by Daisy | Aug 2, 2014 | Bugs & Critters, Garden
When we first saw this huge moth feeding on the butterfly bush, my first thought was, “It looks like a cross between a hummingbird and a bumblebee!” It’s actually a Bumblebee Moth (Hemaris diffinis), also known as a Snowberry Clearwing Moth, to the...
by Daisy | Jul 7, 2014 | Body Care, Garden, Household, Plants & Uses
Besides being appreciated for its fantastical blooms, passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is used medicinally to calm anxiety and improve sleep. It’s thought to increase levels of GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid). GABA regulates the excitability of neurons in the...
by Daisy | Jul 1, 2014 | Garden, Garden Hacks
Many years ago I tried draping deer netting over my blueberry bushes. It was a complete failure. I didn’t secure the netting at ground level so the birds got up under the net, it was a pain to crawl under there to pick, and the birds could sit on the outside and...
by Daisy | Jun 5, 2014 | Garden, Plants & Uses
With three times the antioxidants of that other superfood, the blueberry, Aronia melanocarpa, or chokeberry, may be poised to become one of the next superfood sweethearts of the nutrifood industry. Why wait, though, when you can have a chokeberry in your own backyard?...
by Daisy | Jun 3, 2014 | Bugs & Critters, Garden
I was pleased to get this photo of a broad-headed skink sunning himself on a flagstone in my garden recently. By his coloration (the red head) I could identify it as a male. They have that bright noggin in the spring to attract the ladies. The female broad-headed...
by Daisy | May 27, 2014 | Bugs & Critters, Garden
When I was a kid, persimmon attacks were common, particularly among the brothers in my family. Actually, exclusively among the brothers in my family. I’m under a different kind of persimmon attack now. And while the attack of yesteryear (being pelted with...
