Christine’s walks: insects in late October

by Christine Hanrahan The end of summer signals also the end of insect life – or does it? While summer is the peak season for insect activity, warmish days in late October can be surprisingly good for finding a variety of bugs, bees, beetles, flies and other creatures, including spiders. Over a period of two [...]

2018-01-02T18:08:20-05:00October 26th, 2012|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

Growing native plants from seed : cold stratification

A damp vermiculite-filled baggie awaiting seed. In late October, although we're still waiting for some seeds to mature before we can collect them, others are ready for their winter treatment. So what is cold stratification? Essentially, it’s a temperature and moisture treatment used to break a seed’s dormancy and encourage germination. In nature, seeds fall to [...]

2018-01-02T18:10:30-05:00October 19th, 2012|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|