Behold the Ant Lion

November 20, 2014

...CWkfAyfBDHE Cunning. Efficient. Voracious. This is the ant lion. This is a baby ant lion, the larval stage. It makes you shudder to think what it’s like when it’s grown up, right? Behold the adult ant lion: It looks like a damselfly or dragonfly but is not related to either. The adult ant lion is sometimes called an antlion lacewing. They are not much seen by humans, because despite those beautiful wings, they are weak fliers, and mostly lurch aro...

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How to Make Stock

Mrs. Homegrown

June 19, 2014

Food, How-to

17 Comments

...if it’s organic. 1 or 2 carrots, chopped into a few pieces (or a bunch of baby carrots-that half bag drying out in the fridge, perhaps?) 1 or 2 celery stalks, also chopped into a couple of pieces A handful of parsley or parsley stems 1 small potato, roughly chopped, skin is fine Any mushrooms or mushroom trimmings you have. Shiitake stems, particularly, add great flavor. A garlic clove or two, if you like. Herbs, if you have them: a bay leaf, a s...

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Adopt an Indigo Plant in Los Angeles

Mr. Homegrown

May 23, 2014

Events, Gardening

6 Comments

...hang in a prominent place in your home, lest you forget about your little baby! There are a limited number of seedlings available. Please reserve yours by filling out the form below. For those of you not able to pick up a seedling here in Los Angeles, I am willing to experiment with shipping them directly to you in the mail for the cost of postage. I have zero real world experience with this but have been reading up on the process and believe tha...

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What is that black and orange bug in my garden?

Mrs. Homegrown

May 6, 2014

Gardening, Insects, Pests

14 Comments

...a-based, but the advice tends to be applicable elsewhere. For more climate-specific advice, check your own local University Extension Services. Final note: Don’t mix up any of the above with baby ladybugs/ladybirds, which eat even more aphids than adult lady bugs. They look like this: all the pictures in this post courtesy of wikimedia commons....

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Top Six California Native Plant Performers

Mr. Homegrown

June 5, 2017

Gardening

9 Comments

...in the scientific name for this member of the buckwheat family. Give this baby some room. Ours is doing well in partial shade. 5. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutitolia) This treeish native stared the drought in the face and laughed. We planted it in the neighbor’s yard where it got cut down accidentally. A year later it had grown back to its former glory. Birds love the little red berries, which can be dried for a not very exciting human snack. 6. Coyot...

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