What Is Nectar

It is also a food plant for the larvae of some butterflies and moths.My family only considered it a seasoning, adding it to their dressing as they did. It was burnet, with its strong cucumber taste.

We all need a starting point, and I hope this has given that to you. Making it better for everyone is a challenge worth taking up.Photographs courtesy of Dave's Garden members. This seems like a wonderful way to spend a weekend with your family, getting...

It is a fun and educational experience for the young and old alike. Growing up, this common milkweed (was the only milkweed that I ever knew about. They encourage citizens to develop Monarch Waystations in any areas possible (gardens, parks, schools,...

It gives them a good source of energy and calories.Nectar is more than just sweet, though. It is also rich in vitamins, salts, oils, and other nutrients. For plants to reproduce, they need to get pollen from one flower to another, but plants don't move.The...

By the time they migrate, Ruby-throat hummingbirds will have nearly doubled their weight. Bill is the founder of, and manages Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History. There should be several different nectar sources, safe shelter, nesting areas,...

We had no idea of the value of this plant to the native world around us, and never saw one in a garden. This makes moving and transplanting milkweed very difficult at best. Sowing the seeds in the fall in the area they are to grow in or in the pots they...

Zones 4-10.The Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) enjoys nectaring on viburnum. The fruit is a nutlet that is eaten by ducks and other water birds. If you really want to attract the beautiful "flying flowers," you will need to provide a variety...

These are names that are associated with plants that are undesirable. They are tiny little blossoms that will go un-noticed by the casual observer, and while I'm not overjoyed at seeing them in my flowerbeds and vegetable garden, they do draw a smile...

At the end of the season, I cut the milkweeds back, but I was happy to see them coming up again the next spring. When some of the milkweed stalks reached six feet in height and began to topple, I secured them to the fence to keep them from falling over.

You stick those fingers in your mouth. It also has flat black seeds, similar to those of the watermelon, and yes, I will admit I have been in some spitting contests with pawpaw seeds.

They are large insects and some are active before dark. Click on the highlighted Latin names below to view a BugFiles listing for the group. Are important to the life cycle of a number of plants.

Swamp milkweed grows lovely green stems covered with thin leaves and topped by the typical milkweed flower cluster. Let me help you understand what IS a milkweed, "monarchically" speaking, what isn't a milkweed and how to choose the right milkweed for...

Like any sweet food, agave nectar can attract ants if not cleaned up.Store the agave nectar in a cool, dry place. Depending on the temperature of your home, a cool dry place could be the kitchen counter or in a cupboard.

Use the machete to take the hard surface of the base. As you peel leaves from the center you will then find a long white stalk called as Corazon or heart. However, the countless beneficial qualities of the agave nectar makes it worthwhile to harvest.

As a poet, she left behind much wisdom we can apply to our day-to-day lives, but today, as I was reading about her life and thumbing through her insightful words, this quote stuck out at me: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking...

The culture of loving and giving they've created in our community is felt and noticed, and changes are being made. In four years, more than 200,000 pounds of produce has provided more than 800,000 servings of fruits and vegetables to those who would otherwise...

I watered my huegel only three times over the course of the summer (my traditional beds were watered twice a week), yet still saw excellent results and lush growth from the beans, squash, peppers, tomatoes, corn and various greens I seeded in that spring.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Spring will give way to summer, which will blossom into autumn and eventually return to winter. Here in Lexington, Ky., where the HF editorial office is located, we didn't get the worst of the vortex's...

Complementary therapies are things like herbs , Reiki, massage, chiropractic adjustments and homeopathic remedies. Do-it-yourselfers can use homeopathic remedies to treat minor ailments and injuries, for first-aid emergencies until the vet arrives, and...

Cats, dogs and horses are all sensitive to winterberry toxicity. Depression, vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms winterberries produce in pets. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), also known as winterholly, brightens winter landscape with brilliant...

"Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” –Gloria Steinem We're always thinking of ways to better our gardens or brainstorming new recipes to try out in the kitchen, and unlike other daydreams—I'm looking at you, Three Arms—we have the power...

Sphl/Wikimedia Commons It seems like every day there is a new and exciting development in the realm of natural health. I took a quick look at my typical herbal seed and plant providers and found ashitaba seed readily available from Horizon Herbs, where...

There are about 725 species of butterflies in the U.S. and Canada, with the smallest having a wingspan of a mere half-inch (the western pygmy blue) and the largest measuring about five inches across (the giant swallowtail).

This afternoon, while inspecting my late-summer garden, I came across several small, vividly colored insects on a winter squash blossom. They often can point you to a entomological expert who may be able to look at a photo or examine a captured specimen...

Test your soil first by walking on it or patting it in several locations. Keep reading to find out how to tell if ground is frozen or not.Although it may seem as if spring has arrived, it's important tofor readiness before working your soil or planting...

Foliage of plants may yellow and fall prematurely. On rare occasions, however, the sudden death of seedlings may be caused by other factors. Once transplanted, only those seedlings known to be especially sensitive to damping off need be misted with fungicide...

Longbeachae.Paronychia is a local infection that occurs in the tissue around the fingernails and toenails. OMRI Listed products are allowed for use in certified organic operations under the USDA National Organic Program.I don't want anyone to get the...