Summer 2018 in this issue

Summer 2018 in this issue Beneficial Insects p. 2-3 Gifts/Events p. 4-5 Native Berries p. 6-7 Ask Professor Pansy p. 8 Grow A Sunflower House p. 9 Re...
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Summer 2018

in this issue Beneficial Insects p. 2-3 Gifts/Events p. 4-5 Native Berries p. 6-7 Ask Professor Pansy p. 8 Grow A Sunflower House p. 9 Recipes p. 10-11 Riddles & Jokes p. 12

Beneficial Insects

Female Ichneumon wasp - Megarhyssa macrurus

By Jesse Dold

In your garden, there is a special group of bugs that help it grow. They include familiar faces like bees and lady bugs, but other helpers include wasps and spiders. Some can even look weird or scary, but in the end these creepy crawlies are our friends. Lets learn about each type and how they can help in your garden. BEES Bees consume nectar and collect pollen to feed their larvae. In many bee species, such as the honey bee and most bumblebees, only the queen lays eggs and the workers feed the larvae. In solitary bees such as mason bees and sweat bees, each female has an individual nest that she brings pollen to. A bee’s search Mason Bee for pollen has them flying from flower to flower. Pollen from one flower sticks to the bee, and when the bee flies to another flower, it pollinates it. That is how many fruits are pollinated. Next time you bite into an apple, thank a bee! Many bees are gentle and do not want to sting, but if you try to pick them up they will sting if they are threatened.

By Bruce Marlin - Own work http://www.cirrusimage.com/hymenoptera_ichneumon_megarhyssa_fem.htm, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2636356

Soldier Beetle - Cantharidae

BEETLES Soldier beetles are another helpful insect that keeps your garden free of pests. If you let carrots or parsley go to flower they usually show up.

SPIDERS

LADY BUGS Lady bugs are hard workers in the garden. They gladly munch on aphids and pests such as scale. The bright red and black spotted pigment of the adult and the black and orange stripes of the larva warn predators that it tastes yucky. The term used when you encourage predators like lady bugs is called “biological control.” Because lady bugs are easy to raise and gentle, they are very popular for biological control.

WASPS There are many types of wasps that are helpful. Some are so small you hardly notice them, while others are big and boldly colored. Wasps can be scary looking and many sting, but they too are beneficial insects and important for pollination

and biological control. The adults often eat nectar, and catch insects to feed their larvae. A type of wasp seen around here is called an Ichneumon wasp. They are small and brightly colored, often red. The adults feed on the nectar of plants like cilantro and carrots, helping pollinate them. They work hard to remove pests from the garden. A much larger relative, the mud dauber wasp, captures destructive larvae, like cabbage loopers, to feed their larvae. Wasps are often used by big greenhouses to keep their plants free of pests.

Ladybug Larva Wolf Spider - Pardosa vancouveri

Spiders are the only helper on this list not a true insect. They belong to a group called arachnids. Spiders can be scary, but they are one of a gardener’s best friends, because they keep the garden free of pests. The most noticeable spiders are orb weavers. They build circular webs to catch insects. Small wolf spiders and jumping spiders hunt for insects on the ground and do not build webs. In summer look for small black wolf spiders carrying their babies on their backs. Funnel web spiders build funnel shaped webs that make an excellent trap. They are sometimes mistaken for brown recluses, hobo or domestic house spiders.

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AUGUST

JULY

JUNE

GIFTS

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EVENTS

1 - 4" Vegetable plant

Paint and plant a Terracotta Cat Grass Pot

Junior gardeners can choose any $3.99 4 inch vegetable plant from our vegetable section.

Sunday, June 10th from 1:00pm - 2:00pm Does your cat like to eat grass? Paint and Plant your own cat grass pot for your cat.

Cost for this activity is $7.52 Class size limited to 20. Call or come in to reserve a spot.

4" Succulent or Sedum Come in and choose a $4.99 succulent or sedum plant from our greenhouse.

Let’s Learn about Beneficial Bugs. Sunday, July 8 from 1:00pm - 2:00pm Come learn about beneficial bugs while we play bug bingo. You will also paint your own lady bug rock to take home.

Cost for this activity is $5.00

12 oz Italian Soda Stop by the coffee stand and get a free 12 oz. Italian Soda. Flavor options include: orange, lime, raspberry, coconut, peach, strawberry and vanilla.

Show us your Junior Gardener’s Membership card to receive your free gift. If you would like a card just ask any cashier or greenhouse staff.

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Thimbleberry - Rubus parviflorus

Native Berries

Wild Strawberries

by Zephirine

Eating salmon berries in summer while riding horses with my best friend Suzi. That’s my favorite memory growing up. I hope you can create a memory of your own. Berries, berries... which one is your favorite? Have you tried the native berries that grow in Western Washington? Some of my favorites are: blackberry, cranberry, salmon berry and strawberry. There are many, many more that grow wild around here. Remember to ask a parent or grownup before you eat a berry that you are not sure about. Some berries look great but are poison! Be especially careful of plants with red berries.

Salmon Berry - Rubus spectabilis

There are three types of strawberries that grow wild in the Pacific North West: Beach strawberries (Fragaria chiloensis) Wild, or Blue-leaved strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and Wood strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lacatholique/6001024266

Thimbleberries look a lot like Salmonberries. The way to tell them apart is by the leaves. Thimbleberry leaves look like a maple leaf and the blooms are white instead of pink.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-salmonberry.jpg

Salmon Berry plants have beautiful blooms that are a favorite food of our native hummingbirds.

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They are much smaller than the strawberries you buy in stores.

Blueberry - Vaccinium ovalifolium

Blackberry

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Vaccinium_ovalifolium_Japan2.JPG

Along with the small trailing blackberry that is native here, there are two other varieties that were brought here when immigrants came from other continents.

Here are two sources to learn more: http://northernbushcraft.com/berries/index.htm Pacific Northwest Foraging - by Douglas Deur

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Ask Professor Pansy

Grow Your Own Sunflower House

Noel - age 4 asks

Plant your own summer hideout.

Why are caterpillar eyes so hard to see?

ƒƒFind a sunny spot in your lawn or garden

Dear Noel, This is a very good question, I have wondered about this myself. Large caterpillars seem to have big eyes but I have learned that they are not really eyes, just markings that look like eyes. The first place I looked for information was “The ultimate guide to backyard bugs: Garden Insects of North America” by Whitney Cranshaw. I like this book because it has excellent color photographs and diagrams of insect bodies. In this book I learned that these false eyes are called eye-spots and that below these markings, closer to the mouth, most caterpillars do have six very simple eyes on each side of their heads. These tiny dots, we can barely see are called ocelli or stemata and they register light and dark but cannot distinguish shapes or color. I was still not sure why the caterpillar needed both real and false eyes and so to solve this mystery I turned to the internet for some help. There are many fine websites on butterflies and moths, (also known as the animal family Lepidoptera). At enchantedlearning. com I found my answer and it made perfect sense. These eye spots are designed to fool predators. The eye spots make the insect look like the face of a much larger animal like a snake and may scare away some predators.

ƒƒPlant sunflowers or sunflower seeds in the shape you want. ƒƒLeave an unplanted space for a door. ƒƒPlant vines, like morning glory, next to each sunflowers to climb up the sunflowers. ƒƒWhen the sunflowers grow you will have a special hiding place in the middle.

Sophia - age 6 asks

How long does a ladybug live?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lacatholique/6001024266

Dear Sophia, According to National Geographic, ladybugs live an average of two to three years in the wild but they can complete their whole life cycle in just one year. Their life cycle has four stages: egg, larva (baby), pupa (child or teen-aged), and adult. Once they become adults, they can start the cycle over by finding a mate and laying new eggs. Each of the stages prior to becoming an adult takes one to three weeks depending on how hospitable (beetlefriendly with food, shelter, and good weather) their environment is.

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As your sunflowers and vines grow, train them so the flower heads come together at the top to make a tepee. Twine the vines around the sunflowers to hold them together. Keep watering throughout the summer.

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Green Slime Smoothie

- Recipe by janetk 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Green-Slime-Smoothie/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/250130/quick-cucumber-kimchi/

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 cups spinach 2 cups frozen strawberries 1 banana 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup ice

Directions

1. Place the spinach in the freezer until frozen, at least 1 hour. 2. Combine the spinach, strawberries, banana, honey, and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve.

NOTE: When your bananas get ripe you can peel them and put them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer to use in your smoothies.

CREATE YOUR OWN RECIPE

Try using other greens instead of spinach: kale, lettuce, and parsley are good. Try using other frozen fruit like mangoes, blueberries, raspberries and peaches.

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Fresh Cucumber Kimchi

2 cucumbers (cut in half and slice into 1/4 inch thick half moons) 1 tsp. salt 2 cloves garlic (crushed) 2 green onions (sliced thinly) 2 tbls. rice wine vinegar 1 tbls. Koren chili powder SEE NOTE

Directions

1. Mix cucumbers and salt in a medium sized bowl. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 2. Drain the liquid off the cucumbers. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

NOTE: Korean chili powder (gochugaru, gochugalu or Korean crushed red pepper) can be found in Korean or Asian markets like Boo Han or H-Mart or online from koamart.com. Store, airtight, in the freezer indefinitely. Can be made with other vegetables instead of cucumbers. Try zucchini, lettuce, korean radish, or leafy greens.

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Riddles & Jokes Why is a barn so noisy? All the cows have horns.

What did the bee say to the flower? Hello Honey.

How do trees get on the internet? They log in.

What do you call a stolen yam? A hot potato.

What gets bigger the more you take away? A hole.