Backyard Ecology™

I am frequently asked about growing native plants in small spaces or in typical suburban yards with HOA or city ordnances. And I'm not the only one who's getting those questions. I hear and see those ...

1 Apr 202157min

Flower flies, a.k.a. hover flies, are common garden visitors, but they are often overlooked. The reason they are so often overlooked is because they are extraordinary mimics, usually of bees or wasps....

25 Mar 20211h 9min

Frogs and toads are so much fun to observe and learn about. In the eastern U.S. we are lucky because we have enough water that they can be found virtually anywhere. Some species may be very specific i...

18 Mar 20211h 7min

This week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast is the conclusion of our conversation with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural H...

11 Mar 202150min

For many of us in the eastern U.S., warm spring and summer nights are characterized by the methodical flashing of fireflies and lightning bugs. Fireflies and lightning bugs are exactly the same thing....

4 Mar 202150min

Clovers are often suggested for lawn alternatives or for incorporating into our yards to make them more pollinator friendly. Clovers can also play important roles in agriculture either in grazing syst...

25 Feb 20211h 6min

Like many people, I grew up with a healthy…. apprehension (ok, fear) of wasps. And, of course, I've seen all the memes on social media vilifying wasps and calling them names that I'm not going to repe...

18 Feb 20211h 4min

Vernal pools are a special type of shallow wetlands that fill with snow melt and rain in late fall through early spring, then dry up sometime during the summer. Because they dry up, they are sometimes...

11 Feb 20211h 2min