Why Bug Zappers Are a Terrible Idea
In a world filled with terrible ideas, bug zappers are among the worst. Because they zap the wrong bugs. They don’t work on mosquitoes. They attract things that are attracted to light, like moths. They kill insects that are beautiful and harmless and important pollinators and food for birds, and they actually attract more mosquitoes to bite you. Surely the very definition of a terrible idea. Mosquitoes are initially attracted to the weird glowing ultraviolet light, but then, as they’re drawn closer to your patio, the irresistible (to a mosquito) smell of human breath lures them away....
Read MoreWitch Hazel: Frozen Sweetness
A little cabin in the woods. Very, very Thoreau. A nice place to hide out and write. Last week I revelled in a writers’ retreat at the Highlights Foundation in Boyds Mills, PA. Anyway, outside my cabin was a gorgeous bush in full bloom. Covered with flowers. What, you don’t see it? Right here. A witch hazel bush. A native species–the best kind for landscaping. In full bloom. Now if witch hazel bloomed in May, it would be totally overlooked by every person walking past, and more to the point, overlooked by any and all pollinators. But the fact that it blooms so ridiculously late in the...
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