig and his wife Moon Eagle Arndt have added to their rural Pennsylvania (USA) property.

  I begrudgingly admitted that the only swarm of bees that I have ever seen was on National Geographic.

What is an Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus?

Hopefully by next year the quarter will seem small

An Eastern United States

Native Cactus

 

   Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (opuntia humifusa) the only native Ohio cactus was a gift from my market friend Lilly. I had no idea that Ohio, even had a perennial cactus. As it turns out we certainly do!

   Eastern Prickly Pear or Devil' s Tongue as it is sometimes referred to, has a wide natural range; spreading from Colorado east, and as far north into Ontario, Canada were it is listed as endangered. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services list additional concerns in the states of: Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont.

 

Which is it: Trumpet Creeper or Trumpet Honeysuckle?

Campsis radicans & Lonicera sempervirens

 

Ken & Paula Korber - Trumpet Honeysuckle

Last fall Paula and Ken Korber, friends of mine from the Frostville Farmer's Market introduced me to the native Trumpet Honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens. I assumed that this plant was the same as the "Trumpet Vine" that I had  been growing in my yard for years. I recently learned this was not the case.

 

 

Will a Pint Sized Hugelkultur Bed Get the Job Done?

Creating Better Soil - Experimenting with a Miniature Hugelkultur

 

Starting small with a new concept

I garden pretty much the same way that I bake; a little of this a little of that. My family knows better than to ask me for a recipe, their chances of getting something specific are slim to none. Ask any of them about the Green Pepper Pancakes experiment. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I decided to build my first hugelkultur bed in the same fashion in which I bake.