WHY ARE BLUEBIRDS blue? That and other stories caught my eye recently–along with the latest updates on ticks, glyphosate, and on a lighter note: the “reveal” of my friend Kate’s DIY dollhouse. The latest links, for weekend reading: why are bluebirds blue?
WHY ARE bluebirds blue? The obvious answer seems to be, “Because they have blue feathers,” but that’s not it, says a recent segment on the public-radio show BirdNote. It’s all about the feathers’ structure—and the light trick they create right before our eyes.Listen in to learn what’s going on. (Tom Grey photo from BirdNote.)
ticks arrive earlier, plus an avian connection
AS THE WORLD WARMS, life cycles shift—including those of disease-bearing ticks, which are awakening earlier and spreading into new areas. Recent research from Cary Institute warns Northeasterners to be vigilant earlier. Efforts at Cary and elsewhere have long pointed to the host role small mammals play in Lyme and other tick-borne disease transmission, and now a study at Berkeley delves deeper than before into the role that birds play, too.
dream dollhouse
MY FRIEND KATE is a full-on indoor-outdoor DIY type, growing food in raised beds (that she built, of course); redoing the bathroom in her mid-century Wisconsin ranch house; even recovering her grandmother’s groovy vintage sofas. Can-do Kate spent part of the winter building a dollhouse all from scratch, with vintage wallpaper and real tile and linoleum and all. It’s specifically a 1955 Betsy McCall dollhouse from a pattern that cost 60 cents when new, because that’s how Kate is: midcentury modest all the way.
glyphosate rated ‘probably carcinogenic’
IN A MULTI-NATION assessment of five organophosphates—a group of chemical pesticides and herbicides—the World
The website greengrove.cc is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
A cherry plum, sweet, thin-skinned and very prolific (you’ll also find it sold under ‘Red Grape Sugar Plum’). It was in the top three of our recent taste test and everyone liked it for its strong tomato flavour that’s sweet but not overly so, and its firm not mushy texture. It has a slight acidity running through it which all sweet tomatoes need. It ripens quite late compared to ‘Sungold’ and produces for a long period of time. It’s lovely in a mixed salad with the larger varieties.
Welcome to the wild ride known as parenting teens! If you’ve ever found yourself caught between eye-rolling moments and heartwarming instances of wisdom, these quotes about parenting teenagers will definitely hit the spot.
One of my favorite things to do upcycle is tin cans and to make cool planters out of them ( like these popular gold crushed ones). I've been crushing tin cans again but this time to make a display outside my home that shows my house number too.
Every colour has its day and for blue that is often in Autumn. This is a selection of our blue to purple plants showing off during mid to late October.
Look out in other gardens for great bulbs to grow for next spring. This Grape Hyacinth called Muscari Azureum is a clear soft blue that is recommended for naturalising. Muscari Valerie Finnis is also blue whilst most of the other species and varieties flower in shades of purple. Muscari grow well in pots where the foliage can look interesting.
I like a good strong blue in the garden and not because Chelsea FC play in a blue soccer strip. With the 2018 Chelsea flower show on the RHS calendar I have selected a few photographs to highlight my favourite colour.
Modern tea gardens may seem to be a contradiction but since the 15th century the wabi tea ceremony has influenced the tea gardens purpose and design. Originally when tea plants (Camellia sensi) were introduced into Japan from China in the 6th century they were the prerogative of the ruling classes and used expensive ingredients and equipment.
The Barbie Dreamhouse has stood as an aspirational symbol of the ideal home ever since Mattel debuted it in 1964. With its cheerful pink hues and bounty of furniture accessories, it evokes feelings of comfort, happiness, and pure reverie among the youngest members of each generation. If you want to channel a bit of that light-hearted fun and nostalgia into your everyday life, here are 20 of our favorite Barbie-themed home goods that should do the trick.
No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Are you frustrated because there are dandelions and other weeds in your lawn? Did you know that dandelion flowers provide one of the first springtime sources of pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects?
(Note on Gallery: Clicking on a thumbnail gives you a large, higher-quality image.)Winterberry hollies are native to swampy areas from Canada south to Florida, from Wisconsin and Missouri east. Despite their heritage in wetlands, I grow my plants in normal to dry soil, at the edges of my hilly outer fields. I just don’t have wet lowland to offer on my windy hillside.Though they’ll fruit much better in a moist year than a dry one (as with all fruiting plant