Maureen Wise

In the Midwest, we have both evergreen conifer trees and broadleaf deciduous trees. We expect the leaves of deciduous trees to change to beautiful fiery shades in Autumn, and drop to the ground before Winter to create a mulch for plants and nests for overwintering animals and insects. In fact, we celebrate and enjoy this process just as much as we enjoy new growth in the Spring. Autumn leaves are beautiful!

Back in the spring, I wrote that “small actions (mustard seeds) can add up to mountains.” This biblical wisdom applies when approaching creation care. We all have different motivations and different actions we can take in response to those motivations. For one church, the motivation might be local, in response to environmental impacts in its community.

Sometimes when a dog urinates on the grass, the lawn gets damaged. There are two varieties of dog damage. The more severe damage causes spots of yellowed areas of dead grass, with darker grass surrounding it. The yellowed spot is where the grass was directly urinated on. Grass can be affected in as little as 24 hours in hot, dry weather. The central yellowed area is usually 3–6 inches, with the darker green patch surrounding it 6–12 inches.

Fairy Rings are rings or arcs (an unclosed ring or a C) of mismatched grass caused by fungus in the soil. There are three types of Fairy Rings. Type I is the least common: rings of dead grass due to the fungus causing the soil and thatch to repel water and not allow the water to infiltrate the ground. Type II Fairy Rings are the most common: darker green, faster-growing grass forming a ring. Type III Fairy Rings often occur with one of the other two: a circle of mushroom...

When you make the decision to start a clean slate with your lawn, you have two options: you can either lay down sod on top of the soil or plant grass seed. Both options have drawbacks and benefits.

Plastic is everywhere. What are you reading this article on? It definitely contains plastic. Look around your home and try to find a room that doesn’t contain plastic. It surrounds us. The material has changed the way we live. It has lots of sanitary benefits for the medical and food industry, but we’ve overused it.

Chewing gum: We munch on it to freshen our breath, to reduce boredom, or reduce cravings. Whether you’re a gum-snapper, a bubble-blower, or a more reserved gum-chewer, you’re probably chewing on a material that’s polluting our landscapes and waterways. That’s right, most chewing gum contains plastic.

Whether you’re vacationing, on a school break, or just kicking back in the yard, warm weather and a good book go hand-in-hand. We’ve rounded up a dozen Earth-focused books that offer instruction, inspiration, and engaging stories to add to your summer reading list.

Boxwoods are common landscaping shrubs. They require very little maintenance, stay green all year, and can be shaped into attractive silhouettes. It is believed they arrived in the United States with European settlers in the 1600s. They also thrive in both shade and full sun. However, boxwoods are susceptible to many pests and diseases including Boxwood Blight (Calonectria pseudonaviculata), Boxwood Psyllids (Psylla buxi), and Boxwood Spider mites (Eurytetranychus buxi).

Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church (MAPC) in Cincinnati, Ohio is one of many churches in the Presbyterian denomination that takes part in the denomination’s Earth Care Program. Mount Auburn’s Presbyterian Church’s leadership in creation care goes beyond the Earth Care Program, however.

Summer break from school is nearly upon us! It’s time for library summer reading challenges and lazy days in the shade reading a book with the kiddos. It’s also a great time for helping your children connect with the beauty of nature and learn about how our planet works. These eco-themed books focus on kindness to the environment and learning about the natural world — perfect for summer reading. Our list includes books at different reading levels for summer bookworms of different ages.

A major driving factor in our business at Good Nature Organic Lawn Care is to lessen the environmental impact of managing turfgrass. We don’t want kids and pets to be exposed to poisons that are typically used to kill “pests” like Dandelions. We want to help pollinators thrive. We don’t want our waterways to be choked by algae caused by over-fertilization. We never want those fertilizers to hit the waterways to begin with because they are toxic to aquatic life.

What Are Dandelions?

Dandelions (Taxaracum officinale) are found in nearly every country in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The plants moved around the world before written history but were probably native to Europe and Asia. Early Romans documented eating dandelions and European settlers exploring America purposely brought dandelions with them to the new world.

I frequently feel a strong pull to stand among trees in the forest. This pull is both spiritual and physical.
I grew up and still live in Ohio where we have deciduous oaks and maples and some elms and beeches along with evergreen spruce and pines.

With spring upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, many of us are itching to get our hands dirty and plant some flowers or veggie plants. If you do any container gardening or keep indoor plants, you’ve likely made use of potting soil — sometimes called potting mix or growing medium. It beats digging up dirt in your backyard to fill your pots. However, potting soil isn’t quite as innocent as it sounds.