How to Attract Butterflies to Your Lawn & Garden

No lawn & garden is complete or as healthy without butterflies. Not only can these beautiful pollinators help your blooming plants flourish, they’ll upgrade your yard into an overall more vibrant and biodiverse space. Here’s how to invite more butterflies into your lawn, along with the awesome perks that come with them.

 

Butterflies love sunlight and lots of it. And they have a good reason: without it, they’d become too cold to function and eventually die. It’s simple, unless you offer access to plenty of sunlight, you’ll never get a lawn full of these striking pollinators.

Adult butterflies almost only feed in direct sunlight, which means you’ll need to position your nectar plants carefully. Aim for a spot that receives full sunlight from morning to mid afternoon all spring and into the fall, not just during the summer.

 

Windy spaces are not welcoming to butterflies and their delicate wings. If your lawn and garden don’t provide an escape from daily gusts, butterflies are likely to skip over your space in search of friendlier feeding conditions. 

Don’t fret, creating a little wind protection isn’t stressful and it won’t take very long at all. Simply plant or reposition your nectar offerings along a fence, a small line of trees, large shrubbery, or up against your home. Apart from flowers, a sunny basking spot shielded from the wind is arguably the most effective butterfly attractant.

 

Many gardeners plant dozens of visually appealing, aromatic flowers in hopes of attracting butterflies only to never see a single swallowtail or monarch. You know why? They choose the wrong types of flowers.

The key to enticing your state’s most fruitful and eye-catching butterflies all comes down to planting native flowers. Your local butterflies evolved to feed and seek out, not just any plants, but specifically the plants indigenous to your area—and those are the type of flowers you need growing in your garden. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a big help in this department; click here for a list of their native plant recommendations by region.

When selecting native flowers, make sure to consider a variety of sizes, colors, and types to accommodate a wide array of butterflies both small and large. Ideally, you’ll want to include a selection of plant life that offers blooms throughout the entire butterfly season, all spring through early fall.

 

Butterflies get a bulk of their moisture and nutrients from small watering holes called puddling sites. These mineral rich puddles are vital to any thriving butterfly population, which means you should really have one in your garden. 

Thankfully, making a puddling site is super easy. Just sink a shallow dish or pan flush with the ground, fill it with coarse sand, and wet it daily or less as needed.

 

It’s sometimes easy to forget that butterflies and birds aren’t exactly the best of friends. When we attract the latter to our lawn via baths and feeders, we’re also inadvertently repelling our beneficial butterfly friends.

When removal is out of the question, moving these bird-attracting features farther away from your garden is still helpful. But just remember: the more birds in your lawn, the fewer butterflies you’re going to enjoy.

 

Old school, chemical-based insecticides threaten not only the health of our families and pets, but also beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies. It’s a no-brainer—if you stick with toxic pesticides, you’re not going to have many butterflies gracing your garden. 

Technology’s come a long way and now we have safer, smarter approaches for protecting our gardens from pest damage. Here are 5 butterfly-friendly pest control tips to get you started. To learn more, read “The Most Destructive Garden Pests & How to Get Rid of them Naturally.”

 

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How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies: 3 Easy Steps

You know those tiny, irritating bugs you occasionally spot in your fruit bowl or flying throughout your house? Those are fruit flies, and they’re filthy pests you do not want in your home.

FRUIT FLIES CAN MAKE YOU SICK

That’s right! Fruit flies can spread disease and bacteria all throughout your home. In fact, research has found that fruit flies are a known cause of E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella poisoning, helping spread these highly dangerous food-borne illnesses in both the U.S. and abroad. 

While they peak in spring and summer, our homes provide a uniquely convenient environment for fruit flies to thrive, in some cases, all year round. In other words, you can get them any time of year and infestations can last for what seems like forever. So if you’ve got fruit flies and don’t want them around for months, or you’d simply like to avoid ever seeing one in your home, the below 3 steps have you covered.

 

The first step to getting rid of your fruit fly problem is to target the source. It’s all about basic sanitation, and removing food sources and potential fruit fly breeding sites. These gross bugs can survive off anything with sugar and almost any type of organic decay. Here’s how to get rid of the most common sources of fruit flies:

• Check any foods you have stored outside your fridge for signs of fruit flies, especially fruits, vegetables, and bread. If fruit flies emerge when you move these items, toss them in the garbage and immediately take the trash outside. Until you get your fruit fly issue under control, store all unsealed produce in the fridge. 
• During ongoing fruit fly problems, empty indoor trash cans and recycling bins at least daily. Thoroughly rinse all food receptacles before throwing them out or recycling them. For food scraps, skip your indoor trash bin and take them immediately outdoors. Periodically cleaning your trash and recycling cans with a family-safe All-Purpose Cleaner is essential until the problem improves. 
• Moist items like mops, rags, and sponges are ideal breeding sites. Unless you keep these items dry and clean, you’ll likely never get rid of your fruit fly roommates. 
• An often overlooked source of fruit flies are drains and garbage disposals. Deep clean these areas, and then pour a mixture of several drops of dish soap and boiling water down inside. That’s usually enough to kill and temporarily repel hidden fruit flies. 
• Make it a habit to never leave dirty dishes or food scraps in the sink. These are enough to perpetuate a fruit fly population for weeks, even months. 
• Fruit flies sometimes enter our homes from outdoors. While you’re battling these annoying pests, keep your home’s windows firmly closed (screens are not sufficient to keep out fruit flies).
• Wash your clothes often and keep laundry spaces clean and dry. Fruit fly populations can thrive on dirty laundry alone. 
• Your fruit flies might be thriving on food or drink spills you haven’t noticed yet. Closely inspect your kitchen’s countertops and flooring for any crumbs, residues, or food scraps daily until you can get the fruit flies under control. Clean as needed with a non-toxic All-Purpose Cleaner.

 

 

Killing and repelling fruit flies with Cedarcide is easy. Whether it’s your sinks, drains, bathrooms, countertops, your laundry room, or flooring, you can safely use Cedarcide Original to kill and repel fruit flies.

There’s nothing to it. To kill, a quick direct spray is all it takes. To repel fruit flies, lightly spray common problem spots like sinks and countertops, as well as suspected entry points like window frames, weekly. This can cut several days or even weeks off your fruit fly predicament.

In general, avoid spraying food storage areas. While Cedarcide Original is family-safe and won’t cause toxicity issues, no one wants their food tasting like cedarwood oil, no matter how amazing it smells. 

 

 

MAKE A FRUIT FLY TRAP AT HOME

A DIY fruit fly trap can be incredibly helpful. All you need is a bowl, a piece of fruit, plastic wrap, and a toothpick.

1. Place your piece of overripe or rotten fruit in a basic kitchen bowl. 
2. Tightly seal the bowl with plastic wrap. 
3. Use the toothpick to poke 5-10 small holes in the plastic wrap. 

Attracted by the fruit, the flies will enter the bowl via the small holes, ultimately getting trapped inside. Leave this DIY fruit fly trap out overnight and replace it daily. Don’t be surprised if you catch a few dozen fruit flies a day—this trap is remarkably effective.

 

Fruit fly prevention is similar to the first step of getting rid of fruit flies outlined above, namely eliminating potential food sources and breeding sites. 

If you’re f constantly facing fruit flies, the below suggestions will be game-changers for your household, helping you successfully avoid future fruit fly infestations: 

• Consider storing all produce in the fridge. While it’s not the most efficient storage method for all types of food, the slight drop in taste or freshness might be a welcome tradeoff for avoiding additional fruit fly outbreaks. 
• Inspect produce and other potential carriers like houseplants for fruit flies before bringing them into your home. 
• Moving forward, strictly avoid leaving dirty dishes and food in the sink. Similarly, clean up food and drinks spills the moment they occur. Frequently wiping down kitchen surfaces and flooring with a family-safe All-Purpose Cleaner will also help substantially. 
• Always thoroughly rinse recyclables until there’s no food or sticky residues remaining. 
• Periodically clean trash and recycling bins, and take them out frequently. 
• Cleaning supplies like mops, rags, sponges, and scrubbers need be deep cleaned and dried after use. 
• Do your best to keep your home’s humidity low. Warm, damp conditions are ideal for fruit fly breeding. Using your air conditioner and/or fans will do the trick. 
• Outdoor fruit flies can quickly become indoor fruit flies. To avoid fostering large populations in your front or back yards, be diligent when it comes to removing decaying organic matter, like dying plant life for instance. Sorry pet parents, this includes dog and cat poop, too, which are both exceptional fruit fly attractants. 

 

 

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How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes with Cedarcide: 3 Simple Steps

Nothing ruins outside time like mosquitoes. They leave you super itchy. They do that annoying buzzing thing in your ear. They can give your pets heartworms. They literally drink your blood. They’re the worst. 

Sick of avoiding your yard because the mosquitoes have taken over? Thankfully, controlling mosquitoes and preventing their bites is simple with Cedarcide. Plus, you don’t have to expose your family or pets to harmful chemicals to get it done. 

Here’s how you can get rid of mosquitoes in 3 easy steps.

 

There’s simply no better way to control mosquitoes and prevent potentially harmful bites than basic mosquito prevention.

Successful mosquito prevention involves many moving parts, but think of it like home maintenance. Sure, there are seemingly several steps involved, but if you do them as you go, they become routine. And then it doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything extra at all. In other words, don’t worry—preventing mosquitoes is not that difficult. It mostly comes down to limiting moisture and potential mosquito hideouts. Here’s how to do it:

• Lawn maintenance and what you might call “lawn hygiene” are crucial. Mosquitoes seek out spaces rich with clutter and vegetation like tall grass and shrubbery. Any unnecessary clutter that could potentially collect moisture needs to go. Equally important, regularly mow, weed-eat, and trim hedges, Mosquitoes use dark, damp spaces like tall grass to hide.
• If you have bird baths, you absolutely must clean and change their water often, like at least once a week. It’s probably even better to consider draining them during the height of mosquito season (March-September).
• Immediately repair faulty sprinklers, hoses, faucets, plumbing, drains, or anything else that can leak moisture into your lawn or garden. Otherwise, you’re just asking for mosquitoes.
• Recreational water sources—like hot tubs, pools, artificial ponds, etc—need to be periodically cleaned and carefully maintained to avoid mosquito eggs. 
• Similarly, store pool/hot tub covers and any other outdoor tarps in use so that they remain clean and free of moisture. 
• Natural features like hollow tree stumps and ditches provide the perfect environment to foster the mosquito life cycle. Whatever the solution, find a way to remove or neutralize these mosquito hotspots.

 

The ultimate goal here is to make your lawn inhospitable to mosquitoes and other biting insects. The secret weapon? Our family-safe lawn treatment, PCO Choice, which kills and repels mosquitoes and their eggs. 

Start by thoroughly spraying your entire front and backyard with PCO Choice, including all shrubbery, bushes, and small trees (remember, this is where those pesky mosquitoes like to hide, breed, and do other gross insect stuff). For best results, you’ll want to repeat this process in two weeks and then move on to monthly applications afterward.

If you’re not currently struggling with mosquitoes and you’re just looking for prevention, you can start with monthly applications from the get-go. If you live in a warmer region such as the South, applications should be done every month unless the temperature drops below freezing for more than a few weeks. If you live in a state prone to cold spells, start spraying monthly in late February and then taper off in November as winter really starts to set in.

Because PCO Choice is plant-based and family-safe, no downtime is necessary. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn right after application!

For additional protection, we strongly advise spreading Cedar Granules throughout your outdoor space, especially surrounding those areas where you and your family spend the most time, like patios, balconies, BBQs, etc.

 

 

You’ve learned about mosquito prevention and how to treat your lawn, now it’s time for the easy part: preventing mosquito bites. 

One word: Cedarcide Original. Before outdoor activities like dog walks, hikes, jogs, or backyard time, apply this non-toxic bug spray to you, your family, and pets to prevent mosquito bites. For best results, reapply every 5-7 hours and after getting wet. Not only is Cedarcide Original safe to use directly on your pets, it’s also an incredibly effective approach to controlling fleas & ticks without resorting to poisonous chemicals or pesticides.

For more natural ways to control mosquitoes, check out How to Mosquito-Proof Your Yard.

 

 

 

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3 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day at Home

We don’t know about you, but we’re not gonna’ let a little social distancing get in the way of our Earth Day festivities. To us, it’s clear the world needs celebrating now more than ever. We know we could certainly use some. Here are 3 ways you can do just that while having a positive impact on the world at the same. Go you!

 

What better way to celebrate earth day than to find at least 1 meaningful way to honor our planet every day—or at least every week. It might sound challenging, but it’s actually really easy. Even the smallest improvement will do. Here are a few small but impactful ideas to get you started:

• Try going meatless for just one day a week. Studies indicate that if every American went vegetarian for just one day a week, the U.S. would save 100 billion gallons of water and 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide (basically the equivalent of taking over half a million cars of the road!) 
• Switch to paperless billing and prevent junk mail. Most households receive over 1,000 pieces of junk mail annually, not including bills. Do the planet and yourself a favor: switch all your bills to digital, and opt out of all that annoying junk mail, here’s how.
• Recycle…more. On average, we all recycle less than a third of the waste we produce. That leaves a lot of improvement—we can all do better. Not sure where to start? Here are 41 things you probably didn’t know you could recycle. 
• Fix that leaky faucet. Did you know a single leaky faucet can waste over 1,000 gallons of water a year?
• Use a rain barrel. Whether you have houseplants, a garden, or just a thirsty lawn, using rainwater when it’s available can save you and our planet hundreds of gallons of water annually. All it takes is placing a bucket outside whenever it rains. There’s nothing to it. 

 

We all want a planet free of litter, welcoming to friendly wildlife, and a joy to look at—so why not start in your own backyard, so to speak. If you’re down to change the world one rewarding gesture at a time—and of course you are!—start by upgrading your normal walks or jogs by incorporating a little clean up. 

Grab some gloves, a bag, hand sanny, and turn your exercise sesh into a litter scavenger hunt. We know it sounds silly, but it’s honestly a blast once you realize you’re personally advancing the community you share with your friends and neighbors. Plus, it’s an actual thing: it’s called plogging. Picking up…litter…jogging—you get the picture.

 

Apart from relaxing drives, essential work, and the occasional fresh air escape, most of us are stuck inside, vicariously living through computer screens and window frames. But despite what dozens of sci-fi novels movies have told us, technology isn’t all bad, the digital web is also a beautiful tool for uniting people all over the world. Thankfully, just in time given our current predicament, Earth Day has gone digital for 2020.

Earth Day Live, NASA, and countless other organizations are offering engaging online activities, riveting educational materials, and environmental conservation tools for all ages all Earth Day long. A full list of online Earth Day happenings can be found here.

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5 Home Improvement Projects to Knock Out While You’re Stuck at Home

Everyday stressors, the underlying anxiety of post-coronavirus living, the endless news cycle—there’s a lot to battle with at the moment. No doubt, it’s enough to bum you out from time to time.

But we’ve found something that helps us cope in these weird times—and it helps a lot: being productive. More specifically, checking off our home improvement to-do list. Plus, hey, making over your home, no matter how seemingly insignificant the improvements, always feels mega great, right?

In between family and work duties, here are 5 projects you can knock out while you’re stuck at home social distancing.

 

Your appliances, air conditioner, water purifier, vacuum cleaner—they all likely have filters you haven’t gotten around to changing or cleaning in a while. We’re all guilty of it, but now we finally have the time, so let’s go ahead and knock these out. Some of them will require monthly attention while others only need changing annually, so check the corresponding manuals and clean or replace as necessary.

Not only will it feel amazing to finally get this home project done, but it will actually improve the quality of you and your family’s lives: your appliances will work more efficiently, your water will taste better, and your home’s air quality will improve. That would feel pretty awesome, right?

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK VENTS, TOO

Many of the above items, but especially air conditioning systems and appliances, have vents that require regular cleaning. And if you’ve ever seen an old vent caked with dust, then you understand when we say touching these up can make a big difference in how your household items function. A little dusting or vacuuming is usually all it takes, but if you encounter any especially filthy vent covers, restore them by soaking them in your kitchen sink with a mixture of hot water and soap.

 

This one’s super important, and it usually only takes a few minutes. Start by testing every unit in the house, changing the batteries as necessary. If it’s been over ten years since you purchased new detectors, consider upgrading. If you’ve forgotten how to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, consult the manuals or do a quick google search of their make and models for help.

Having the correct number of detectors placed in the right locations is just as important as ensuring they’re all in good working order. As a reminder, you should have at least 1 of each detector on every floor of your home, as well a smoke detector in each bedroom and a carbon monoxide detector within 10 feet of every sleeping area.

 

There are always a few dead lightbulbs lingering somewhere in the home. You’ve got the time, so let’s finally get them changed. Do a quick sweep of each room, checking lamps, fixtures, etc, and replace any duds you stumble across (just make sure they’re cool to the touch before you start). This is also the perfect opportunity to consider upgrading older models for newer, more energy-efficient bulbs. They’re better for our environment and they’ll save you money in the long-run, making you a hero to both your family and the planet. You rock!

 

Even in the best of times, enduring the same old furniture layout for too long has a way of making things stale. When you’re stuck inside social distancing, it’s enough to trigger cabin fever. 

Even if it’s temporary, try switching things up: reshuffle wall hangings, reposition lamps, rearrange your sofa, tables and chairs. You’ll be amazed how much these quick changes will transform the look and feel of your home—and ultimately your own frame of mind. 

While you’re moving things around, take the time to reorganize and declutter your house, too. Not sure how? We got you covered:

How to Declutter Your Home: A Spring Cleaning Checklist

 

You know those old cans of paint you have squirreled away in your garage or closet? Well, they contain magic just waiting to happen. Nothing—and I mean nothing—has the capacity to upgrade the vibe of your home like a bright new coat of paint.

Consider refreshing the walls of entire rooms—they’ll look almost brand new when you’re through! But if that seems a bit too intimidating, don’t sweat it, even touching up a few areas here and there can have a big impact. Simply go around your home and re-paint high-traffic areas like door frames, baseboards, doors, and wall sections scratched up from hanging decorations. It doesn’t sound like much, but trust us, you’ll be shocked by the results.

If you don’t have any spare wall paint leftover, spray painting is another fun option. If you have a few cans handy, consider changing up the look of mirror frames, stools, lamps, or other metal or wooden objects in need of some TLC. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s rewarding, and honestly you’ll have a blast doing it.

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12 Hacks to Make Your Groceries Last Longer & Taste Better

In these unusual times, when every dollar and grocery trip counts for double, limiting waste and making your produce last longer is more meaningful than ever. Here are 12 hacks to help you do just that:

 

If your refrigerator isn’t in great shape, the food you put in it won’t be either. For example, did you know every little spill and crumb in your fridge contains bacteria that can make your food spoil faster? That’s why reorganizing and disinfecting your fridge at least once a month is necessary to keep your food tasting great and lasting longer. Here are a few more essential fridge tips:

• The right temperature is everything. It’s arguably the single most important factor to how effectively your fridge stores food. The FDA suggests keeping refrigerators at 40°F or below, and freezers at 0°F or below.
• Do not overcrowd your fridge. Stuffing your fridge to the brim creates warm spots and inconsistent temperatures throughout, which can substantially reduce your food’s shelf life. 
• If your crisper drawer has a temp setting, set it to low. Your veggies will stay firmer and tastier longer.

 

No one likes mushy berries or soggy greens, so it’s time to stop washing your produce too early. Adding moisture to fruits and veggies accelerates decay, trimming several days off their longevity. Instead, wait to wash your produce until right before you plan to eat it. You’ll be surprised how big a difference it makes.

 

Storing eggs and dairy in the fridge door—it’s a big no-no. Every time the fridge is opened, the temperature in the front section of the appliance rises, putting vulnerable food items at risk. Want your yogurt, creamer, and protein-packed eggs to stay delicious longer? Store them on the bottom shelf near the back, where the temps stay consistently cold.

 

It seems counterintuitive, but if you want your gourmet and sandwich cheeses to remain flavorful, you gotta’ stop putting them in airtight containers. Skip the sealed ziplock bags and Tupperware, and tightly wrap cheeses in a porous paper like wax, parchment, or—you guessed it—cheese paper. As with the rest of your dairy, place it on the bottom shelf of the main fridge compartment.

To combat the stink factor, make sure not to store strongly aromatic ones like blue cheese right next to other sensitive foods, as they’ll both absorb one another’s smells and flavors.

 

Several fruits, but especially apples, bananas, and avocados, emit large amounts of ethylene gas, which can prematurely ripen other fruits and vegetables nearby. In fact, nearly all produce emits some sort of gas as it ages, gases which are normally damaging to dissimilar items stored in close proximity. 

As a rule, try to store fruits and veggies separately. Berries, kale, and bell peppers emit very little gas, so feel free to store them however you like.

 

I know, I know—above we told you to avoid getting produce wet until you’re ready to eat it. But there’s an exception: leafy greens like lettuce, cabbage, and kale actually do better after a quick rinse.

Start by washing your greens and then loosely wrapping them in paper towels. Finally, place these bundles inside unsealed plastic bags or containers. This should keep them tasty for over 10 days.

 

In some cases it can help extend the life of your bread, but usually refrigeration just makes it stale faster. Instead, keep your loaves, bagels, and naan on the counter, in a bread box, or in your pantry, tightly sealed. If you can’t finish your bread in time, toss it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To maintain its yummy texture, slice it up before freezing.

 

Whether they’re for baking or healthy snacking, nuts last far longer stored in the fridge over the pantry. Basically, it’s the oil in nuts that causes them to go bad faster, and the fridge helps slow the oil’s decay.

 

For crunchier, better-tasting celery and broccoli, reach for tin foil. It’s super simple: tightly wrap bunches of celery or broccoli in a sheet or 2 of foil. This should up their shelf life to about 4 weeks. Voila!

 

You read that right—just like a bouquet of flowers. Grab a mason jar, fill it with an inch or so of water, and stand your bundles of asparagus, cilantro, and parsley upright in the glass. To keep them extra fresh, cut the tips off the bottoms first and cover the top with plastic wrap.

 

Eating half an avocado usually means eating one half now and throwing the other half away after you thought it’d keep overnight in the fridge, but it didn’t. Here’s a trick to always save that second half for later without it turning brown and weird tasting: brush it. 

Using either lemon juice or olive oil, thoroughly brush leftover avocado halves, covering the entire exposed surface. This will prevent oxygen from ruining the fruit, keeping your avocado delicious and beautiful for the following day.

 

Plain old paper bags are miracle workers when it comes to preserving mushrooms. As mushrooms age, they begin to expel moisture, which can result in mushy, often moldy mushrooms if they’re stored incorrectly. Paper bags absorb this moisture while simultaneously keeping your mushrooms firm and fresh. 

Just throw them unwashed straight into a paper bag. Fold over the top, place the bag in the main part of your fridge, and expect them to last up to a week. Avoid the crisper drawer, it’s way too humid in there.

 

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