GoGardenNews - Items of gardening and ecological interest

"Maybe science has misunderstood the dining style of big monarch butterfly caterpillars. What insect watchers have called defense against the toxic latex a milkweed plant oozes may not be avoidance at all. Instead of dodging the plants’ sticky, white toxic goo, the plump, older caterpillars could be gorging on it", says Susan Milius via ScienceNews.

Science News recently published an interesting article about how flowers may act as antennas for bees. "Flowering plants may have a secret power for knowing when to lure pollinators."

Science Daily reported, "Imagine a small fruit that tastes like a cross between a tomato and a pineapple, wrapped in its own natural paper lantern. That's the groundcherry (Physalis grisea) -- a little-known relative of tomatoes that's been quietly growing in gardens and small farms across North America for centuries. Now, this humble fruit is getting a 21st-century upgrade thanks to some cutting-edge genetic research."

Cassandra Quave teaches, "The answer to some of the world’s most pressing problems could be held within our oldest remedies." She is is a leading medical ethnobotanist on a "quest to develop new ways to fight illness and disease through the healing powers of plants."

You should read more about her, and take advantage of any opportunity to hear her speak.

Sustainable Jungle published this informative article last year written by Amber McDaniel on the subject of "ecological gardening."

She wrote, "Instead of soiling our gardens and planet with chemicals and GMO plant varieties, we should be using our own backyards to return to our natural, holistic roots, in every sense."