By Chandra L. Mattingly Whew! Despite a cold last weekend in March, the 2014-2015 winter finally is over. As most beekeepers, I found myself fretting through February, anxious to know if my honeybees had survived. What relief that first warm weekend to find all four of the backyard hives abuzz with activity, and later that…
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Of Bugs, Blooms & Vittles Sprouting off: how to buy seeds
By Chandra L. Mattingly Seeds are magical. Every year I plant seeds of so many different sizes and shapes and sprouting preferences, and every year most of them grow. That's magic! That this tiny or large, hard or brittle, ivory or black or other color capsule can turn into a (usually) green sprout, a living…
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Of Bugs, Blooms & Vittles: Fruits of fall
Submitted by Chan Mattingly Pumpkins. Crisp red and golden apples. Foliage so vibrant it's unbelievable. The scent of smoke in the air, be it from campfires or burning leaves. This is fall, as are foggy mornings, brisk temperatures and yellow school buses. But my fall also includes fresh-fallen ripe persimmons, honeybees buzzing in fall asters…
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Join the effort to save the monarchs
By Chandra L. Mattingly Staff Reporter If the monarch caterpillars in our living room are any indication, monarch butterflies' wintering population should be up this year. Those who love the tropical insects' orange and black stained glass appearance hope so. In a life cycle that stretches from Mexico to Canada, these delicate creatures are dependent…
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