We dined with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, befriended Percival the Plain Little Caterpillar, and watched what happens Because a Little Bug went Ka-CHOO. Charlotte’s Web was spun above us, and A Bug’s Life ensued below; the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout and the old lady swallowed the fly. Jiminy Cricket! And then the bugs crawled from the pages and into our lives; beetles scooped into leaf-filled jars, daddy longlegs dangled … [Read more...]
Need a Woodchuck Trap?
Looking for a woodchuck trap? It shouldn’t be hard to find someone to take your money. But what you’re probably looking for is a way to resolve whatever problem you’re having with woodchucks. A trap will fail you utterly if that’s your goal. The burrow you clear out today is an open invitation for another woodchuck tomorrow. What you need is not a trap, but a sensible plan to solve your problem, and you’re on the right page for that. Why you … [Read more...]
Backyard Snakes
Your heart is pounding, your forehead sweating, every muscle tensing and goose-bump rising; before you can think—before your brain can even conjure the word “snake”—your limbs have frozen in place. Your body is alerting you to what your eyes have seen. As you halt, you finally register a little Garter snake as it slides off through your garden. Thousands of years of vulnerable Homo sapiens struggling to evade snake predation have led to this … [Read more...]
Bear Proof Food Storage Tips
Bears and people both eat a pretty wide range of things. And, bears seem to have noticed that they like a lot of what we eat, beyond just what you might bring along while Yellowstone camping. If you live in or near bear country, you may encounter a hungry bear in your backyard, especially when young bears first leave their mothers, or when bears of any age are fattening up for the winter. Moms with young may also be in search of food. Remember … [Read more...]
Simple Ways to Repel Chipmunks
Few people would try to deny that chipmunks are adorable and fascinating to watch. But whether you see their charm or not, chipmunks do, on occasion, get into a bit of mischief… eating flower bulbs, munching cherry tomatoes in the veggie garden, burrowing under porches or walkways… not to mention hoarding astonishing amounts of seed from birdfeeders. None of these activities are catastrophic, but you may still be thinking about whether there is … [Read more...]
Mole Control
Until we end our love affair with the perfect lawn, there will be people wanting to find out how to get rid of moles and mole holes. For some, the desire to get rid of moles is as strong as that to have turf fit for the cover of “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. What is a mole, and his hole? Moles are not rodents, but an insectivore that belong to a family of their own. There are seven species that live in North America, with the … [Read more...]
Are Possums Dangerous ?
You may ask, are possums dangerous? The short answer is no, but they would like you to think so. The truth is that possums are gentle and non-aggressive animals. They are the only marsupial (moms come equipped with a baby pouch) living north of Mexico and roamed the earth along with the dinosaurs. They lead a nomadic life, usually sticking around long enough to eat what they find, then moving on to find more food elsewhere. You say possum, I … [Read more...]
Prevent Birds Flying into Windows
You’re right to want to prevent the sad occurrence of birds flying into windows. That sudden “thump” you hear when a bird mistakenly flies into the glass is not just a sad situation for that one bird. In fact, that startling “bird hitting window” sound is heard in homes and buildings everywhere, and these collisions are taking a terrible toll on birds. Daniel Klem, a researcher who has been studying the problem of birds hitting windows for … [Read more...]
How to Help an Orphaned Baby Squirrel
When you see a baby squirrel come tumbling out of a tree you’re cutting down, what do you do? What if you discover a baby squirrel following you all around, with no sign of mom anywhere? Here are some pointers for what to do in those situations when you think a baby squirrel may be in trouble. It's not the time to hone your lumberjack skills... If you’re cutting down a tree in spring (which you should avoid whenever possible since baby wild … [Read more...]
Did You Find a Nest of Baby Bunnies?
You walk around your yard, and suddenly you almost step on a nest of baby bunnies! There they are, in a shallow nest lined with fur and grass. They’re all alone, so your first thought is that they’re orphaned. The reality, though, is that mom is nearby but is staying away from her babies because she has an odor, but they don’t. She doesn’t want to attract predators due to her scent. So she only returns twice a day to nurse her babies, when no one … [Read more...]