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Harvesting Kale & microhabitats

9/28/2014

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I'll start with a kale leaf, and my surprise at finding two little flyers hanging out with–wait are those eggs, their offspring, or are they eating the little aphid-looking white guys? What was surprising is that neither of these insects flew away during the kale harvesting or the photo shoot (which was complicated, because they were so very tiny and I was a little bit excited).

Anybody out there know what kind of bug I've got living on my kale?
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Then, on several other kale leaves, I noticed a parade of holes had been chewed, and well... looking closer saw several tiny green caterpillars. This one was the largest of the bunch. Hmmm, who could this be?

No surprise here, I've been watching the White Cabbage butterflies flirt and mate all summer, and they seem to love brassicas. This was the largest of the instars, and I believe it to be a L3 @ 7mm, based on my ID using the "Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies" by David James and David Nunnallee.

Honestly, the Cabbage White is NOT my favorite butterfly, and I'm not that thrilled that it is savaging my kale, but-what is exciting is that I now understand that some caterpillars are really teeny, and that if you want to have butterflies, you certainly need to provide host plants for their immature stages.
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Seattle Bans Neonicotinoids=YES!

9/25/2014

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I'm reposting this exciting news as published from Change.org:
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Petition to Ban neonics in seattle = update

9/20/2014

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This just in from Central Co-op and the Seattle Sierra Club:

Neonics: One Step Closer

Sep 19, 2014 — We are one step closer to a municipal ban on neonicotinoids in Seattle, to protect honey bees and other pollinators. The PLUS committee (Planning, Land Use and Sustainability) unanimously passed our resolution on Tuesday September 16. Now it goes to the full Seattle City Council at City Hall 2:00 p.m. Monday September 22. We will be there and we will report how the vote goes.

Thanks to our more than 4000 supporters and 24 organizational allies in this campaign. One step closer!


Butterfly painting by Duy Huyn
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The Sun Hive

9/20/2014

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Isn't it beautiful? The Sun Hive is a design based on the traditional European skep hive, with a goal to create a hive that focuses on colony health rather than honey production.  Milkwood Permaculture of Sydney, Australia, has more photos and information on the development of this lovely beehive.

This Sun Hive is on my wish list...and I'll let you know when I have mine up and running!


Photo credit: Heidi Hermann of the Natural Beekeeping Trust
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and now for something completely different

9/12/2014

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It's been a long week, and my recommendation for Friday night at the movies is the Piip Show.
You gotta love that Norwegian sense of humor...
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    Author

    Tracey Byrne~

    I taught K-12 students from north of the Arctic Circle to the Puget Sound Ecoregion, garnering  40 years of experience as a classroom teacher, learning mentor, and private tutor. 

    I spent most of the 1980s and 90s in Alaska flying airplanes, floating wild rivers, winter camping, teaching, parenting, and living off the grid. 

    Here in Seattle, I am an advocate for environmental stewardship, place-based education, and outdoor play. I share my enthusiasm for birds, bugs, and backyards and have been a featured writer and photographer for Pacific Horticulture. 
    ​

    All photographs © T. Byrne unless otherwise noted.

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