From watering via ice cubes to spritzing with hydrogen peroxide – 4 misguided plant health trends on social media

Plant care advice abounds on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube – but not all of it is good. A plant expert debunks four common recommendations.

Nick Goltz, Assistant Extension Educator and Director, UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Connecticut • conversation
Aug. 16, 2022 • ~7 min

Monarch butterflies join the Red List of endangered species, thanks to habitat loss, climate change and pesticides

The iconic monarch butterfly has been added to the Red List of endangered species, but hasn’t received protection in the US yet. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Kristen A. Baum, Professor of Integrative Biology and Associate Dean for Research, Oklahoma State University • conversation
July 26, 2022 • ~9 min

How the birds and the bees help coffee plants

Many people can’t get by without the buzz from their daily coffee habit.

Thomas Ings, Associate professor, Anglia Ruskin University • conversation
July 5, 2022 • ~6 min

How to make your lawn wildlife friendly all year round – tips from an ecologist

Plus, why you should always remove grass cuttings from your lawn.

Gareth Griffith, Professor of Fungal Ecology, Aberystwyth University • conversation
May 31, 2022 • ~7 min

Bee highways: how they work and why we need them

Miles of bee-friendly ‘highways’ are being linked up around the UK.

Hannah Wolmuth-Gordon, PhD researcher in the epidemiology of bumblebee disease, Royal Holloway University of London • conversation
May 12, 2022 • ~7 min

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

Pollen brings seasonal misery to millions of Americans, but it serves a critical purpose: fertilizing many kinds of plants, including food crops.

Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation • conversation
April 21, 2022 • ~8 min

Planting mixes of flowers around farm fields helps keep bees healthy

Huge single-crop fields attract bees in such numbers that they spread parasites to one another. Planting diverse mixes of flowers around fields helps spread out pollinators and keep them healthy.

Hamutahl Cohen, Extension Agent, University of Florida • conversation
April 5, 2022 • ~8 min

Farmers are overusing insecticide-coated seeds, with mounting harmful effects on nature

Studies suggest that seeds coated with neonicotinoid insecticides may harm nontarget insects, mammals and birds. In response, states are starting to restrict use of these products.

John F. Tooker, Professor of Entomology and Extension Specialist, Penn State • conversation
Feb. 22, 2022 • ~9 min

Plants are flowering a month earlier – here's what it could mean for pollinating insects

Climate change is throwing plants and pollinators out of sync.

Laura Reeves, PhD Candidate, Pests and Climate Change, University of Reading • conversation
Feb. 4, 2022 • ~6 min

Do flies really throw up on your food when they land on it?

A fly does some of its digesting outside its body before it even eats any food.

Jamie Theobald, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
Nov. 8, 2021 • ~6 min

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