why i'm abuzz about bugguide.net

Brie Goldman. Food Stylist: Annie Probst

Undeservingly overlooked when it comes to hardscaping, the old window box is a fantastic exterior design feature that can add a unique touch to your home and make heads turn. It really is a thing to consider if the best-looking house on the block is what you’re going for. Here’s why:

Along with kitchens, bathrooms are one of the places that best sell homes—if you’re considering a renovation, they’re a great place to invest. Plus, they're spaces where small changes can make a huge impact. If you want to revamp a room, you can completely transform it with just a few tweaks. And, of course, unlike a formal dining room or a seasonal patio, your bathroom gets daily use—it needs to spark joy.

Non-alcoholic beer, wine, and liquor have been staples for years for those who are sober, sober-curious, pregnant, or even just want a night off from drinking. But for those who still love to indulge in a buzzy beverage now and again, the latest and greatest alcohol trend has emerged: low-proof alcohols and low-proof cocktails. Why is this new option catching the eye of so many, and how can you make a low-proof cocktail at home? Here’s everything you need to know.

In an oval roundabout in Menston a dozen Poplar trees were planted in the 1970s. As you can see only about half survive and these have been mistreated by polling them to restrict height.

Secateurs are an indispensable tool for the the tidy minded gardener and even me.

What is the collective noun for a group of dandelions?   A drift or adrift in my garden!

South Carolina is a very special place. From the coast to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, South Carolina has a diversity of climates and landscapes. The diversity of climates allows for different grasses to flourish. Warm season grasses such as zoysia, St. Augustinegrass, bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and bahiagrass flourish at the coast throughout the year, but those grown in the upstate go dormant in the winter. In the dormant stage, the grass turns brown and looks dead, but new growth will appear in spring. Cool season grasses, such as ryegrass and certain fescues, grow best primarily in the upstate but go dormant, or do not survive the heat of summer. Here too, the grass looks dead, with regrowth appearing as the weather begins to turn cool in fall and flourish through spring. Dormant grass still has live roots in the ground that require water, just not as much as when they are actively growing. Unless it has been uncommonly dry or windy, natural rain events are enough to sustain dormant grasses.

When non-native or exotic invasive plants are introduced to an area and have no natural predators, they can displace native species. Many of these were intentionally brought to southeastern North America as ornamentals from other continents. While they often have attractive flowers, foliage, or fruit, “invasives” disrupt natural ecosystems, wildlife food sources and habitats, water flow, and soil health. Invasive exotic plants may also produce lots of seeds and spread them into woodlands. Some examples are Bradford pear, privet, wisteria, and Chinese elm. Others produce a thick canopy and shade out native species or substances that prevent seed germination (kudzu and tallow tree).

I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE (BUT AM INCLINED TO REPEAT MYSELF): I prefer white Hydrangea to blue ones. And in this hottest, driest summer I know another reason why: The clean white blooms of my various Hydrangea paniculata freshen the place up a bit.

I count birds on ebird and with projects like FeederWatch (which runs every November through early April) because being a citizen scientist—that is being a real person without scientific training who collects and shares data so it can be used by scientists—is the only way the vast work of observing and recording the goings-on of the earth’s species can ever happen. Efforts by citizen scientists give experts a population baseline to work against to gauge impact when an oil spill or other catastrophe occurs. Data from citizen scientists has provided a basis for evaluating declines in populations and identifying which species are at highest risk (on the so-called watch list or in the annual State of the Birds report). It is important (and also immensely pleasurable).Which points to the fact that some of the reasons I count birds are entirely selfish. I count birds because I find it relaxing and also exhilarating: the meditative aspect of just staring out the window or up into the trees from below; the ever-present possibility something unusual will happen

I garden because I cannot help myself.I garden because I cannot look out the window and see the shaggy bits any longer, and have to go “fix it” (as if it will ever be “fixed”).I garden because I do not know what my life would be without plants, truth be told. They speak to me at some level I can’t explain, each one in a slightly different voice.I garden because it’s the only