Just Sad

Isn't it sad that we have to designate September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month? Really sad.

Why Are There More/Fewer _____ This Year?

This interesting article comes from Lee Townsend, UK Extension Entomologist. We always attribute less insects with a harsh winter. Not so, he says. Read on:

Why are there So Many/Fewer _(Fill in the Name)_ This Year?
By Lee Townsend

Almost every year it seems that one or more species of insects are more/less abundant than “normal”. Sometimes increases are appreciated, as with lightningbugs or fireflies this summer. Just a few years ago, we were wondering why they were so scarce. On the other hand, increases in pests of crops, landscape plants, or humans can pose serious problems.

Weather, particularly temperature and rainfall, have major impacts on insect survival which can lead to significant increases (or decreases) in insect numbers from one year to the next. And, the effects are not consistent across species; conditions that allow some to thrive may be detrimental to others.

As a cold-blooded animal, insect development is accelerated or slowed depending upon temperature. A very warm spring can shorten the number of days required to grow from egg to adult. In turn, rapid development can reduce the length of exposure of vulnerable stages to predators so that a smaller percentage is eaten by natural enemies. It also can result in an extra generation of the insect. Longer warm periods also can mean species normally restricted to southern regions can move further north.

Rainfall amount and timing also plays a big role in insect population dynamics. Heavy spring rains leave areas wet for prolonged periods of time that favor some species. Increased nectar and sap flow is a boon to nectar gathers and sap feeders, including bees, butterflies, scale insects, and aphids. And, fungus-feeding insects benefit from an increased food supply. On the other hand, these same rains can wash small caterpillars and sap feeders off of plants to perish before they can find another host plant.

Weather also affects food abundance and quality from the insect’s perspective. The higher nutritional value of healthy, vigorous plants may result in more rapid insect development and more offspring per female. In some cases, plant development may be better synchronized with that of the insects that pollinate them or use them as some other resource. The impact of weather on some species can even be delayed. The apparent increased incidence in attacks of borers may be traced to the damage from past ice storms or droughts that stress, weaken, or kill trees and shrubs.

While temperature and rainfall have been identified as driving the population dynamics of many insect species, a myriad of factors other can be involved. In fact, the key factors governing survival and success are somewhat understood for only a few species. It is clear that only small increases or decreases in the relatively high mortality rate of most insects can lead to very big fluctuations in their numbers.

Spiders! At Least Their Webs

As I walked around the garden at the Extension office this morning, I was overwhelmed by spider webs. They were everywhere! Here's a few shots of what I saw this morning:

On pineapple sage

Along the walkway

In the yard (that's not cotton balls thrown out there!)

Between hosta flowering stems

Good ol' garden spider (this was a BIG one)

On the daphne

Between coneflower leaves

On boxwoods (there would be 7 or 8 webs per boxwood!)

Top 5 Reasons to Go to a Farmers' Market

Drumroll.....and I'm not as good as David Letterman's writers....

5. Socializing is a big part of going, and we all like to talk.
4. Where else can you have an intelligent conversation about 12 different cultivars of tomato?
3. TENTS! They just make for a party atmosphere!
2. If you buy from them, they might make enough money not to turn their farm into a subdivision.
And the #1 reason to go to a farmers' market....
1. GOOD FOOD, produced by people you can look in the eye!

Downtown Somerset Farmers' Market open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7am til sellout.
Somerset Farmers' Market at the Mall open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am til 2pm.

Put Pruning Equipment Away

It's the time of year when I begin highly discouraging the use of pruners, loppers, saws, or any other implement used to cut woody plants. I usually tell people to just forget about pruning trees or shrubs from about the middle of August through leaf drop.

The why, if you think about it, is quite logical. Pruning sort of re-invigorates the plant. Makes the plant want to send out new shoots. If a little new shoot emerges below a pruning cut that's made September 1, it usually won't have time to produce wood and harden off completely before our first frost (about October 15). That makes for a dead little shoot.

Unfortunately, this dead shoot can then be the entryway for rotting organisms, like fungi or bacteria. Once they're in, they're in. And the rotting will begin.

The link above is UK's publication called 'Pruning Landscape Trees'. Here's the link to another called 'Pruning Landscape Shrubs'.

Cool Pics of Corn Silks

Sometimes when I come to a tough spot and can't think anymore, I go outside and look around in the garden. I did that today.

Have you ever really looked at corn silks? I mean, reeeeealy looked at them? Here's a couple of pictures of silks. Notice they have little appendages? Guess this makes them able to better grab the pollen as it's shed from the tassel.

Master Gardener Program

If you are interested in participating in the 2010 Master Gardener Program, the application and fee is due by next Friday, August 6. My horticulture page has the application available.

The program will start September 9 and end on December 16. Classes will be held on Thursdays from 9am to noon. I need 10 people to make the program happen this year.

For more information, call 606-679-6361.