In the summer, bugs become pests when they start to attack our plants. Unfortunately for our friendly bugs, it's common practice to indiscriminately kill all bugs, even when they're actually beneficial. Sorry pollinators, fireflies, and lady bugs! So when a bug does cause a problem, using the lowest impact way to try to manage it makes sense for our friendly bugs, the ecological health of our landscapes, and our water quality.
Prevention
- Plant a diversity of species markin…
Urban Patchwork, an Austin non-profit helping communities grow food where we live, has recently planted 200 fruit and nut producing trees in East Austin. The Neighborhood Orchard project is supported by American Forests’ nationwide Community ReLeaf initiative—dedicated to the assessment, restoration and monitoring of urban forests. American Forests recently identified Austin as one of the 10 best cities for Urban Forest…
Austin's Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is dispersed throughout the city.
Attracting wildlife to residential backyards can be a rewarding experience. Since the City of Austin is a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation, Austinines are passionate about creating habitat in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). As Austin grows, crea…
Oak wilt is one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States, and it is killing oak trees in central Texas at epidemic proportions. Whether you're new to Austin or just getting to know your trees it's important to know the basics, and to know when to call in the professionals to protect your trees.
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What is ball moss?
Ball moss is a small epiphyte commonly found clinging to limbs of live oaks and other trees in southwest Texas. Ball moss is not a moss, but a true plant with flowers and seeds. It is a member of the bromeliad family, which also contains Spanish moss and pineapple. Epiphytes are plants that attach themselves to limbs, tree trunks, power lines, fences, and many other structures with pseudo-roots. Unlike true roots, they do not absorb water and minerals; they mer…
One of the simplest, most effective ways to help trees and plants survive in tough Austin conditions is mulch. Mulch is a material used to cover soil around landscape plants. Good mulches include wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, and compost. Mulch helps plants in lots of ways.
Coarse wood chips are the best mulch for tree health
…How Tree Roots Work Part II: Digging Deeper | How Tree Roots Work Part III: Mycorrihizae
When we see a tree in the landscape, we rarely think about what’s happening below ground. We know those tree roots are there, but we can’t see them beneath the soil surface. Tree roots tend grow in the top 2-3’ of soil and the smallest roots grow in only the top 6” of soil. Those small roots are the ones that take up water, nutrients, and oxygen. How do they manage to grow so close to the soil surface? Well, these small, fine roots grow well beyond the extent…
Summer is an active time for bugs, some of which can be pests. One such pest is the spider mite, which thrive when it’s hot and dry. They puncture the plant leaves and suck the juice out leaving little white or yellow speckles. These tiny bugs (but not technically insects or spiders), can be hard to see.
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Have you noticed that it is hotter in the city than out in the country? Urban centers, abundant with concrete and dark materials, absorb and then radiate heat back into the air late into the night. You may have noticed that rural areas surrounding Austin tend to be significantly cooler! This phenomenon is known as the urban heat island effect, and the extra heat we experience in our cities can be a serious problem for our health, the environment, and our energy use.
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