The easiest way to waste less hummingbird nectar is to put out smaller amounts and clean the feeder before the sugar water starts to spoil. A feeder doesn’t need to be filled to the brim every time. If the birds only drink a couple of inches of nectar before it’s due to be changed, the
How to Keep Hummingbird Feeders Clean Without Wasting Nectar Read More »
I’ve watched squirrels defeat enough supposedly squirrel-proof setups that I have a healthy respect for their determination. Move the feeder and they jump farther. Add a complicated obstacle course and one particularly committed squirrel spends three days studying it before apparently earning an engineering degree and helping itself to the sunflower seeds anyway. Baffles and
How To Stop Squirrels Raiding Your Bird Feeder (It’s Not A Baffle) Read More »
I grow plenty of herbs because they’re useful, but I have a particular soft spot for the ones that refuse to stay politely in the herb garden. Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is one of those plants. It smells almost ridiculously fruity when you rub the leaves, gets surprisingly large in a single season, and then,
Not Marigolds, Not Petunias: The Herb Hummingbirds Actually Prefer Read More »
Most plants get on just fine with sunshine, water, and half-decent soil. Carnivorous plants don’t have that option. In my own vegetable beds I spend half my time trying to build richer soil, so it took me a while to properly appreciate plants that solve poor soil a completely different way. Carnivorous plants are plants
Nature’s 20 strangest carnivorous plants Read More »
Plantain, the broad flat-leaved weed already growing in your lawn, is the plant I reach for instead of anti-itch cream, and pressing a chewed leaf against a fresh bite brings the itching and stinging down within a few minutes. It’s one of the longest-used remedies in Western folk herbalism. For the ordinary itch of a
The Weed You Can Rub On A Bug Bite Instead Of Buying Anti-Itch Cream Read More »
The biggest spider in the U.S. is the Johnny Cash tarantula, with females reaching a leg span of around six inches, and it’s just one of fifteen large species you’re likely to run into if you spend real time outdoors. Only two of them, the black widow and the brown recluse, are medically significant to
15 Biggest Spiders in America (and the Only 2 You Actually Need to Worry About) Read More »
Most people have done it. You see something small and wiggly on a plant, your brain says “bug = bad,” and your hand is already moving to squash it. But a lot of the insects in a normal backyard are quietly working for you. They eat pests, pollinate crops, clean up dead stuff, and keep
16 common backyard insects that are actually helpful to have around Read More »
Some days, the news is heavy, the to-do list is long, and the coffee isn’t strong enough. On those days, I find it helps to remember that out there, right now, cows are hanging out with their best friends, sea otters are holding hands, and bees are literally dancing to tell each other where the
15 wholesome animals facts to instantly improve your day Read More »
You’re walking through town, juggling your keys and your phone, and a pigeon just strolls across your path like you’re in its way. Neck shining green and purple. Head bobbing. Totally unbothered by the chaos around it. Most people write pigeons off as “meh, city birds.” But if you stop and actually watch them for a few
15 fun facts about pigeons that make them weirdly lovable Read More »
You know that moment when you’re minding your own business… and a squirrel launches itself across two branches like it’s auditioning for Mission: Impossible? Yeah. Same. Squirrels are basically fluffy chaos with excellent engineering. And the more you learn about them, the harder it is not to root for them (even when they’re being little
15 fun facts about squirrels that make them weirdly lovable Read More »
