July 29, 2016 Last month, I attended a class on Beneficial Insects taught by instructors from Xerces (http://www.xerces.org/) and hosted by King Conservation District . Conservation biocontrol is the new catch phrase and the focus is on increasing the numbers and diversity of naturally occurring beneficial insects. The idea is that nature does a good […]
June 20, 2016 The morning was hot and getting hotter, so at a recent pollinator workshop (June 4 at 21 Acres) we took an early field tour, observing various bees, nest holes for ants (flat) v. bees (ringed by excavation “dust”), and some of the experimental plantings underway. We spent the rest of the day […]
October 14, 2015 Much of the fruit we grow matured about three weeks early this year. We enjoyed honeyberry, blueberry, raspberry, pears, apples, figs, chestnuts. Yes, chestnuts! This is out first year of fully pollinated chestnuts. (When the female flower was receptive, our Maraval was hand pollinated from a tree about a half mile away.) […]