Lawn Moles and proper Lawn Care

Written by Linda Paquette


Are your making mountains out of your molehills? Although lawn moles are underground creatures,repparttar benefits they add to your garden are clearly visible and far outweighrepparttar 139600 disadvantages.

Ofrepparttar 139601 six species of mole found in North America,repparttar 139602 Eastern mole (or gray mole) isrepparttar 139603 most common. Moles are aboutrepparttar 139604 size of chipmunks and weigh from three to six ounces. A tiny creature, its total length is just six to eight inches.

Many gardeners and groundskeepers are underrepparttar 139605 mistaken impression that lawn moles eatrepparttar 139606 roots of their plants and turf grasses. However, moles are insectivores. Their primary diet is earthworms and grubs and a single mole can eat more than 140 grubs and cutworms daily. They also feast on destructive garden pests like snails, beetles, and millipedes. In fact, at just over a quarter-pound, a mole can consume 45 to 50 pounds of worms and insects each year.

The greatest harm that mole tunneling does to turf grass is by separating soil from roots. Still,repparttar 139607 mole’s digging actually improves soil quality by turning and aeratingrepparttar 139608 soil and mixing accumulated nutrients throughoutrepparttar 139609 excavation.

Moles don’t continually dig each time they forage for food. Once a tunnel system is established, it is infrequently extended. In fact,repparttar 139610 only signs of mole activity you might see are those whenrepparttar 139611 mole must repair its construction. When disturbed, moles may temporarily vacaterepparttar 139612 area, but generally return within a week or two. In addition, when a tunnel is abandoned, a new mole inhabitant will “recolonize” usingrepparttar 139613 handiwork of its predecessor.

How To Attract Hummingbirds

Written by Marilyn Pokorney


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Planting a garden full of red flowers isrepparttar 139283 best way to attract these beautiful jeweled birds.

Plant bee balm, butterfly weed, columbine, cardinal Flower, coral bells, cosmos, dahlias, four-o'-clock's, fuchsias, morning glory, petunias, zinnias, trumpet vine, or honeysuckle. A web search will reveal many more.

Be a hummingbird magnet by having as much red in your backyard as possible. Besides flowers use gazing balls, backyard furniture, ribbons, and other yard decorations. Create both sun and shade areas in your hummingbird garden. Offer an abundance of nesting materials to encourage nesting females. Hummingbirds prefer downy like materials, spider webs, ferns, moss and lichens for their nests. Make certain that there is always fresh water available for drinking as well as for bathing. Set up misters. Hummingbirds love to take "leaf baths," rubbing against wet leaves or just sitting on a branch havingrepparttar 139284 mist fall upon them.

Avoid pesticides. These chemicals killrepparttar 139285 insects that hummingbirds eat for protein and can also sicken or killrepparttar 139286 birds.

Add plenty of places forrepparttar 139287 birds to perch. Hummingbirds spend around 80% of their time sitting on twigs, shrubs, and other available resting places.

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