A lawn was covered in Pine Siskins eating away at the bugs and dandelions. If your yard has plants or weeds with hardy seed heads, such as dandelion, Pine Siskins may feed there as well as at your feeders. / SANDRA JAMES
This twice-stabbed stink bug is sitting on a Haskap bush. Cosmopepla lintneriana, the twice stabbed stink bug, also called the wee harlequin bug, is a species of insect in the family Pentatomidae. These little ones like to suck out the juice from the berries on these bushes. They also eat things such as milk thistle, echinacea, asparagus, oats, mint, and goldenrod. During heavy outbreaks, or when all their favourites are gone they will eat other garden plants such as squash, okra, tomatoes, corn, beans, and tree fruits. Both adults and nymphs cause damage as they eat all parts of the plants, including stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds / SANDRA JAMES
In the garden of Ann and Gary Schwartz of McBride stands a tall attractive tree with fragrant soft pink blossoms. This tree is called an Ethel Mayday tree—Prunus padus “Ethel”—and also comes in white blossoms. According to Ann Schwartz the Ethel Mayday was developed in Saskatchewan by a gentleman who lost his wife. She also said that at some point in time she had a conversation with this man’s granddaughter on the phone which added to the sentiment of her tree. “These trees are also sometimes called ;Sweetheart Mayday,’ which is fitting as it was created out of the man’s love for his late wife.” / SANDRA JAMES
