First - here's the answer to last weeks question (the first question for December).
Question: True or False? Bats should be discouraged from the garden because of their high potential for carrying rabies.
Answer: False. Although many people consider them creepy, bats are the gardener’s friend. On its nightly excursion, a single bat can eat 1,000 insects, many of which might otherwise have chowed down on the garden (e.g., beetle and moths) or the gardener (mosquitoes). Bats also pollinate some fruit and nut trees.
Contrary to persistent misconception, bats are not prime carriers of rabies. Few cases of human rabies have been attributed to bat bites, and most of those occurred when the victim attempted to pick up a bat found lying on the ground.
The only flying mammals, bats reproduce slowly and are vulnerable to extinction. Although they’re found throughout the U.S., nearly half the country’s bat species are threatened or endangered.
You can attract bats to your garden by erecting a bat house. This simple structure resembles a birdhouse, except the opening is at the bottom and the inside is designed so bats can hang when they roost.
The above is from The Sierra Club Knowledge Cards – The Earth Friendly Garden
Remember you must answer here on the blog in the comments found at the bottom of the post and include WHY to be eligible for the prize. The person who responds to all questions in the month of December correctly will win a book on living more simply.
There will be ONE MORE question next week.
Wishing you all a very happy holiday!!
The Garden Goddess
http://www.down2earthgardens.com/
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2 comments:
False again........soil is a living system, containing microbes, nutrients, minerals, decomposed organic matter, and all kinds of little critters which enable plants to grow and be nourished. Dirt is inorganic mineral matter, essentially ground up rocks.
Merry Christmas!!
Judy
Oh, that it were true. But it is false. According to Webster's, "soil is a medium in which something takes hold and develops." Furthermore, Webster's states that soil "is the loose [ah, a key point] surface material of the earth in which plants grow." That means it has all the right elements for plants to thrive. Since we seem to have a lot of "dirt" here in Phoenix, we need to add nutrients so things can not only grow but have loose ground so the roots can form properly. Except, in my case, the dirt is sometimes "home" to weeds and bermuda grass [guess they figure out where to find their nutrients since I don't give them any!]. Donna
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