Yes, you can see the seed pods of Catchweed Bedstraw (Galium aparine), but do you see the bacteria? First, a story. I started teaching at a brand-new high school when I moved to Georgia. Of course, we had a football team, but something strange started happening. Before the season started, while in practice, many of the boys got skin infections where the helmet abraded their necks. One even got an infection in his nose! Simultaneously, I was teaching biology and had my students start “hay infusions” by putting grass clippings into empty jars with distilled water to see what microorganisms grew. This is a common lab; I have done it before for fifteen years in other schools. When I checked the jars for organisms, I expected amoebas and paramecium; but I saw endospore bacillus! There are many, but they are typically BAD. Perhaps tetanus, botulism, or some other terrible bacterium….
Category: Newsletters and Member Articles
Old Fashioned Daffodils
It’s that time of year when there’s yellow all around in Georgia — daffodils are blooming like crazy. You can spot the old home sites where daffodils are blooming – Oakland Cemetery is abound with daffodils and I’m sure Gibbs Garden in Canton is a wonder to behold. I remember when we had Mr. Daffodil Man speak to us at a GCMGA meeting years back – but the old fashioned daffodils continue to tug at my heart. Mainly because these come from bulbs first grown from my Mom in Milledgeville – the Von Sion or Telemonius Plenus – occasionally known as Bread and Butter. And they never bloom with consistent form each year as they’re truly weather dependent. I always describe them as daffodils that look like chrysanthemums – and often they do – they can be gnarled and flop-headed and mop-headed and can have a touch of green in…
Pioneer Species: Part 2 – Green Mulch Conquers Weeds
Most weeds are fast-growing annuals; you combat them by crowding them out by having vigorous, healthy plants in your garden. This is where green mulch comes in.