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Private Notes
From a platoon of army cut worms that descend under the cover of night to a sea of hornworm caterpillars that brazenly gorge themselves in broad daylight, a vegetable garden is a grazing field for a variety characters. It's a miracle any fruit survives to make it to our tables. But plants are not entirely defenseless. Some vegetable plants have a whole arsenal of weapons to fight off the hordes of hungry mouths. Secret stashes of poison, razor sharp edges and a crackerjack communication system are just a few of the tricks these plants have up their sleeves. In this episode we explore how in the cutthroat world of the vegetable garden, plants are more than capable of taking care of themselves.
As the sun sets and we humans begin to wind down from the day's work the nightshift takes over in the garden. Fireflies begin to flash their neon beacons. Toads emerge from their daytime resting places to hunt for a good meal. Earwigs squirm out from between the petals of flowers and set of in search of some fresh meat, and slugs begin their slow patrol of the garden. In this episode of The Secret World of Gardens we explore the wild nightlife of the garden and how these creatures of the night affect what you'll see in your garden beds in the morning.
With their intricate dance of communication, their flight patterns requiring sophisticated navigation and their prolific pollen gathering abilities, honeybees are some of the most active and mysterious creatures in the garden. In this episode we join the sisterhood to intimately explore the role of honeybees in a common garden. We'll even set up a sting to find the hive where these pollen bandits stash the loot.
Ever wonder why apple blossoms are so pretty? It's because apple trees are cousins, several times removed, from roses. Apple trees grow a lot more than just rosy fruit - they grow and house a multitude of insects, too. Tent caterpillars, tussock moths, coddling moths, woolly apple aphids - not to mention two-spotted mites - are just a few of the creatures that call an apple tree home. Add to that the thousands of visitors that drop by every day and you start to see the amazing array of life an apple tree can lure into a garden. In this episode of The Secret World of Gardens we explore life on an apple tree from the first buds to when the last fruit falls.
We usually only notice the fruit of fungi (aka mushrooms) when they're on our plate, preferably sautéed with a little butter. But fungi insidiously occupy every corner of the garden, and the mushrooms we see are only the tip of the iceberg. Underneath these tiny fruiting bodies lies a massive interwoven network of fibers that extends for miles in the soil. Your garden, and indeed the whole planet, is virtually overrun with mushrooms and yet we know very little about the intimate connection between fungi and many of our favorite plants and trees. In this episode we explore the magic world of mushrooms through striking time-lapse photography that shows mushrooms growing and blooming as beautifully as any flower right before our eyes.
They are the astronauts of the garden: small bugs called hoppers able to blast off with so much power that they have to withstand 400 G-forces a jump! Most people would be surprised to learn they exist, let alone that thousands of them call their backyard home since most gardeners have never even seen one. But that is all part of the hopper plan - they are masters of disguise and even when you are looking right at them they are sometimes hard to see. Some are dead ringers for thorns while others look like buds or leaves but all of them have a secret story full of mystery and mayhem. Hitch a ride on the back of a leafhopper or hide out with a spittlebug in this episode of The Secret World of Gardens.
In this episode of The Secret World of Gardens we explore how you never really know what you're looking at in the garden unless you've got the whole story. Walking sticks that look just like twigs devour the foliage in plain sight but no one seems to notice, spiders that are perfect chameleons blend in to kill, and caterpillars that mimic poop are the stars of this show. And it's not only your eyes that you can't trust. Watch tthis episode to see how some creatures can also fool your ears and your nose.
Vines are one of the most beautiful and menacing characters in the garden. They are super charged for growth. Some can even reach 30 feet in one season. In this episode we explore how vines can use their super powers for good or for evil and how gardeners can exploit their need for speed. Join us as we explore the good, the bad and the ugly side of vines.
High winds whip and twist your garden plants. The relentless summer sun sears them without mercy. And deep freezes put the chill on growth. Despite this your garden is capable of putting up with the worst weather has to offer. In Whether the Weather we explore how plants survive the trials and tribulations of changes in the weather and look at the coping strategies they have evolved to exploit Mother Nature. Learn how the decorative skunk cabbage operates its own little heater, melting snow surrounding it, so they can be the first plant out of the gate at the end of winter. And see how bees - mad dogs and Englishman all - cope with the ruthlessly hot days of summer.
They crawl, they fly and some even swim. Weevils are one of the largest families of insects in North America with an estimated 2700 species, all eating machines that come in a variety of sizes, colors and shapes. Join us as we explore the diverse and daring world of weevils.
Squirrels and chipmunks are a welcome addition to any backyard, but they can have quite a dramatic effect on the garden. Stuffing their faces with your bulbs and berries, viciously patrolling their territory, these creatures are fascinating to watch. We tag along with a squirrel to explore how they build their nests and just what they are doing rooting around in between the petals. We also go underground to explore the burrows of chipmunks and find out just what all that racket is about down there.
Every 17 years a sea of alien creatures bubbles up from the earth under the same old oak tree. With enormous red eyes and intricate wet, lacey wings these creatures burst forth from the earth in spring and robotically move in single file up the bark of ancient oaks to mate and lay eggs only to die just days later. These cicadas are just one of the creatures that are drawn like magnets to oak trees - moths, caterpillars, wasps, bees and a whole host of fascinating characters make their home in oak trees. In this episode we explore the diverse world of oaks and the strange and symbiotic relationships these trees have with their citizens.
Paradise is a well-tended lawn, according to the creatures making their homes in the lush, manicured grasses around your house. There they find soft, succulent growth to feed on and protection from the blazing sun and nasty, ever-hungry predators. "Life In A Lawn" takes you underground to see grubs destroying grass from the bottom up, moles moving earth mountains, and magical transformations. See a lawn growing before your eyes and get a sneak peak as skunks and raccoons use their smarts and dexterity to turn the tables on the bugs living in your front yard.
Crickets, Grasshoppers, and Katydids
Ladybirds, Leaping Aphids, and Ants
