Regulars (All)

Article - Osprey Saga by M.C. Koblos; by M.C. Koblos - 7/29/10

The Osprey Saga

Week 19: T'ween

During the early part of the week, Olivia cleared all the twigs off the nest platform. The nest is gone. there remains only the bare platform itself, which she and Junior occupy. It is like the deck of an air carrier, cleared for air operations. Junior is as big as his mom now. She tries to get him to flap his wings, but he’s too lazy and after a few flaps just stands there like a dummy.

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Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/29/10

What’s the Value of Organic?

Depends on how you define it

I am frequently asked if I am an organic gardener, based on my reputation for having been heavily involved in composting and compost utilization research since 1972. My answer is yes and no. The importance of organic matter in soils and the use of compost to improve and maintain soil productivity is not thoroughly appreciated. In my gardening practices, I use a combination of compost and chemical fertilizers and minimize restricted-use pesticides as much as I can. ...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 7/29/10

Bright Lights, All Tight

Saturn, Mars and Venus vie for position in the west at twilight

The waning moon rises after 10pm at week’s end, then crests the horizon 20-plus minutes later each night, so that by Tuesday, the last-quarter moon rises after midnight....

Article - Earth Journal by Gary Pendleton; by Gary Pendleton - 7/29/10

Notes from July's Garden

July 2, North Beach: Red admiral butterflies are abundant in the yard. Some species of butterfly hatch multiple broods during a season. Red admirals have two or more broods in our region. One brood must have just hatched because so many are around. They are one of the widest-spread species on the planet. There is also plenty of Calvert County’s official insect, the zebra swallowtail, flying about....

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 7/29/10

Save the Sooks

Female blue crabs need our protection

It’s beginning to look like business as usual with the Chesapeake’s most treasured natural resource, the blue crab. Maryland is on course to resume the destructive harvest of female crabs, sooks, with its first official act upon the arrival of news that the crab population has at last begun to rebound.

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