文章
Miss Chen
2017年12月14日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is ½–2' tall and more or less erect; it is either unbranched or sparingly branched along the upper half of its central stem. The central stem is yellowish green or medium green and terete; it has vertical lines of short pubescence. Whorls of 4-6 leaves occur along the nodes of the central stem; because the internodes of this stem are fairly short, these leaves are produced in abundance. Relative to the orientation of the central stem, the leaves are usually ascending, although sometimes they are widely spreading or drooping. The leaves are 2-3" long, 2-3 mm. across, and linear in shape; their margins are entire (toothless) and strongly revolute (rolled downward). Sometimes whorls of smaller secondary leaves are produced from short lateral stems that develop from the axils of leaves along the central stem. The upper leaf surfaces are yellowish green or medium green and glabrous to sparsely short-pubescent; they are narrowly grooved along the middle where the midribs occur. The lower leaf surfaces are whitish green and short-pubescent; they are partially obscured by the rolled leaf margins. The leaves are sessile or they have very short petioles (less than 2 mm. long). From the axils of middle to upper leaves, umbels of flowers are produced on short peduncles (flowering stalks); there can be 1-4 umbels of flowers at each node. Individual umbels span ¾–1½" across, consisting of 7-20 pedicellate flowers.
Each flower is about 5-6 mm. across and 8-10 mm. long, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column. The sepals are light green, short-pubescent, and lanceolate in shape; sometimes they are tinted purple toward their tips. These sepals are visible at the bases of flower buds, but they are hidden by the petals when the flowers bloom. The petals are white or greenish white, sometimes with pale purplish tints toward their tips; they are oblong-elliptic in shape and strongly declined (bent downward), curving slightly upward toward their tips. The erect white hoods are open-tubular in shape and somewhat oblique, their lower sides facing the center of the flower. The slender white horns are sickle-shaped and inwardly curved; there is one exserted horn per hood. The short reproductive column is white at its apex and light green below. The slender pedicels of the flowers are light green to nearly white, sometimes becoming purplish at their bases; they are 8-12 mm. long, terete, and short-pubescent. The peduncles are ½–1½" long, light to medium green, glabrous to short-pubescent, terete, and ascending. The blooming period occurs from early to late summer, lasting about 1-2 months. There is little or no floral scent. Afterwards, successfully cross-pollinated flowers are replaced by ascending to erect follicles (seedpods that open along one side). These follicles are 3-4" long and about ½" across; they are narrowly lanceoloid in shape and fairly smooth (lacking warts or soft prickles). At maturity during autumn or winter, these follicles split open to release their seeds to the wind. Mature seeds are about 4-5 mm. long, ovate-flattened in shape, brown, and narrowly winged along their margins; their apices have large tufts of white hair. The root system is fleshy-fibrous and long-rhizomatous. Colonies of clonal plants are often produced from the rhizomes.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, sand, or gravel. Infertile soil is actually preferred because it reduces competition from taller plants. During hot dry weather, the lower leaves may turn yellow and fall off, or the foliage of the entire plant may become yellowish green. In open sunny areas with exposed soil, this plant can spread aggressively.
Range & Habitat: The native Whorled Milkweed occurs occasionally throughout most of Illinois, except for a few southern counties (see Distribution Map), where it is rare or absent. Habitats include upland prairies, sand prairies, gravel prairies, hill prairies, openings in rocky upland forests, sandy savannas, limestone glades, rocky bluffs along major rivers, bluegrass meadows, pastures and abandoned fields, grassy slopes along highways, and waste areas. Whorled Milkweed is a pioneer species that prefers open disturbed areas.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including honeybees, bumblebees, Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), Halictid cuckoo bees (Sphecodes spp.), sand-loving wasps (Tachytes spp.), weevil wasps (Cerceris spp.), Sphecid wasps (Sphex spp., Prionyx spp.), Five-banded Tiphiid Wasp (Myzinum quinquecinctum), Northern Paper Wasp (Polites fuscatus), spider wasps (Anoplius spp.), Eumenine wasps (Euodynerus spp., etc.), Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies (Physocephala spp., etc.), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), Muscid flies, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and other butterflies, Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius) and other skippers, Squash Vine Borer Moth (Melittia cucurbitae) and other moths, and Pennsylvania Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus); sources of information include Robertson (1929) and personal observations. Among these floral visitors, bees and wasps are usually more effective at cross-pollination. Some insects feed destructively on the foliage, flowers, seedpods, and other parts of Whorled Milkweed. These species include the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), Yellow Milkweed Aphid (Aphis nerii), and a moth, the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera). Although this insect does not occur in Illinois, in the southwestern United States, the Horsetail Milkweed Longhorn (Tetraopes discoideus) feeds on Whorled Milkweed and closely related milkweed species (Asclepias spp.); sources of information include Betz et al. (1997), Yanega (1996), and personal observations. Mammalian herbivores usually avoid the foliage of Whorled Milkweed as a food source because it is one of the more toxic milkweed species.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois, and a bluegrass meadow near Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This small milkweed blooms later in the year than most milkweed species (Asclepias spp.), and its small umbels of flowers attract many kinds of insects, including butterflies. Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) superficially resembles the common Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) because of its whorled linear leaves. It can be distinguished from this latter species by the milky latex of its foliage and the later development of its flowers and seedpods. Field Horsetail is a spore-bearing plant that lacks true flowers. Whorled Milkweed is readily distinguished from other milkweed species in Illinois by its more narrow leaves (only 2-3 mm. across). Narrow-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla) is an exception, because its linear leaves are almost as narrow. However, this latter species has leaves that are alternate to nearly opposite along its stems, rather than whorled. So far, it has been found in only a few counties of western Illinois.
Each flower is about 5-6 mm. across and 8-10 mm. long, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column. The sepals are light green, short-pubescent, and lanceolate in shape; sometimes they are tinted purple toward their tips. These sepals are visible at the bases of flower buds, but they are hidden by the petals when the flowers bloom. The petals are white or greenish white, sometimes with pale purplish tints toward their tips; they are oblong-elliptic in shape and strongly declined (bent downward), curving slightly upward toward their tips. The erect white hoods are open-tubular in shape and somewhat oblique, their lower sides facing the center of the flower. The slender white horns are sickle-shaped and inwardly curved; there is one exserted horn per hood. The short reproductive column is white at its apex and light green below. The slender pedicels of the flowers are light green to nearly white, sometimes becoming purplish at their bases; they are 8-12 mm. long, terete, and short-pubescent. The peduncles are ½–1½" long, light to medium green, glabrous to short-pubescent, terete, and ascending. The blooming period occurs from early to late summer, lasting about 1-2 months. There is little or no floral scent. Afterwards, successfully cross-pollinated flowers are replaced by ascending to erect follicles (seedpods that open along one side). These follicles are 3-4" long and about ½" across; they are narrowly lanceoloid in shape and fairly smooth (lacking warts or soft prickles). At maturity during autumn or winter, these follicles split open to release their seeds to the wind. Mature seeds are about 4-5 mm. long, ovate-flattened in shape, brown, and narrowly winged along their margins; their apices have large tufts of white hair. The root system is fleshy-fibrous and long-rhizomatous. Colonies of clonal plants are often produced from the rhizomes.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, sand, or gravel. Infertile soil is actually preferred because it reduces competition from taller plants. During hot dry weather, the lower leaves may turn yellow and fall off, or the foliage of the entire plant may become yellowish green. In open sunny areas with exposed soil, this plant can spread aggressively.
Range & Habitat: The native Whorled Milkweed occurs occasionally throughout most of Illinois, except for a few southern counties (see Distribution Map), where it is rare or absent. Habitats include upland prairies, sand prairies, gravel prairies, hill prairies, openings in rocky upland forests, sandy savannas, limestone glades, rocky bluffs along major rivers, bluegrass meadows, pastures and abandoned fields, grassy slopes along highways, and waste areas. Whorled Milkweed is a pioneer species that prefers open disturbed areas.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including honeybees, bumblebees, Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), Halictid cuckoo bees (Sphecodes spp.), sand-loving wasps (Tachytes spp.), weevil wasps (Cerceris spp.), Sphecid wasps (Sphex spp., Prionyx spp.), Five-banded Tiphiid Wasp (Myzinum quinquecinctum), Northern Paper Wasp (Polites fuscatus), spider wasps (Anoplius spp.), Eumenine wasps (Euodynerus spp., etc.), Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies (Physocephala spp., etc.), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), Muscid flies, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and other butterflies, Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius) and other skippers, Squash Vine Borer Moth (Melittia cucurbitae) and other moths, and Pennsylvania Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus); sources of information include Robertson (1929) and personal observations. Among these floral visitors, bees and wasps are usually more effective at cross-pollination. Some insects feed destructively on the foliage, flowers, seedpods, and other parts of Whorled Milkweed. These species include the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), Yellow Milkweed Aphid (Aphis nerii), and a moth, the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera). Although this insect does not occur in Illinois, in the southwestern United States, the Horsetail Milkweed Longhorn (Tetraopes discoideus) feeds on Whorled Milkweed and closely related milkweed species (Asclepias spp.); sources of information include Betz et al. (1997), Yanega (1996), and personal observations. Mammalian herbivores usually avoid the foliage of Whorled Milkweed as a food source because it is one of the more toxic milkweed species.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois, and a bluegrass meadow near Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This small milkweed blooms later in the year than most milkweed species (Asclepias spp.), and its small umbels of flowers attract many kinds of insects, including butterflies. Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) superficially resembles the common Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) because of its whorled linear leaves. It can be distinguished from this latter species by the milky latex of its foliage and the later development of its flowers and seedpods. Field Horsetail is a spore-bearing plant that lacks true flowers. Whorled Milkweed is readily distinguished from other milkweed species in Illinois by its more narrow leaves (only 2-3 mm. across). Narrow-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla) is an exception, because its linear leaves are almost as narrow. However, this latter species has leaves that are alternate to nearly opposite along its stems, rather than whorled. So far, it has been found in only a few counties of western Illinois.
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文章
Miss Chen
2017年12月14日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is 2-3' tall and unbranched. The erect central stem is relatively stout, terete, light green, and glabrous. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the entire length of the stem; they are widely spreading to ascending (usually the latter). These leaves are 3-6" long and 1½–3" across; they are broadly oblong to ovate-oblong in shape, entire (toothless) and sometimes wavy along their margins, and either sessile or short-pedicellate. The leaf bases are rounded, while the tips of leaves are round or obtuse, tapering abruptly to a short narrow point. The upper and lower surfaces of the leaves are light-medium green and glabrous; the leaf texture is slightly fleshy. Leaf venation is pinnate; the prominent central veins are light green, pink, or purple. Each fertile plant develops 1-3 umbels of flowers (rarely more) from the apex of the central stem and the axils of the uppermost leaves. These umbels span 2–3½" across and they are slightly dome-shaped, consisting of 15-25 flowers each (rarely more).
Each flower is about ½" across and ¾" long, or slightly smaller in size, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column that is whitish. The sepals are light green to pinkish purple, lanceolate-ovate in shape, and glabrous. The petals are mostly pink to purplish pink (although white at their bases), lanceolate in shape, and declined (bent downward). The hoods are erect, open-tubular in shape, and pink to purplish pink. Each hood has an exserted horn that is sickle-shaped and incurved. The pedicels of the flowers are 1–1½" long, light green to reddish purple, and glabrous. The peduncles of the umbels are ½–3" long, light green, and terete. The blooming period occurs during early to mid-summer, lasting about 1 month. The flowers have a pleasant fragrance. Afterwards, cross-fertilized flowers (if any) are replaced by erect to ascending follicles (seedpods that open along one side) that are 3-4" long and 1–1¼" across at maturity. These follicles are light green (while immature), lanceoloid in shape, and smooth to bluntly warty. At maturity, the follicles split open to release their seeds to the wind. The seeds are brown, flattened-ovate in shape, and narrowly winged along their margins; they have large tufts of white hair at their apices. The root system is fleshy and rhizomatous, occasionally producing clonal offsets.
Cultivation: The preference is full sunlight, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil. While it can spread by means of its rhizomes, this plant is far less aggressive than Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). During dry weather, some of the lower leaves may turn yellow and fall off the plant. This also happens when the seedpods develop, which is quite normal. Active growth occurs during the late spring and early summer.
Range & Habitat: The native Prairie Milkweed is uncommon to occasional in the majority of counties in Illinois, but it is rare or absent in many counties of southern and NW Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, cemetery prairies, prairie remnants along railroads, moist meadows along rivers or near woodlands, thickets, and roadside ditches. Prairie Milkweed is an indicator plant of average to high quality prairies.
Faunal Associations: Various insects visit the flowers of Prairie Milkweed for nectar, including bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), Halictid cuckoo bees (Sphecodes spp.), sand wasps (Bembix spp.), Sphecid wasps, Ichneumonid wasps, thick-headed flies (Conopidae), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), butterflies, skippers, moths, and ants (Robertson, 1929). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird also visits the flowers for nectar. Among the various visitors, bumblebees and other long-tongued bees are the most effective in cross-pollinating the flowers. Other insects feed on the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seedpods of Prairie Milkweed and other milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). The larvae of one species, the Milkweed Leaf-miner Fly (Liriomyza asclepiadis), tunnels through the leaves of Prairie Milkweed (Betz et al., 1997). Other insects that feed on milkweeds include long-horned beetles (Tetraopes spp.), the Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), the Milkweed Stem Weevil (Rhyssomatus lineaticollis), the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), the Yellow Milkweed Aphid (Aphis nerii) and other aphids, caterpillars of a moth, the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera), and caterpillars of a butterfly, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The Insect Table provides additional information about these species. Because the foliage of Prairie Milkweed contains a white latex that is bitter-tasting and toxic, mammalian herbivores avoid consumption of this plant.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the Loda Cemetery Prairie in Iroquois County, Illinois.
Comments: Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) somewhat resembles Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in appearance, but the former species has flowers that are slightly larger in size and its leaves are hairless on their undersides. Prairie Milkweed is usually a shorter plant than Common Milkweed, and it produces fewer umbels of flowers from the axils of its leaves. Another similar species is Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). This latter species differs by having seedpods that are always smooth (rather than bluntly warty) and it has short hairs on the undersides of its leaves. In addition, the flowers of Purple Milkweed are slightly smaller in size than those of Prairie Milkweed, and they are usually more purple. Sometimes Prairie Milkweed has difficulty in forming seedpods because many flower-visiting insects are not very effective in removing and transferring pollinia from one plant to another. In addition, it is not uncommon for some of these insects to become entrapped on the flowers and unable to escape. Another common name of this plant is Sullivant's Milkweed.
Each flower is about ½" across and ¾" long, or slightly smaller in size, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column that is whitish. The sepals are light green to pinkish purple, lanceolate-ovate in shape, and glabrous. The petals are mostly pink to purplish pink (although white at their bases), lanceolate in shape, and declined (bent downward). The hoods are erect, open-tubular in shape, and pink to purplish pink. Each hood has an exserted horn that is sickle-shaped and incurved. The pedicels of the flowers are 1–1½" long, light green to reddish purple, and glabrous. The peduncles of the umbels are ½–3" long, light green, and terete. The blooming period occurs during early to mid-summer, lasting about 1 month. The flowers have a pleasant fragrance. Afterwards, cross-fertilized flowers (if any) are replaced by erect to ascending follicles (seedpods that open along one side) that are 3-4" long and 1–1¼" across at maturity. These follicles are light green (while immature), lanceoloid in shape, and smooth to bluntly warty. At maturity, the follicles split open to release their seeds to the wind. The seeds are brown, flattened-ovate in shape, and narrowly winged along their margins; they have large tufts of white hair at their apices. The root system is fleshy and rhizomatous, occasionally producing clonal offsets.
Cultivation: The preference is full sunlight, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil. While it can spread by means of its rhizomes, this plant is far less aggressive than Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). During dry weather, some of the lower leaves may turn yellow and fall off the plant. This also happens when the seedpods develop, which is quite normal. Active growth occurs during the late spring and early summer.
Range & Habitat: The native Prairie Milkweed is uncommon to occasional in the majority of counties in Illinois, but it is rare or absent in many counties of southern and NW Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, cemetery prairies, prairie remnants along railroads, moist meadows along rivers or near woodlands, thickets, and roadside ditches. Prairie Milkweed is an indicator plant of average to high quality prairies.
Faunal Associations: Various insects visit the flowers of Prairie Milkweed for nectar, including bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), Halictid cuckoo bees (Sphecodes spp.), sand wasps (Bembix spp.), Sphecid wasps, Ichneumonid wasps, thick-headed flies (Conopidae), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), butterflies, skippers, moths, and ants (Robertson, 1929). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird also visits the flowers for nectar. Among the various visitors, bumblebees and other long-tongued bees are the most effective in cross-pollinating the flowers. Other insects feed on the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seedpods of Prairie Milkweed and other milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). The larvae of one species, the Milkweed Leaf-miner Fly (Liriomyza asclepiadis), tunnels through the leaves of Prairie Milkweed (Betz et al., 1997). Other insects that feed on milkweeds include long-horned beetles (Tetraopes spp.), the Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), the Milkweed Stem Weevil (Rhyssomatus lineaticollis), the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), the Yellow Milkweed Aphid (Aphis nerii) and other aphids, caterpillars of a moth, the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera), and caterpillars of a butterfly, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The Insect Table provides additional information about these species. Because the foliage of Prairie Milkweed contains a white latex that is bitter-tasting and toxic, mammalian herbivores avoid consumption of this plant.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the Loda Cemetery Prairie in Iroquois County, Illinois.
Comments: Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) somewhat resembles Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in appearance, but the former species has flowers that are slightly larger in size and its leaves are hairless on their undersides. Prairie Milkweed is usually a shorter plant than Common Milkweed, and it produces fewer umbels of flowers from the axils of its leaves. Another similar species is Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). This latter species differs by having seedpods that are always smooth (rather than bluntly warty) and it has short hairs on the undersides of its leaves. In addition, the flowers of Purple Milkweed are slightly smaller in size than those of Prairie Milkweed, and they are usually more purple. Sometimes Prairie Milkweed has difficulty in forming seedpods because many flower-visiting insects are not very effective in removing and transferring pollinia from one plant to another. In addition, it is not uncommon for some of these insects to become entrapped on the flowers and unable to escape. Another common name of this plant is Sullivant's Milkweed.
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文章
Miss Chen
2017年12月13日
Description: This perennial wildflower is 8-20" tall, erect, and unbranched. The central stem is light green to brown, terete, and canescent to short-pubescent. Pairs of opposite leaves occur at intervals along the central stem. The leaf blades are 2-3" long and ¾–1½" across; they are lanceolate, ovate, or oval in shape and their margins are smooth. The upper surfaces of the blades are green and hairless, while their lower surfaces are pale green and canescent to short-pubescent. On each blade, the lateral veins extend outward from the central vein toward the outer margins. The petioles are about ¼" in length. The central stem terminates in a a dome-shaped umbel of flowers about 1½–2" across; there are usually 1-3 additional umbels of flowers that develop from the axils of the upper leaves. Each umbel has 8-24 flowers that are more or less white. Individual flowers are about ¼" across, consisting of a short reproductive column in the center, 5 surrounding hoods with inwardly curving horns, and 5 drooping corolla lobes. The hoods are white or cream-colored, while the corolla lobes are white, greenish white, or pale purplish white. The slender pedicels of the flowers are about ¾–1" long and short-pubescent.
Flowering Plant
The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer and lasts about 3 weeks. Fertilized flowers are replaced by spindle-shaped seedpods (follicles) about 2-3" long that have smooth and canescent outer surfaces. These seedpods are held erect. At maturity, each seedpod splits open along one side, releasing seeds with tufts of light brown hair. The seeds are distributed by the wind. The root system is rhizomatous.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, dry conditions, and sandy soil; other kinds of soil are tolerated, if water drainage is good. This small milkweed could be cultivated in rock gardens.
Range & Habitat: The native Oval-Leaved Milkweed is rare in Illinois and state-listed as endangered; it is found in only a few northeastern counties. This milkweed is more typical of prairies in the northern plains; Illinois lies at the southeastern limit of its range. Habitats include hill prairies and dry sand prairies, typical savannas and sandy savannas, and openings in upland oak woodlands. Occasional wildfires are probably beneficial as this reduces the encroachment of woody vegetation. Oval-Leaved Milkweed is found in high quality natural areas.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, wasps, ants, butterflies and skippers, and probably some moths. Ants are nectar robbers, but they may provide the flowering plant with some protection from aphids and other small insects. Little information about floral-faunal relationships is available for this milkweed specifically, but in general milkweed species (Asclepias spp.) attract a distinctive group of insects that feed on the leaves and other parts of these plants. These insect feeders include the weevil Rhyssomatus lineaticollis, Lygaeus kalmii (Small Milkweed Bug), Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug), Tetraopes basalis (Milkweed Longhorn), Tetraopes femoratus (Large Red Milkweed Beetle), Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Red Milkweed Beetle), Aphis nerii (Introduced Milkweed Aphid), the aphids Myzocallis asclepiadis and Myzocallis punctatus, the moths Cycnia inopinatus (Unexpected Cycnia) and Cycnia tenera (Delicate Cycnia), and the butterfly Danaus plexippus (Monarch). Because the foliage is toxic and bitter as a result of its milky latex, mammalian herbivores usually avoid milkweeds. Sometimes, the Eastern Goldfinch uses the tufted hairs of the seeds in the construction of its nests.
Photographic Location: A nature preserve in Cook County, Illinois. The photograph of the flowering plant was taken by Lisa Culp (Copyright © 2009).
Comments: This little-known milkweed has reasonably attractive flowers and foliage. It is one of several milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) in Illinois with flowers that are more or less white. To identify Oval-Leaved Milkweed correctly, the following two characteristics should be considered: 1) its stems and leaf undersides are canescent or short-pubescent, rather than hairless or long-haired, and 2) its larger leaves are usually ovate to oval, rather than linear or lanceolate. For example, the white-flowered Asclepias lanuginosa (Woolly Milkweed) has more slender leaves and its stems are covered with spreading hairs. This latter milkweed produces only a single terminal umbel of flowers per plant, while Oval-Leaved Milkweed often produces 1-3 axillary umbels of flowers. Other common names of Asclepias ovalifolia are Dwarf Milkweed and Oval Milkweed.
Flowering Plant
The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer and lasts about 3 weeks. Fertilized flowers are replaced by spindle-shaped seedpods (follicles) about 2-3" long that have smooth and canescent outer surfaces. These seedpods are held erect. At maturity, each seedpod splits open along one side, releasing seeds with tufts of light brown hair. The seeds are distributed by the wind. The root system is rhizomatous.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, dry conditions, and sandy soil; other kinds of soil are tolerated, if water drainage is good. This small milkweed could be cultivated in rock gardens.
Range & Habitat: The native Oval-Leaved Milkweed is rare in Illinois and state-listed as endangered; it is found in only a few northeastern counties. This milkweed is more typical of prairies in the northern plains; Illinois lies at the southeastern limit of its range. Habitats include hill prairies and dry sand prairies, typical savannas and sandy savannas, and openings in upland oak woodlands. Occasional wildfires are probably beneficial as this reduces the encroachment of woody vegetation. Oval-Leaved Milkweed is found in high quality natural areas.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, wasps, ants, butterflies and skippers, and probably some moths. Ants are nectar robbers, but they may provide the flowering plant with some protection from aphids and other small insects. Little information about floral-faunal relationships is available for this milkweed specifically, but in general milkweed species (Asclepias spp.) attract a distinctive group of insects that feed on the leaves and other parts of these plants. These insect feeders include the weevil Rhyssomatus lineaticollis, Lygaeus kalmii (Small Milkweed Bug), Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug), Tetraopes basalis (Milkweed Longhorn), Tetraopes femoratus (Large Red Milkweed Beetle), Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Red Milkweed Beetle), Aphis nerii (Introduced Milkweed Aphid), the aphids Myzocallis asclepiadis and Myzocallis punctatus, the moths Cycnia inopinatus (Unexpected Cycnia) and Cycnia tenera (Delicate Cycnia), and the butterfly Danaus plexippus (Monarch). Because the foliage is toxic and bitter as a result of its milky latex, mammalian herbivores usually avoid milkweeds. Sometimes, the Eastern Goldfinch uses the tufted hairs of the seeds in the construction of its nests.
Photographic Location: A nature preserve in Cook County, Illinois. The photograph of the flowering plant was taken by Lisa Culp (Copyright © 2009).
Comments: This little-known milkweed has reasonably attractive flowers and foliage. It is one of several milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) in Illinois with flowers that are more or less white. To identify Oval-Leaved Milkweed correctly, the following two characteristics should be considered: 1) its stems and leaf undersides are canescent or short-pubescent, rather than hairless or long-haired, and 2) its larger leaves are usually ovate to oval, rather than linear or lanceolate. For example, the white-flowered Asclepias lanuginosa (Woolly Milkweed) has more slender leaves and its stems are covered with spreading hairs. This latter milkweed produces only a single terminal umbel of flowers per plant, while Oval-Leaved Milkweed often produces 1-3 axillary umbels of flowers. Other common names of Asclepias ovalifolia are Dwarf Milkweed and Oval Milkweed.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月13日
Description: This perennial wildflower is 1½–3' tall, producing one or more unbranched stems at the base that are erect to ascending. The stems are light green to reddish green and glabrous to densely pubescent. Along each stem, there are numerous alternate leaves that are ascending to widely spreading. Individual leaves are 2-6" long and 1/8-1/2" (3-12 mm.) across; they are linear to linear-lanceolate and smooth along their margins. Their upper surfaces are medium green and glabrous. The leaves often curve upward along their central veins. The petioles of the leaves are about ¼" long and light green. Globoid umbels of greenish white flowers about 1½-2" across develop from the axils of the middle to upper leaves (one umbel per leaf). Each umbel has 30-100 flowers on pedicels about ½-¾" long. The slender pedicels are light green and pubescent. Individual flowers are about 1/8" (3 mm.) across and 1/4" (6 mm.) long. Each flower has 5 sepals, a corolla with 5 narrow lobes, 5 upright hoods without horns, and a short central column containing the reproductive organs. The lobes of the corolla hang downward from the face of the flower (pointing toward the center of the umbel). The lobes are mostly greenish white, although they become purplish toward their tips. The peduncles of the umbels are about 1-1½" long, light green, and pubescent. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late summer and lasts about 2 months. Fertile flowers develop into follicles (seedpods that split open along one side) about 4-5" long and up to ½" across that are narrowly lanceoloid in shape. The surface of each follicle is canescent and smooth. Each follicle contain numerous seeds with tufts of white hair that are released to the wind at maturity. The root system consists of a taproot. This wildflower spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, moist to dry conditions, and sandy or gravelly soil. Soil containing loam or clay-loam is also tolerated.
Range & Habitat: Tall Green Milkweed is occasional throughout Illinois. It is a native herbaceous plant. Habitats include dry-mesic railroad prairies, sand prairies, rocky glades, edges of sandy wetlands, roadsides, pastures, and abandoned fields. This milkweed can be found in both high quality habitats and disturbed areas that are sunny.
Faunal Associations: The flowers of Tall Green Milkweed are cross-pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees and wasps. Bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, and leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.). To a lesser extent, the flowers also attractsmall butterflies and day-flying moths (e.g., Cisseps fulvicollis). These insects obtain nectar from the flowers. Milkweeds attract a special group of insects that are oligophagous on various parts of these plants. These insect feeders include caterpillars of the butterfly Danaus plexippus (Monarch) and caterpillars of the moths Cycnia inopinatus (Unexpected Cycnia), Cycnia tenera (Delicate Cycnia), and Euchaetes egle (Milkweed Tiger Moth). Some of these moths seem to prefer some Asclepias spp. over others. The larvae of some long-horned beetles bore through the stems and roots of milkweeds, specifically: Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Red Milkweed Beetle), Tetraopes femoratus (Large Red Milkweed Beetle), and Tetraopes quinquemaculatus. This last species has been found on Tall Green Milkweed. When the follicles of milkweeds are present, the seeds are eaten by Lygaeus kalmii (Small Milkweed Bug) and Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug). Occasionally, aphids are found on the upper stems and leaf undersides; these species include Aphis asclepiadis, Myzocallis asclepiadis, Myzocallis punctatus, and Aphis nerii (Introduced Milkweed Aphid). Because the milky latex of the leaves and stems contain cardiac glycosides and possess a bitter flavor, they are usually avoided by mammalian herbivores. The White-Footed Mouse eats the seeds of milkweeds to a minor extent, while the Eastern Goldfinch uses the silky hairs of the seeds in the construction of its nests.
Photographic Location: A prairie in Fayette County, Illinois. The photograph of the flowering plant was taken by Keith & Patty Horn (Copyright © 2009). A caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly is conspicuous in this photo.
Comments: Tall Green Milkweed is one of the lesser known species of milkweed that is occasionally found in upland prairies. It is distinguished primarily by its greenish white umbels of flowers, lack of horns in the hoods of the flowers, and narrow alternate leaves. It also produces more umbels of flowers per plant than most milkweeds. Other milkweeds usually have opposite leaves. A somewhat similar species, Asclepias viridiflora (Short Green Milkweed), is a shorter plant with pairs of opposite leaves. It produces only 1-2 umbels of flowers that nod downward. Another similar species, Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed), is a smaller plant with whorls of grass-like leaves; these leaves are more narrow (filiform-linear) than those of Tall Green Milkweed.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, moist to dry conditions, and sandy or gravelly soil. Soil containing loam or clay-loam is also tolerated.
Range & Habitat: Tall Green Milkweed is occasional throughout Illinois. It is a native herbaceous plant. Habitats include dry-mesic railroad prairies, sand prairies, rocky glades, edges of sandy wetlands, roadsides, pastures, and abandoned fields. This milkweed can be found in both high quality habitats and disturbed areas that are sunny.
Faunal Associations: The flowers of Tall Green Milkweed are cross-pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees and wasps. Bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, and leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.). To a lesser extent, the flowers also attractsmall butterflies and day-flying moths (e.g., Cisseps fulvicollis). These insects obtain nectar from the flowers. Milkweeds attract a special group of insects that are oligophagous on various parts of these plants. These insect feeders include caterpillars of the butterfly Danaus plexippus (Monarch) and caterpillars of the moths Cycnia inopinatus (Unexpected Cycnia), Cycnia tenera (Delicate Cycnia), and Euchaetes egle (Milkweed Tiger Moth). Some of these moths seem to prefer some Asclepias spp. over others. The larvae of some long-horned beetles bore through the stems and roots of milkweeds, specifically: Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Red Milkweed Beetle), Tetraopes femoratus (Large Red Milkweed Beetle), and Tetraopes quinquemaculatus. This last species has been found on Tall Green Milkweed. When the follicles of milkweeds are present, the seeds are eaten by Lygaeus kalmii (Small Milkweed Bug) and Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug). Occasionally, aphids are found on the upper stems and leaf undersides; these species include Aphis asclepiadis, Myzocallis asclepiadis, Myzocallis punctatus, and Aphis nerii (Introduced Milkweed Aphid). Because the milky latex of the leaves and stems contain cardiac glycosides and possess a bitter flavor, they are usually avoided by mammalian herbivores. The White-Footed Mouse eats the seeds of milkweeds to a minor extent, while the Eastern Goldfinch uses the silky hairs of the seeds in the construction of its nests.
Photographic Location: A prairie in Fayette County, Illinois. The photograph of the flowering plant was taken by Keith & Patty Horn (Copyright © 2009). A caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly is conspicuous in this photo.
Comments: Tall Green Milkweed is one of the lesser known species of milkweed that is occasionally found in upland prairies. It is distinguished primarily by its greenish white umbels of flowers, lack of horns in the hoods of the flowers, and narrow alternate leaves. It also produces more umbels of flowers per plant than most milkweeds. Other milkweeds usually have opposite leaves. A somewhat similar species, Asclepias viridiflora (Short Green Milkweed), is a shorter plant with pairs of opposite leaves. It produces only 1-2 umbels of flowers that nod downward. Another similar species, Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed), is a smaller plant with whorls of grass-like leaves; these leaves are more narrow (filiform-linear) than those of Tall Green Milkweed.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月09日
Growing mushrooms at home allows you to save money and enjoy delicious varieties of mushrooms each day with every meal. Because mushrooms do not contain the green chlorophyll that's found within other types of plants, this fungus relies on drawing all nourishment from the soil and water. To grow mushrooms, start by harvesting mushroom spores from dried mushrooms. Carefully monitor the mushrooms until they are fully developed and ready for consumption.
Collecting Spores
Step 1
Cut the stems off several fresh mushrooms and lay each mushroom on a piece of laminated card-stock paper. If possible, lay each mushroom cap with gills facing down, against the laminated paper.
Step 2
Place plastic bowls over each mushroom cap. Turn a dehumidifier on near the covered mushroom caps. The tiny gap between the card and the bowl allows the dehydrator to dry the mushroom caps, but prevents the mushroom spores from escaping.
Step 3
Allow the mushroom caps to sit under the plastic bowls overnight with the dehumidifier running. The next day, remove the plastic bowls and reserve the dried mushrooms for cooking, but notice the powdery white or black film on the laminated paper piece. This dusty substance is thousands of mushroom spores that have dropped straight down from the mushroom gills.
Planting and Growing Mushrooms
Step 1
Cut straw into sections between 3 and 6 inches long. Place the straw in a container and sterilize the straw by pouring boiling water over it to kill any unwanted bacteria.
Step 2
Pour the hot water off the straw and allow the straw to cool down to room temperature. While it cools, mix the mushroom spores from the laminated paper with the damp grains.
Step 3
Place the spore and damp grain mixture over a 1 to 2-inch layer of straw inside a plastic container.
Step 4
Monitor the grown as the mushroom spores and grain develop into a spore colony that creates a root structure for the mushroom network. The roots, called mycelium, develop into white and lacy filaments.
Step 5
Sterilize a collection of peat moss using the same method described in steps 1 and 2. Place the drained peat moss over the mushroom root structure and allow the mushrooms to grow up and through the peat moss over a period of days or weeks.
Collecting Spores
Step 1
Cut the stems off several fresh mushrooms and lay each mushroom on a piece of laminated card-stock paper. If possible, lay each mushroom cap with gills facing down, against the laminated paper.
Step 2
Place plastic bowls over each mushroom cap. Turn a dehumidifier on near the covered mushroom caps. The tiny gap between the card and the bowl allows the dehydrator to dry the mushroom caps, but prevents the mushroom spores from escaping.
Step 3
Allow the mushroom caps to sit under the plastic bowls overnight with the dehumidifier running. The next day, remove the plastic bowls and reserve the dried mushrooms for cooking, but notice the powdery white or black film on the laminated paper piece. This dusty substance is thousands of mushroom spores that have dropped straight down from the mushroom gills.
Planting and Growing Mushrooms
Step 1
Cut straw into sections between 3 and 6 inches long. Place the straw in a container and sterilize the straw by pouring boiling water over it to kill any unwanted bacteria.
Step 2
Pour the hot water off the straw and allow the straw to cool down to room temperature. While it cools, mix the mushroom spores from the laminated paper with the damp grains.
Step 3
Place the spore and damp grain mixture over a 1 to 2-inch layer of straw inside a plastic container.
Step 4
Monitor the grown as the mushroom spores and grain develop into a spore colony that creates a root structure for the mushroom network. The roots, called mycelium, develop into white and lacy filaments.
Step 5
Sterilize a collection of peat moss using the same method described in steps 1 and 2. Place the drained peat moss over the mushroom root structure and allow the mushrooms to grow up and through the peat moss over a period of days or weeks.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月04日
Mushrooms are fungi that have very different growing requirements from those of green plants. Mushrooms come in many varieties, but they have similar growing needs. The easiest mushrooms for new growers to cultivate are oyster mushrooms, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. White button and shiitake mushrooms are two other popular choices. Mushrooms may be grown in almost any container. With the right growing medium and conditions, you can have delicious and fresh mushrooms for your culinary needs.
Step 1
Fill your container with hardwood chips, chopped cereal straws, such as wheat, or shredded corn cobs. Mushrooms contain no chlorophyll, the substance that makes leaves green, and must obtain their nutrients from their growing medium.
Step 2
Moisten the growing medium with water, keeping it warm and consistently damp. Turn it often with a hand-held rake to make sure the mixture has adequate oxygen. The growing medium will reach temperatures of 145 degrees. This unique compost contains the nutrients mushrooms need to grow.
Step 3
Place the container with the composted growing medium on a heating pad to keep the temperature of the growing medium about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4
Sprinkle the mushroom spawn over the growing medium. Mushrooms don't grow by seed but by spawn, or microscopic spores. One mushroom can produce up to 16 billion spores according to Fresh Mushrooms.
Step 5
Keep your container in an area of your house that receives little to no sunlight, such as a basement or even a closet. The location should be easily accessible as the growing mushrooms need supervision.
Step 6
Lower the temperature of the soil to between 55 and 60 degrees F once the spawn has rooted. You will notice filaments spreading through the growing medium. This takes about three weeks according to Gardening Know How.
Step 7
Cover the spawn with one inch of garden soil. Lay a damp cloth over the soil and the entire container. Keep the cloth and the soil damp, but not wet. This will provide your mushrooms with the humidity and moisture they need to grow.
Step 8
Harvest your mushrooms when the cap has separated from the stem. It takes between 17 and 25 days for mushrooms to mature, according to Fresh Mushrooms.
Step 1
Fill your container with hardwood chips, chopped cereal straws, such as wheat, or shredded corn cobs. Mushrooms contain no chlorophyll, the substance that makes leaves green, and must obtain their nutrients from their growing medium.
Step 2
Moisten the growing medium with water, keeping it warm and consistently damp. Turn it often with a hand-held rake to make sure the mixture has adequate oxygen. The growing medium will reach temperatures of 145 degrees. This unique compost contains the nutrients mushrooms need to grow.
Step 3
Place the container with the composted growing medium on a heating pad to keep the temperature of the growing medium about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4
Sprinkle the mushroom spawn over the growing medium. Mushrooms don't grow by seed but by spawn, or microscopic spores. One mushroom can produce up to 16 billion spores according to Fresh Mushrooms.
Step 5
Keep your container in an area of your house that receives little to no sunlight, such as a basement or even a closet. The location should be easily accessible as the growing mushrooms need supervision.
Step 6
Lower the temperature of the soil to between 55 and 60 degrees F once the spawn has rooted. You will notice filaments spreading through the growing medium. This takes about three weeks according to Gardening Know How.
Step 7
Cover the spawn with one inch of garden soil. Lay a damp cloth over the soil and the entire container. Keep the cloth and the soil damp, but not wet. This will provide your mushrooms with the humidity and moisture they need to grow.
Step 8
Harvest your mushrooms when the cap has separated from the stem. It takes between 17 and 25 days for mushrooms to mature, according to Fresh Mushrooms.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月01日
Mushrooms are collectibles and mushroom hunting is a venerable pastime. The fungi grow in woods on rotting logs, in the middle of a green lawn overnight and on clumps of decomposing cow dung in pastures. For thousands of years, people have been finding and consuming mushrooms for their taste, nutritional value and sometimes for their psychotropic effects. The mushrooms that grow on cow dung cover the spectrum from common edibles to exotic hallucinogens.
Edible
About 3,000 of the known 14,000 types of mushrooms are edible and one of the most common edible mushrooms is the simple 'button" mushroom, the Agaricus bisporus. Today those mushrooms are grown as a commercial cash crop in China and farmers use compost on bamboo shelves with steam humidity to force the fungi to grow. The compost can be made of easily obtained local materials and one simple mix is a base of paddy straw mixed with cow dung. In the U.S. button mushroom farmers use composts of decomposing plant matter with horse or poultry manure. White button mushrooms are sold fresh, canned, pickled and marinated and in soups and sauces.
Inedible
Mushrooms are fungi and some of them are highly poisonous, so it is safest to consume market mushrooms from a reputable source. The Cyathus striatus is one you should photograph and leave in the field. The mushrooms are brownish to reddish-brown on the exterior and black inside, under the cap. Younger Cyathus striatus are slightly shaggy or hairy looking but the cone-shaped caps smooth out with maturity. They grow very densely in North America on organic debris, all kinds of dung including cow patties, on wood chips, sawdust and even on soil that has been fertilized with manure. Their season is July through October and they should not be eaten so, if you stumble across them on a mushroom hunt, keep searching.
Illegal
The most famous cow dung fungi are members of the Psilocybe cubensis family – so-called psychedelic mushrooms or 'shrooms. They spring up all over the world where cattle have been grazing and prefer to grow directly on cow patties, most often those that are decomposing in the field. The 'shrooms grow in warm climates and appear from February to November. They have large yellow-brown caps that lighten as they mature and when bruised they turn blue. Their spores are spread by cattle egrets, Crested Caracara birds, the wind and by the feet of humans and cattle moving around the field. Traditionally, native tribes used, and still use, hallucinogenic mushrooms in rituals and P. cubensis is the most widely cultivated and consumed of the psychedelics. The mushrooms were extremely popular in the sixties and people still hunt for them at night in cattle pastures. It is illegal to possess P. cubensis in the United States.
Edible
About 3,000 of the known 14,000 types of mushrooms are edible and one of the most common edible mushrooms is the simple 'button" mushroom, the Agaricus bisporus. Today those mushrooms are grown as a commercial cash crop in China and farmers use compost on bamboo shelves with steam humidity to force the fungi to grow. The compost can be made of easily obtained local materials and one simple mix is a base of paddy straw mixed with cow dung. In the U.S. button mushroom farmers use composts of decomposing plant matter with horse or poultry manure. White button mushrooms are sold fresh, canned, pickled and marinated and in soups and sauces.
Inedible
Mushrooms are fungi and some of them are highly poisonous, so it is safest to consume market mushrooms from a reputable source. The Cyathus striatus is one you should photograph and leave in the field. The mushrooms are brownish to reddish-brown on the exterior and black inside, under the cap. Younger Cyathus striatus are slightly shaggy or hairy looking but the cone-shaped caps smooth out with maturity. They grow very densely in North America on organic debris, all kinds of dung including cow patties, on wood chips, sawdust and even on soil that has been fertilized with manure. Their season is July through October and they should not be eaten so, if you stumble across them on a mushroom hunt, keep searching.
Illegal
The most famous cow dung fungi are members of the Psilocybe cubensis family – so-called psychedelic mushrooms or 'shrooms. They spring up all over the world where cattle have been grazing and prefer to grow directly on cow patties, most often those that are decomposing in the field. The 'shrooms grow in warm climates and appear from February to November. They have large yellow-brown caps that lighten as they mature and when bruised they turn blue. Their spores are spread by cattle egrets, Crested Caracara birds, the wind and by the feet of humans and cattle moving around the field. Traditionally, native tribes used, and still use, hallucinogenic mushrooms in rituals and P. cubensis is the most widely cultivated and consumed of the psychedelics. The mushrooms were extremely popular in the sixties and people still hunt for them at night in cattle pastures. It is illegal to possess P. cubensis in the United States.
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Miss Chen
2017年11月25日
Tomato plants (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) technically produce fruits, but people use the fruits as vegetables in salads and other dishes too numerous to list. Unfortunately, squirrels eat tomato fruits, too, passing up unripe green ones to eat only those that are ripe red. Foiling hungry squirrels is never simple. Tomato plants usually are grown as annuals.
Use Dogs and Cats
The old-fashioned method of letting a dog roam the garden is one way of discouraging squirrels from eating tomato fruits. They don't like cats either. Cats prey on squirrels.
Not all dogs are equal for this chore. Some dogs are squirrel specialists. For example, the American squirrel dog is bred to chase squirrels. A German pinscher is specifically bred to chase squirrels and other rodents.
Build Physical Barriers
Keep squirrels from eating your tomato fruits by covering your plants with plastic bird netting, chicken wire or hardware cloth; all of those barrier items are available at many garden supply centers. Whether or not this method is practical depends on the variety of tomato plants you grow.
Indeterminate tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, yield fruits all summer, but those plants are climbers that need to be staked. They can grow 10 to 12 feet tall, although 6 to 8 feet is more usual, hardly a size that you can easily surround with a barrier.
Determinate tomatoes, which usually bear fruits in late June, typically remain under 5 feet tall. So they are possible candidates for covering with bird netting.
Dwarf tomatoes, which are hybrid determinate cultivars, grow as low as 3 feet high and spread 3 feet wide. They are small enough to cover with bird netting or even chicken wire or hardware cloth.
Cage small determinate or dwarf tomato plants by encircling each of them with chicken wire and stringing bird netting over each one's top. Fasten the netting in place with clothespins. When you harvest your tomato fruits, simply remove the netting, and then put it back in place.
Wrap individual ripening tomato fruits with bird netting.
Use Smell, Bad and Good
Squirrels can smell predators, including dogs and cats, and avoid predator-scented areas. Collect dog or cat hair in a vacuum cleaner, or get some from a pet store. Put the hair in a nylon stocking or porous bag, and place the stocking or bag at the foot of your tomato plants. A variation of this method is to spray urine from wolves or other squirrel predators on the ground at the base of your tomato plants. Some garden supply stores offer predator urine.
Squirrels avoid the odor of blood meal, too. It is a dry powder extracted from slaughterhouse waste and sometimes is used as an organic fertilizer; it is available at plant nurseries and garden supply centers. Spread blood meal on the soil around your tomato plants, using fewer than 4 ounces of blood meal per 1 square yard. Blood meal contains high levels of ammonia and nitrogen; so do not apply more than that amount.
Combine 5 ounces bottle of hot pepper sauce and 1 teaspoon of a liquid, mild detergent with 1 gallon of water, and spray the mixture on the bases of your tomato plants. Respray the plants with the mixture every few days for two weeks while the squirrels learn to avoid your tomatoes. Also respray after it rains.
Establish a squirrel hangout with peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds and other food squirrels eat; you could even include some tomatoes in the mix. Give the squirrels water at the hangout, too. Place the hangout in an isolated spot well away from your tomatoes. If they get their fill at the hangout, they'll have no reason to raid your tomatoes.
Use Water and Motion
Install a motion-activated sprinkler that will douse the critters with water when they invade your garden.
Another option is to install pinwheels, compact disks or aluminum pie tins in your garden. They will move and flash whenever the wind blows. These items work for a while, and then squirrels get used to them and go for the garden's tomatoes.
Use Dogs and Cats
The old-fashioned method of letting a dog roam the garden is one way of discouraging squirrels from eating tomato fruits. They don't like cats either. Cats prey on squirrels.
Not all dogs are equal for this chore. Some dogs are squirrel specialists. For example, the American squirrel dog is bred to chase squirrels. A German pinscher is specifically bred to chase squirrels and other rodents.
Build Physical Barriers
Keep squirrels from eating your tomato fruits by covering your plants with plastic bird netting, chicken wire or hardware cloth; all of those barrier items are available at many garden supply centers. Whether or not this method is practical depends on the variety of tomato plants you grow.
Indeterminate tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, yield fruits all summer, but those plants are climbers that need to be staked. They can grow 10 to 12 feet tall, although 6 to 8 feet is more usual, hardly a size that you can easily surround with a barrier.
Determinate tomatoes, which usually bear fruits in late June, typically remain under 5 feet tall. So they are possible candidates for covering with bird netting.
Dwarf tomatoes, which are hybrid determinate cultivars, grow as low as 3 feet high and spread 3 feet wide. They are small enough to cover with bird netting or even chicken wire or hardware cloth.
Cage small determinate or dwarf tomato plants by encircling each of them with chicken wire and stringing bird netting over each one's top. Fasten the netting in place with clothespins. When you harvest your tomato fruits, simply remove the netting, and then put it back in place.
Wrap individual ripening tomato fruits with bird netting.
Use Smell, Bad and Good
Squirrels can smell predators, including dogs and cats, and avoid predator-scented areas. Collect dog or cat hair in a vacuum cleaner, or get some from a pet store. Put the hair in a nylon stocking or porous bag, and place the stocking or bag at the foot of your tomato plants. A variation of this method is to spray urine from wolves or other squirrel predators on the ground at the base of your tomato plants. Some garden supply stores offer predator urine.
Squirrels avoid the odor of blood meal, too. It is a dry powder extracted from slaughterhouse waste and sometimes is used as an organic fertilizer; it is available at plant nurseries and garden supply centers. Spread blood meal on the soil around your tomato plants, using fewer than 4 ounces of blood meal per 1 square yard. Blood meal contains high levels of ammonia and nitrogen; so do not apply more than that amount.
Combine 5 ounces bottle of hot pepper sauce and 1 teaspoon of a liquid, mild detergent with 1 gallon of water, and spray the mixture on the bases of your tomato plants. Respray the plants with the mixture every few days for two weeks while the squirrels learn to avoid your tomatoes. Also respray after it rains.
Establish a squirrel hangout with peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds and other food squirrels eat; you could even include some tomatoes in the mix. Give the squirrels water at the hangout, too. Place the hangout in an isolated spot well away from your tomatoes. If they get their fill at the hangout, they'll have no reason to raid your tomatoes.
Use Water and Motion
Install a motion-activated sprinkler that will douse the critters with water when they invade your garden.
Another option is to install pinwheels, compact disks or aluminum pie tins in your garden. They will move and flash whenever the wind blows. These items work for a while, and then squirrels get used to them and go for the garden's tomatoes.
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Miss Chen
2017年11月19日
If you're interested in growing herbs, consider adding rosemary (Rosmarinus officianalis) to your list. Its delicate foliage is an attractive grayish-green and the plant fills the environment with its herbal aroma. Rosemary is generally easy to grow, but it might develop some problems if it's not given correct conditions or develops disease or pest problems. Catching these problems early can be essential to keep a rosemary plant in tip-top shape.
Not Enough Water
Rosemary grows outdoors year round in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, but it also makes a good potted houseplant. Native to rocky and sandy Mediterranean regions, it requires excellent drainage to thrive. The plant only needs a modest amount of water and tolerates drought well once established. But like any plant, insufficient water can cause its foliage to wilt; if this happens, test the soil with your fingertip and, if it's dry several inches deep, water the plant well.
If you've caught the problem in time, the plant should revive and be undamaged. In future, water whenever the top few inches of soil feels dry to your fingertip.
Over-Watering and Fungus
A wilting rosemary plant can also indicate over-watering, a situation that tends to promote root rot. If the problem's not corrected, roots become slimy and soft, and stems wilt and eventually die back. Overly wet conditions can promote other fungal problems, such as powdery mildew, a disorder that causes fluffy white fungus to grow on stems and foliage; eventually, these plant parts dry up and die. In either case, trim away damaged parts of the plant, using shears to cut into healthy tissue below the damaged areas. Clean your blades with rubbing alcohol between cuts to prevent spreading disease.
If the plant's soil is wet and soggy, and some roots are affected, remove the plant from the soil, trim off damaged roots and replant the rosemary in fresh soil. You can also dust cut roots and stems with cinnamon, a natural fungicide, to help the plant recover. If all the plant's roots are affected, the problem probably can't be corrected and it's best to discard the plant.
Pest Problems
A rosemary plant can also attract several types of pests. These include aphids, which are soft-bodied greenish pests, and spittlebugs which leave a white, frothy liquid on the plant. Whiteflies, which are tiny whitish flying insects, might also appear. You might also see evidence of spider mites, microscopic pests that leave visible webs covering young leaves and stems. All these pests suck plant juices, causing foliage to wilt, dry up and eventually drop from the plant.
Control a minor infestation by washing them off the plant with a strong stream of water. If an infestation becomes severe, spray the rosemary plant with insecticidal soap until it's dripping wet. Dilute the soap at a rate of 5 tablespoons per gallon of water, and repeat the spray every week or two, as needed.
Preventing Problems
Planting rosemary in the garden in a spot that gets full sun and has excellent drainage helps prevent problems with fungus. Rosemary can spread to reach a width of 2 to 4 feet, so space multiple plants at least 2 feet apart to ensure good air circulation, which also helps prevent fungal growth. If your soil contains clay and tends to drain slowly, add some coarse sand at planting to improve its drainage, or plant rosemary in a raised bed.
If you grow rosemary indoors as a houseplant ensure the container has a drainage hole, keep it well-spaced from other plants and always let the plant drain well after watering; never let its pot sit in a water-filled saucer.
Whether indoors or in the garden, check plants often for pest problems, because these are best controlled when caught early, before damage is severe.
Not Enough Water
Rosemary grows outdoors year round in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, but it also makes a good potted houseplant. Native to rocky and sandy Mediterranean regions, it requires excellent drainage to thrive. The plant only needs a modest amount of water and tolerates drought well once established. But like any plant, insufficient water can cause its foliage to wilt; if this happens, test the soil with your fingertip and, if it's dry several inches deep, water the plant well.
If you've caught the problem in time, the plant should revive and be undamaged. In future, water whenever the top few inches of soil feels dry to your fingertip.
Over-Watering and Fungus
A wilting rosemary plant can also indicate over-watering, a situation that tends to promote root rot. If the problem's not corrected, roots become slimy and soft, and stems wilt and eventually die back. Overly wet conditions can promote other fungal problems, such as powdery mildew, a disorder that causes fluffy white fungus to grow on stems and foliage; eventually, these plant parts dry up and die. In either case, trim away damaged parts of the plant, using shears to cut into healthy tissue below the damaged areas. Clean your blades with rubbing alcohol between cuts to prevent spreading disease.
If the plant's soil is wet and soggy, and some roots are affected, remove the plant from the soil, trim off damaged roots and replant the rosemary in fresh soil. You can also dust cut roots and stems with cinnamon, a natural fungicide, to help the plant recover. If all the plant's roots are affected, the problem probably can't be corrected and it's best to discard the plant.
Pest Problems
A rosemary plant can also attract several types of pests. These include aphids, which are soft-bodied greenish pests, and spittlebugs which leave a white, frothy liquid on the plant. Whiteflies, which are tiny whitish flying insects, might also appear. You might also see evidence of spider mites, microscopic pests that leave visible webs covering young leaves and stems. All these pests suck plant juices, causing foliage to wilt, dry up and eventually drop from the plant.
Control a minor infestation by washing them off the plant with a strong stream of water. If an infestation becomes severe, spray the rosemary plant with insecticidal soap until it's dripping wet. Dilute the soap at a rate of 5 tablespoons per gallon of water, and repeat the spray every week or two, as needed.
Preventing Problems
Planting rosemary in the garden in a spot that gets full sun and has excellent drainage helps prevent problems with fungus. Rosemary can spread to reach a width of 2 to 4 feet, so space multiple plants at least 2 feet apart to ensure good air circulation, which also helps prevent fungal growth. If your soil contains clay and tends to drain slowly, add some coarse sand at planting to improve its drainage, or plant rosemary in a raised bed.
If you grow rosemary indoors as a houseplant ensure the container has a drainage hole, keep it well-spaced from other plants and always let the plant drain well after watering; never let its pot sit in a water-filled saucer.
Whether indoors or in the garden, check plants often for pest problems, because these are best controlled when caught early, before damage is severe.
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绿手指客服
2017年11月17日
GFinger VIP function on the line, in order to bring better user experience, green fingers newly launched the VIP function
Here is to introduce this new function for you
Upload HD photos
Users can upload and download high-definition pictures, let Gfingers become your high-definition picture of the cloud library, save mobile phone space, clear record of flowers every moment!
Modification dairy date
Users can modify the date of their own growing up at any time, in your busy, can not carefully record the growing days of plants, to help you restore the precise state of the plant daily.
Watermark settings
Users can enjoy the privileges of adding user name watermark and not allowing others to save their own pictures. Make your pictures clear and protected by copyright.More preservation of pictures, no watermarks, pictures perfect preservation, give you a more comfortable user experience.
Blacklist settings
To VIP users more perfect user rights processing, pull black do not like the user.
Delete comments
VIP users can delete their favorite comments. Your comment is up to you!
Flower recycling station
The flowers VIP recovery can be used to store the new user station is already dead or deleted the memorial plant, you have plants, and plants along the old time record.
Remove advertising
VIP users can enjoy the advertising function. During the use of green fingers, do not be disturbed by advertising, give you more comfortable and efficient application experience.
The Gfinger aims to provide better functionality and services for the flower friends, but Gfingers also need to survive and grow, and need to increase revenue through advertising and other means,You can buy VIP services to completely bid farewell to pop-up ads, as well as upload and download high-definition pictures, watermark settings and other functions, Gfingers also want to have your understanding and support,Let us introduce more and better functions to serve you, thank you for your use!
Here is to introduce this new function for you
Upload HD photos
Users can upload and download high-definition pictures, let Gfingers become your high-definition picture of the cloud library, save mobile phone space, clear record of flowers every moment!
Modification dairy date
Users can modify the date of their own growing up at any time, in your busy, can not carefully record the growing days of plants, to help you restore the precise state of the plant daily.
Watermark settings
Users can enjoy the privileges of adding user name watermark and not allowing others to save their own pictures. Make your pictures clear and protected by copyright.More preservation of pictures, no watermarks, pictures perfect preservation, give you a more comfortable user experience.
Blacklist settings
To VIP users more perfect user rights processing, pull black do not like the user.
Delete comments
VIP users can delete their favorite comments. Your comment is up to you!
Flower recycling station
The flowers VIP recovery can be used to store the new user station is already dead or deleted the memorial plant, you have plants, and plants along the old time record.
Remove advertising
VIP users can enjoy the advertising function. During the use of green fingers, do not be disturbed by advertising, give you more comfortable and efficient application experience.
The Gfinger aims to provide better functionality and services for the flower friends, but Gfingers also need to survive and grow, and need to increase revenue through advertising and other means,You can buy VIP services to completely bid farewell to pop-up ads, as well as upload and download high-definition pictures, watermark settings and other functions, Gfingers also want to have your understanding and support,Let us introduce more and better functions to serve you, thank you for your use!
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