Toxins Do Not a Garden Grow

There's a sale on toxins at the garden center?
No, this is enrollment day at Fuller Seminary.

On Facebook I told Jessica Walliser that I am gardening for beneficial bugs, butterflies, and spiders. She liked the remark, because she began with toxins and found out how well coordinated the creatures are in taking care of destructive pests.

I learned the Creation concept from my mother, who reminded everyone that most insects were beneficial and kept the destructive ones down. Rather than squeal over a bug, she would catch one and show its interesting features to children or adults, whoever was whimpering about them at the moment.

Last year was bad for June bugs (Japanese beetles) so I began the Milky Spore applications in the fall, when grubs fatten up. I  repeated the Milky Spore application this year. I saw a big reduction in rose damage and Japanese beetles from last year's effort. Milky Spore only hurts white grubs, so it does not upset the balance of nature, as they call Creation nowdays.

I keep reading up on ways to increase beneficial bug happiness, so I have these basic rules to guide what I plant:

1. Tiny flowers feed tiny insects, so overlooked plants are frequently the best ones for beneficial bugs.
2. The entire carrot family is attractive to beneficials: angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, hemlock, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip, queen ann's lace, (from Wiki).
3. The mint family is also beneficial-insect-friendly: basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, (from Wiki). Cat mint, horse mint, mountain mint.
4. Some others are: Chaste Tree, Joe Pye, and Summersweet, which have distinctive fragrance and attractive flowers.

As I wrote before, the result is not only a lively armada of flying insects, bees especially, but also butterflies large and small. Pesticides do nothing long-term to stop pests, but wipe out the creatures that get rid of pests by eating them, laying eggs near or in them. The garden benefits from thousands of insects and spiders, which serve to attract birds that feed from the arthropods (all joint-footed creatures).

 First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Moline, Illinois.
They had three services a Sunday with gimmicks. For some reason, they became empty and simply shut down the almost empty building.

Typical Fuller Day

We just came back from training at Fuller Seminary. There is a new program called This Phone's For You. They have started large congregations simply by using this phone program. The synod will pay for it.