This summer, you may have noticed what looks like a large dandelion plant covered in blisters growing in your lawn or landscape. It's known as bristly oxtongue, and if you examine or touch it you'll see and feel why. The stems and flower bracts are bristly, and the leaves are covered with blisterlike swellings that are prickly to the touch.
Bristly oxtongue can be an annual weed or a biennial weed. It thrives during the winter and warm weather and can grow to be over 3 feet tall. This weed spreads by seed, which can be dispersed long distances by the wind.
According to the book, Pests of the Garden and Small Farm, you can control bristly...
Saturday, August 18 is National Honey Bee Day! Many people are concerned about the health of honey bees, and rightly so, as there has been a decline in their populations during the last decade.
This year on National Honey Bee Day, learn how you can protect honey bees by choosing plants for your landscape that bees prefer visiting to collect pollen and by avoiding the use of pesticides that can be toxic to bees.
For specific details about what else you can do, read the article What Can Gardeners do to Help Honey Bees.
Resources
Bee...
- Author: Cheryl A. Wilen
I recently attended a Santa Ana River Orange County Weed Management Area (SAROCWMA) meeting and there was an opportunity for participants to update the group about new invasive plants as well as give an update on management of these and others. During the discussion, Ron Vanderhoff from the Orange County Native Plant Society (OC-CNPS), reported new findings of a plant I'd never heard of. In fact, when the group was talking about it, I wasn't sure if I heard the name right.
The plant is called stinknet (Oncosiphon piluliferum), which to me sounds like a game played by 10 year olds. However, the California Invasive Plant Council considers it an emerging invasive weed...
Summer is all about being outdoors and enjoying camping, swimming, playing, and other activities with family and friends. But it's a real drag when pests such as ants, yellowjackets, or mosquitoes ruin the fun.
When you have a pest problem and want to find a solution quickly, it can be helpful to watch a short video that tells you what you can do. In UC IPM's Video Library, you will find over 30 helpful videos on these and other common pests that are active in summer or other times of the year.
1. Ants: Using a Sticky Barrier to Prevent Ants on Trees and Shrubs
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
This week much of California is under a heat advisory or excessive heat warning, with high temperatures estimated to range from 90 to 108 degrees. Many home gardeners are wondering how they can help their plants, trees, or shrubs survive the intense summer heat.
“We are getting a lot of inquiries around the state from people worried about how the extreme temperatures are going to affect the plants or trees in their yards,” said Missy Gable, director of the UC Master Gardener Program. “With a little extra planning, you can help your garden beat the heat and survive the hot summer weather.”
UC...
