Nadia’s Backyard- Two-Marked Treehoppers: It’s Complex December 21, 2023
- Birds of a Feather? October 3, 2023
- The Promise of Disorder in a Winter Yard February 11, 2022
- Rerun: Men of Rice December 7, 2016
- Where the Words Live November 30, 2016
- Going Native October 16, 2016
- Backyard Gooseberries are Saucy Little Things June 17, 2015
- Spring Rerun: Kimchi from your backyard to you April 27, 2015
- A Seagull Named Emma January 27, 2015
- The Long Travelers: Leaf-cutter Bees, Part II September 29, 2014
Category Archives: Landscaping
The Upper Left-Hand Brick
NOTE: This posting has an error. The apple-like oak leaf gall is caused by a midge, not a wasp. The leaf gall of the wasp is an elongated gall along the veins of the leaf. I will update the … Continue reading
Posted in Insects, Landscaping, Musings, Native Plants
Tagged Cicadas, Galls, Insects, Missouri, Musings, nature, Pin Oaks, Reproduction, Trees, Wasps, Writing
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You can’t keep a good Goddess down
Despite yesterday’s snow and the 15-degree reading on our outside thermometer this morning, our Sky Blue Aster still held onto a few bedraggled blossoms. I mean, you really have to admire the persistence of this late-season bloomer! It’s over for … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants, Seasons
Tagged Asters, Butterflies, Gardening, Insects, Native Plants, nature, Plants, Pollinators
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Late Boneset
We just added a new page under Our Native Plants for the under-appreciated Late Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum). A humble, but worthy addition to anybody’s backyard, which literally buzzes with activity!
Posted in Gardening, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants
Tagged Butterflies, Gardening, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants, nature, Plants, Pollinators, Wildflowers
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A Lotta Damn Gall(s)
(NOTE: Full confession—I goofed! The following article is partially incorrect. The apple-like galls are NOT caused by one of the generations of a cynipid wasp, but rather by Polystepha pilulae, a midge, a mere dipteran, not a noble hymenopteran. … Continue reading
Posted in Insect pests, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants
Tagged Climbing trees, Insects, Native Plants, Oak galls, Parasitic insects, Pest control, Pests, Pin Oaks, Trees, Wasps
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