Beat the Skeets! (Mosquitoes!)

Mosquito season has been hard-hitting so far this year. With a record-warm winter, along the Gulf Coast, we never got a break from the mosquitoes. And, while we may have enjoyed not having frozen noses, we also missed out on the benefit of it killing off some of those blood-suckers.

Here are somethings you can do to help prevent the propagation of even more mosquitoes.

• Check your home and garden for places that can collect rainwater and remains. (Be sure to check rain gutters, catch basins for potted plants, and discarded items such as buckets and old tires.)
• Clean out your birdbaths every week!
• Make your yard a safe place for mosquito eating birds, such as: common nighthawk, cuckoos, flycatchers, gnatcatchers, purple martin, owls, starlings, vireos, warblers, whip-poor-wills, chickadees, catbirds, mockingbirds, meadowlarks, orioles, robins, woodpeckers, and wrens. 
• Put bird feeders with different kinds of seeds into your yard to attract a variety of birds. Some prefer things like sunflower seeds and safflower seeds.
• If you like things a bit more on the dark side, try getting a bat house. Bats are great mosquito eaters.
• Remember the weeds I told you about recently? If you've got some shepherd's purse that have gone to seed, just pope a seed into a bucket of water. The seed will release chemicals that are toxic to mosquitoes and kill some off for you.

from steinerdonna.blogspot.com

Taking Care of 'Pillars

Butterflies are a delight to see in our gardens. They help pollinate plants and they're quite beautiful. Caterpillars, however, can become quite a nuisance. Here are some pet and environment safe ways to send those 'pillars packing.

• Get a bird house and a bird bath - These natural predators will help keep the population down
• Certain caterpillars and other bugs are repelled by certain plants. Look in a companion planting guide to find out which plants are the best companions for what you want to grow (try chives).
• Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) is a safe, natural pesticide. It is a bacteria that infects caterpillar stomachs. It is safe for bees and other insects, so you don't have to worry about harming other wildlife. You can find it in most gardening stores under the names Dipel, Biotrol, or Thuricide.
• Take them out/off by hand. You can also kill them by hand, or collect them in a container (with lid) and move them to a place where they can live without your tomatoes, cucumbers, or other foods in their mouths. Maybe there is a public butterfly garden in your area!