- Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts: Plant Listby Heather LongdenMassachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. n.d .This list is especially valuable for coastal and southeastern Massachusetts. It recommends species best adapted for different planting zones within this unique environment, i.e. for the beaches, sand dunes, and coastal banks; as well as those more suited to the inland and sheltered
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- Gardening for Lifeby Heather LongdenA very interesting 2-page article written by Doug Tallamy for the Wild Ones Journal Vol. 22, No. 2. Doug Tallamy is a Professor and Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology and the University of Delaware and author of the book “Bringing Nature Home”This article highlights the importance today of our
- BONAP North American Plant Atlasby Heather LongdenThis Atlas from the Biota of North America Program (BONAP) offers comprehensive range maps for all of the native and naturalized plants in the United States and Canada. The color-coded maps are accurate to the county level, and indicate whether a species is present or not, native or exotic, and
- Native plant finder for pollinator species at risk in Massachusettsby Heather LongdenPlants for pollinators at risk – GEGEAR LAB AT UMASS DARTMOUTH (link) The master chart is divided into four categories of plants: pollen sources (bumblebee focus), nectar sources (bumblebee focus), host plants (butterflies) and nectar/pollen sources for other (non bumblebee) bees. Pollen sources are critical because they enable bees to make
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- Holiday Horticulture tipsby Heather LongdenWhen preparing to use greens for holiday decorations make sure you know what you cut. We should not be using any invasive plant material because it will spread. Additionally, no diseased plant material should be used. Boxwood blight can cause tan coloring and sticky or spotted leaves. Spots can be
- Wasp Behaviourby Heather LongdenI have a wasp trying to nest in a chair on my deck. I tried to dissuade her by spraying neem on the chair when she was gone. It didn’t work. She was fascinating to watch and I sacrificed my chair to her yesterday. She worked for 2 hours building
- Spotted Lanternflyby Heather LongdenThe Spotted Lanternfly Arrives in Massachusetts The MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) announced on 9/28/21 that a small, established, and breeding population of the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was detected in Worcester County, MA in the city of Fitchburg. This finding was confirmed by state officials. For further details regarding
- Bottle Gentianby Heather LongdenPrairie Moon Nursery has a great description of this plant: “Bottle Gentian are slow-growing but long-lived and require little care once established. Bumblebees are the main pollinators because they are the only insects strong enough to pry open the closed flowers (see photo). Cream Gentian is the first Gentian to
- Cicadas are comingby Heather LongdenWhat are cicadas and will they eat Wareham? The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. Wikipedia in 2024 uniquely, two broods of Cicadas will emerge: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-double-brood-of-periodical-cicadas-will-emerge-in-2024/ Read this article