by Liz Magnanti; photos by Jane Milliman The approaching fall brings with it that magical time when garden centers put their perennials on sale! Now is a great time to get a head start on your garden for next year. Planting in the fall gives the plants a chance to get their root systems growing and can make for more …

by Valerie Shaw; artwork by Andrew Monrad As the scorching days of summer yield to the cooler, shorter days of early autumn, some of the most wonderful flower displays and veggie harvests are just beginning. The big favorites around here, squash, sunflowers, and tomatoes, are drowning us in their cheerful abundance. If you’re into preserving foods, you may have your shelves …

by Cathy Monrad This summer we had an unusual number of flies congregating near our back door. In my search for a homemade fly repellent, I found solutions that included spraying pine scented cleaner, burning coffee grounds, and inserting whole cloves into lemon halves, all of which are purported to offend the olfactory systems of these annoying insects. One method utilized in …

by Walt Nelson Earthworms, good in the garden, right? Maybe, but not in our natural landscapes. Earthworms have not been native to our temperate zone since the last ice age. Our forest and landscape ecosystems have evolved without them. European colonists inadvertently brought their native worms (Amynthas spp. and Metaphire sp.) to North America. Those …

story and photograph by Steven Jakobi Autumn is a time for the arrival of a bunch of unwanted guests to the house. In reality, they are more like squatters, moving in for the winter. I am not talking about people but about insects, mammals, and other creatures. Field mice and shrews may inundate the basement and even an enterprising snake or …