Bring Magic to the Garden with Fireflies

The onset of summer brings on many magical delights. Longer days, delightful nights, gardens and beaches and mountains, and adventure. And bugs. There are some bugs that truly bug us, but there are others that absolutely delight - like fireflies!

Fireflies are amazing little creatures. These beetles are a welcome pleasure since seeing them is a sign that summer is truly upon us. Unfortunately, they are on the decline. Losing these little fairies of the season is not only sad for the child in all of us, but it is sad for the environment as well. There are, however, a number of things you can do to keep the magic glowing in your yard.

1) Turn off the lights. Fireflies signal their mates by flashing their perfect little lights. Ambient light from houses, streetlights, garden lights, etc., make it hard for the guys and gals to see each other. From twilight to just after dark, resist the urge to pop on the lights and you might just have a chance to see the light show of love.

2) Don't over mow, at least not that low. The firefly enjoys hanging out in the grass during the day. And eggs and larvae are born and grow in the ground. They prefer longer grass, so resist the urge to keep the lawn trimmed as tight as a crew cut. At the very least allow for some longer grasses to grow in some areas of your lawn to give the lightening bugs somewhere to live.

3) Let the slugs ... be slugs. Although most adult fireflies eat nectar and pollen, the larvae are carnivores and enjoy snaking on slugs, grubs, snails and even aphids. So the little glow worms (yep, the larvae sometimes glow) are actually natural pesticides for the garden.

4) Speaking of pests, Avoid pesticides and fertilizers. Commercial pesticides don't discriminate and affect a broad range of insects - including the good ones like fireflies. Chemical fertilizers can also cause issue since some of the constituents are the same as the pesticides. Try to use natural fertilizers like compost, and look for natural remedies like companion planting to deter bad bugs.

5) Leave the natural litter. Well, not litter. But the fallen leaves and wood piles kind of litter. Larvae love rotting woods and leaves, like the kind found on the forest floor. Having some of these around will give them a cozy home to grow in.

6) Plant what they like. Your yard will look great too! Native trees and pines are good homes to local fireflies, they love the shade and protection. Fireflies tend to like moist areas, especially wet meadows, forest edges, farm fields, and wild bog, marsh, stream and lake edges. Adult fireflies eat nectar and pollen, so plant natives would be extremely enticing to our flashing friends.

7) Don't put them in a jar. At least not for a long time. A short time for better observation would be OK, but a longer time might kill them. With their numbers dwindling it's best to spot them while they flit about. In fact if you like an evening firefly watch, you can join the Museum of Science Firefly Watch. Help keep track of the firefly population and maybe help save them!

Fireflies bring out the magic of a fresh new summer. Help keep that magic going by taking care to encourage the fairies to light up the night.

Burning Up the Herb of the Year - Hot Peppers!

Hot peppers are all the rage. You can't watch a cooking show without seeing them “kick up the heat” with some type of fiery fruit. Jalapenos and Cayenne are the most popular additions. You can find this spicy fruit in everything from stews to sauces, rubs to rices, even in chocolate and ice cream.

Here's the kicker... I can't stand eating them. Actually find them painful – and not in the good way. Very, very, VERY mild heat I can tolerate. We're talking lots of black pepper hot. No super zippy foods for me. But I can appreciate the benefits they provide, for your insides and especially for your outsides.

Capsicum, or hot peppers, are the 2016 Herb of the Year. The International HerbSociety, which chooses the annual celebratory herb, “evaluates possible choices based on their being outstanding in at least two of the three major categories: medicinal, culinary, or decorative.” Peppers fit that definition perfectly in all three categories.

Internally, cayenne and it's cousins pack in the vitamins like C, A, B, K1 and E. They provide a painful heat that produces endorphin's which, despite the initial pain from the heat, actually help relieve pain. The hotter the pepper the more endorphin's produced. Be careful before you go on that endorphin bender though. You can actually get burned from peppers like Scotch Bonnets or Trinidad Scorpions. In fact, one drop of pure capsaicin comes in at over 15 million Scoville units. Even diluting that 1 drop in 100,000 drops of water, your skin would blister.

My favorite use for hot peppers, having the issues I have, is to use it externally. The Capsacin in capsicum's provides that heat both inside and out. Capsacin does cause an initial hot feeling on the skin. It binds with pain receptors in the nerve endings and causes an intense burning sensation, which overloads the body’s pain sensors. The nerves stop sending pain messages for brief time, giving temporary relief to aches and soreness.

This is the natural magic that comes in to play with our Muscle Rub. We steep hot peppers (cayenne's and scotch bonnets) in a blend of oils and other herbs. Peppers add that nice little warmth. It's also used in a variety of liniments – if you need to “kick up the heat.”

Hot peppers do have an interesting history. Did you know that sweet peppers – which I do adore – are not naturally occurring? They are bred to be heatless. In fact, if you are growing peppers make sure to keep the hot ones far from the sweet ones. They can cross breed, which can be very surprising if you don't know that.

These are just a few of the reasons Capsicum annuum truly does deserve the status of Herb of the Year! There are so many more. Let us know why you love your hot peppers.