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Bumble Bees, Hornets, and Wasps… Oh My!
By: Andy Anderson
It’s August, which means hunting season is right around the corner. Hunters will soon begin to venture back into the woods to start prepping. Part of this annual ritual is checking out the deer stand, camp area and to getting things cleaned up. This is dangerous and will make you scream for your mamma if you are not prepared!
A few weeks ago I was clearing some fence line out. I had just cut the wire and kicked the wire fence to push it out of the vegetation and away from the T-post. It was then I realized I had just entered into a very painful situation. Now, I’ve been stung by honey bees, wasp, hornets, ground hornets and more, but what I had just angered was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
As I stepped back to move down to the next post, I heard a buzzing sound and the all too familiar bug flying around my face. I gave a quick swat of a hand, a swat that seemed to kick it all off. All of a sudden, BAMM! Before my mind could catch up and process what was happening, I had been hit four or five times in the head. As I turned to run, two more hit me in the back and right above my belly button.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
The Garden Guy was a scaveola guru when scaevola was not cool. Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, let me explain. The year was 1997, and your humble columnist was the coordinator of the Mississippi Medallion Award program whereby we selected outstanding plants for promotion, based on how they performed in trials. That year, we chose Proven Winner’s New Wonder scaevola as one of the Mississippi Medallion Award Winners.
It just so happens that Louisiana chose New Wonder scaveola as a Louisiana Select Award Winner and Georgia chose New Wonder scaveola for their Georgia Gold Medal Award program. Louisiana and Georgia still recognize outstanding plants but under different names. This little flowernamed after a Roman hero Mucius Scaevola may now have a star associated with his name.
Gardeners may not know or even wish to know that this hero decided to show his bravery by burning his right hand off and showing no pain. Thus, scaevola, a fan shaped flower reminiscent of a hand, later became a prized flower. Now however, still botanically named Scaveola aemula, the flower has evolved to a star as the Stardiva series makes its debut under the Proven Winners label in 2025. It is funny as the tag says, Stardiva fan flower, even though it is now a star.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Dal Houston
As wacky as it sounds, changing the way one sees the world, one of the most profound lessons a human can learn, can be exemplified by something as mundane and seemingly inconsequential as a trip to the men’s room.
Last week, I spent an afternoon at an event, which required three visits to the venue’s men’s room. Without getting graphic, there were three stalls in this restroom. The stall in the corner and the stall closest to the door were functional, but the stall in the middle was adorned with an “Out of Order” sign.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Hannah Claxton | Editor
“I like 4-H’ers because they are dedicated to excellence.”
— Dwight David Eisenhower,
As the school year kicks off, local 4-H programs will be start- ing as well. The impact of 4-H in a youth’s life cannot be overstated. Famous alumni include Jimmy Carter, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Reba McEntire. Here are five reasons why you should encourage the youth in your life to be a part of 4-H.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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