It’s A Women’s World

Everyone loves to see a butterfly fluttering around, especially the brightly colored ones. Unfortunately, many species are depleted in numbers due to the destruction of habitat. The usual plants favored by gardeners are not the ones needed to attract butterflies and moths, so they need to be encouraged with specific plants and flowers. Making an environment for caterpillar hosts and to induce the laying of eggs will make an even more useful butterfly garden. Some adult butterflies don’t feed on certain plants so the young need to thrive as well.

There are hundreds of plants to choose from, with careful consideration of when and where to locate them in the butterfly garden. The gardener who makes the effort will get a lot of pleasure from helping with this conservation. The plants themselves will add beauty and scent. Watching the butterflies and taking photographs will be very worthwhile. It’s a good idea to use plants that will attract the threatened species of the butterfly population. Scientists are keen that members of the public help to tag butterflies, in order that they can find out more about their habits.

It’s not always easy to be a butterfly. They have many enemies, such as spiders, wasps, birds, flies and ants. These can be controlled by using traps rather than by pesticides. Butterflies and their larvae would be harmed by the pesticides. Insecticides can’t be used on aphids either, for the same reason. Gardeners can control aphids by natural methods, such as the release of ladybugs and other bugs that won’t harm butterflies. Spraying aphid infested plants with water also does the trick sometimes. Butterflies can also fall victim to disease and viruses. The person who supplies a butterfly garden is helping to tip the scales in their favor.

The list of plants that attract butterflies is long. Some of the more popular ones are Autumn Sage, Marigolds, Sweet Pepperbush and Phlox. There is also Morning Glory and Butterfly Bush, also known as Buddleia. Shrubs and bushes play their part too and butterflies will flock to New Jersey Tea Tree and the Hawthorn Bush. Many people like to have wildflowers in their garden and this too can encourage an influx of butterflies. Spearmint, Ironweed and Thistles are all good for the butterfly garden. It’s not even necessary to plant anything. Butterflies are known to be partial to garden snacks, as supplied by the owners. They will happily feed on mashed up fruits, such as bananas, watermelon, mangoes and oranges.

Most of us welcome summer with open arms. The longer days and warmer temperatures are a fantastic break from the coldness of winter. There are some drawbacks to the months of July and August though and that’s when the forecast calls for extreme heat. If you live in an area where the thermometer does rise, consider getting one of the portable air conditioning units currently being sold. You’ll be able to move it from room to room and stay cool.

Many homes come equipped with built in air conditioning systems. These work well and are almost ideal save for the cost. They are expensive to purchase and are very costly to run. It’s simply not energy efficient to cool an entire home when you are only using the bedroom. With portable air conditioning units you need only lower the temperature in the rooms you want to and that really does save a lot of money.

It’s a great idea to purchase one of these in the spring or fall. The reason is simple, anything designed to cool you off when the weather becomes warm is going to cost more when it’s most needed. This not only applies to portable air conditioning units, but to standard air conditioners, ceiling fans and table fans too. If you see a portable unit on sale in the spring, consider buying it. You’ll be grateful when it’s the middle of summer and there are none left on the shelves or worse yet, there are some but they are double the price.

Running one is fairly simple and can be done by anyone. They are ideal for use in either a home or an apartment. The main consideration is the size of the room that you are going to be using it in the most. If you have a very large bedroom, make certain you are looking at portable air conditioning units that can cool the entire room. Some, less expensive models may look appealing, but if they are only equipped to cool a much smaller space, they will do you little good.

Some models come complete with a timer which can be a real advantage. If your home faces the sun all day, it’s bound to heat up pretty quickly inside. You can set the timer on some portable air conditioning units to go on 30 minutes before you are set to arrive home. This will cool the room down enough that it’s comfortable when you walk in. This is also a money saving feature as it means you don’t have to have the unit running all day so that the room is cold for you once you get off work. The models with the timers are generally a few dollars more expensive, but the convenience is worth it.

When fall rolls around and you aren’t using it anymore, you’ll need to store it away for a few months. It’s smart to do a bit of maintenance on it at this time. This includes emptying and cleaning the drip tray as well as removing any visible dirt or dust. If you do this it will last longer and you’ll be all set to use it again next summer.