Kiss the Earth

Why is it that when people see an insect, their first impulse is to squash it? I happen to love bugs and turns out, only a very small proportion of them are dangerous. This nugget is brought to you by Penn State Cooperative Extension in its exhibit "Landscape Horrors," which gets my vote for straight talk.

Take "Little Miss Application." We all know gardeners like this - maybe even ourselves. She needs a quick fix for her landscaping problem, something that works in, like, a weekend. Unfortunately, says Penn State, this usually involves chemicals. Asking for an environmental disaster.

How about "Dude, where's my house?" You plant trees along the driveway. Don't they look great? Fast forward a few years. Oops. Can't see the house for the trees. Or "Anatomy of a Murder." Cutting off the top of a tree invites decay, disease and weak growth. And here's one you see a lot - "the mulch volcano," mulch stacked up against the trunk of a tree. It's as bad as topping.

"A Mower Runs Through It" deals with a common practice - bagging up those grass clippings as if they're toxic waste instead of rich, nutritious food for your lawn. Let them be.

Same with bugs. And that's the takeaway. Love bugs.