Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard

Question: I was wondering if you could please help me identify animal droppings? We have found these consistently in our backyard over the last week or two. We have a tall fence enclosing the entire yard so I don’t think it is a dog. There are raccoons and skunk in the area but consulting the […]

Question: I was wondering if you sell or know where I can buy ladybugs? It was recommended to us last year to prevent certain microscopic bugs (that I can’t remember) on some of our bushes. Answer: Sustainable Agriculture Professional/Professional I We do not sell ladybugs through extension in Maine. However, here are two great resources […]

Question: We recently discovered quite the community of miner bees near our home we recently purchased. They are living within a patch of ground that is about eight feet long and two feet wide between our walkway and our driveway. The entire patch is filled with different miner bee colonies. I know that they are […]

Question: We live in York, near the Harbor. We’ve been here four years from southern California. We are still learning about zone 6 plants and actual seasons. Our blue spruce, in the front yard looks like the lower branches, especially on the north side, are dying. Is this just the natural progression of the tree […]

Question: I noticed something is chewing small branches from tall trees like the poplars, and stripping foliage off euonymus in our fenced-in backyard. Answer: Tori Lee Jackson, Extension Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources I know you said you have a fence, but this sounds like deer damage to me. Deer fencing needs to be […]