INDIANA

A tree sold for decades as a tidy, fruitless street ornament is now popping up by the thousands in fields and ditches where nobody planted it. Late in the year, its leaves turn deep burgundy and hang on long after the oaks and maples have gone bare. I noticed them first on a gray November…

John James Audubon called a certain little gray bird a snowbird back in the 1800s, and the nickname stuck for good reason. Its scientific name even comes from a Latin word meaning wintry. Every fall, this tidy visitor drops into Indiana yards from forests far to the north. It skips the fancy hanging feeders and…

Flower farmers have a cheeky nickname for the morning after the first hard frost. They call it Frostmas, and the gift under the tree is a row of limp, inky black leaves. I used to panic at that sight. Now I grab my coffee and smile, because those sad stems hold a secret underground. The…

A brown grocery sack in a chilly basement can hold next summer’s flower show. I’m serious. Gardeners have stashed leafless, soil-free plants this way for generations, and many wake up in spring ready to grow. The trick works because these sun-loving bloomers come from South Africa. Their thick stems store water and food, a bit…

Tree roots can keep growing in soil as cool as the low 40s, long after the branches look fast asleep. That means a tree planted this year is still building its root system well into fall. The low 40s figure surprised me the first time I read it. Bare twigs seem to say the job…

A carved porch decoration from Halloween is roughly ninety percent water, so it softens quickly once the skin is broken or cut open. I love that the soft flesh carries potassium, nitrogen, and other minerals right back into the ground below. Indiana gardeners usually see their first hard frost in October, which means many vegetable…

A lump of hardened foam on your shrub branch can hold more than two hundred baby insects waiting for spring. I was amazed to learn that the female builds it in fall, forming the foam around her eggs as she lays them. The case starts out soft and bubbly, then dries into a tough tan…

A houseplant that stubbornly refuses to flower can sometimes be fixed by letting your living room get chillier at night. Many growers learn that a drop of about ten to fifteen degrees after sunset tells the plant to start budding. In Indiana, October is often when furnaces click on, and that steady indoor heat can…

A tiny furry animal that tunnels through leaf piles in fall carries venom in its saliva to stun worms and beetles. I still find it wild that something smaller than a mouse can paralyze prey for later meals. Some snakes in the southern hills travel back to the very same rocky den each fall, often…

Many of the holiday cacti sold in stores each fall are Thanksgiving cacti, even when the tag says Christmas cactus. Growers ship them in October, and the buds are already set when they reach Indiana shelves. The flowers usually open in mid to late November, which is a few weeks ahead of the December holidays….

Some of the logs stacked beside your house may hold sleeping insects that wake up as soon as they feel indoor heat. I was surprised to learn that a few warm days by the fireplace can be enough to stir them. Across Indiana, tiny wood-eating insects live in the soil and often travel into wood…

Sometimes an entire insect colony builds its wax comb right out in the open, dangling from a bare branch. I still remember spotting one in Indiana and thinking it looked like a pale, ribbed lantern hanging there. Each pound of that wax costs the colony roughly six to eight pounds of honey, according to extension…

Back in 1818, a plant growing in southern Indiana woods made the milk of local cows harmful to drink. Nancy Hanks Lincoln, the mother of Abraham Lincoln, fell sick from that milk in the fall of that year. Some of the most harmful plants in our yards look a lot like harmless wild carrot or…

One pass with a garden machine over soggy soil can leave a packed layer lasting several seasons. Soil experts at Purdue Extension explain that wet soil smears and seals, making it hard for roots to push down. Much of central and northern Indiana sits on heavy glacial soils that hold water long after a fall…

Leaving those brown, scraggly flower stems standing all winter can help a fall bloomer return in better shape next spring. The old stems trap snow and fallen leaves, which form a loose blanket over the crown of the plant. Purdue University Extension suggests waiting until spring to trim these plants in most Indiana yards, even…

The big spider that sprinted across my kitchen last October was most likely a wandering male. Mothers of this kind haul their young around on their backs for days, though, and I still find that fact a little amazing. These hunters also have eyes that glow green when you sweep a flashlight across an Indiana…

The smaller bird in a hooting owl pair actually has the deeper voice, and it is usually the male. I love that the larger female answers him with a higher call, so you can tell them apart by ear. In Indiana, these birds often lay eggs in late January or February, while snow can still…

The black bugs with red stripes crowding your siding are searching for a warm place to spend winter. They are adults that will rest quietly inside wall gaps until spring sunshine wakes them up again. I like how picky they are, because they mostly choose the sunny south and west walls of a house. The…

Most of the tiny curled bugs on an Indiana basement floor in October are drying out. They need damp soil to keep their bodies from losing water, so a dry concrete room works against them. Extension experts note that many of these critters wander in large groups during fall, often right after heavy rain. I…

Some small striped snakes in Indiana spend the winter packed together by the dozens inside a single crack underground. I still find it amazing that one hole near a porch step can hold a whole crowd of reptiles. Their move toward winter shelter usually picks up in October, once nights start dipping close to freezing…

Some of the warmest hideouts in a backyard are made from yard leftovers that most people haul away in fall. I love that a messy corner can block cold wind for small birds during long Indiana nights in January. Dark-eyed juncos start showing up across Indiana in October, and they spend their time near the…

Turf researchers in the Midwest found that lawns often look greener the spring after chopped leaves are mowed into them. I remember reading that result and feeling a little cheated by every weekend I spent bent over a rake. Most Indiana lawns are cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue, which keep growing roots…

Some tiny bees in Indiana chew a tunnel down the soft center of a broken plant stalk to raise babies. Each room in that tunnel gets a ball of pollen, one egg, and a wall of chewed plant bits. Those young insects stay inside the stalk through fall and winter, resting while snow piles up…

Those golden bales holding up your pumpkins are mostly hollow wheat stems, and that hollow shape traps insulating air. I love that the same bundle sitting by my front door can protect garden roots through a cold winter. In Indiana, the ground often freezes and thaws many times between December and March each year. That…

Many American goldfinches stay in Indiana through winter, but the males trade their bright yellow feathers for a dull olive coat. I like how that plain fall color helps them blend into brown garden stems while they hunt for seeds. Many of those seeds sit tucked inside stiff, spiky flower centers that stay upright long…

Those gray balls swinging in bare Indiana branches are made of paper, and wasps made every layer. A single nest can grow to the size of a basketball or larger and hold several layers of paper comb inside. Thick summer leaves keep the nest hidden from nearly every passerby on the sidewalk or trail below….

Small round berries are splitting open on thick vines that wrap around trees across Indiana right now. The yellow outer husk peels back in three neat parts and shows a glossy, bright red center. I love how the color pops against gray bark and thinning leaves along Indiana roadsides in October. Cut stems of the…

A mite smaller than a pinhead can turn a white wall into a moving carpet of red. Indiana homeowners often spot these crowds on sunny house walls during cool and bright October afternoons. Each speck measures roughly one thirtieth of an inch and moves surprisingly fast across brick or siding. I love how fast they…

A tree trunk with pale patches can mean something small is working under the bark. In Indiana, plenty of ash trees show this odd, speckled look along their trunks and larger limbs. The patches appear where the gray outer bark has flaked away in uneven pieces. The lighter layer underneath stands out clearly, even from…

A single carved pumpkin can attract a surprising crowd after the porch light goes out. Several backyard animals will happily sample the soft flesh inside. I love how a simple jack-o-lantern becomes a small snack bar for neighbors with fur. Indiana backyards host plenty of these hungry visitors all through fall. You need to know…

One cactus grows stems that dangle over cliffs and look like fuzzy white tails swinging in the breeze. Those soft white hairs are actually spines, yet they feel surprisingly gentle against your curious fingertips. In the wild, the trailing stems can stretch several feet long from rocky ledges in Bolivia. Bright red flowers also pop…

Your houseplant can push water droplets out through special pores at its leaf tips on quiet nights. Those tiny beads are not dew, and they did not come from your watering can either. The water travels up from the roots and leaves the plant through openings built for this exact job. Botanists have studied these…

A feathery herb with a sweet licorice smell might be quietly holding back the tomatoes in your Indiana garden. Gardeners have reported this odd habit for generations, and many planting guides mention it. The plant seems to release natural chemicals into the soil around it, which may slow some common vegetables nearby. Scientists still debate…

Those tiny tan bumps on your orchid leaves might be living insects with armor glued on their backs. Each one sits in place for weeks and quietly drinks sap from the plant like a tiny straw. Scale insects are a common houseplant pest in Indiana, and orchids are among the plants they can infest. Females…

That pile of leaves on your Indiana lawn holds free plant food, yet many of us bag it. Fallen leaves carry nitrogen, carbon, and small amounts of other nutrients back toward the ground each autumn. Purdue Extension experts encourage homeowners to return those leaves to the lawn instead of hauling them away. Michigan State turfgrass…

A single spray from this backyard visitor can reach about ten feet, and the scent may linger for days. I learned that the hard way one October night when my dog trotted back inside, proudly wagging his tail. Across Indiana, these striped night wanderers get busy in fall as they fatten up before the cold…

Some leafy crops can stiffen with frost overnight in an unheated hoop house and perk back up once the sun warms them. I learned that trick from Purdue Extension growers, and I still grin every time the leaves relax in the sun. An Indiana winter can swing from mild gray drizzle to single digits in…

A lumpy brown bulb tucked into October soil needs about twelve weeks of real winter cold before it blooms. I love that our chilly Indiana winters do the hard work while we stay inside with cocoa. Fall planting feels backward at first, since you bury something in the ground just as the leaves are dropping….

Farmers sometimes spray their crops with icy water on freezing nights, and the plants come out of it safer. I nearly spilled my coffee the first time I read that, because it sounds so wonderfully backward. October in Indiana brings crisp mornings when frost sparkles on pumpkin leaves and the last tomatoes. You need a…

Indiana soil often stays workable well into November, long after most gardeners have stored their trowels in the shed. I like how that quiet stretch of cool, damp ground gives one sweet little fruit a surprising second chance. You’re in for a big surprise if you assumed every planting window slammed shut with the last…

A fat caterpillar on your tomato plant can carry dozens of tiny white cocoons like grains of rice. I remember staring at one in an Indiana garden and wondering if someone had glued them there. Those little white bumps are not eggs from the caterpillar, and they are not a fungus either. Each one holds…

That wrinkly orange tuber sprouting purple shoots in your pantry could feed your garden for a summer next year. I laughed the first time I saw one, because it looked like a tiny alien reaching for the light. Those leafy shoots are not necessarily a sign of spoilage, and they often mean the root is…

The tall pink flowers swaying beside Indiana mailboxes right now actually come from the mountains and meadows of Mexico. I still grin when I spot their papery petals waving in October, long after many summer blooms have faded. They look delicate enough to snap in a breeze, yet they shrug off chilly mornings with surprising…

Last week I found a bright green visitor napping on a frosty leaf, still munching by lunchtime. A light Indiana frost had silvered the whole garden, yet that little chewer acted like nothing happened. I believed cold mornings would send these pests packing, so I waited for the weather to handle my problem. The holes…

A clear October sky can drop leaf temperatures below freezing even when your porch thermometer still reads 35 degrees. Plenty of gardeners learn that the hard way, staring at limp, darkened plants that looked fine at sunset. Here in Indiana, those chilly mid-30s nights tend to sneak in right when the garden is most generous….

Something chubby has been sampling your late tomatoes, leaving neat bite marks in the ripe ones. Across Indiana, gardeners find half-eaten squash and fresh dirt piles on crisp October mornings this fall. The culprit waddles more than it runs, and its round belly grows bigger every single week. It munches clover, beans, and fallen apples…

Drive along many Indiana roads this month, and bright red patches seem to glow from the ditches. Those patches are not fire, of course, but leafy shrubs glowing brighter than a stop sign. Look closer and you will spot cone-shaped clusters of fuzzy berries poking up like velvet torches. Run a finger over one, and…

October in Indiana brings crisp mornings, golden maple leaves, and garden beds full of tired vines. Many gardeners stare at that tangled green pile and wonder if it could become something useful. Recycling garden leftovers sounds thrifty and earth-friendly, like turning old scraps into rich, crumbly soil for free. Yet some of those old stems…

Walk into many Indiana garden shops this fall, and you might spot leaves with holes. They look like someone took a hole punch to a green umbrella, and somehow it looks fancy. Shoppers often think there is just one version of this tropical charmer sitting by the register. In reality, the shelves can hold a…

Somewhere in Indiana, a sticky note on the fridge says Water Sunday, and a lonely houseplant quietly disagrees. Calendars feel safe and tidy, but roots tucked in chunky bark rarely care what day the sticky note announces. Many plant lovers hunt online for one magic number, like seven days or ten, that settles the question….

Baking soda is getting attention as a quick fix for patchy lawns across Indiana this fall. A light dusting on a brown spot is an easy idea to try, though it only works in a few situations. The cool October air carries crunchy leaves and pumpkin spice, and with it a few lawn care tips….

Crisp October mornings in Indiana come with sparkling dew and crunchy leaves underfoot. Then you spot little green hearts tucked between the grass blades, quietly spreading a little more each year. Those cute leaves belong to a plant many homeowners admire at first and grumble about later. It hides low in the turf, slips under…

Picture a crisp October sidewalk in Indiana, leaves glowing gold, and then a terrible smell hits. Many people check their shoes first, sure that someone forgot to pick up after a dog. The real source is hanging right above your head, tucked among fan-shaped leaves on city trees. Small, squishy orange balls drop in large…

Picture a crisp October morning in Indiana when something new pokes out from your favorite houseplant. It looks green and curious, and your heart jumps with a mix of hope and worry. Is it the start of a gorgeous bloom, or another wiggly arm reaching for the glass? Plenty of plant lovers have squinted at…

Drive down any Indiana street this month, and bright red shrubs stand out beside the pavement. Their leaves turn a vivid red that catches the eye of passersby. Homeowners like them because they look tidy, grow fast, and ask for little care in return. Garden centers have sold them for decades, so they feel as…

Early October mornings in Indiana can feel like magic, with sparkly lawns and breath puffing like clouds. One night the garden looks cheerful, and the next morning the leaves hang limp and dark. The difference often comes down to a tiny number on the thermometer, smaller than most people guess. A few degrees separate a…

Picture a quiet Indiana evening, dishes done, as a steady chirp floats up through the floor vents. You tilt your head and wonder if the dryer, furnace, or something tiny is singing downstairs. The sound stops the moment you flip on the basement light, which feels a little rude. Then you click the switch off,…