ANR
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About this time last year, I wrote about a couple of very visible invasive plants. One was Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), a sun- and shade-tolerant grass that has spread so far it is known by several names, including Nepalese browntop, Asian stilt grass, and Chinese packing grass. Japanese stiltgrass is native to Asia and is…
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Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go out and do NestWatch monitoring with the Forsyth County Master Naturalist Extension Volunteers (MNEV). After months of spending all of my daylight hours in buildings and the car, I thoroughly enjoyed spending a couple of hours walking the Bluebird Trail at Chattahoochee Pointe Park, breathing fresh…
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Small agents in nature can have powerful consequences Through large, visible events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, nature reminds us of its power. Nature can also affect us through small and invisible agents, like insects and parasites. Insect bites and parasite infestations can have irreversible, lifelong impacts. For many of these, prevention is the…
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As spring advances, I’ve heard and seen the return of many migratory birds. Bats are active as insects emerge from overwintering in the soil, leaflitter, rotting logs, hollow plant stems, and other hidey-holes. Frogs and toads are calling. The warmer temperatures also lure snakes from their tunnels, causing dismay for many people. Fear is a…
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The firefly is probably the first insect I learned to identify. On long-ago summer nights, my cousins and I would chase and capture lightning bugs, as we called them, in cupped hands and watch them glow. We didn’t care that fireflies are ecologically beneficial – the larvae eat garden and lawn pests like slugs and…
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Power equipment helps us complete lawn care tasks in less time and with less labor. Unfortunately, this convenience carries increased risk of injury to lawn mower operators, by-standers, and youthful “helpers.” Using data from 96 hospitals, the Consumer Product Safety Council’s 2018 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) report estimates that over 91,800 people in…
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We tend to think of hazardous weather in terms of wind, snow, ice, rain, and floods. Dry weather can cause drought, which is bad news for lawns, crops, and occasionally waterway navigation. But dry weather can also set up the conditions for wildfires. This is why the weather app on my phone has sent a…
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When it comes to lawn weeds, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Weed prevention is what pre-emergence herbicide products do, but effectiveness of any herbicide product depends on several factors, including the timeliness of the application, the type of weed, and the species of turfgrass in your lawn. When to apply…
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Arbor Day is a national event of over 150 years’ standing. It originated in Nebraska in 1872, where pioneers arriving and settling in the treeless plains and prairies of Nebraska participated in an April event that resulted in the planting of over one million trees. The pioneers needed trees for lumber and fence posts, windbreaks…
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To all our nature lovers, I’m issuing a challenge: Help us double Forsyth County’s participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count this February. Why count birds? Birds are fun to watch and make a nice addition of color, sound, and motions to our yards, but what’s the point of counting them? Monitoring birds can tell…