For the past several years, the decline in monarch and honey bee populations has spurred great interest in these two insect pollinators. It is important to continue to focus on their needs; however, a host of other fascinating pollinators are also working in the yard and garden. As summer winds...
What usually comes to mind when thinking about herbs is a low bushy plant with fragrant leaves and blooms, like basil or thyme. It's a much broader category, however. An herb has been defined as "...any plant or plant part that has historically been used for medicinal, culinary or fragrance...
Japanese beetle adults may be munching on roses, lindens, raspberries, birch trees, crabapple and apple trees in your neighborhood. The beetles are voracious foliage and fruit feeders of nearly 300 species of plants. Feeding on plants generally lasts for about six weeks. The Japanese beetle is...
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22. Join the fight to end plastic pollution by visiting Earth Day Network website and calculate your plastic consumption and make a pledge to reduce your amount, www.earthday.org . Plastics are a problem mostly due to their un-...
University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener volunteers can choose from a variety of volunteer opportunities.Some plan and care for demonstration gardens. Others present programs on a variety of horticultural topics or answer gardening questions from the public. For the past 15 years, Master...
Don't let recent cool temperatures make you think that the gardening season is over. Fall is a great time to get a few last chores done and get a head start on next spring. Here are a few items to add to your fall garden "to do" list. It's not too late to plant spring bulbs. While bulbs should be...
Pollinators are crucial to the pollination of more than 150 food crops in the United States. Many of these being fruits, nuts and berries which wildlife depend on and humans enjoy eating. Pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds, flies, wasps and bats. As gardeners, we...
Happy National Honey Bee Day, August 19, 2017. In 2009, the first National Honey Bee Day was celebrated, this day continues annually on the third Saturday in August. This national day was started by grassroots minded beekeepers to build community awareness of the bee industry, through education and...
On the first day of the Illinois State Fair, University of Illinois Extension master gardener volunteers observed a monarch butterfly. This butterfly could have been the same one that emerged on August 6, but no way to know for sure. Monarchs are easily recognized by their orange and black wings....
University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener volunteers are thrilled to report the emergence of the Monarch Butterfly from the chrysalis. Volunteers have been observing the chrysalis inside the bean teepee within the Idea Garden on the Illinois State Fairgrounds! The chrysalis has been...
