Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Latest Posts

The wonderful wild pawpaw: America's largest, least-known tree fruit

July 21, 2021

It is almost pawpaw eating time! For those not already in the know, you too could soon have the opportunity to try your first delicious pawpaw fruit. If you’ve never heard of pawpaw before, don’t know what the fruit or the tree look like, and are interested to hear what all the...

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How to garden in rainy weather

July 16, 2021

Rainy weather is leaving gardeners confused. Traditionally, Illinoisans would be gearing up for a very hot and very dry late summer and I would be encouraging consistent watering as the key to good harvest. However, with the deluge of irrigation from the sky, there are some other landscaping tasks...

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Edible flowers can add unique color and spice to your dish

July 9, 2021

Growing up, a summer meal at grandma and grandpa’s house wasn’t complete without a giant, juicy tomato and fried squash blossoms. Squash blossoms are one example of edible flowers that are already growing in our gardens and just waiting for us to enjoy. Edible flowers can be added as the main...

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Brambles: Pesky Garden Weed or Delicious Summer Treat

July 2, 2021

When people hear the term “brambles”, they might not be familiar. What the heck is a bramble, you may ask? Or maybe you’ve heard the term, and likely it is a love or hate relationship for the reader here. “Brambles” to you could mean a garden or landscape problem, or a delicious summer treat! Let’s...

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Cicada Killer wasps in search of cicadas, not humans

July 1, 2021

The summer nights of Illinois stir the senses with the illuminating performance of lightning bug and the concerts of the cicada. The annual cicadas have begun to sing their song, and along with them comes the emergence of their natural predator, the cicada killer wasp. Cicadas are...

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Tick photo and tick bite prevention graphic

Tick prevention and removal

June 25, 2021

Summer is officially here, and it’s time to get out to your favorite walking or hiking spot! That may entail walking through tall grass and woodland brush, depending on where you go. Protect yourself from Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain fever by following tick prevention advice of forest...

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Celebrate National Pollinator Week!

June 16, 2021

Thank a pollinator for that warm cup of coffee in your hands, or for that chocolate sundae you indulged in the other day. National Pollinator Week is June 21-27; celebrate pollinators and support their health this year. Did you know that that...

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Monarch butterflies facing a crisis

June 14, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The state insect, the monarch butterfly, is facing a crisis. Each May, Illinoisans celebrate the monarch butterfly, but University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Kelly Allsup says that Illinois residents should be worried. The yearly count of monarchs decreased by...

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Help stressed trees by watering during heat of summer

June 4, 2021

Some trees may be showing damage from the late frost much of Illinois had in May for several months to come as well as diseases that pop up during the rainy, cool spring weather. Watering during the hot dry months of summer will help these trees back to being a beautiful specimen. Frost stress in...

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How non-native teasel went from good to absolutely bad

May 29, 2021

Chances are if you have driven along any country road in Illinois, you have seen a tall plant with a spiky silvery thistle-like flower head swaying in the wind. What you may not know is that this plant hides a sinister side. Cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus) and...

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