Star Annuals for the Central Great Plains
What are star annuals? Many years ago, Kansas State University developed their Prairie Star List, a list of Annuals for the state of Kansas. However, this list is no longer being presented, as the main testing location for annual flowers has been shut down due to lack of funding. Several years ago, I started evaluating […]
Blazingstar – September Plant of the Month
Blazingstar is our September Plant of the Month. These perennials are one of my all-time favorite flowers, because the first one I learned to identify bloomed around the time of my birthday, in September. Since then, I have learned about the many species of blazingstars, which start flowering as early as July and continue into […]
Meet the Pollinators : Skipper Butterflies
What are skipper butterflies and why are they separate from other butterflies? Skippers are often termed as an intermediate group between butterflies and moths. What does that mean? It mean that they have characteristics of both groups within Lepidoptera. Skipper butterflies have furry bodies similar to moths, but fly during the day and sit at […]
Beneficial Insects – An Introduction
Beneficial insects are garden friends who help us out when we are not aware of them. Most of the time, insects are out in the garden, eating pests before we see anything bad happening. Having a guide to look at when you are trying to identify insects in the garden is important. Knowing which insect […]
Cottage Style – Reimagining America’s First Gardens
Cottage style gardens were the first American gardens, before it was America. When we were still part of the original British Empire, our gardens (not those of the wealthy) were a mixture of edibles, medicinals, and flowers. Most of what early Americans ate came from this garden, and their medicines as well. Annual and perennial […]
Creating A Fruit Tree Guild to Improve Biodiversity
When I was first approached to write on this subject, earlier in 2020, I admit, I really had no idea what a fruit tree guild was. However, once I looked into it, I discovered that I was aware of the concept, if not the actual idea. I have been planting my gardens for maximum biodiversity […]
What are Nativars and are They Better?
I have had very heated discussions over the use of nativars with my purest friends in the native plant community. They prefer to use only true from seed native plants in their gardens, but I think selected varieties can be combined with true natives. It is worth digging into. So, what are nativars? Nativar is […]
Plant Sucking Insects
This is quite a literal statement; there are a number of small insects that suck plant juices. This damage to the plant stresses them, often causing mottling or stippling, and is difficult to treat without insecticides. Let us delve in to the world of plant sucking insects. Insect Mouthparts – Piercing/Sucking There are a number […]
14 Common Butterflies of Northeast Kansas
Butterflies are one of the most looked for insects in the landscape, Their colors and flight patterns are observed by amateurs, professionals, and children alike. Everyone loves butterflies. I have a number of field guides for butterflies and for caterpillars, but none that show both caterpillars and butterflies together. There is a decided lack of […]