Good Growing

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How to reuse fallen leaves at home

October 15, 2019

Now that we’ve had some cooler temperatures to go along with shorter days, we’re starting to see the leaves change colors. In the next few weeks, we can look forward to...

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Why do tree leaves change color in autumn?

October 8, 2019

In the language of folklore, Jack Frost has often been credited with spurring the onset of fall color by pinching leaves with his icy fingers. Obviously today we know that's not the case, but for a long time, scientists thought coloring of fall leaves was caused by the accumulation of waste...

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Boxelder bugs congregating on the outside of a home

Fall House Guests

October 1, 2019

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter uninvited house guests often start showing up in our homes. A variety of insects and other creepy crawlies will seek out shelter in our homes to pass the winter. Some of our most frequent guests are box elder bugs, multicolored Asian lady beetles...

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Contaminated Landscape Materials: Rubber Mulch

September 23, 2019

Despite our best intentions to create healthy gardens and landscapes, sometimes we wind up introducing a material that has the potential to affect environmental or human health. Do you know if you have any in your yard? Let’s look at a material commonly found in the landscape and its potential...

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How to grow garlic

September 17, 2019

Want to get a head start on planting your vegetable garden for next year? Then garlic is the plant for you! Garlic (Allium sativum) has been grown for thousands of years as food and for medicinal purposes. It has a long growing season, which may seem daunting. Fortunately, it is relatively...

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Enjoying the final hurrahs of a staple landscape tree

September 10, 2019

We bought a home! After six years of living in a townhouse on the edge of Macomb, we have started to burst at the seams. In that time, we have accumulated quite a few occupants in our current dwelling. Now with three kids, one dog, a cat, and a couple of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, it was time...

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fall webworm webbing on tree branch with caterpillars inside

Fall Webworms

September 3, 2019

There are many ways we mark the end of summer. Some refer to the beginning of school or the closing of the pool, while others view Labor Day as the ‘unofficial end of summer’. Another way, if you’re more entomologically inclined, is the appearance of fall webworm. Fall webworm (Hyphantria...

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The Importance of Biodiversity and Instilling a Land Ethic in the Next Generation

August 29, 2019

Last year I wrote an article on silphiums. Silphiums are a grouping of wildflowers native to the tallgrass prairie of the Midwest, with stalks of yellow flowers that you see standing tall over all other plants, often in a ditch or reconstructed prairie. This time of year, late summer, is a good...

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Black and yellow syrphid flies feeding on rose

Syrphid Flies: Annoying but Helpful Impostors

August 20, 2019

Is it a bee? Is it a wasp? No, it’s a syrphid fly, and they are rather abundant this year. We’ve had several questions come into our offices about them. While at a cookout with my family this weekend, we got to experience dozens of them flying around and occasionally landing on us. Syrphid...

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Compost Tea- Miracle Product or Snake Oil?

August 14, 2019

I love compost. If you have ever sat in one of my classes, you will know that 1) Soil tests can be so important, 2) Always read and follow your pesticides labels (and are those poisons really necessary?), and 3) I love compost! Compost is derived from once-living organisms, think weeds or...

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