Spiny Orb Weaver
The Spiny orb weaver is one of many species of beneficial spider that feasts on small garden pests. Their common name is appropriately labelled, the spider has six pointy projections located around its abdomen. Bright coloration of the abdomen such as yellow, red, white and black are associated with this interesting critter, and the rest of its body
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Dragonfly
Dragonflies are graceful, brightly colored predatory insects with four wings and a long body. Large ancestors of dragonflies, those with a three-foot wingspan, were on this planet longer than we can imagine. Fossil records show that dragonflies have been here since before dinosaurs appeared! They fly over open areas of water, fields, and wetlands with ease.
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Praying Mantis
The common name praying mantis refers to the typical “prayer-like” posture the insect has, with folded forelimbs. In fact, mantids specialize in preying! The preying mantis is almost a perfect insect-hunting machine. This may be why mantids are one of the first species people think of when the term beneficial insect is mentioned.
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The Borage Plant
Borago officinalis The Borage plant is an annual with an exquisite, bright blue and star-like flowers which are edible.The Borage flowers have very prominent black anthers that grow from its center. It grows to about 1 to 3 feet tall with multiple branches, hollow stems, and large, gray-green, oval, pointed leaves that are hairy. The […]
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Green ‘Lynx’ Spider
The Green ‘Lynx’ Spider is found on all kinds of shrub-like plants throughout the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, Venezuela and the West Indies. You can find the Green ‘Lynx’ Spider in woods on tall grasses and in meadows of tall wildflowers, especially on the heads of wild buckwheat. The Green ‘Lynx’ Spider is a common resident in Texas
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The Neem Tree: A Miracle Plant
History Neem is a tropical evergreen tree native to the Indian sub-continent. This tree has a history of growing up to 50 ft. high and has been used for many different purposes for more than 4500 years. The earliest documentation revealed usage of various parts of Neem tree like fruit, leaves, seed oil, roots and […]
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