This is a cabbage butterfly caterpillar feeding on an Arabidopsis plant where, on an adjacent leaf, a piece of reflective tape helps record vibrations.

Plants can hear the difference

They respond differently to vibrations caused by 
chewing insects than to wind

University of Missouri-Columbia – Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have found plants can not only tell the difference between the sound waves caused by insects chewing and wind but they respond with more defences. ‘We found that feeding vibrations signal changes in the plant cells’ metabolism, creating more defensive chemicals that can repel attacks

African violet houseplant.

Need a quick pick-me-up?

This can provide continuous indoor bloom while you wait to garden outdoors

March can be one of the hardest months for an avid gardener to endure. It is still winter, not much can be accomplished yet in the outdoor garden, and we are tired of the same old, same old in the house. At this time of year, I look around for inexpensive and quick fixes to


This mixture of soap bits is one of our ways to recycle and reuse.

Reduce, recycle, reuse

My wife acts as the recycling police in our household; I dare not throw even the smallest piece of paper into the garbage without fear of reprimand and she constantly surprises me with her ingenuity when it comes to her efforts to reduce, recycle and reuse. One day I noticed a curious-looking bar of soap