RADICLE Thinking

For reasons both good and bad, the environment is so in fashion.

Earth Day is BIG.

Lots of causes, lots of requests. I am asking too. But, not for a donation; not to sign a petition; but for something not to do.

Please don’t spray your yard for ticks and mosquitos.
Why? Because there is no proof that it reduces tick borne diseases. (https://www.caryinstitute.org/science/tick-project) And because tick sprays (even the organic ones) kill much more than ticks: they kill butterflies, and bees and fireflies. They aren’t good for you, either (https://www.nytimes.com/2019)

What to do?

Spray yourself: You are the target, so put the spray where it is of max effect and minimum harm: on you and your clothing.

Check yourself: The most effective preventive measure of all. Property spray programs give people a false sense of security and they stop being vigilant. There is no way that blasting your garden with a pesticide can guarantee that you are never going to encounter a tick, but it sure will mess with the lives of your pollinators and birds.

Please take a moment this Earth Day think about it. If it is safer for you, your family, pets and the earth, why wouldn’t you spray yourself, not your yard? Choose a spray with picaridin, it’s not “organic” but it is least toxic and very effective. (EWG.org)

And, if you haven’t already, check out Two Thirds for The Birds www.234birds.org, and learn more beautiful actions you can take, for free, to help the health of the planet, you and your pets.

Coming Events:
Tues May 4, Free Webinar: basic toxic free landscaping Edwina von Gal/Rodale Institute
https://rodaleinstitute.org/events/webinar-human-natured-whole-healthy-landscaping/

Weds May 19 Presentation: Holly Merker, author of “Ornitherapy” and Edwina von Gal, PRFCT Earth Founder, hosted by Southampton Arts Center https://southamptonartscenter.z2systems.com/np/clients/southamptonartscenter/event.jsp?event=223

Why not take advantage of this at-home opportunity to get to know your property better -- to work on your relationship? Have you spent quality time with your place, looking and listening? Learning from it. Do you understand and embrace its needs? How do you decide what is best for it? All on your terms?   
 
Go outside and take a good look at every square foot of your place, without judgement. What is going on? What is doing just fine, and what needs you? Appreciate all that is beautiful that happened all on its own. 
 
You and your land have been living together;  is it time you took a vow to be true to it? No cheating.  A relationship based on mutual input, not domination.    
 
What does that mean? This year’s PRFCT Tips will be your guide. 
 
Step One: Review all the maintenance and fertilizer/pesticide treatments you or your professionals have been applying to your property. What are they? Why are they needed?  
Check out their health and environmental effects here:  https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-gateway
Or email us with questions: info@perfectearthproject.org 
 
Go back outside. Is your property bursting, buzzing and chirping with life? Treasure it. Make that vow: I will do this place no harm. Practice.  
 

Your Plants Are Food For Wildlife

If you see leaf damage, chances are it's the work of a beneficial insect. Bugs gotta eat too.  At the sign of a hole in your plant leaf DON'T SPRAY — just take 10 steps back.  Amazing... you won’t even notice it anymore.

Trees and shrubs are natural food for the caterpillars that songbirds need to feed their young. Plants are extremely resilient, being eaten is part of their job; a large percentage of leaf surface can be lost before it hurts the host plant.  

So step back, hold off on the spray... and don't worry about the bugs. When caterpillars hatch, songbirds won't be far behind!

Lobster is a summer time staple, especially along coastal areas but did you know that lobster populations have been declining in recent years?

Lobsters are arthropods, like spiders and all insects. Because of these biological similarities, lobsters, like insects, are susceptible to pesticides.

Almost anything that will kill an insect will kill a lobster. Laboratory testing has shown that lobsters are particularly sensitive to insecticides, even minuscule amounts.

While this is not the only factor in the decline of lobsters and other aquatic species, scientists, fishermen and the seafood industry have all voiced concern about the potential link between pesticides and the loss of a once healthy industry. Just another good reason to spray yourself, not your landscape.

July Comet!  Marsh Imp! Twilight Bush Baby! There are at least 170 different species of fireflies in the US, and they have great names. 

Did you know that different species of fireflies have their own flash patterns? 
Did you know that firefly larvae live in the ground and are voracious predators to slugs, snails and aphids – providing natural pest control.

Remember poking holes in jar lids and hunting for fireflies in a field swarming with them? Since 2010, scientists have been observing a steady decline of firefly populations and believe it is cased by habitat loss, light pollution from cities and vehicles, and of course, pesticide use.  

How to help our flashy friends, and restore the population on your property? Provide habitat, like leave mulch, and a water source, like a bird bath.  Turn your unnecessary lights off at night, and kick the toxic pesticide habit.  Don't Spray.