Science

Although humans fear and revere them, abhor and adore them, there are no inherently "bad" or "good" insects. They are all simply trying to make a living and create offspring according to their natural programming. But from a gardener's perspective, some insects are worth keeping around and others are just, well . . . pests. Most garden insects, in fact, do more good than harm. Just who are these benign bugs and what do they do for us? Read on.

Butterfly Garden at National Gardening Association in South Burlington, Vermont

Welcoming Caterpillars and Butterflies to your Schoolyard

Growing plants that attract butterflies is a sure-fire way of engaging youngsters in the school garden, and it invites discoveries about pollination, insect life cycles, and the interdependence of insects and plants. The first step is understanding what makes butterflies tick at different stages of their life cycle.

You'll improve your chances of successfully germinating tree seeds if you gather them as they mature, just before or after they drop from the tree. Have students inspect their finds, then discard those that have pinholes that could be caused by worms or that have other obvious damage. Another trick is to empty seeds into a bucket of water and discard the floaters, which are less likely to grow. Before trying to germinate tree seeds (and other wild seeds), you need to brush up on dormancy.

"To be able to walk under the branches of a tree that you have planted is really to feel you have arrived with your garden." -- Mirabel Osler

Many announce their presence with bold and vibrant hues, while others remain modest and drab. Some are simple and open in form, but others feature tricky entries or convoluted mazes. They have long inspired humans with their beauty and fragrances, and we've bestowed them with symbolic meanings.

Myths and symbolism aside, the real job of flowers is to ensure that plants produce offspring. Animals can roam about and seek mates with whom to reproduce, but imagine the challenge for a plant, rooted firmly to the ground, to achieve this same end.

Although native peoples from different parts of North America used a wide range of agricultural techniques, perhaps the best known is the interplanting of corn, beans, and squash together--a trio considered by the Iroquois Indians of the east as "The Three Sisters." Numerous school gardeners in our network have experimented with Three Sisters and other Native American plantings, and others have expressed interest in doing so.

Corn, called "mahiz" by the first Americans who met Columbus, and known by much of the world as maize, is known today by the botanical name Zea mays.