Plant Native - They Grow In Any Economy

Figure 1 Are there plants that attract ticks? There is at least one I found that does, and that is the Japanese Barberry. There may be others. So, if you know of any please let me know. The Japanese Barberry is an invasive non-native plant. This particular plant attracts ticks because it can can stay humid, creating the perfect place for ticks to reproduce in exponential numbers. Rodents also find a safe haven under this plant, resulting in the transport of ticks throughout the forest and your yard. So, it brings to question are there areas under plants that can create a similar environment as the Japanese Barberry? Perhaps. More research is needed on my end before I can say. Still, be cautious. What can we do? For humans and pets we can use tick repellants. A cedar oil spray is a natural repellent. Cedar contains an essential oil that ticks do not like. The CDC has suggested to make your yard "less attractive to ticks". (CDC) The CDC also suggests using pesticides. I would c...

Grandmother Earth knows a lot. You just have to listen, learn, then make it part of your lifestyle. One case in point is mushrooms. Did you know there are certain varieties of mushrooms that can break down plastics? Plastics can take 20 plus years to decompose. "Certain species of fungi use the natural process of mycoremediation to degrade plastics. How long does it take for a mushroom to eat plastic? It depends on the mushroom species. The time it takes for a mushroom to bread down and consume plastic ranges between 2-weeks to several months." (Gallagher) What if we were to buy a small plastic grinding station. A plastic shredder if you will, to make the plastic "bite size" for the mushrooms to easily consume the plastic. But what mushrooms do you need? Well, that seems to be a bit difficult for me to answer right now. More research is needed. Lets just say I can imagine selection would be based on regional climate. Then what would you do during inclement winter mo...

This first blog entry is just to get my feet wet, to allow whatever direction this takes. There is so much to learn, so much we can do. And I am no expert by any means. Not even close. It will be up to you to do your own backcheck on what I provide. So, do your research to come up with your plan to become stewards of our planet. Planting native has so many benefits. Non-native has the opposite affect. For now I cannot state in my own words the importance or how this all happens within the ecosystem. Later, I hope that I can. So, why be so concerned about native only? They adapt to our local climate. They grow in our local soil. They provide life to local insects, butterflies, and birds. They provide cover for insects and animals from predators. They help with rain water. They are low maintenance. Basically, non-native does little to none of the above. Non-native does its best to destroy native. The following images are from postings found on the Internet. Some may state who authored, o...