When landscaping or planting gardens, don’t forget these basic strategies to attract and welcome wildlife to your yard. When you sit down with your morning coffee, the site of a bright blue jay or cardinal is a nice pick-me-up during the dead of winter.

1. When planting, make sure to include shrubs or trees that provide food sources for your feathered friends. Birds love anything with berries, seeds, fruit or nectar. You may be treated to a colorful migrating bird such as a tanager, oriole, or Cedar Waxwing if they stop for a snack along the way. Butterflies help to pollinate your garden and are attracted to flowers containing nectar such as the Aster, Jupiter’s-beard, red bee-balm (use the leaves to make Earl Grey tea), or purple anise hyssop. Trees with nuts and seeds are essential for squirrels and chipmunks.

2. Provide a variety of vegetation to provide not only a food source, but nesting area, and protection from predators or the elements. Have some groundcover, flower vines, trees and shrubs. Make sure there are lots of nooks and crannies for quick getaways.

3. Water can be in short supply during the winter months and it’s vital to keep a source of dripping water available. It should be low to the ground, but protected from cats or other predators. There are drippers that can be added to birdbaths to help keep the water moving. Keep the water in your birdbath no deeper than 2 inches and change it often.

Don’t forget to clean the birdbaths from time to time to prevent the spread of disease and conjunctivitis.

4. Set aside an area with some nesting materials such as a burlap or net bags, small pieces of string (less than 2 inches long), or clean dryer lint.

5. Provide additional food in the form of suet balls, nuts and seeds or dried fruit in bird feeders. If you string popcorn or cranberries on your Christmas tree, place the strands on your outside trees after the holidays.

6. Set up perches for birds and butterflies using dead twigs. A thin pole made of bamboo, stuck in the ground is the perfect resting spot for dragon flies. A simple flowerpot overturned and propped up with a rock, provides a hiding spot for visiting toads or other critters.

7. Garden ponds make great little homes for frogs, but if you want fish in your pond, they tend to eat the frog eggs and tadpoles. Have plenty of camouflage and protection such as rocks, vegetation and perches for them to escape to. Layer flag stone to create shallow areas for visiting birds to bathe.

8. To attract Chimney Swifts, build a small wooden (fire-free) chimney as a nesting tower and bird house.

9. Don’t remove that old dead tree. Create a garden sculpture by hanging interesting bird houses or feeders from its branches. They also make perfect habitats for birds and small animals.

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Many a times we find that we begin to sneeze for no reason, develop sudden rashes all over the body, begin to itch all over, begin to gasp for breath, or start coughing. Don’t worry as all these just indicate that we are allergic to something. Many people suffer from common allergies and the symptoms for these can just about show up anywhere anytime. We have to be especially careful if we are allergic to certain types of foods, pollens and smells as these can easily trigger allergies in us. It is advisable that we take ample precautions to avoid these allergies by consciously being aware of them. Common allergies can cause complications in people so it is better if take precautions to avoid them.

There are many items or objects both inside and outside the home which can cause allergies to many people. So it is wiser that we be alert about the possible things that may trigger allergies in us. A very common thing which causes allergies in most people is pollen which can come from flowers, trees, shrubs and plants.

Pollen by itself is quite harmless and it is actually a powdery substance that male plants send out into the atmosphere to pollinate female plants. Pollens play an important part in plants bearing fruits and their growth. Though it is important for the plants, it is not so for humans as it can cause allergies. People when they happen to inhale these tiny particles of powdery substance find that they begin to either gasp for breath or start to sneeze.

Inhalation of pollen mostly causes an asthmatic attack or allergic rhinitis in a person. The weather also further contributes to worsen the allergy. Experts are of the opinion that when the weather is moist it further makes it worse. This is because the pollen gets trapped in the moist air and remains in the atmosphere for a longer period causing more attacks. That is why many people who suffer from allergies find that they become worse during cold weather.

Outdoor allergens are only seasonal while the allergens indoors are there throughout the year. Those people who live cooped up in apartments with no windows and in areas which are highly polluted will find that they are more prone to allergies. This is because of the continuous presence of molds and mites in such places. The congested air which does not get to circulate gets trapped in the same place causing the person living there to have allergic reactions all the time.

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Everything has its origin. Did you know that even the process of making chocolate has a history? This may be your favorite thing to do now on your pastime. Or you may be even addicted to the taste of such treat. But this piece will not add up to that craving as it tries to give you a better view as to how it all started.

The Theobroma Cacao or the food from the Gods is what you all know as the cocoa tree. Its origin can be traced on America’s rainforests, specifically in Central America. But historians are still debating about certain facts about this tree.

Xocolat, Anyone? There are arguments that the Mayans first grew such tree in 300 AD. And the Aztecs had their turn in cultivating such in 1100 AD. The chocolate that you all know now used to be called Xocolat. This was a special beverage that was made out of chilies, anise seed, vanilla, cornmeal and some more spices. Only royalties get to be treated with such delight at the time. It was served using golden cups that were to be used only once.

Save the Chocolates The cocoa tree is sensitive to its surroundings. It will most likely grow in the shades of the canopy of the rainforest. For this reason, chocolate lovers must unite in the goal of saving the environment, especially in saving the rainforests where the cacaos will most likely survive.

This tree is unique in the sense that its fruits grow on its branches and trunk. The reason for this is because of midges. These are the tiny insects that cause the pollination process during nighttime.

Did you know that the cacao tree can have approximately 10,000 blossoms but only about 10 to 50 of those will mature into fruits or the pod? This is because like an intelligent human being, the tree of cacao can regulate its blossoms to the amount that it can handle and grow.

The cacao tree self regulates in this process to be able to sustain its good health. It knows what it can contain and handle. It knows just how many is enough and too much. The tree does this to preserve its internal systems and to prevent its branches from breaking or falling apart.

The cocoa beans come from the fruit or the pod from the intelligent tree. Harvesters wait for the pod to ripen. They will handpick the trees and crack up the pods until they see white pulpy elements that surround the seeds. The pulps are then trashed while the seeds are kept because those are your cocoa beans, the source of your chocolate treats.

These seeds are actually bitter during such time. For this reason, these will go through the fermentation process for about three to seven days. This method will cause the seeds to go through some chemical as well as physical changes. The result of this will then be used for the royalties’ treat, the Xocolat.

The beans need to go through several procedures after which before it can be used for the traditional making chocolate purposes. Now that you know where it came from, you’ll never look at your favorite chocolate the same way ever again. Or probably not. Whatever it has been through, chocolates will remain a favorite among children and child at heart.

Information on pictures of chocolate can be found at the Chocolate Facts site.

Not too hot, not too cold are the weather hallmarks for June in Southern California. The moderate weather is just what most plants and trees need for rapid growth.

Planting Window For Tropicals:  June is the time to plant or transplant tropicals such as palms, banana trees, ferns, ginger, hibiscus, orchids and bougainvillea. Don’t wait until the hot summer months. Mild weather reduces the stress of planting or transplanting.

 Transplant Trees: Properly transplanting a tree is often the key to its future health. First, dig a hole at least twice a large as the tree’s root system. Set the tree in the hole and position it properly. Fill the hole with a mixture of soil conditioner and soil. Press firmly on the soil and water deeply and thoroughly. The soil should be moist at all times for the first three to four weeks following transplanting. Apply a two to three inch layer of mulch around the trunk (but not touching the trunk) to keep in moisture and the soil cool.

Caring for Avocado Trees: Although avocado trees are hearty once established, they are susceptible to overwatering during their early years. Plant your avocado trees in well-draining, loose soil. If the avocado tree is in a pot, make sure the pot contains plenty of drainage holes. Overwatering can produce root rot–the single most common reason young avocado trees fail. Let the soil around the tree become somewhat dry before watering. Expect leaves to drop all year. Keep the leaves around the tree or use mulch to retain soil moisture. The leaves will naturally compost and introduce nutrients into the soil. Flowers bloom in spring, but don’t be disappointed when most of the flowers fall. This is normal. If all goes right, expect fruit two to three years after planting.

Plant Pumpkins: Halloween may seem far off, but now is the time to plant pumpkin plants so pumpkins will be ready for harvest and carving in October. If planting from seed, plants will begin to sprout seven to 10 days after planting. The plants need lots of warmth and moisture to thrive. Leave plenty of room for the plants’ vines to spread and develop. Yellow flowers will start to appear about three weeks after plant growth begins. The flowers will develop into pumpkins after they are pollinated. Pumpkins will be ready for picking in three to four months.

One way to kill a mosquito, if you happen to catch it biting you on a convenient location such as the bicep of the arm, is to tense your skin to trap its little proboscis in your skin, then flex your bicep muscle. This apparently causes the mosquito to burst because of the pressure from your blood vessel, kind of like if you tried to drink from a fire hose. Amongst other experts, this fact has been confirmed by none other than Cecil Adams of the famous “Straight Dope” newspaper column. But even at that his conclusion was: “What’s the point?”

Amongst some of the more unusual treatments for mosquito bite, some doctors say that applying a liquid antacid such as Mylanta is effective in relieving the itch and swelling of a mosquito bite. This is because it reduces the acidity of the anticoagulant chemicals in the mosquito’s saliva.

The Japanese believe that being reincarnated as a mosquito is the punishment for living a criminal life. Thus, the fate of the immoral in the next life is to be a worthless plague on humanity, despised by all and eventually swatted.

Part of the reason mosquitoes are so hard to eradicate is that the mosquito’s total lifespan, going by the average among all species, is only about twenty days after hatching anyway. Some even make it through their complete life cycle in just four days, not counting time spent as an egg. Nature has crafted the mosquito body to be a hyper-efficient machine designed only to eat, lay eggs, and die. The mosquito’s eggs, however, can last a whole year before hatching.

The current best estimates are that there are about 2500 species of mosquitoes on planet Earth, with some 300 of them being known carriers of diseases dangerous to humans. Statistically, 70 million people worldwide catch diseases from mosquito bites every year.

Studies of mosquito bite patterns on humans have suggested that the people most likely to be bitten are overweight males with type ‘O’ blood. No one knows why, beyond hazard guesses as too taste.

The annoying buzz of a mosquito’s wings is said to be between the musical keys of D and F. This is told to us by those folks who are gifted with perfect pitch.

Even after years of research into alternative insecticides, the most effective method of malaria control in the third world is the insecticide DDT. However, like viruses which become immune to antibiotics, mosquitoes in these countries where DDT has been applied the most are starting to show a greater resistance to the insecticide. This has come to be famously cited by biologists as evidence of rapid evolution.

In a test of natural plants to see which ones repel mosquitoes the best, it was discovered that clove oil is the closest to being effective. Which is too bad, since it is also toxic to human skin! Oils from many other plants, including rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus, bergamont, bay, pennyroyal, cinnamon, cedar and geranium have all proven to be a tiny bit effective for brief periods of time up to an hour.

The World Mosquito Killing Championships (WMKC) is an annual event in Pelkosenniemi, Finland. As you might guess, the object is to kill as many mosquitoes as possible by hand in five minutes; no machines or chemicals allowed. The holder of the World and Guinness record for mosquito killing is one Henri Pellonpaa, for killing 21 at the 1995 championship. This broke the previous record of just seven.

The Iroquois Indians have a legend of the mosquito. The story goes that originally there were just two mosquitoes, but they were giant creatures as tall as a pine tree and they attacked and ate people. A bunch of braves surrounded them one day and finally killed them, but as the blood of the beasts touched the ground, a swarm composed of millions of tiny mosquitoes sprung up from it. The little ones bite us today because they crave revenge for their ancestor’s defeat.

Male mosquitoes tend to hatch faster than female mosquitoes, and they also have an even shorter life span. Only the females suck blood; the males live on fruit nectar and do not bite creatures. Furthermore, the females only go looking for a blood meal in order to generate enough protein to lay eggs.

In world history, the only major engineering feat hampered entirely by insects is the digging of the Panama canal project, during which mosquitoes contributed to the malaria deaths of almost 22,000 French workers in the years 1881 to 1889. It was not until after the project was abandoned and sold to the United States that it was completed, but at the expense of over 5000 more lives, despite the precautions the United States took.

It is said that the reason mosquitoes attack our ankles is simply because the odor of our sweat is at its strongest there, and the scent of sweat is one of the chief ways mosquitoes locate their prey. It also might have something to do with the fact that our eyes and ears are at the other end of our bodies, which makes for a stealthy attack.

Most naturists believe that mosquitoes are one of the few species which would make little impact on the global environment, if they all were to suddenly become extinct. There is no predator who relies solely on mosquitoes for its diet, nor is there any essential service, such as pollination, provided solely by mosquitoes.

Amongst teenage cell phone users, a popular ring tone recently discovered is the “mosquito” one, which is a high-pitched tone that only the very young can hear. This is due to the fact that human’s ability to hear high-frequency ranges decreases with age. The tone was accidentally introduced by convenience stores in the UK, where they originally broadcast the tone in an effort to keep teenagers from loitering out in front of the store. The device which played the tone was also called “the mosquito”. Oh, the irony!

Livinginlemarche.com is based in the Le Marche region of Italy and we believe that Olive oil from there is some of the finest you can find in the whole of Italy.

The olive tree can be cultivated in any soil, but does not do well in wind-swept areas, areas which remain too warm in the winter and also where there is too much rainfall. The tree requires very little care and it is fully exploitable, both as wood, leafage, fruit and also some by products. But for pollination to occur successfully the trees need to be subjected to cold temperatures in the winter period, one reason why Olive oil production is not found in desert areas.

Olive oil has been produced from prehistory in the Mediterranean and was used by the Greeks, Egyptians and later the Romans. The culture of this area has grown around the use of Olive oil in all aspects of daily life and now the production and use of Olive oil has spread throughout the world and to places as diverse as, Spain, Japan, Australia and California.The Olive tree has a very long life for this type of plant and is of ancient Asian origin and can live to several hundred years in the right environment. The tree can grow up to a height of 20 metres and is often twisted with age and have a cracked and knarled bark. The leaves are a beautiful pale green, the plant is evergreen and may only loose many of its leaves when subjected to either high winds or extremely low temperatures.

Olive oil is known and used throughout the world and has in the past 20 years grown in popularity and usage. Organic Extra Virgin Olive oil is one of the great pleasures in life and at livinginlemarche.com we are hoping to bring the experience of using fine oils to many more people throughout the UK and US. We are passionate about fine Organic Extra Virgin Olive oils and especially so about single estate and mono varietal Extra Virgin Olive oils that are produced in the Le Marche and Umbria regions of Italy, and in other areas of the central Mediterranean. Our long term aim is to promote many of the excellent small producers and to provide wider exposure of their excellent Organic Extra Virgin Olive oils.These small producers of fine Organic Extra Virgin Olive oils have largely been overlooked by importers and so we have decided to where possible try and help the producers of fine Olive oils from other Mediterranean countries such as Malta as well as just Italy.

Most Organic Extra Virgin Olive oils on the market are normally made up of blends of different varieties of Olives and as well as these we are also trying to source Olive oils made from only one variety of Olive, normally the Raggia , Ascolano, Fasolino, Sargano or Leccino.These mono varietal Olive oils offer a new experience in taste, texture and colour to the consumer and the differences can be striking, but can be more expensive to produce and purchase. But in terms of quality they often outshine the normal blended Olive oils and the variety of tastes can be breathtaking.

Livinginlemarche.com as a business is mainly involved in the sale and restoration of beautiful properties in the Le Marche region of Italy, but we come across small Olive oil producers all the time. As we are proactive in promoting all aspects of the Le Marche region, we now hope that by helping in the promotion of small specialist Olive oils over the next few years we can help small producers to diversify into planting more and more single varieties of Olives so as to produce a much wider selection of mono varietal olive oils on the market. When you next are looking to buy an Olive oil for consumption at home, firstly make sure it is Extra Virgin, then if possible produced organically and finally try and find a mono varietal oil, your perseverance will definitely pay off!!

Leaf colour is determined by three main pigments – chlorophyll for the greens, carotenoids for the yellows and oranges, and anthocyanins for the reds, blues and purples. Chlorophyll enables photosynthesis, the production of food. Carotenoids help absorb light for use in photosynthesis and also protect chlorophyll from light damage. Anthocyanins produce vivid colour in flowers and fruit that in turn attract pollinating insects and seed dispersing animals. These three elements are vital to plant life.

During the growing season leaves are in full production mode producing food for the plant. However, as ambient temperatures drop and the amount of available daylight reduces, plants begin the process of storing key elements for the following growing season. This transfer of nutrients away from the leaves and into the longer lasting parts of the plant is known as resorption. At the same time a separation layer between the leaf and tree begins to transform into a cork-like material that prohibits the flow of nutrients. This also slows down the production of chlorophyll and results in the fading out of green colouration, those great autumn colours and, as the cells in the separation layer break down, the leaves will start to drop.

That’s the science bit! We all have our own favourite providers of exhilarating autumn colour, here are a few of mine.

Some of the best known autumn colours are from trees and you can’t beat Acer palmatum a deciduous tree with mid green leaves that turn glorious red in autumn. But I also love two other autumn trees. First there’s the Liquidambar styraciflua, a tree with resin-scented leaves and gorgeous red and purple foliage in the autumn months and Amelanchier lamarckii, a specimen shrub that offers beautiful flowers, vividly coloured berries, delicately coloured summer foliage and awesome reds and purples in the autumn months. The Amelanchier  is also a great small garden tree with fragrant early Spring flowers. And for a larger tree try Quercus rubra, a relatively fast growing and versatile oak, this tree gives structure and great autumn colour ranging from red to orange and bronze. 

But don’t forget that shrubs can give some great autumn colourings. Hydrangea quercifolia  is an unusual variation on the well known hydrangea. A shrub with as much focus on its brilliant bronze, orange and red atumn leaf tones as its long plumes of creamy white flowers. Vaccinium corymbosum, a bushy shrub providing white spring flowers and dark green leaves turning glowing red in autumn and Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’, a deciduous shrub with vibrant purple stems and dark green leaves transforming into outstanding reddish-purple are also favourites of mine.

Other great autumn shrubs to try out are Euonymus alatus, subtle and well behaved for most of the year, this shrub bursts into colour in autumn with a display of sumptuous crimson and scarlet foliage. Cotinus ‘Grace’, known as the smoke bush, has colourful leaves through the year but explodes into brilliant orange and red tones in autumn. And finally don’t forget the herbaceous plants like Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraun’, an upright, deciduous grass with greyish green foliage turning purple and red during the autumn months and Epimedium x rubrum, perfect for shady ground cover, this delicate and pretty plant provides subtlety in the autumn months with its reddish-brown foliage.

Unfortunately in the UK we sometimes get very short periods of Autumn colour because they sometimes come with heavy storms that take the leaves early. But a good long dry October can herald an explosion of colour that’s worth a long Sunday walk.