Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Jefferson County

Helping to keep the environment clean and doing your part to recycle.

Today we celebrate National Gardening Day. We are thankful for all the plants in our gardens and natural lands, and we encourage you to take a moment today and ...appreciate all the plants in your life. Whether you are an avid gardener or strive to keep a small herb garden alive each year, remember that plants are our friends, give us oxygen, and help keep the Earth happy. Mt. Cuba Center's dedication to native plants runs a deep river of purpose. We understand the importance of native plants and natural lands and hope to impart that understanding to everyone who walks through our gates. So for today's special holiday, we encourage you to venture out to your garden, water your plant babies, or take a visit to a local nursery and buy your first native plant for your garden. Who knows, maybe the plants will show a little appreciation back to you... Trillium cuneatum See more

https://www.portman.senate.gov//portman-hirono-praise-unan

Saturday, March 27, 2021 Penn State News News Main Menu HOME RESEARCH... ACADEMICS IMPACT CAMPUS LIFE ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Poison Prevention Program goes virtual in 2021 under the watchful eye of Mr. YUK 3 February 26, 2021 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The Penn State Extension Master Gardener and Pesticide Education programs will deliver poison prevention education virtually this year to first-grade students across the commonwealth. Currently, 243 schools in 43 counties totaling 12,103 students are signed up to receive this virtual outreach January through April, with the third week of March as National Poison Prevention Week. The recorded lessons teach students about pests, integrated pest management and safe practices including identifying signal words on the label that indicates a product is potentially poisonous. poison control program sticker Currently, 243 schools in 43 counties totaling 12,103 students are signed up to receive this virtual outreach January through April, with the third week of March as National Poison Prevention Week. IMAGE: PENN STATE It also teaches the importance of using the "Mr. YUK" symbol to alert everyone in the home of dangerous products and keep everyone safe. The collaboration of Master Gardeners and extension staff, including coordinators and the youth program’s Growing Gardener team, has opened new opportunities to reach first graders in a virtual way and will be a viable option for future years, said Andy Faust, area Master Gardener coordinator. He noted that teachers have responded positively to the virtual program. One Beaver County teacher put it this way: 'Thank you! We look forward to this program for our first graders. We are sorry we cannot have you in our building this year, but we are so happy you can still provide this program to our students,'" said Faust. For more information about the Poison Prevention Program, contact Faust at [email protected].

#FunFactFriday: Did you know that bees can be classified ecologically as either long-tongued or short-tongued? Long-tongued bees are capable of drinking necta...r from long tubular flowers, as seen in the top picture featuring an Anthophora centriformis digger bee using its long tongue to drink the nectar from a tubular beardstongue flower. Short-tongued bees favor flowers with shallow florets, as seen in the bottom picture featuring a Colletes inaequalis polyester bee drinking nectar from a sunflower. Illustrations by Steve Buchanan #bee #bees #nativebees #pollinator #pollinators #nativeflowers #flowers #pollinatorconservation #beeconservation

Today Dec 21, 2020

Thanks to Annette MaCoy for sharing this. Posted on the eBlog.

Winter is a great time to practice winter tree ID! Check out this graphic comparing acorns from oak species from the Flora of Virginia project. The illustration...s are by Lara Call Gastinger Here are the common names of the species listed: Q. alba White Oak Q. bicolor Swamp White Oak Q. coccinea Scarlet Oak Q. falcata Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak Q. ilicifolia Bear Oak or Scrub Oak Q. imbricaria Shingle Oak Q. laevis Turkey Oak Q. lyrata Overcup Oak Q. macrocarpa Bur Oak or Mossycup Oak Q. margarettae Sand Post Oak Q. marilandica var. marilandica Blackjack Oak Q. montana -Chestnut Oak Q. muehlenbergii Chinquapin Oak Q. nigra Water Oak Q. pagoda Cherrybark Oak Q. phellos Willow Oak Q. prinoides Dwarf Chinquapin Oak Q. rubra Northern Red Oak Q. stellata Post Oak Q. virginiana Live Oak

Soil microbes are diverse and numerous. Some are pathogens but many are beneficial to plants, other organisms, and the overall environment. Learn more about the...ir diversity and complexity here! via Jeff Schalau, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County https://bit.ly/3aufOXK ~js

Photo-a-day December 14, 2020 This rotting conifer tree is a great example of how a tree grows! Around each branch you can clearly see where each new layer of X...ylem and Phloem grew above the last. This is what makes each ring in a tree! photo by Tommy Butler