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Spider Quiz Tests Gardeners’ Knowledge
Spiders are an important part of our ecosystem, but some people find it difficult to get past their creepy appearance to fully appreciate them.
Colorado is home to hundreds of species of spiders, but only one is considered potentially dangerous—the western widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus).
In spite of this, many have a fear of spiders that ranges from the “eeek” factor to petrifying arachnophobia. This aversion may come from spiders’ daunting looks, stories about their poisonous bites, or images lingering from movies about eight-legged radioactive monsters.
Despite their reputation as loathsome creatures, spiders are one of the landscape’s best friends. We might be up to our knees in pests if it weren’t for our eight-legged helpers.
Gardeners can encourage spiders to live in their yards by planting a layered landscape that offers many different attachment points for webs, adding mulch for hiding places and by refraining from indiscriminate use of toxic chemical pesticides with integrated pest management methods.
Elizabeth Kricfalusi’s tips for squirrel lovers
Elizabeth Kricfalusi is a San Jose-based freelance writer who fosters orphaned squirrels for the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV), a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned birds and mammals until they’re able to be released back into the wild. She chronicles her squirrelly adventures at Life in Squirreldom.
(“Shoebox of Squirrels” text and image copyright of E. Kricfalusi)
Did you know that Eastern Grey and Fox squirrels have two breeding seasons?
As we head into this year’s second wave, the WCSV will soon be facing a new influx of babies.
In 2008, more than 250 arrived from July through October.
Although we know the people bringing them in have only the best intentions, in many cases it would have been better for the squirrels if they’d been left where they are. We call this situation “over-rescue.”
Gardeners can help manage invasive weeds
Celebrate Colorado Weed Awareness Week by checking your garden for noxious weeds like this invasive ornamental called Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis).
Gov. Bill Ritter proclaimed June 12-17 as Colorado Weed Awareness Week to bring attention to the serious state-wide issue of noxious weeds in our environment and to challenge us all to be better stewards of our lands.
Non-native plants, also called noxious weeds, can take hold and displace native plants. Opportunistic invasive plants, like yellow toadflax and Russian knapweed, crowd out native plant species, damage wildlife habitat and force wildlife to change their foraging habits. In addition, noxious weeds affect property values and land productivity.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Noxious Weed Program works to keep new invasive plants out of the state while working to eradicate and manage the current noxious weed population.
Gardeners can help by becoming familiar with Colorado’s noxious weeds on the Department of Ag’s website or by purchasing the Noxious Weeds of Colorado booklet found on the Colorado Weed Management Association website.
Lavender teacakes are a gardener’s treat
These lovely lavender teacakes take advantage of the herb’s sweet old-fashioned scent.
I’m always looking for ways to use the herbs and flowers that grow in my garden and this recipe for teacakes is a perfect combination of lavender buds and dried rose petals.
Reta’s Lavender Teacakes appeared in the April-June 2009 edition of the Pueblo Herb Society’s newsletter called The Thymes.
Reta Zane, a charter member of the herb society, wrote a Featured Herb column about lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and she included this recipe that uses two ingredients that are especially plentiful in my garden right now.
I baked a batch yesterday and have to say they smelled heavenly while they were baking. The subtle scent of lavender filled the kitchen and I couldn’t wait to taste them.
Not only are they pretty to look at with the lavender and rose petals peeking through, but they’re melt-in-your mouth delicious.
Reta’s Lavender Teacakes
Ingredients
New rainwater rules don’t apply to most gardeners
Placing plants near downspouts is one way to take advantage of rainwater before it runs off your property.
The new law allowing rainwater collection in Colorado doesn’t apply to most gardeners. If you get your water from a municipality or water district, you still can’t collect rainwater.
Colorado water law is confusing, but it boils down to this: the rainwater that falls on your property doesn’t belong to you. In our state that water is considered part of the tributary to a natural stream and should be allowed to runoff.
Senate Bill 09-080 was signed by Governor Ritter during this legislative session and it allows only limited collection of rainwater to a limited number of property owners meeting set criteria pertaining to a well on the property. A list of the rules is available at Rainwater Collection in Colorado.
Homeowners who don’t fit all of the criteria are not allowed to divert and hold rainwater on their property.
Stop and admire the roses after gardening
This is the place where I stare into space.
Summer finally arrived at my patio on Sunday. Because the weather was too cool in May and too stormy in June, I hadn’t been able to take up my usual comfy spot to enjoy the view. I love to garden, but I love to sit and admire the results even more.
While I sat there on Sunday I was able to watch a young robin try to get the ripe red berries off a new shrub. Because the branches aren’t strong enough to hold it yet, the bird had to hop from the ground and quickly try to grab a berry in its beak. That bird didn’t give up until the last berry was gone.
I was sitting so still a squirrel didn’t see me as he poked his little head through the lattice trellis and dropped down to the feeder for sunflower seeds. He’d pick up a plump seed, hold it between his paws and ferociously saw through it, then drop the shell and pick up another.
Spiders are an important part of our ecosystem, but some people find it difficult to get past their creepy appearance to fully appreciate them.
Elizabeth Kricfalusi is a San Jose-based freelance writer who fosters orphaned squirrels for the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV), a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned birds and mammals until they’re able to be released back into the wild. She chronicles her squirrelly adventures at Life in Squirreldom.
(“Shoebox of Squirrels” text and image copyright of E. Kricfalusi)
Did you know that Eastern Grey and Fox squirrels have two breeding seasons?
As we head into this year’s second wave, the WCSV will soon be facing a new influx of babies.
In 2008, more than 250 arrived from July through October.
Although we know the people bringing them in have only the best intentions, in many cases it would have been better for the squirrels if they’d been left where they are. We call this situation “over-rescue.”
Gardeners can help manage invasive weeds
Celebrate Colorado Weed Awareness Week by checking your garden for noxious weeds like this invasive ornamental called Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis).
Gov. Bill Ritter proclaimed June 12-17 as Colorado Weed Awareness Week to bring attention to the serious state-wide issue of noxious weeds in our environment and to challenge us all to be better stewards of our lands.
Non-native plants, also called noxious weeds, can take hold and displace native plants. Opportunistic invasive plants, like yellow toadflax and Russian knapweed, crowd out native plant species, damage wildlife habitat and force wildlife to change their foraging habits. In addition, noxious weeds affect property values and land productivity.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Noxious Weed Program works to keep new invasive plants out of the state while working to eradicate and manage the current noxious weed population.
Gardeners can help by becoming familiar with Colorado’s noxious weeds on the Department of Ag’s website or by purchasing the Noxious Weeds of Colorado booklet found on the Colorado Weed Management Association website.
Lavender teacakes are a gardener’s treat
These lovely lavender teacakes take advantage of the herb’s sweet old-fashioned scent.
I’m always looking for ways to use the herbs and flowers that grow in my garden and this recipe for teacakes is a perfect combination of lavender buds and dried rose petals.
Reta’s Lavender Teacakes appeared in the April-June 2009 edition of the Pueblo Herb Society’s newsletter called The Thymes.
Reta Zane, a charter member of the herb society, wrote a Featured Herb column about lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and she included this recipe that uses two ingredients that are especially plentiful in my garden right now.
I baked a batch yesterday and have to say they smelled heavenly while they were baking. The subtle scent of lavender filled the kitchen and I couldn’t wait to taste them.
Not only are they pretty to look at with the lavender and rose petals peeking through, but they’re melt-in-your mouth delicious.
Reta’s Lavender Teacakes
Ingredients
New rainwater rules don’t apply to most gardeners
Placing plants near downspouts is one way to take advantage of rainwater before it runs off your property.
The new law allowing rainwater collection in Colorado doesn’t apply to most gardeners. If you get your water from a municipality or water district, you still can’t collect rainwater.
Colorado water law is confusing, but it boils down to this: the rainwater that falls on your property doesn’t belong to you. In our state that water is considered part of the tributary to a natural stream and should be allowed to runoff.
Senate Bill 09-080 was signed by Governor Ritter during this legislative session and it allows only limited collection of rainwater to a limited number of property owners meeting set criteria pertaining to a well on the property. A list of the rules is available at Rainwater Collection in Colorado.
Homeowners who don’t fit all of the criteria are not allowed to divert and hold rainwater on their property.
Stop and admire the roses after gardening
This is the place where I stare into space.
Summer finally arrived at my patio on Sunday. Because the weather was too cool in May and too stormy in June, I hadn’t been able to take up my usual comfy spot to enjoy the view. I love to garden, but I love to sit and admire the results even more.
While I sat there on Sunday I was able to watch a young robin try to get the ripe red berries off a new shrub. Because the branches aren’t strong enough to hold it yet, the bird had to hop from the ground and quickly try to grab a berry in its beak. That bird didn’t give up until the last berry was gone.
I was sitting so still a squirrel didn’t see me as he poked his little head through the lattice trellis and dropped down to the feeder for sunflower seeds. He’d pick up a plump seed, hold it between his paws and ferociously saw through it, then drop the shell and pick up another.
Celebrate Colorado Weed Awareness Week by checking your garden for noxious weeds like this invasive ornamental called Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis).
Gov. Bill Ritter proclaimed June 12-17 as Colorado Weed Awareness Week to bring attention to the serious state-wide issue of noxious weeds in our environment and to challenge us all to be better stewards of our lands.
These lovely lavender teacakes take advantage of the herb’s sweet old-fashioned scent.
I’m always looking for ways to use the herbs and flowers that grow in my garden and this recipe for teacakes is a perfect combination of lavender buds and dried rose petals.
Reta’s Lavender Teacakes appeared in the April-June 2009 edition of the Pueblo Herb Society’s newsletter called The Thymes.
Reta Zane, a charter member of the herb society, wrote a Featured Herb column about lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and she included this recipe that uses two ingredients that are especially plentiful in my garden right now.
I baked a batch yesterday and have to say they smelled heavenly while they were baking. The subtle scent of lavender filled the kitchen and I couldn’t wait to taste them.
Not only are they pretty to look at with the lavender and rose petals peeking through, but they’re melt-in-your mouth delicious.
Reta’s Lavender Teacakes
Ingredients
New rainwater rules don’t apply to most gardeners
Placing plants near downspouts is one way to take advantage of rainwater before it runs off your property.
The new law allowing rainwater collection in Colorado doesn’t apply to most gardeners. If you get your water from a municipality or water district, you still can’t collect rainwater.
Colorado water law is confusing, but it boils down to this: the rainwater that falls on your property doesn’t belong to you. In our state that water is considered part of the tributary to a natural stream and should be allowed to runoff.
Senate Bill 09-080 was signed by Governor Ritter during this legislative session and it allows only limited collection of rainwater to a limited number of property owners meeting set criteria pertaining to a well on the property. A list of the rules is available at Rainwater Collection in Colorado.
Homeowners who don’t fit all of the criteria are not allowed to divert and hold rainwater on their property.
Stop and admire the roses after gardening
This is the place where I stare into space.
Summer finally arrived at my patio on Sunday. Because the weather was too cool in May and too stormy in June, I hadn’t been able to take up my usual comfy spot to enjoy the view. I love to garden, but I love to sit and admire the results even more.
While I sat there on Sunday I was able to watch a young robin try to get the ripe red berries off a new shrub. Because the branches aren’t strong enough to hold it yet, the bird had to hop from the ground and quickly try to grab a berry in its beak. That bird didn’t give up until the last berry was gone.
I was sitting so still a squirrel didn’t see me as he poked his little head through the lattice trellis and dropped down to the feeder for sunflower seeds. He’d pick up a plump seed, hold it between his paws and ferociously saw through it, then drop the shell and pick up another.
Placing plants near downspouts is one way to take advantage of rainwater before it runs off your property.
The new law allowing rainwater collection in Colorado doesn’t apply to most gardeners. If you get your water from a municipality or water district, you still can’t collect rainwater.
This is the place where I stare into space.
Summer finally arrived at my patio on Sunday. Because the weather was too cool in May and too stormy in June, I hadn’t been able to take up my usual comfy spot to enjoy the view. I love to garden, but I love to sit and admire the results even more.
While I sat there on Sunday I was able to watch a young robin try to get the ripe red berries off a new shrub. Because the branches aren’t strong enough to hold it yet, the bird had to hop from the ground and quickly try to grab a berry in its beak. That bird didn’t give up until the last berry was gone.
I was sitting so still a squirrel didn’t see me as he poked his little head through the lattice trellis and dropped down to the feeder for sunflower seeds. He’d pick up a plump seed, hold it between his paws and ferociously saw through it, then drop the shell and pick up another.
