The eyes of the Big 12 were focused on Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys' season opener Saturday with Tulsa was the only game on the conference schedule after Baylors third attempted opener, this one against Houston, was postponed.

For most of three quarters in an eventual 16-7 win over mistake-prone Tulsa, No. 11 Oklahoma State looked much like the Big 12 teams that got eclipsed by the Sun Belt last week in their openers. Finally, with a third-string freshman quarterback and by having playmakers Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace assert themselves, the Cowboys escaped.

Did they look like the biggest threat to Oklahoma in the Big 12, which was what the preseason media poll indicated? Were they as dominant and crisp as the Sooners and Texas were in their openers?

Uh, no, and its another handy example for Big 12 critics.

It was still a victory and with the weird early-season COVID-19 landscape and a key injury that may be enough for the moment.

At the end of the day, obviously it wasnt a clean win. We have a lot of things to work on, Hubbard said on a Zoom call afterward, but we won, and thats all that matters.

Hubbards streak of 100-yard rushing games ended at 11. He still finished with 93 yards on 27 carries including the go-ahead touchdown on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.

The biggest lingering question will be the status of starting quarterback Spencer Sanders. The redshirt sophomore from Denton Guyer limped to the locker room favoring his right ankle following a fumbled handoff in the second quarter.

He didnt return with what Oklahoma State termed a lower extremity injury and his availability was unclear for the Big 12 opener with West Virginia in a week. Coach Mike Gundy said he didnt think the injury was serious but didnt elaborate.

While Tulsa was able to take a 7-3 lead on a 16-yard pass from former Baylor quarterback Zach Smith to Josh Johnson just before halftime, the Golden Hurricane simply made far too many mistakes to complete an upset like Louisiana, Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina had done.

Limited in practice by a COVID-19 spike, which forced the postponement of the game from Sept. 12, Tulsa committed 15 penalties for 120 yards and went 0 for 11 on third down.

Credit the Oklahoma State defense for not letting the game get out of hand when Sanders left and the offense stagnated.

I told them in the locker room after the game that I was proud of them for continuing to make stop after stop, Gundy said. Sometimes when the offense doesnt play as well or sputters out as much as we did today, then defensively its hard to continue to play, but they made plays.

Junior college transfer Ethan Bullock (8 of 13 for 41 yards) replaced Sanders and was ineffective, although he didnt have much help. Oklahoma State finished with just 277 yards, very off-brand for the Big 12.

Gundy went to Shane Illingworth, a 6-6 freshman from Norco, Calif., late in the third quarter. On his first drive, he connected with Wallace on passes of 24 and 36 yards setting up Hubbards touchdown run. Illingworth would finish 4 of 5 for 74 yards providing just what Oklahoma State needed.

Wallace, who caught four passes in the second half for 94 yards in his first game since a season-ending knee injury 11 months ago, admitted to being pleasantly surprised.

Seeing him, I know he can play, I know he can run, I know he can do what hes supposed to do, but with him being a freshman and the first time out there, playing on the big stage, you dont really know what to expect, Wallace said.

He definitely exceeded my expectations, went out there and did his thing, so Im really proud of the way he played.

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Oklahoma State will take any COVID-era victory, but the Cowboys didnt look like a threat to the Sooners on - The Dallas Morning News

Hafley figured the last thing his team needed was more to think about.

Truthfully, I didnt have many expectations other than playing hard, playing for each other, and enjoying the moment today, Hafley said. Thats all I talked about. I didnt talk about Duke much all week. I didnt talk about playing a great game. I truthfully told the team today, You cant fail. Everything youve just been through, go play. Theres no failing today. Just have fun and go let it rip.

Still, there was no way around the oddity of it all. The sounds and scents that define a college game day were missing. There were empty parking lots where tailgates would normally be.

The seats at Wallace Wade Stadium that would have normally been filled with Duke fans were empty, save for cardboard cutouts in the first few rows. Even the sidelines felt sparse, with Boston College carrying fewer players in its traveling party and more space between them for social distancing.

This was college football in a COVID-19 world, but it was college football nonetheless.

Its different, said tight end Hunter Long. "Its all new to us. Its new to everybody, but at the end of the day were just playing football. Its what we do all the time.

"Its been such a long road for us as a team, but credit to all the guys on the team. We held in there, stuck together, and to be able to play today was awesome.

Once the initial awkwardness set in, BC took its first steps into a surreal college football landscape with their win over the Blue Devils.

Hafley couldnt yet process the significance of earning his first win as a head coach. The Eagles piled up 440 yards of total offense, effective on the ground (140 yards) and through the air (300). Transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who waited patiently through a frustrating process to have his eligibility approved by the NCAA, shined in his first game under center, completing 17 of 23 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Zay Flowers caught five passes for 162 yards and a score. Long caught seven more for 93 yards and a TD.

The highlights matter, but not more than the big picture.

Weve been through so much together, Long said. Weve only been together for nine months, but in those nine months, weve been through stuff that no teams ever had to deal with before.

Across the ACC, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech had games postponed for COVID-related reasons. The fact that BC was able to follow protocols, return just one positive test since June, and make its game happen underscored the effort it took just to take the field.

You keep it about the team and you keep it about each other, Hafley said. "The same way weve had 2,500 tests and we havent had a positive, you look out for one another and you take care of each other and you bring juice with each other. This games about anybody else. Its really not, its not even about me. Its about the team.

It was about them and they went out and played. I dont think our guys noticed [the atmosphere]. I think they had a blast on the sideline, they had a ton of energy, they never ever looked down. Its who this team is. Were going to have our ups and downs but it wont matter as long as the process is right and we stick together and we do things the right way.

The Eagles opened up in familiar fashion, chewing up yards on the ground with a 10-play, 81-yard opening drive fueled by five carries by David Bailey for 21 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown that put BC up 7-0 early.

But after going into the half up 7-6, they dialed it up in the second half. Jurkovec threw two touchdowns in the third quarter a 61-yard bomb to Flowers and a 9-yard score to Long that showed the offenses potential firepower.

But Hafley just wanted his team to stay in the moment. He didnt give much thought to what the past six months have meant.

Maybe tonight on the plane or when I get home, he said.

But he did catch himself getting emotional after the game. He said he wanted to give each player a game ball.

When they look back on that date, theyre going to remember one of the hardest points of their lives that they had to battle through and sacrifice, Hafley said. And no one will ever take this day away from them. No one will ever take away how hard they worked to get to this point. And its so much bigger than coming here and beating Duke. This day will forever be about this team and what they did to get to this point.

Julian Benbow can be reached at julian.benbow@globe.com.

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MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) The Latest from the third round of the U.S. Open, golf's second major of the year (all times local):

___

2:05 p.m.

Alex Noren showed the leaders that low scores can be had at Winged Foot in the third round of the U.S. Open.

Teeing off early, the Swedish golfer shot a 3-under 67 to reach 3 over for the tournament.

Noren nearly drove the green at the 332-yard sixth hole for a birdie and had three more birdies to offset a bogey on No. 8. He shot 72-74 the first two rounds and is seven shots behind leader Patrick Reed.

___

12:45 p.m.

The leaders at the U.S. Open are still two hours away from teeing off and already have a pretty good idea of what to expect at Winged Foot if they're watching on TV.

Alex Noren is the only player through nine holes who is under par. Temperatures were in the upper 40s when the third round began and are only expected to nudge past 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 Celsius). The wind isn't strong, but it's enough. The scores? Typical for a U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Troy Merritt was wrapping up his third round with one birdie on his card and plenty of bogeys or worse.

Patrick Cantlay isn't faring much better. And if a tough course wasn't enough, he might have received the worst break of the week. Cantlay was playing a lofted pitch to the 15th when it struck the pin, rolled down the slope and kept going. He had to walk backward 20 yards to play his next shot. He did well to make bogey.

Patrick Reed was leading at 4 under by one shot over Bryson DeChambeau. They were among six players still under par. That number was likely to shrink.

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The Latest: Noren shoots 67 early in 3rd round at US Open - Your Valley

These days, NFL running backs are, to some extent, viewed as expendable. Teams no longer build their offense around one, bruising ball-carrier; its simply easier to build a talented unit and plug a new running back in as necessary. Frank Gore, however, is a survivor from a bygone era.

Now in his 16th NFL season, the veteran running back is still going strong; he signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets in May, and, with LeVeon Bell injured, he should see plenty of work. Despite those current commitments, though, Frank Gore recently revealed his plans for leaving pro football behind.

RELATED: Frank Gore Could Become the First NFL Player to Play Alongside His Son

At this point in his career, Frank Gore simply seems like part of the NFL landscape; its impossible to imagine a time when he wasnt hitting the gridiron each Sunday. That perception, though, shouldnt overshadow his impressive career.

Gore played his college ball at Miami, where he burst onto the scene as a true freshman. While his time on campus wasnt always easyhe suffered multiple ACL injuries, missing most of two seasonshe still piled up 1,975 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 28 NCAA appearances.

The running back then entered into the 2005 NFL draft and joined the San Francisco 49ers as a second-round pick. While Gore didnt make much of an impact during his rookie campaign, that wasnt a sign of things to come. Once the 2006 season rolled around, the sophomore seized the starting job; he promptly broke off a 1,695-yard year.

In total, Frank Gore spent 10 seasons in the Bay Area, piling up just over 11,000 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns. He then headed to Indianapolis, spending three campaigns with the Colts, before joining the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills on two-straight one-year contracts.

In May 2020, Gore signed another one-year deal, this time with the New York Jets. Even at age 37, the running back has no intention of leaving pro football behind.

At this point, its not clear when Frank Gore plans to retire. Whenever that moment comes, though, he has one specific plan: to ride off into the sunset as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Gore and Niners CEO Jed York have already discussed a return to San Francisco. Even if its only on a ceremonial one-day contract, the veteran running back wants to end his career where it began.

I got to. Thats the team that gave me the opportunity to do something I always wanted to do when I was a kid, play NFL ball, Gore explained. I was there for 10 great years. Been on bad teams and been on great teams. I love it out there.

RELATED: Frank Gores Hall of Fame Career Has Resulted in Him Racking up a Huge Net Worth

Under ordinary circumstances, fans and pundits might not look too kindly on a player discussing his retirement plans during the season. Frank Gore, however, has earned the right to retire however he wants.

While you could call Gore a compilerits easy to pile up rushing yards if you play for more than a decadethat shouldnt devalue the running backs accomplishments. Hes been remarkably durable, never appearing in fewer than 11 games per season for the entirety of his career, and currently sits third on the NFLs all-time rushing list. Even if hes accumulated his stats over a longer time period, 15,371 is impressive, no matter how you achieve it.

On Sunday, Frank Gore will face the San Francisco 49ers as a member of the New York Jets. When it comes time to retire, though, hell pull on that red jersey one final time.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference

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Judy Terry, Green Thumb Published 7:30 a.m. CT Sept. 19, 2020

It has been a week of incredible sunshine and great temperatures that we hope will continue now that fall is just about here. Soon, we will be doing garden clean up, but now is the time to skip ahead several months to think about spring.

I have always thought planting bulbs in the fall is an act of faith. Sliding large bulbs into the still-warm earth, knowing a couple of seasons will pass before you see any results, is optimism. Yet, we plant, and we are quite sure they will bloom and bring warm weather with them.

This week, I visited the Ashton house on the bend of Park Road and Rocky Shore Drive. There are eight acres around the house with a view of the Iowa River. Each Monday, Project GREEN members, led by Diane Allen, arrive to spend a couple of hours making this landscape not just beautiful, but outstanding.

One announcement that met with cheerswas that a friend of Project GREEN would be donating up to a 1,000 bulbs to the project. Lots of work, but typically they are excited about it and looking forward to the happy planting times.

This the back side of the Aston House. Infront, you'll see turned over ground ready to be planted. Imagine it with a mass of daffodils.(Photo: Diane Allen / For the Press-Citizen)

Besides doing weeding and clean-up, many in the group were planting bulbs. That day, Grape Hyacinth or Muscari, an early spring purple/blue flower, small, but resembling a bunch of grapes, was being tucked in the ground in several different flower beds.

Next will come daffodils and maybe tulips, though the deer population is large and hungry and tulips are irresistible to them. Not so the daffodils. Not to their taste.

Luckily, they are favored by many gardeners, giving us a spring show that is hard to beat.

Linda Bergquist, Project GREEN volunteer is ready to plant spring bulbs in her chosen area at the Ashton House.(Photo: Judy Terry / Special to the Press-Citizen)

There are few rules as to planting spring bulbs, but it doesnt hurt to remember them. This is a down on your knees kind of job. Notice the pad Linda has in the picture above.

Daffodils are one of the largest bulbs to plant. When buying, look for big ones, nice and plump without any soft spots, as they will give you the largest flower. You will need to plant them two-and-a-half times their size, which makes a hole anywhere from 6-9 inches deep.

Find a place in your yard that gets lots of suna minimum of 6 hours in the spring. Grouping bulbs together always makes for a good show. Compost is a nice addition to the soil if sand or clay is present. Do cover well with soil and perhaps a few inches of mulch; this will help keep the squirrels from feasting on your bulbs.

Daffodil blooming in several shapes with white and yellow contrasting cups.(Photo: Judy Terry / Special to the Press-Citizen)

Spring bulbs are best planted in September and October, when the ground is cooler and the weather is nice. Like me, though, you may buy some and forget to plant them. Perhaps as you look around for Christmas paper and boxes you discover them. It may not be too late. In a column nearer cold weather, I will give you some advice as to planting them, even if there is snow on the ground.

Be Safe. Wear a Mask. Enjoy Gardening.

Do you have garden survival stories you want to share? Email me at judyaterry@gmail.com.

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September is the start of spring bulb planting season - Iowa City Press-Citizen

When LeSean McCoy went to the Chiefs in 2019, he earned the elusive ring he missed after leaving the Eagles before their victory. Now, hes trying to do it again in Tampa Bay. WhenTom Brady joined the Bucsin the offseason, he changed the landscape. Now, with Rob Gronkowski unretired and McCoy at running back, is Tampaa Super Bowl threat?

McCoy, who fans lovingly call Shady,came into the NFLas the 53rd overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. After playing for Pittsburghs legendary football program, he was one of the best running backs in the country. But as a second-round pick, his place in the NFL was far from clinched. After spending much of his rookie season coming off the Eagles bench, McCoy was ready to take the league by storm in 2010.

In his first full-time season as a starter, he did not disappoint. McCoy rushed for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. It was his 2011 season that changed it all, however. That year, McCoy became the teams primary option. Before long, he was not only the Eagles leader but also one of the best running backs in the league. He finished 2011 with over 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns, securing his first All-Pro honor.

Injuries brought him back to earth in 2012. Then, in 2013, McCoy returned with an equally impressive 1,600-yard, nine-touchdown season. He was one of the leagues premier players. At just 25 years old, he still had a lot to give. McCoy lasted one more year in Philadelphiabefore the team traded him toBuffalo to cut costs and try something new, according to NBC Sports.

Although his All-Pro days were behind him, McCoy showed that he had a lot left in the tank, particularly in the 2016 season. His final season in Buffalo, however, left lots to be desired. By the time he got to Kansas City, he was a role player providing valuable offenses off the bench, earning him his first Super Bowl ring.Now, hes taken his talents to Tampa.

RELATED: Tom Brady Just Made NFL History in the Worst Possible Way

Well aware that hes no longer theAll-Pro player he once was, details CBS Sports, McCoy is joiningBrady and Gronkowski in Tampa Bayas he hopes to revitalize his career and offer similar gifts that he showed last year. McCoy will join Ronald Jones, Dare Ogunbowale, and Ke Shawn Vaughn on the Tampa Bay offense. While McCoy will not be the primary option on running, he will likely be a significant part of the teams offense, albeit as a role player.

On top of that, McCoy already had a good resume for his new teammates to look up to before his Super Bowl, but adding that ring adds a certain amount of pedigree to an already impressive resume. This is the role that McCoy most looks forward to filling.

RELATED: Bruce Arians Throws Tom Brady Under the Bus After Buccaneers Loss

McCoy is looking forward to joining Tom Bradyand the rest of the team. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed as much when the deal happened. Furthermore, McCoy is looking to make a difference in the lives of younger players.

I think the biggest thing is to find the right fit. Find the right fit for me, McCoy said per NFL.com. At the point in my career I want to play for the right team. I want to be able to contribute. I want to be able to win another championship. You cant go from playing with the Chiefs with all that talent and winning a championship to now just trying to play.

McCoy knows that actions speak louder than words, and hes willing to put his money where his mouth is if it means competing for another ring.

Im the type of guy, I want to come in a room, challenge the running backs, get them better. Be a veteran leader. All the type of things I want to bring to a team. So, just got to find the right fit for me, he said (per NFL.com)

Whether or not age will be a fact for the Buccaneers remains to be seen. However, whether the team reaches Super Bowl glory or not, the Buccaneers can look forward to a season filled with teammates who have been there and know what it takes to win. That in itself might be worth the excitement of the new season.

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Brady to Shady: LeSean McCoy Is Officially in the Ring Chasing Part of His Career - Sportscasting

The Gadsden Times

Several types of hibiscus are available at nurseries and garden centers. The tropical types of beautiful hibiscus must be treated as winter houseplants in this area. They have large, lovely, colorful blossoms, but they cannot stay outside in the landscape in the winter because they cannot endure our frigid weather. I have had some of the lovely plants, but I do not have any of them now because I do not have room in my home for large houseplants.

In our landscape, we have a Rose of Sharon hibiscus tree that is larger than any crape myrtles in our landscape. The tree flowers all summer long, presenting a canopy filled with small, lovely, pinkish-lavender, single-petaled flowers. The one negative thing about the tree is that it spreads seeds, and we spend a great deal of time each season removing seedlings that grow from the scattered seeds. I love the tree, but the seedlings can be a nuisance. I have no desire for more than one of the lovely plants.

Recently, in this column, I wrote about the three Texas Star hibiscuses that we have in our landscape. They are tough enough to withstand the winters in this area, but the top portion of the plant dies back. The root system lives and the plants return year after year. They are quite lovely, too, but I do not want more than three of those. There are other types of lovely hibiscus, one of which is a plant called a dish hibiscus that presents large round blossoms the size of a dinner plate. I do not have any of these hibiscuses, at this time.

One hibiscus plant that I have never written about is a beautiful, double-blossomed, pink-flowering Althea Rose of Sharon, which is a dwarf tree that grows at the top of the hill n our front yard. The little tree is a prolific bloomer that flowers all summer. The blossoms are small but beautiful, with twice as many petals as the flowers on the larger Rose of Sharon tree. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds love the colorful, double-ruffle blossoms that, to me, before they open completely, resemble a carnation blossom. The best thing about this small tree is that it does not reseed. We never have to remove any seedlings.

This little tree is situated in full morning sun with some afternoon shade. Generally, the tree thrives on whatever amount of water that nature provides. I have never pruned the tree; I never deadhead the blossoms, but I do occasionally feed the tree with an all-purpose slow release fertilizer and I do water at that time. The tree is a fairly carefree plant that delivers a great deal of beauty to our landscape.

Carol (Bonnie) Link is an Etowah County Master Gardener and an experienced garden writer. Her weekly column is designed to help and encourage others in their gardening endeavors. Send questions or comments to clink43@bellsouth.net.

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CAROL LINK ON GARDENING: Tropical hibiscus varieties are winter houseplants in this area - Gadsden Times

by Max Phelps

Yards to Paradise

The daylily has been steadily growing as a fad for the garden, with over 80,000 varieties registered with the American Hemorocallis (daylily) Society. Rather amazing, thats more options in this plant than you have in beans and tomatoes, or apples and daffodils combined.

My fondness for this plant is a much more subdued, but its such an easy to grow and hardy perennial, available in just about every color except crimson or pure blue, how can I not recommend a few for the landscape or garden.

The only native daylily to the USA is the tall orange one, hemorocallis fulva. Most hail from Asia. Hybridizers have had a fieldday with this plant over the past sixty years or so, creating new attractive color combinations, and bigger bolder blooms. Yet, the best bet to bloom all summer is still the Stella dOro with its compact plants and orangish blooms.

Some go dormant, some remain evergreen, and many are somewhere between, depending on temperatures and length of the winter. The evergreen ones can be killed in cold climates. Some begin blooming early, some begin late summer, and many fall in between. Most bloom for a couple weeks, but those that bloom both early and late or even all summer are called reblooming daylilies. Some are a foot tall and some get four feet plus in height. Blossoms vary from petite to eight inches wide, some are double, and some resemble spiders.

This plant loves sun, but also does well in part shade. It likes fertile and slightly damp soil but tolerates drought or floods and bounces back. The clumps slowly expand, like most perennials do, and most commonly new plants are obtained by taking a portion of the entire plant and starting it in a container or somewhere else in the yard or garden. Taking up an entire plant and dividing it into multiple little clumps of two or more fans or sets of leaves, along with sufficient roots, is an ideal way to invigorate an older plant while also producing numerous new starts for your own garden or to give away to friends, or perhaps even to sell.

Careful selection of varieties can mean you have some blooms from May until frost. Though a good number of bloom spring and fall, the majority of cultivars just bloom for a spell of a month or less. Each blossom only is open for one day, or one night and one day for the nocturnal ones. The scapes bear several buds, and new blooms open for a couple weeks or more in most varieties.

Daylilies are pretty good at erosion control after the first season, and also at keeping annual weeds down. Rabbits usually dont eat them, but deer will. And Ill eat them too, if Im hungry. The unopened blossoms make good in a salad or stir-fry. Blooms are used in Oriental cooking. And the little nodules of stored energy on the roots are like small peanuts or tiny potatoes, and definitely are edibleeven very tasty if harvested at the right time. Pickled daylily buds anyone, or battered and fried blooms?

You can plant them most anytime but try to avoid midwinter or dividing a plant while it is in bloom. It is a good idea to cut the tops back to help growing plants adjust to the new spot during hot or dry weather. Plants growing in containers can be planted anytime.

Sometimes you may be able to beg gifts from neighbors or buy from a roadside market or from a farm or gardener. Online/mailorder merchants will offer many varieties, usually shipping bare root plants spring, late summer and fall. Expect to pay quite a sum for the newest and prettiest varieties; older ones can often be bought in quantity for $3 or so per plant. If you are patient, one expensive plant can be divided in about three years to provide you extras.

Consider some daylilies the next time you are doing some flower planting. The ease of growing them and the many color and size combinations make growing these perennials a no-brainer. And remember that if you can bear to eat pretty blooms, their blossom buds are a delicacy.

For more information email rockcastles@gmail.com

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Landscaping with Daylilies - The Tryon Daily Bulletin - Tryon Daily Bulletin

Tommy Springer, Correspondent Published 12:11 p.m. ET Aug. 27, 2020

I knew it was coming. I expect it and dread it every year, but it never fails to catch me by surprise. And so, when I walked outside one morning this week to leave for work, I was greeted by the annual unwelcome sight. Streaked across the middle of my trucks hoodwas a splatter of epic proportions. Some unknown airborne visitor had made a mid-flight digested deposit that painted a picture in a bold contrast of rich purple with strokes of white. Ah yes, we have now entered the season of berry bird bombs.

Bird droppings are a year-long nuisance that I have learned to accept as a byproduct of my active feeding efforts that is the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Erecting a bird feeder attracts birds and consuming food creates waste, so when you entice a large group of animals and give them a buffet you kind of have to accept the obligatory ordure. However, you dont have to be a bird enthusiast to suffer the wrath of their digestive tract, as its well-known that birds have an uncanny way to detect any freshly washed window, wall or landscape feature.

The problem with certain times of year is that there are seasonal changes in birds preferred food choices that increase both the production and potency of their poop. These seasons usually coincide with the ripening of our multitudes of berries and small fruit. While fruit such as crab apples that have pale flesh may result in only an increase in volume of droppings and little other side effects, others can create the potential for permanent defacement by defecation.

The most damaging of these fruits are those that ripen into dark colors of red or purple and, unfortunately, a lot of them are found growing around our yards and gardens which make it easy work for the birds to leave their mark on our stuff. Cultivated varieties of blackberry, raspberry and grape can make minor contributions, but because most people also enjoy the taste of these, birds dont usually consume enough to cause widespread dropping distribution. As I find out each year,there are a few widespread, wild species of plants that produce hundreds to thousands of dye-packed morsels for birds to devour.

The pair I deal with on a recurring basis are mulberry trees and pokeweed plants. We have two species of mulberries that occur in Ohio: the native Red Mulberry and the aggressive, non-native white mulberry. Despite the misleading name of the introduced variety, both types of mulberry produce fruit that ranges from burgundy to black when ripe. My trees produce a bumper crop seemingly every year and birds, along with raccoons, squirrels and deer, will pick my branches clean usually before a single berry hits the ground.

Pokeweed, on the other hand, seems to be targeted solely by the birds around my yard and ignored by the furry creatures. While ripe pokeberries are toxic to humans, there are accounts of Native Americans using it to dye clothing, decorate their horses and even as a war paint although it may be possible to absorb the toxin through your skin, so I wouldnt advise trying this at home. In more recent times, there are even reports of Civil War soldiers using fermented pokeweed juice as an ink to pen letters from the battlefields.

Mulberries, too, contain a pigment that is currently used in some places around the world to create fabric dye and as a food colorant. The moral of this story is that the stuff inside these fruits has long been known as a potent colorant so its understandable why the accidental artwork left behind by birds can leave permanent stains on light colored paint, wood and metal.

I guess Ill be giving the truck and house siding a good once-over each day until the berries are all gone lest I end up with a polka-dotted mural courtesy of our feathered friends.

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Conservation Corner: Plants that stain the landscape, deck, and car - Lancaster Eagle Gazette

High temperatures, combined with dry weather, pose a threat to Virginias home landscapes. Vegetable gardens, lawns, and even trees and shrubs are all susceptible to the effects of drought, including desiccation and increased vulnerability to pest and disease problems.

Virginia Cooperative Extension agentsandExtension Master Gardenersare positioned across the commonwealth to offer guidance for gardeners dealing with dry conditions. For many home gardeners inspired to plant vegetables in response to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, dry weather presents a special challenge.

Dealing with dry conditions can be especially hard for vegetable gardeners as many plants need consistent water to continue to produce and some need rain at critical times, such as corn during silking, said Amy Byington,Lee County, Virginia, Cooperative Extension. In Lee County, our gardeners are struggling to keep their plants healthy and watered. Any time plants become stressed, disease and other issues are more likely to present themselves.

Trees and shrubs are also susceptible to drought, though how they respond depends on a few factors, including species, the time elapsed since transplanting, and soil type, according to Alex Niemiera, a professor in theSchool of Plant and Environmental Sciences.

Some plant species are very tolerant of drought, some very intolerant, some in-between, Niemiera said. Recently transplanted plants will be more vulnerable to drought stress compared to plants that have been planted for about a year or more. It is important to water recently planted plants regularly. Lastly, soil type will affect drought response. Plants growing in moisture-retentive soils will fare much better than those growing in less retentive soils.

For help evaluating the type of soil you have and the susceptibility of your trees and shrubs to drought, contact your local Extension Master Gardeners via yourVirginia Cooperative Extension office.

The very hot and mostly dry summer in Virginia is presenting some real challenges to Virginia gardeners, said Frank Reilly, Central Rappahannock Extension Master Gardener. There are the usual problems with heat and dry, such as plants wilting, trees prematurely dropping leaves, and fewer flowers than we expect from our favorite flowering plants. Some folks are also reporting that their tomatoes and even some peppers have stopped setting fruit.

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Heat and Dry Weather Pose Problems For Landscape Plants - The Roanoke Star