Soil is one of the four elements upon which life on earth depends; soil, water, air and sunlight. 2015 has been declared the International Year of Soils (IYS) by the U.N., and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) has organized themes for each month in an effort to further highlight the need for soil preservation…
Monarch butterfly habitat degradation and destruction has become a well-known issue and the public has responded to the call for action by planting their landscapes and gardens with their plant of preference, milkweed. But is any species of milkweed appropriate? Unfortunately, many people have been purchasing and planting a tropical species of milkweed, rather than the…
So we may only be a month into winter, but for many of us, our thoughts have already turned to spring. And with the spring will come planting our gardens, which is an exercise in patience; after laboring through months of cold, ice and snow, waiting further weeks or months for vegetables to sprout seems…
Conservation banks are parcels of land which enjoy permanent protection due to the value of natural resources therein. These lands are methodically managed for habitat critical for species listed as endangered, threatened or candidates for listing or otherwise at risk. As the name implies, conservation banking acts to offset impacts to habitat occurring elsewhere, this can…
Since the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Michigan on 2002 tens of millions of ash trees have died or been removed as a precautionary measure to prevent further spread of these tree pests and create quarantined zones. The result is a large supply of wood which in and of itself has needs;…
The eastern larch beetle, Dendroctonus simplex, is native to North America but is a pest to the tamarack (or larch), Larix laricina. The beetles colonize the phloem of the main stem, exposed roots and larger branches of one of the very few species of deciduous needled trees. Beetles aggregate on stumps, fallen trees and standing trees, burrow through…
A species of pitcher plant growing in Borneo has been found to strategize its prey catching capabilities in order to maximize the windfall. This pitcher plant, Nepenthes spp., is able to adjust the slipperiness of its characteristic pitfall trap in response to changing weather conditions so as to dine on large number of ants at…
Seed bombs, amalgamations of seed varieties and fertilizer rolled into a ball, were developed as an easy way to green up urban spaces, abandoned lots, brownfields and other areas which may be somewhat inaccessible or exist in a state of zoning oblivion. So-called “guerilla gardeners” will toss seed bombs into fenced-in or neglected lands quickly turning…
Well Christmas is over, time to take down the tree and drag it out to the curb, OR you could make better use of it through recycling in a multitude of ways. Your town may have a tree pick-up service which comes around on pre-determined days and hauls off Christmas trees, most likely depositing them…
The native American Wabanaki of Maine make a traditional living making baskets from trees threatened with extinction by the emerald ash borer (EAB). The Wabanaki have ancient ties to the region and are forming a single line of defense against the invasive beetles poised to rob them of their livelihood. These traditional basket-makers have, over…
