Gardening
Hedgehogs mirror wildlife problems around the world.
Have we got the answer to urban living when we solve the huge losses of hedgehogs in suburban neighbourhoods? The adoption of wild roofs and city ecoscapes in general brings some species to the new city. We have forgotten some animals that might just help clear the pests from our gardens or maintain plants and birdlife in some ways that we have found impossible. Natural habitat has been replaced largely with novel human solutions that need time to prove themselves. Emotionally, many would give the hedgehog their garden-vote, but the population has decreased so much, it could be too late to bring them back.
Losing The Wildlife In Your Woods?
To be truly green, there has to be a twitch of a wing in your garden, or a familiar long walk in the hills. Your lifestyle may be sustainable, but what is the point without native plants and creatures to lighten your mood?
Dynamics of Invasive Fish Species Revealed
When a plant or animal invades your garden, your farm or your lake, the means of dealing with it can be limited. Now we have some understanding of the invasiveness, we can probably do much more to limit these IAS.
Don't lose your lid! (the green roof argument)
Life is changing. Now we can have a garden on our roof, but the wildlife and energy-transforming possibilities are really building up. I doubt if youll like some of our ideas here, but there may be some way you can imagine a green roof being of benefit and fitting in to your local landscape.
Forming better soils, gardens and farms
The earth is named because we live on a soil substrate on which we used to depend for almost everything. Now, its sad and neglected, but also creates disasters from flooding and carbon release while providing less and less in the way of crops. Research like this paper has to be pushed hard to solve this enormously significant problem.
Winners and losers in the great warming!
So will global warming affect your garden or the wild animals and plants around you? The answer is now clear, as more and more results appear around the earth, from drought and flood to simply warmer summers.
Hedgehogs, gardens and general conservation in the urban environment
The hedgehog species are found in Eurasia and Africa, all following the basic body plan of protective prickles and an insectivorous diet. The protection they need from predation sometimes seems to be mainly from traffic, but badgers and others do affect their distribution.
Create an Energy Efficient Garden
Outdoor spaces, like grassy yards or cultivated gardens, are by definition 'green.'
EcoCradle: Biodegradable mushroom packaging
EcoCradle is derived from mushrooms and is an exciting new compostable alternative to styrofoam packaging. Ecovative Design was founded to produce alternative packing material out of sustainable materials such as mushroom roots.
The Royal Horticultural Society Rules!
A trip to an RHS show. The Royal Horticultural Society provide Chelsea, Hampton Court, etc. with a charitable mish-mash of gardening bling but there seems to be an 'Ecover sponsored air' of environment and landscape.
Your pond needs You!
UK pond conservation is needed as garden ponds form quite a proportion of the 'safe' habitats for watery creatures.
Keeping the garden growing
With drought in the UK and high temperatures in parts of the US, it is important for gardeners to look at innovative ways to prevent soil from drying out and being blown away such as green mulches. The same techniques can be used in marginally productive areas of the world to increase productivity.
Amazonian Solutions from 1200 A.D.
The black soils or 'tera preta' of the Amazon forests were created by burning and composting, in an Pre-Columbian farming style that is still much admired. A study has looked at how these ancient farming techniques may be used to help reduce deforestation.
Famous Osprey 'The Lady of the Loch' returns to Scotland
An osprey, known as The Lady of the Loch has just returned to her nest in Scotland from Africa. Also in Britain, the 2012 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results have been published.
Apollo and Europa butterflies
A new study has been published about endangered European butterfly populations along with conservation suggestions. A new EU directive - attract butterflies, and caterpillars to your garden.
The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is back
The Big Garden Birdwatch is back. The RSPB is also launching a schools backed bird watch for all children (and adults).
Will a little piece of the Red planet go green in 2030?
Plans to get astronauts all the way to Mars and back will need to include room for a space garden, according to a presentation at the American Chemical Society meet in Colorado this week. Not only will the garden provide the Mars-bound travelers with a little culinary sparkle to their diet - it will help to help to keep the capsule's atmosphere breathable, and its water clean.
Seabright Laboratories: Eco-friendly solutions to pest control
Seabright Laboratories is playing an important role in promoting safe and eco-friendly methods of pest control by providing consumers with earth-friendly ways to address their home and garden pest challenges.
Unseasonal Floods - Climate Change?
It was 5am when I threw my feet over the 11°C heated bed and landed in -3°C mini-stream of water. I fumbled in the dark half-asleep, thinking I'd left the tap open but then tuned back into the thumping sounds of the constant almost 24-hour rains. The unusual occurrence of winter rainstorms had caused the overflow saturating the garden and making its way into the house.
Organic city gardening 'grows' for a reason
Raising an organic garden in the city is rewarding and good for your health... And your pocketbook!
Ho Ho Ho, Merry Farming!
Innovations in gardening have evolved over the past few years and gardening is permeating every corner of our lives. Roll-out pre-seeded matts that only require water and sunlight are now popular, and urban projects like Window Farms in New York that promote hydroponic methods in offices and apartments are gaining notoriety.
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch shows a good year for little birds
Small birds come up tops in this year's Big Garden Birdwatch. The latest Big Garden Birdwatch has yet again delivered excellent results about the U.K's garden birds. Over 600,000 people in Britain joined in, noting down information about the birds they had seen in their back gardens; which is a record-breaking number of respondents and makes this the world's biggest bird survey.
UK's Buglife invites the nation on an Oil Beetle Hunt!
With the UK's hedgerows abuzz again as spring finally unfurls, the charity for creepy-crawly conservation, Buglife, is calling on all garden adventurers to join them on an Oil Beetle Hunt. Keep your eyes peeled, identify them and then upload your sightings - photos and all - to help save one the UK's most beautiful but threatened bug species.
Michelle Obama's spring planting revealed
A video of Michelle Obama kicking off the spring planting season at The White House has been released. The US First Lady teamed with pupils from the local Bancroft and Tubman elementary schools in Washington DC last week (16.03.11) for the third Planting of the White House Kitchen Garden.
Don't bin that banana skin! It's a water purifier
Banana skins can serve as more than just fodder for the compost heap, and for purveyors of slapstick humor. A new study into their effectiveness at filtering heavy metals shows minced banana peel to be one of the best materials to use, to remove these harmful toxins from drinking water. Filed in environmental issues: water purification - science
Organic burials: corpse to compost in six months
Transforming corpses into compost is a much more eco-friendly process than traditional burial, or energy-hungry cremation. Environmentalists now have the option of a clean, green method for their last act of recycling. The promession process of organic burial involves first freezing the body to minus 18 degrees C, then freeze drying in liquid nitrogen at almost minus 200 degrees.
Roofing for rain - best materials for rainwater harvesting
Making the most of the rain requires roofs made of the proper materials - especially if you want to use it in the home, not just the garden. A study from the University of Texas has tested a wide variety of roofing materials for water quality - and come to some interesting conclusions.
Scientists find evidence for healing properties of tansy
Known to folk healers for centuries, scientists have now found evidence that tansy could help treat herpes. Everything from rheumatism to intestinal worms and sores to fertility problems have been treated by this pretty little plant which was grown in Emperor Charlemagne's herb garden.
Greening Your Pets, Make Your Pets a Little Greener
Make your pets a little greener - for their health and yours. You can begin composting, remember to recycle your used items, buy locally produced organic foods, and try to walk more than you use the car. But don't forget that greening your pets is also quite possible and not too difficult to achieve.
The Importance of Composting: Help Eliminate Organic Waste, Fertilize Soil
How composting can help to eliminate organic waste, fertilize the soil, save money and reduce pollution. Back in grade school, composting was often one of the topics that came up in Science class, especially when recycling was the main point of discussion.
Enrich Your Garden: Compost
Transform your front and back yards into a lush garden with compost. This natural fertilizer is easy and inexpensive to make and you help the environment too.
Dome houses, a revolutionary new housing system
A new approach to garden furniture has led one company to create a solution for housing in deprived and disaster areas. A specialist manufacturing company in Worcestershire is producing a revolutionary new housing system that could offer educational establishments and charities a cost effective solution to re-housing people after disasters.
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Recent News
What does that blue butterfly do when you are not watching. We still have to discover exactly how the Eurasian large blue exploits Myrmica ants, but many of its relatives are either cuckoos (eg. (Phengaris alcon), or outright predators like the AustralasianLiphyra brassolis larvae ,eating the whole brood of the green ants they live with. How did such diverse habits evolve? Well, start reading here.
For several years, excitement has been building over the Atlantic presence of Manta birostris and Manta cf birostris/ this is the classification system trying to tell us of a potential new species that is related to genus Manta. Little progress has been made on this W. Atlantic species of oceanic manta, but it cant be long before we can confirm new knowledge of parenting and juvenile growth in at least the main species, which seems to live alongside the potential new manta.
Ocean plastic pollution could triple in a decade without action by the ocean economy. TOMRA CEO Stefan Ranstrand responds to the UK Governments Foresight Future of the Sea report and explains how container deposit schemes and sensor-based recycling sorting could provide a solution.
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Recent Blog Posts
The future is certainly renewable, but are we too late to prevent future centuries problems of global warming- and the rest! Here are some current US solutions to waste and warming for you to enjoy---there are some ads in this piece but weve allowed them for one blog only.
Need to save money after the spending boom to end them all? Here are 2 sets of opinions on how to pull out the plugs at night at least.
When dolphins are 'rescued' in various countries, the car given seems to be ill-considered. We are simply looking at the success rate which is reported to be low, in most places. They could even end up in commercial aquarium shows, but they certainly rarely make it back to the sea.
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