Why Are Spotted Lanternflies So Bad? We Asked an Expert

All across the Northeast, hydrangeas are in full bloom. In fact, this year they’re having one of the most beautiful seasons we've seen in recent years—a phenomenon that’s drawing tourists, gardeners, and plant-lovers alike to visit the Northeast and New England in the hopes of seeing the photo-worthy landscapes firsthand.

Andy Lyons

Rain Lily is the unexpected visitor you didn’t know you needed! Packed with symbolism and cultural significance, let’s uncover the rain lily’s meaning and explore why you should grow it at home!

Since 2003, the US has lost about half of its licensed dairy farms. However, the number of cows producing milk has stayed relatively steady. Take Wisconsin, for example. In 2004, the state was home to less than 16,000 dairy farms. In 2021, that number dropped in half, to less than 7,000 farms. But the number of cows in the state? That didn’t change. There are still about 1.2 million cows in Wisconsin. They’re just part of much bigger herds these days. That means that smaller farms are getting squeezed out in favor of industrial farming and Confined Animal Feeding Operations, commonly referred to as CAFOs, in which large numbers of animals are raised, generally in confinement, and feed is brought to them, rather than letting them graze.

How to Grow and Care for Fothergilla Fothergilla spp.

Monoculture and non-native landscapes harm our natural ecosystems in more ways than one, which is why it’s important to keep balance! A good way to minimize this is by growing more endemic and native plants and herbs in your garden. Not only will this give you abundant harvests of these special herbs, but it will also help restore essential life to your biome.

With recreational marijuana now legal in more than a dozen states (and Washington, D.C.), legal dispensaries are common across the country.

As you’re tending to your garden this summer, you might notice a few uninvited guests cropping up in your yard. Mushrooms growing in your garden or backyard are common, but are they something you need to worry about?

Any bird enthusiast will tell you that one of the biggest joys is seeing wild birds enjoy backyard feeders that have been lovingly hung and stocked with birdseed. Alternately, nothing can feel more frustrating than when birds aren’t using your bird feeder.

Has your vibrant coleus turned dull, sparse, and leggy? Don’t worry–it’s not time to toss it out yet! It just needs a little trim. Pruning coleus is an easy and effective way to get it to grow quicker and better. We show you all the reasons why and how to cut your coleus.

If you've already encountered a few or a group of spotted lanternflies in your yard, you may need to take extra steps to protect your yard since this invasive pest can damage the ecosystem around them.

When you’re in the throes of baking or preparing your morning toast, not much is worse than having to wait for your butter to reach room temperature (except for maybe struggling to spread it when it’s chilled). If you’re constantly forgetting to allow butter to reach its ideal softness (which takes about 30 minutes to an hour), there’s an underrated kitchen staple you may want to look into: the butter crock. A butter crock can keep your butter at the perfect texture for up to a week—without being stored in the fridge.