ABOUT THIS YARD Everything you see in this yard, except for three trees and two shrubs, was planted by us “sometime” between 30 years ago when we purchased our home . . . and yesterday.Read More
Minnesota is the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and “sky blue waters.” But many of Minnesota’s lakes are struggling. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 40 percent of Minnesota lakes and streams are impaired for conventional pollutants. And, 50 of these are listed as impaired due to excess chloride from road salt. While lakeshore property...Read More
You love your pooch but its poo is an environmental pollutant—so much so that the EPA has put it in the same category as herbicides and insecticides; oil, grease and toxic chemicals.Read More
“Six years ago I decided to do my part to help ensure the health of the small lake I live on. I removed all the roses, daylilies, hydrangeas, and the rest of the plants I had been managing with TLC for years. I had been reading about native plants—about their deep roots and their ability...Read More
Over a decade ago Daniel Schultz listened to a talk given by Doug Tallamy, the author of the book Bringing Nature Home. It turned the way he saw the natural world upside-down. “It was such a shock to learn how little wildlife habitat is left in the United States,” states Daniel.Read More
A few summers ago, the Kraus family noticed a steady increase in monarch butterflies visiting their backyard native wildflower garden. One day after an overnight rainfall, Paula Kraus was stunned to see the black walnut tree in her family’s backyard overflowing with monarch butterflies sunning their wings.Read More
About 15 years ago, MaryJo and Charlie Skemp started noticing unusual activity in a hosta planting that runs along the back side of their home. Beginning each spring, the garden would become an energy-filled flurry of what appeared to be bees, or perhaps wasps or hornets, hurriedly flying in and out of anthill-like holes in...Read More
Build an Aldo Leopold Bench While Aldo Leopold is best known for his writing, teaching, and work regarding his forward-thinking “land ethic,” back in the early part of the last century, he also designed a nifty little bench. His design is a reflection of simplicity, functionality, oneness with nature, and surprising timelessness.Read More
