One of our members, S.P., suggested club members might enjoy two books during the “share” time of our August general club meeting. “Pacific Northwest Foraging” by Douglas Deur. Plants specific to the USA Pacific NW area explored in great detail. “Coffee for Roses” by C.L. Fornari. Misleading facts about backyard gardening are debunked. Both books … Continue reading
At this time of year, it seems that every ad promotes the sale of RoundUp. When they particularly mention dandelions, we should be worried. While bees like all sorts of flowers they seem to like dandelions a lot and dandelions are in flower all summer. This concern led me to call my Green Man, Thom … Continue reading
“The Columbian” newspaper article of August 13, 2014 warns residents of the highly invasive nature of this tree. Fondly noted in the book “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” for its tenacious ability to grow even through a crack in the cement in the heart of Brooklyn, the tree lives up to its name and is … Continue reading
A new study just published in “Nature” (July 2014) shows a possible link between pesticides and bird decline in the Netherlands. “These insecticides appear to be having more profound effects than just killing our pollinating insects,” said ecologist Caspar Hallmann of Radboud University in the Netherlands, an author on the new study, published today in Nature. … Continue reading
There have been many recent news stories about a possible association between bee die off and certain pesticides, called “neonicotinoids”. There are many competing views on this concern at this point. [Photo: MN] Here are some pointers to recent articles, pro, con and undecided: Xerces Society: http://www.xerces.org/neonicotinoids-and-bees/ Bees killed in Wilsonville, OR: http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/06/25000_bubblebees_killed_droppi.html … Continue reading
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