Weekend Roundup

There were two articles of interest in the New York Times today, the first a depressing but not surprising story about the decline in bird species that make their home in meadows. Development, not global warming is the identified culprit. If you needed another reason for making your yard wildlife-friendly, here you go.

Meadow Birds in Precipitous Decline, Audubon Says - New York Times

The second, more upbeat article, focuses on "garden coaches" - a service for the clueless (among which I number myself) who need advice and help but don't want to merely write a check and hand over the garden to a landscaper. So there goes your last excuse ....

Plant! Water! Weed! - New York Times

in the right hand column, you'll see a section titled "The Buzz on Other Blogs." This is a list of posts I've found interesting in my surfing and reading. Most, but not all, come from sites in my blogroll; you can click on any title to go directly to that post and read the full text. You can also click at the bottom of the list, where it says "read more" and be taken to a page with all the current past Buzz posts compiled. Broaden your horizons with a new blog!

Good News for Michigan Gardeners

The Nature Conservancy in Michigan - Nature Conservancy Scientists Help Meijer Shoppers Pick Better Plants This Spring

This press release, found via The Invasive Species Weblog is a note of good news for those of us in Michigan.

Yes, I know there's a commercial motive, and yes, it's not perfect because they will still sell non-native species, but it's a strong step in the right direction. Positive reinforcement is more powerful than whining ...

One of the many reasons to love Ann Arbor

New library branch is an example to follow

The Ann Arbor District Library is great, really great. Good collection, great staff, innovative programs, responsive to the community, and (like the rest of the city), very environmentally conscious and conscientious. I like the creativity of using draft horses, and as a library administrator myself, not to mention a local taxpayer, I love the fact that they got a grant to pay for it.

Public libraries are a great resource for habitat builders. They can help you find all sorts of useful information, print and digital. Anyone want to share a great library story?

A sad and scary story

Losing Their Buzz - New York Times

Not only have wild honeybees mostly disappeared, now the managed hives are threatened by mysterious disappearances.