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Artificial lighting in urban and rural areas significantly affects nocturnal insects like moths and fireflies, disrupting their navigation, feeding, and reproduction. Light pollution, resulting from excessive artificial brightness, harms ecosystems by affecting vital insect species. Reducing unnecessary lighting can help protect these creatures and maintain natural landscapes.
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In a 1999 SpongeBob SquarePants episode, a group of nematodes yell in unison, “Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty!” as they use straws to slurp up SpongeBob’s pineapple house until nothing is left. Nematodes can be a hassle, but they can also be beneficial.
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I think about this often: without oil, how would I have gained access to these materials and pieces of equipment? How much energy was required to manufacture a product I purchased, and is using it ultimately worthwhile?
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Throughout history, people have often valued plants for what they could provide—food, medicine, fiber, fuel, or shelter. When we assign a use to a native plant, we often elevate it from “weed” to “useful plant.” But should a native plant need a use to deserve a place in the landscape?
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Weed management can be a hassle. For me, it has been the majority of the time I spend in the garden. So how can I reduce my weed management and spend more time with my plants? Should I spend this much energy weeding?
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If I had a nickel for every “weed” I pulled when I first started gardening, I’d have enough money to buy a lot more plants. Looking back, I wonder how many of those plants were actually weeds at all. Really, how do we recognize if something is a weed? How do we control them, or…
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How many people use “native plant’ to mean “it grows here”? I do this all the time. Its a difficult habit to break. While preparing this article, I started thinking about all the times I assumed a plant was native, only to discover later that it had actually been introduced—and in some cases was considered…
