Black Widow or False Black Widow?

...usive, so I’m coming to you, dear readers, for help. Wikipedia’s entry confuses me a bit: Not all adult black widows exhibit the red hourglass on the ventrum underside or top of the abdomen — some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. Female black widows often exhibit various red markings on the dorsal or top side of the abdomen, commonly two red spots. However, black widow young are believed to have at least some sort of marking...

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Bee Fever in Los Angeles

...the radical “backwards” approach to beekeeping advocated by LA’s maverick urban beekeeper Kirk Anderson, Anderson learned from apiarist Charles Martin Simon, who invented the concept of “beekeeping backwards.” Simon’s approach was stupidly simple: Give the bees a clean box, put them in it and leave them alone. If they get sick? Don’t medicate them. Let them die. Then get some more bees. Amen. Selecting for strong bees is an approach that, in my o...

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Picture Sundays: Do You Believe In Magic?

...I really like this mural that just appeared in our neighborhood near the corner of Sunset and Coronado. Bunnies tumble out of a magic hat and there’s a silhouette of a coyote and crow (common urban wildlife here). The text, “do you beleav [sic] in magic” brought a smile to my face as I waited for the bus. My day had been re-enchanted by this symbolic bit of street art....

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Saturday Linkages: An Egg Shaped Houseboat, Bamboo Joints and the Origins of Umami

...ht-h-787841443 … #Williamsburg vacant lot transformed into bike course and urban farm: http://po.st/2c8dOu Japanese beetle traps—a reconsideration by James Roush http://gardenrant.com/2013/07/japanese-beetle-traps-a-reconsideration.html?utm_source=feedly … Lifehacking Whole Life Integration: Tips To Simplify Nearly Everything In Your Productive Home http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthwestEdibleLife/~3/UC-3zsZ43pg/whole-life-integration-tips-to-si...

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Los Angeles Permaculture Design Course Certificate Series

..., gardeners, landscapers, homeowners, business owners and others. • Modern Homesteading • Home & Garden Design • Natural Building & Property Development • Urban Gardens & Food Forestry • Celebrating Community • The Economics of a Sustainable Society THE PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE EXPERIENCE For anyone serious about creating a sustainable future. Permaculture Design touches on all aspects of life, offering decision-making protocols based on nature,...

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