Kale – Superfood
Kale, known as the King of Healthy Greens, is a leafy green that comes in many varieties and will grow in many diverse locations, though some might find it tricky to overcome the plant pests that like to eat kale as much as people do. Kale can range in color from green to blue-silver to […]
via Kale – Superfood Extraordinaire — Southern Belle Organics
Snow Leopard Video
This 1 September 2017 video is about a snow leopard in Ladakh, Indian Himalaya. More about snow leopards there is here.
Sail On Texas Navy
It’s a unique part of being human — tragedy, hardship, loss and pain tend to bring people together. It seems like it would be prosperity, success, everything going good that brings people together. Not so, at least, not usually. Case in point is Hurricane Harvey. For those not directly affected, this may be a meaningless […]
What can I tell by looking at – and touching – my soil?
If you are outside and want to know something about the soil you are working with, and don’t have any fancy equipment, then this is for you. With a little bit of experience you can get an idea of how much organic matter you have in your soil, how much clay you have, and how acidic or basic your soil is. The equipment you need is: 1) your eyes; 2) your hands; 3) a little water; and 4) a piece of pH litmus paper (never leave home without it).
Darker soil near the top (grass) has more organic matter in it, which makes the soil dark brown. Credit: NRCS
Organic matter –Organic matter is a source of plant nutrients, the source of energy for soil organisms, and a sponge for holding water in the soil. To know something about soil organic matter, just look at the color of the soil…
View original post 849 more words
Headline of the day III: The Pink Fairy did it!
Great pictures and yes it is the hottest year on record. Hard to deny that.
Sea Hares may save Florida’s Algae Problem.
We have a giant problem here in Florida with algae from the big lake.
Super duper June bugs
Excellent website by an entomologist.
Last June, after spending the day collecting insects at Sand Hills State Park in south-central Kansas with Mary Liz Jameson, Jeff Huether and I setup our blacklights at the edge of the dunes. We were hoping to attract males of the genus Prionus, following a hunch that maybe the dunes—a popular historical collecting site—would prove to be the habitat for the enigmatic Prionus simplex (known only from the type specimen labeled simply “Ks.”). We knew it was a long shot, made even longer by a bright moon and the unseasonably cool temperatures that settled over the dunes as the sun dipped below the horizon, and in the end no Prionus would be seen. We did see, however, some other interesting insects, one of the more interesting being males of Hammond’s lined June beetle—Polyphylla hammondi. Almost immediately after sunset a number of these large, chunky-bodied beetles resembling super-sized versions of their far more…
View original post 589 more words
Terrarium DIY-Scenes Under Glass
For some reason terrariums are no longer done in school. They are a great learning device for children. I enjoyed this post so I have reposted it here.
An assortment of terrariums that are easy to make
Every year around this time, with the outdoors looking so gloomy and bare, I am starving to see something blooming and growing in my house. Christmas decorating is just a memory and the Philadelphia Flower Show is still not here yet! To satisfy my urge to garden I turn to terrariums. Terrariums are easy to create using the right plants and containers.
The preparation is simple for a terrarium, similar to making a layered salad in a bowl.
To see directions on making a beach scene terrarium, go to my post at Beach Scene Terrarium.
Beach succulent terrarium tutorial
Step by Step Directions
I like to use decorative rocks such as geodes and crystals in terrariums
- Lay 1 inch of pebbles into base of container
- Add 1 T of horticultural charcoal to the bottom layer and mix in
Horticultural charcoal - Add…
View original post 682 more words
Blog by Mr-Bill 