With all the media frenzy around this year’s upcoming cicada emergence, what can we really expect?  Let Extension help you separate fact from fiction. Why do they live so long? Cicada larva (or grubs) spend most of their life underground, feeding on tree roots.  Depending on the species, this can...

Over the past several weeks, residents in northern Illinois have experienced some unseasonable weather. Warm, spring-like temperatures, thunderstorms, rain, hail, sleet, and snow have been the reality along with 70-degree high days with 20-degree low nights. All of these warm days have woken our...

Every spring, I look forward to the return of the hummingbirds. Their aerial antics around the feeder, zooming by with iridescent flashes of green, red, and white, chasing each other with the precision of a tiny fighter jet – they always brighten my day. When will they return and, more importantly...

At its core, composting is recycling organic matter into nutrient-rich soil.  Plants and other vegetative matter are broken down by decomposers such as insects, worms, fungi, and bacteria, making the nutrients they contain available to other growing things.  It also helps to improve the physical,...

Dormant winter pruning always leaves a mess of trimmings that usually end up being composted or placed in your yard bin. There is another use for those trimmings; you can us them to create plant clones! Plant propagation is the science and practice of creating new plants. This can be done with...

Winter is a time to stow away your gardening tools, put your gardens to bed, pack away your gloves and dream of warmer weather, counting down the days until you can start planting again…or is it?  What if I told you that now is the perfect time to not just plan your gardens (especially if you’re...