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Did you know that dandelions don’t need pollinators? That they produce seeds asexually?

So why the flower, you say?

Well, James S. Miller, a botanist at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, answers that the “seed is produced in a flower. And there is no other place to produce a seed, so you still need the flower.”

I found this bit of information through a science news feed I subscribe to. Check out this link for the full answer. Its from the New York Times, so you may need to subscribe in order to read the article.

The devices and implements used for fighting plant enemies are of two kinds:

1. those used to provide mechanical protection; and
2. those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.

This second of two parts, covers the latter.

Home gardeners have a variety of chemical protection available to keep their gardens healthy — powders, wet sprays and more — as well as tool with which to apply them.

For applying poison powders, you should have a powder gun. If one must be restricted to a single implement, however, it would be best to get one of the hand-power, compressed-air sprayers. These are used for applying wet sprays, and should come with one of the several forms of mist-making nozzles. The non-cloggable automatic type being the best.

For more extensive work, a barrel pump, mounted on wheels, is desirable, but one of the above will do a great deal of work in little time. Extension rods for use in spraying trees and vines may be obtained for either.

For operations on a very small scale a good hand-syringe may be used, but as a general thing it will be best to invest a few dollars more and get a small tank sprayer, as this throws a continuous stream or spray and holds a much larger amount of the spraying solution.

Whatever type you choose, get a brass machine — it will out-wear three or four of those made of cheaper metal, which succumbs very quickly to the, corroding action of the strong poisons and chemicals used in them.

The devices and implements used for fighting plant enemies are of two kinds:

1. those used to provide mechanical protection; and
2. those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.

This first of two parts, covers the former.

The covered frame is the most useful of the mechanical methods of protecting plants. It consists usually of a wooden box, some eighteen inches to two feet square and about eight inches high, covered with glass, protecting cloth, mosquito netting or mosquito wire. The first two coverings have, of course, the additional advantage of retaining heat and protecting from cold, making it possible by their use to plant earlier than is otherwise safe. They are used extensively in getting an extra early and safe start with cucumbers, melons and the other vine vegetables.

Simpler devices for protecting newly-set plants, such as tomatoes or cabbage, from the cut-worm, are stiff, tin, cardboard or tar paper collars, which are made several inches high and large enough to be put around the stem and penetrate an inch or so into the soil. I remember in elementary school the annual “Save Your Milk Carton” drives to collect used milk cartons for local farmers to use in this way.

Another sort of garden device protects them from their own weight and is used to support them. These devices include stakes, trellises, wires, etc. Altogether too little attention usually is given these, as with proper care in storing over winter they will not only last for years, but add greatly to the convenience of cultivation and to the neat appearance of the garden.

Most of us have watched in wonder as beautiful butterflies flutter their wings to move about. Have you ever wondered how those wings work? If you look very closely at butterfly wings, you will soon realize that they are very different from each other. The wings of butterflies are covered with a mosaic of various color patterns.

While there are many different varieties of butterflies, each with unique wing designs, they all have similarities. Each butterfly has four wings — two forewings and two hind wings. A butterfly has very strong muscles in the thorax, the middle region of its body between the head and the abdomen, that allow the wings to move up and down.

The wings of a butterfly develop while it is in transition from the pupa stage. The butterfly is not immediately able to fly once it comes out of its cocoon. This is because the wings are wet and wrinkled. Before it can fly, the butterfly has to hang upside down so that blood will pump into the wings. They also have to dry before they can be used for flight.

Each wing is very delicate. The butterfly has to use them with care because any damage that happens to them can’t be repaired. These wings are actually membranes that get their nourishment from tubular veins that also provide them with oxygen.

You will have to look very closely to see that each wing has thousands of colorful scales with tiny hairs on them. The amazing colors that we see on a variety of butterfly wings is the result of ultraviolet patterns that we can’t see. This helps the butterfly to blend into to various surroundings for protection. These colors also help attract other butterflies for mating.

The wings on a butterfly are their life force. Without them, they are unable to move and unable to survive. While the wings are very small and very thin, don’t let this fool you into thinking they are weak. Butterfly wings are very beautiful but they are also very powerful. They protect the butterfly as well as give it the attractive feature that draws so many of us to their beauty as they flutter freely around the area.

For more information about butterfly wings, visit these resources:

BugBios: Butterfly Wing Pattern ModuleButterfly Wing AnatomyThe Secret of Bright Butterfly Wings: LED Technology