Wildlife in the Garden
Winter Bird Watching & Care in the Pacific Northwest
One of the greatest joys of a PNW garden in the colder months of the year is getting to observe winter bird species from the coziness of your own home. (Especially if you have a curious cat to birdwatch with you!) And, there are a LOT of things you can do as a gardener to…
Read MoreA Gardener’s Winter Solstice
On the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere will be at its furthest tilt from the sun. We’ll mark our shortest day and longest night of 2021 here in the Pacific Northwest on December 21st . Then, our sunrises will creep earlier and our sunsets later. From the winter solstice on, the half of the planet…
Read MorePest Damage ID Part 3: Who’s destroying my garden?
Creepy crawlies may come to mind first when we think about garden pests, but birds and mammals can sometimes cause us even more trouble. Damage from smaller critters might look like holes or discoloration. But when it comes to uprooted plants, heavily nibbled veggies or flowers, seeds snapped right up out of the ground, or…
Read MoreBee Or Not a Bee? A Guide to Flying Garden Friends
Gardeners know how important bees are to our gardens and our planet, and most of us welcome the ones we recognize. But for all their popularity, bees remain misunderstood. Many people don’t realize just how diverse bees really are. Even many avowed bee-enthusiasts may only picture the classic black and yellow honey bees when…
Read MoreNatural Slug & Snail Management
Ah, springtime in the garden. Bulbs are blooming, bumblebees are buzzing, and mollusks are slowly stirring beneath the mulch. Wait…. what? Slugs and snails — land-based cousins of marine mollusks like clams — are very much part of our garden ecosystems. Like most of the small animals that call our gardens home, they spend the…
Read MoreSquirrels: Garden Friend or Foe?
Squirrels: adorable backyard wildlife, or pesky garden pest? It’s a hot debate in some gardening circles, and consensus may not come anytime soon. In polls, squirrels top lists of everyone’s favorite urban wildlife… and they also top lists of the most annoying pests. But whether you view squirrels as fluffy friends, problem pests, or admirable…
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