Pest Control

I don't know about you, but around my place it's like an alarm clock has gone off. Seemingly in one morning, everything started moving. Most of it's good - flowers, buds, leaves, birds, cicadas - and some of it's just irritating - weeds here and there.

But then there are the pests. They seem to have proliferated like rabbits, without the cute. Here is a graphic of some common garden pests:

Nice, huh? Fortunately, Fine Gardening has an epic article identifying some 12 primary pests and nuisances and how to control them (actually, 11 primary pests and 1 paean to the ant). It ranges from raccoons to the usual suspects, mosquitoes, and includes molds and fungus gnats as well.

The article is in the form of a slide show, so be sure to click the 'read more' links for all the details. At this time of year, it is well worth your time to get up to speed on dealing with these seasonal persecutors.

This is not a pest, it is a pest of pests, the common Yellow Garden Spider.
Be gentle with this one and it will eat some of your problems right up.