In Defense of Nature

When I appeared on Virginia public television in 1994 to discuss my nature-friendly gardening, the interviewer asked if I were “a fanatic”. Only recently has my way of gardening become seen as necessity rather than kookiness. Unfortunately, much erroneous information exists in the public realm. Writing in defense of nature—based upon my decades of documenting, and gardening within, the natural world—I provide people with the empirical knowledge they need to care properly for the environment.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

PART ONE

[Published December 24, 2024, by The Daily Progress, the daily newspaper of Charlottesville, Virginia]

[Published December 29, 2024, by The News Virginian, the daily newspaper of Waynesboro, Virginia]

Prologue: How I Came to Write This Treatise

The author’s documentation of natural events in her own yard over the course of decades led first to her deep understanding of nature, and then to her nature revelation that God exists.

The title of this work might make you think I’m a religious person. I’m not.

Truth be told, I’ve always wondered if God truly exists, mainly because I feel that animals should not ever suffer excruciating physical or emotional pain. I would have hoped that an all-powerful God could have somehow prevented such suffering among creatures that have done nothing wrong and are only living their lives as they are meant to do.

But I have also never felt a need to know for a fact that God exists because, as far as I am concerned, everyone should simply lead a moral life, whether there is a God, or not.

I do not own a Bible, a holy book that I never got to know personally while I was growing up. My family was Catholic, and Catholics—in my experience—did not learn about the Bible. My childhood memories of Catholicism revolve around the memorization of prayers, especially so you could recite them silently as penance for sins that you revealed to a priest during confession.

It is odd to me that the church never taught us about the Bible, but perhaps the Pope felt the laity did not need to know about this Holy Book. After all, the priest spoke the Mass in Latin every Sunday, which meant none of us even knew what he was communicating to us about our religion.

Yet despite my lack of connection to Catholicism, I had an epiphany one day as I was discussing the natural world with my husband, as I often do. I realized that there are aspects of man’s presence on the Earth that are so out of sync with nature that it presents a natural paradox that can only be explained away by invoking the hand of God. In other words, man’s relationship with the natural world provides actual evidence of God’s existence!

I knew that if I were right, the Bible—if it truly is the Word of God—should support my realization. In fact, I was so confident regarding my epiphany that I was not at all surprised to find that it did. Thanks to my husband, who owns a Bible, I was able to investigate, and, sure enough, the Bible confirmed everything I had personally come to know about the natural world via my lifelong observation of and fascination with it. Even more, it confirmed that the only way to discern God’s existence is to use your mind to obtain knowledge and understanding of the natural world:

“For those things of him [sic] which are invisible, are seen—By the eye of the mind. Being understood—They are seen by them, and them only, who use their understanding.” [emphasis mine, Romans I, 1:20-21]

[http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/wesleys-explanatory-notes/romans/romans-1.html]

According to the Book of Job, 12:5, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” This statement certainly applied to my epiphany.

Although I had long understood how to garden in agreement with nature by following “Mother Nature’s” examples all around me, it took half a century for me to acquire the wisdom of the aged, in large part thanks to giving nature talks in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

After nearly every talk, I fielded questions about gardening problems and how they could be eliminated. As someone who had never personally encountered these obstacles to successfully growing food and beautifying my yard with a variety of flowers and greenery, I was puzzled by the profusion of difficulties other gardeners seemed to face. Ever the scientist who wants to understand the unexplained, I began to ponder why there had been such a huge difference between my decades of gardening and the widespread negative experiences of other gardeners.

The answer was that other people disregarded the natural laws that govern the proper functioning of the environment and their gardens located within it. Just as we get into trouble when we ignore human laws, such as speeding through stop signs or red lights, we get into trouble when we try to garden the way we want, instead of the way Mother Nature demands.

But where did folks get the idea that they could possibly grow plants successfully by disregarding how the natural world works? I had already stumbled upon the answer to this question decades before when, as a young gardener, I’d discovered the plethora of discrepancies between what I read in gardening books and magazines and what I saw happening in the natural world. I realized the horticultural advice was mainly wrong, but I didn’t think about why that was the case; I just stopped reading gardening literature.

When so many years later I pondered the reason for so much ill-advised horticultural advice, I discerned the problem. Horticulturists work in labs or artificially contrived field conditions; they don’t work in, and tend not to possess knowledge of, the real (natural) world. With this determination, I had my “ultimate understanding as a result of my length of days”. It was now clear to me why no one (until now) has ever recognized that the validation of God is in full view of mankind.

The testament for the nature revelation that God exists is the natural world itself—although not because it is beautiful or complex or unexplainable. Rather, once you recognize how logically and sensibly the natural world functions, and how you must live within it, the nature revelation readily manifests itself.

I was fifty when I was asked to give talks in Shenandoah National Park. I had learned so much about nature—mostly by way of my own garden and my time spent roaming outdoors, beginning when I was a child—that I was able to comprehend how the natural world works.

I had been taking notes and photographs for decades, and although I did not have a Ph.D. certifying my status as a researcher, I had been doing exactly what researchers do (except I had never been given money to do it). Within a few years of being hired to give my park presentations, I had also considered how everything I had witnessed fit together.

No one has noticed the clues for God’s existence because no one looks at the natural world properly. For example, people (including scientists) generally tend to view some organisms and weather events as “bad” because they may negatively impact the lives of humans. What they don’t recognize is that these creatures and events are vital to the continuing perpetuation of all life on Earth—a unique frame of reference only obvious to those who are able to view the natural world critically and logically rather than in terms of human existence.

In other words, when you don’t grasp the complete picture of the natural world by figuring out exactly why things happen as they do, but instead focus mainly upon how humans are affected by organisms or weather events, etc., the absolute proof of God’s existence is overlooked.

The laws governing how the natural world works are the same, no matter where on Earth you are.

TOMORROW, PART TWO:

Introduction: Importance of Nature to Human Existence

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Wednesday, November 6, 2024

The following commentary was published by The Daily News-Record, the daily newspaper of Harrisonburg, Virginia, on November 4, 2024 (website link below).

https://www.dnronline.com/opinion/open_forum/open-forum-connecting-with-nature-helps-us-find-god/article_1aae77af-4a81-5330-91f4-3abde60ea54a.html

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

Connecting with Nature Helps Us Find God

Years ago, when then-delegate Steve Landes represented my district, he would send out an annual survey so residents could let him know which issues were most important to them. In the beginning, the survey included the environment, but that topic disappeared after several years.

I asked why and was told people didn’t express much interest in it; the environment was apparently unimportant to most folks as compared to other concerns, such as jobs creation, cutting wasteful government spending, etc.

Certainly, such issues are important, but what folks were not recognizing is that the environment should be at the very top of the list due to our dependence upon it. Without the proper functioning of our natural world, humans cannot survive, which is why both the biblical and evolutionary description of man’s appearance on Earth informs us he didn’t arrive until an environment that could support him was in place.

It's natural to take for granted something that’s always been there, as if it will always remain so. However, those folks who have visited space and returned to Earth or continued on to the Moon recognize the uniqueness of our planet.

According to NASA astronaut, Mike Massimino: “I thought at one point, if you could be up in heaven, this is how you would see the planet. And then I dwelled on that and said, no, it’s more beautiful than that. This is what heaven must look like. I think of our planet as a paradise. We are very lucky to be here.”

We certainly are lucky. The Earth, described by Apollo-era astronaut Edgar Mitchell as a “sparkling blue and white jewel, a light, delicate sky-blue sphere laced with slowly swirling veils of white…in a thick sea of black mystery [the void of space]” is, indeed, special. No other planet in our solar system (or perhaps even the universe) could support us of its own accord, which begs the question, “How did we get so lucky?”

Perhaps this situation should give us pause: Could our favored status point to the existence of God?

Existing on the one planet in our Solar System that supports life can’t prove the existence of a greater being. However, over a decade ago, I experienced an epiphany that seems to prove the existence of a creator: Some aspects of man’s presence on the Earth are completely out of sync with the natural world, presenting an evolutionary paradox that can’t be explained by science.

Due to my scientific background, I was keenly interested in investigating this new awareness that God must exist. If correct, the Bible and the holy works of the major religions of the world—if truly the Word of God—would need to support my realization, and they did.

I found that the evidence for the reality of God is the natural world itself, but not because it’s majestic, complex, or unexplainable. Rather, once you grasp how logically and sensibly it functions and how humans are disjunct from it, the nature revelation becomes obvious.

NOTE: If you wish to learn more about the nature revelation that God exists, and how the Bible declares it and evolution confirms it, my treatise will be available at this blog site beginning November 7, 2024. I will be publishing one section per day.

DISCLAIMER:

Friday, November 1, 2024

COMING SOON

Table of Contents for

The Nature Revelation: God Exists

The Bible Declares It; Evolution Confirms It

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

Prologue: How I Came to Write This Treatise

Introduction: Importance of Nature to Human Existence

Chapter One: Bible Tells Us Man Is Dependent Upon Nature

Chapter Two: Observations of the Natural World Confirm the Existence of God

Chapter Three: Other Religions Agree with the Nature Revelation

Chapter Four: The Final Evidence That God Exists

Conclusion—Nature, Man, and God: The Trinity for Life

Epilogue: Why You Should Believe This Treatise

Final Thoughts: Overpopulation of Man a Damning Problem for Eden

Addendum: A Basic Explanation of Evolution

Listing of Scientific Names of Organisms Mentioned in the Text

DISCLAIMER:

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

The following commentary was published by The Daily Progress, the daily newspaper of Charlottesville, Virginia, on September 24, 2024. You can read it at the newspaper’s web site (by clicking on the web address below), or you can read the unedited (original) version posted here below the link.

https://dailyprogress.com/opinion/column/marlene-a-condon-bad-science-results-in-bad-environmental-outcomes/article_3d570250-791d-11ef-8952-afc030209d81.html

Bad Science Results in Bad Environmental Outcomes

You can take a Carolina Chickadee out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of this bird. A flawed study unintentionally verified just that.

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

A serious problem for the environment nowadays is the scholar- and media-driven promotion of peer-reviewed scientific studies that do not actually prove what they purport to establish.

The result is an unknowing public being led to follow the erroneous dictates of careless scientists, creating, in the end, more difficulties for our ailing natural world.

A prime example is the current widespread narrative that “nonnative plants reduce habitat quality for insectivorous birds”. This quote from a now-famous chickadee study by Drs. Desirée L. Narango, Douglas W. Tallamy, and Peter P. Marra overgeneralizes their results that, in fact, only apply to the Carolina Chickadees they observed and other similarly forest-dependent bird species. In other words, the scientists have made a statement that is more universal in nature than is justified by their available evidence.

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/45/11549

This indiscriminate declaration has served as the keystone argument to encourage land managers to prioritize growing native-plant species on properties by first removing so-called invasive, non-native species. Additionally, it has convinced other scientists, the media, government officials, environmentalists, and even individuals to disseminate these ideas far and wide.

However, this entire study is based upon a flawed premise; its results are therefore not valid; and no action should be taken based upon the scientists’ recommendations.

For scientific findings to be considered sound, researchers must follow protocols (an official system of rules) known as the Scientific Method.

First, they make an observation: In this case, that some insectivorous-bird populations are decreasing.

Next, they ask a question: Could human-dominated landscapes containing an abundance of alien plants that don’t support many leaf-feeding insects that birds eat be the cause of this situation?

And third, the scientists design a study that will enable them to collect data that they can then examine to determine the answer to their question.

The flaw in the chickadee study occurred before researchers left the building and got out into the field. The senior scientists—one of whom was Smithsonian ornithologist (bird authority) Peter Marra —inexplicably chose the Carolina Chickadee, a forest bird, as the avian species they would study in suburbia, which is typically more akin to field habitat.

If people (and their associated developed areas) did not exist, a chickadee would be found only in forest because it nests in natural tree cavities. And because it occupies that kind of niche (the physical space that makes possible survival and reproduction of a species), it has evolved to feed upon the insects closely associated with the large native trees that comprise forest.

In other words, the life of a chickadee is tied forever to large native trees, so any area without an abundance of these specific plants—as is the case in much of suburbia—would be regarded as inferior habitat.

By performing their study in sub-optimal habitat, the three scientists reached a foregone conclusion: A chickadee’s reproductive efforts will be sub-optimal (fewer healthy chicks) in yards devoid of numerous large native trees.

A legitimately done study would have looked at avian species living in suburbia without human-supplied assistance, such as the feeders and nest boxes that encourage chickadees to try to reproduce under less-than-desirable conditions. Native birds of field and edge (where field meets forest) habitats, such as the cardinal, wren, catbird, dove, jay, mockingbird, and many others, are common and could have been studied quite easily.

The researchers could have compared how well these species were able to reproduce in yards with a higher percentage of nonnative plants versus yards with a lower percentage to see if it truly made a difference. Of course, as any birdwatching person living in an urban/suburban area realizes, the birds living and reproducing there do quite well among the mix of native and nonnative plants.

Urban-/suburban-adapted birds feed upon a host of insect species, unlike forest-dwelling birds, such as the chickadee, many kinds of warblers, and other species that are more tied to leaf-feeding caterpillars and sawfly larvae found in large trees.

It's unfortunate that so many people have been so fooled by this study. Thanks to Drs. Narango, Tallamy, and Marra, a great deal of perfectly functioning habitat has been, and will continue to be, destroyed—often with the application of herbicides that not only harm wildlife in the area, but can poison the ground and water.

It will take years for viable habitat to replace it—precious time our wildlife can’t afford—and there’s absolutely no guarantee, either, that it will consist of native plants.

NATURE ADVICE:

Just because a scientific study by people with “Ph.D.” after their names is peer-reviewed doesn’t mean it cuts the mustard. Always scrutinize what scientists say to be sure their arguments are logically sound.

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Thursday, August 22, 2024

The Trouble with Horticulture

Slugs and snails are viewed in the gardening world as “pests”, when the reality is that they exist to help recycle rotting, organic debris, such as pollen that has collected on the author’s carport. In other words, they return nutrients to the soil to fertilize your plants so you don’t need to do it. Don’t kill these helpful animals as extension web sites tell you to do; instead, feed them by keeping decomposing organic matter in your yard and garden.

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

NOTE: “The Trouble with Horticulture” was published by The Daily Progress (the Charlottesville, Virginia, daily newspaper) on August 15, 2024. To read it at the site, click on the link below. I’ve also posted it here for your convenience.

https://dailyprogress.com/opinion/column/marlene-condon-the-trouble-with-horticulture/article_cc6704f2-5430-11ef-abf8-eb36c45559e1.html

People rant about various kinds of wildlife that are problematic for them, when they themselves are responsible for the difficulties they encounter. Expecting to garden without a knowledge of nature is akin to expecting to bake bread without any knowledge of kneading and proofing (the process of activating yeast).

Despite the admonition much given these days to not grow alien plants, many nonnative species (such as this Red Clover—Trifolium pratense) can furnish wildlife (such as these Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies) with nourishment throughout the growing season.

Still, generation after generation of horticulturists get degrees that are not based upon an understanding of how the natural world works, even though that is where gardeners and farmers grow their plants. Consequently, they provide gardeners with a lot of misinformation that has become “factual” by way of constant repetition by those who’ve obtained doctorates in this field. As a result, gardeners encounter wildlife problems and end up believing that many critters are “pests” when, in fact, they are nothing more than innocent animals trying to survive.

Your gardening doesn’t take place in a vacuum. Thus, you have no choice but to follow natural laws. So, let’s look at just a few of the “truisms” in gardening lore that are, in fact, myths. When followed, they make unnecessary work for the gardener, and are also detrimental to wildlife and the environment.

Putting up bird boxes is not enough to entice birds to nest in your yard. You must provide them with food. For this Eastern Screech Owl in the author's yard, mice and insects that people often think shouldn’t be around their house are required.

As summer draws to a close and fall arrives, gardening experts issue the same axiom year after year: Clean up your garden to keep pest problems at a minimum. However, if you have a yard that is wildlife friendly, this task is totally unnecessary. It deprives many animals of needed winter food and cover, and over time, bankrupts the soil nutrition available for growing plants.

While it’s true that some insects overwinter in plant stalks, either as adults or eggs, it’s also true that many animals will find these insects and eat them. Wrens and woodpeckers will come to feeders to get sunflower seeds, but they mainly subsist upon insects all the year around. As a result, they can be in big trouble if we have a harsh winter with lots of snow. If you leave plants standing, especially tall ones, these birds have a better chance of surviving because they may find insects or their eggs on the stems above the snow.

Deer Mice also eat insects. While you probably care more about birds than these mammals—thinking that all rodents are “pests”—consider that mice help to replant our forests and grasslands. They are Mother Nature’s gardeners, carrying seeds back to their nests and dropping some along the way that may then grow where they fell.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that every creature does its part to keep the other components of the ecosystem functioning properly, but humans need to recognize this actuality. Even though you don’t want mice in your house, you should welcome them outdoors, and not only because they are inadvertent gardeners. Mice are a prime food source for owls, and thus are a real attractant if you would like to see these birds of prey around your home.

Another gardening myth is that you must keep your plants totally “bug-free” to keep them healthy. Healthy plants can withstand a few insects chewing or sucking on them. Remember, plants exist to feed animals (“Marlene’s Axiom for Life on Earth to Persist”). There’s no need to run for the insecticide spray at the first sign of a few six-legged critters, especially as many of these insects will be eaten if you’ve created a yard that welcomes predators.

For example, many folks worry about aphids, yet they rarely cause significant damage in a yard full of birds. Hummingbirds, especially, require such tiny insects to obtain protein and fat for good health. Remove aphids and you remove a significant food source for these sprightly creatures.

Putting in even a small artificial pond provides habitat for aquatic wildlife, such as this male Green Frog resting on a waterlily pad in the author’s three- by four-foot front-yard pond. Ponds containing wildlife are not a significant source of mosquitoes because most of the aquatic larvae get eaten. However, beware the water garden that only holds plants! With no animals to limit mosquito production, you’ll get mosquitoes galore.

You’ve probably also heard that you shouldn’t allow your perennials to go to seed as it drains the energy they could put into growing. A plant’s ultimate “goal” is to reproduce so it’s well adapted to making seeds and still accomplishing the growth that it should do each year. If you spend time deadheading (removing all “spent” blooms—those that are going to seed), you are performing busywork and, again, depriving your local wildlife of food. In my yard, House Finches flock to the seeds of my Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia spp.), and it still has grown larger and larger every year.

Lastly, anywhere you plan to cover bare ground with mulch, you should instead let some “weeds” grow. They serve as your natural mulch. Rather than stealing water, they keep the ground shaded to prevent moisture loss, and many turn into lovely flowers that provide beauty for the gardener, nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies and/or numerous other insects, and possibly seeds for birds and small mammals if you leave them standing.

Pillbugs (also known as Roly-poly Bugs or Woodlice), are often found underneath flower pots. They are not insects, but rather, land crustaceans related to marine arthropods, such as lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish. Their function in the environment is to help recycle dead plant and animal matter, which is why you see them in association with planter pots. Yet, extension offices often refer to them as “pests” and tell gardeners to get rid of them! Ignorance of the true roles of our fellow life forms endangers the proper functioning of the environment that supports all of us.

Save time and energy by gardening in a more relaxed manner, and you’ll help our wildlife while you’re at it. Your reward will be the opportunity to watch nature at work instead of you! 😊

NATURE ADVICE:

Here’s my definition of gardening: The perpetual expenditure of human energy to defy Mother Nature™. From this follows my Golden Rule of Gardening: Always follow Mother Nature’s examples™. Obey my Golden Rule (as I have always done) and you won’t suffer the difficulties farmers and gardeners typically encounter—because they are doing things incorrectly. And then you won’t need to waste energy trying to make amends for disregarding the natural laws you have no choice but to obey (the whole point of my book, The Nature-friendly Garden).

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Sunday, August 4, 2024

Link To Latest Published Article, “Drought Gardening for People and Wildlife”

Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), a native plant, suffers in drought conditions.

The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA daily newspaper) and The News Virginian (Waynesboro, VA daily newspaper) both recently published my article, “Drought gardening for people and wildlife” at the following links, respectively:

https://dailyprogress.com/opinion/column/marlene-condon-drought-gardening-for-people-and-wildlife/article_4bd921fa-45c9-11ef-9111-0bc7c5d7ea25.html

https://newsvirginian.com/opinion/column/marlene-condon-drought-gardening-for-people-and-wildlife/article_3a2d7b10-e4c9-531b-992e-d8cc8bd87b5d.html

If you can’t access it at either of these sites, I am reproducing it below for your convenience.

Sincerely,

Marlene

Drought Gardening for People and Wildlife

Once again, Virginia is suffering from a significant lack of rain. With each drought building upon the last, the pattern we are in does not bode well for our collective future. Therefore, if you own land, it’d be wise to manage it in the best possible manner to preserve water.

Limiting how often your property is cut is perhaps the foremost action people can take to preserve water, especially to conserve ground water. Most lawns are trimmed way too short, eliminating the "umbrella effect" gained from taller grass.

Longer blades shelter the ground, suppressing water evaporation from uncovered soil due to sunshine and wind. Water that goes back into the atmosphere is water that doesn't reach the water table to feed your well.

Leaving alone unused areas of grass, such as ditches and hillsides, would be extremely prudent for water conservation. Hillsides are subject to water runoff if there are not enough plants to hold the water in place, and ditches can collect water not only to recharge the soil moisture, but also for the use of wildlife. It’s time for aesthetics to take a back seat.

As early as June 25, grass cut way too short in Albemarle County had turned brown.

When it comes to gardening, you should only water when flowers begin to show signs of wilting. They can withstand this process (if it’s not prolonged), which forces them to grow more roots to help survive unusually dry conditions.

Common horticultural advice suggests you remove “competing” plants (aka, “weeds”) because they “steal” water from your plants, but it’s best if “weeding” is minimally done, especially during drought periods.

When I was young, I listened to the “experts” one time, and one time only. I reluctantly pulled wildflowers from among my veggies and quickly learned my lesson. My plants were wilted by the next day because the soil was no longer shaded by the "weeds". As with grass, you don’t want bare ground around your plants.

Of course, you can make more work for yourself by putting down a mulch layer in place of the plants you pulled, but living plants in proximity to one another do a great job of maintaining soil moisture—and you don’t need to buy them. As every gardener knows, Mother Nature is constantly trying to fill even the smallest of bare spots.

You should always follow Mother Nature’s examples, and this is one of them. Conservation of water is one of the reasons plants are always filling in any bare spot they can find.

Lastly, prepare for the future by investing in some type of water storage. Rain barrels don’t hold much liquid, but they will do if your gardening efforts are minimal.

For larger gardens, you’ll need to consider greater storage capacity. I have two 350-gallon containers sitting under my deck connected to the nearby downspout. I’m thus able to keep plants watered and my two small artificial ponds filled.

The oft-repeated assertion nowadays is that native plants don’t need watering. Could this be the reason so many newly planted trees around town have died?

We can help wildlife during drought by making water available in our yards. Bird baths are great for birds and flying insects. Many kinds of 6-legged creatures drink water, or make use of it in other ways. For example, I’ve watched honeybees collect water from my bird bath to bring back to the hive to cool it.

Toads drink water through their skin, so placing a bird bath on the ground is a great way to help them—and mammals—to obtain water. Whether the bath is on the ground or a pedestal, it’s vital that the bath be shallow: a two-inch maximum depth at the center.

A Tufted Titmouse gets a drink of water while a House Finch family enjoy taking a bath in July of 2015.

Do not use mosquito dunks or any other pesticides in bird/toad baths to kill mosquitoes; it’s totally unnecessary. Mosquito eggs will be slurped up by animals drinking water. Additionally, all animals require clean water so you should be dumping out the water every few days anyway (preferably on your plants), which will dump any mosquito eggs within it.

Help hummingbirds by hanging sugar-water feeders for them. Water-deprived plants can’t make much, if any, nectar to feed these small birds. Or grow nectar-producing plants in pots that can be kept watered.

During drought, most native plants are not getting the amount of water they need. Now is the time to be realistic, rather than idealistic, and embrace so-called invasive plants. Most of these plants, such as Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), do fine in drought and continue to feed our pollinators (and deer) that could otherwise starve.

Drought will likely bring a dearth of seeds come fall for seed-eating birds. Please consider putting out bird feeders for them when that time arrives.

Placing unwanted tomatoes in the yard, especially during drought, helps Box Turtles to get the liquid they need.

NATURE ADVICE:

If global climate change has brought recurring droughts to your area, it’s time to prepare for similar future scenarios. Homeowners, as well as government entities, such as highway departments, and farmers who cut grass for hay, must rethink how they manage landscapes under their control. It’s no longer business as usual; changing weather patterns require changing routines.

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