They do it every year. They fall off the trees. Leaves. Every single one, which means get out the rake and get to work. Or not?For the past few years I have eschewed the rake and leaf blower and cranked up my lawnmower instead. Not only is this far easier than raking and bagging, it’s also better for your yard. By mowing a few times each fall the leaves are shredded into fine pieces where … [Read more...]

We spent 4 glorious days on the Eastern Shore last weekend. The weather was perfect, the fishing was good and we were thoroughly entertained by Itsy Bitsy Spider. Actually, our Arachnid friend was not so itsy bitsy. He (or she) was the size of a fat marble. Every evening, Itsy would lower himself by a single strand of web down the front of one of our windows and create his web. It took him … [Read more...]

The Virginia roadsides are erupting in gold. Gold as in goldenrod, a valuable wild plant that thrives in meadows and on strips of land where fescue is not prevalent. But the lovely plant gets a bad rap. It is strictly a myth that goldenrod pollen causes allergies. The real culprit is ragweed, which is pollinated by wind rather than insects.  Ragweed has tiny inconspicuous flowers that produce … [Read more...]

Last week I wrote about the perils on a yellow jacket nest in your yard. My stings are still itching, by the way, but I think we got rid of them with two heavy applications of Hornet/Wasp Killer. My friend, Hal Hurka, let me know about an even better way to eliminate the nasty stingers – let someone else do it. Hal says there is an outfit called Venom Collect that will come to your house – … [Read more...]

The perils of mowing grass are many.  First, it can really screw up a round of golf. “Sorry, guys, but my front yard needs bailing. Two farmers have already put in bids for the hay.”It can also play havoc with an afternoon map. Taking a little snooze while following an electric push mower is not advised in the Boy Scout Manual. Another yard mowing hazard is bees. Yellow jackets, in … [Read more...]

By Justin Folks/DWR It’s no secret that the prospect of a big buck is what gets most of us in a deer stand each fall. It’s also no secret that overabundant deer have negative effects on forests, farmlands, front yards, and Fords (I like alliteration). We, as deer hunters, need to look beyond “grip-and-grins” and taxidermy bills, and think more about the big picture of deer management. It’s … [Read more...]

Why?Why would anyone want to attract amphibians such as frogs and lizards or reptiles such as snakes and turtles to their yard? Simple. Because these critters eat tons of insects and rodents. According to Virginia’s DNR, amphibians and reptiles are a vital part of the natural world, but urban development and landscaping have caused their habitats to be lost or degraded. By making a … [Read more...]

Finaly, finally, there is a ray of hope to save the Chesapeake Bay from the overfishing of menhaden. In the new Virginia budget which kicks off July 1, there is a $2 million appropriation to study the populations and migration of menhaden (bunker) in the Chesapeake Bay. For years, conservationists and fishermen have been calling for such a study, if not an outright ban on menhaden fishing as done … [Read more...]

The Division of Wildlife Resources – I still call them the Game Department – is broke, busted, penniless. They had to borrow nearly $7 million from the state to make ends meet at the end of the fiscal year. The Pooh-Bahs in Richmond said, “We’ll loan you the money, but you’ve got to raise license fees.” The DWR is responsible for enforcing fishing, hunting and boating laws and managing all the … [Read more...]

We have a Mountain Mint Farm. What started as a couple plants of Pycnanthemum Muticum, commonly known as Mountain Mint, is now a bumper crop in our garden bed near the pond. Bring it on, I say, because with the spread of mountain mint comes swarms of pollinators – bees and lots of butterflies. Mountain mints are aromatic plants with dramatic grey-green foliage and a distinctive minty scent. In … [Read more...]