Talkin' Dirty at the Library Athens-Limestone County Public Library

Master Gardener Emily Clem talks with Master Beekeeper Bud Rogers about backyard beekeeping for the hobbyist. These busy pollinators are masters of efficiency and can make an amazing difference in the output of your backyard garden. They talk about how bees make honey and tips to avoid getting stung. Bud avidly promotes beekeeping as an accessible hobby with equipment adapted for people in wheelchairs or unable to lift heavy weights.  
Links:https://www.aces.edu/  (Alabama Cooperative Extension)https://mastergardeners-limestonecountyalabama.org/https://www.alcpl.org/
The Athens-Limestone Public Library has a selection of books on beekeeping and native plants. Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.orgMusic and images from Pixabay            

Kate Gribbin, Recreation Manager, along with Hallie Porter, Development Director, and Jennifer Johnson, Master Gardener, highlight the new pollinator gardens of the North Alabama Land Trust. Started in 1987 as a means to keep development off Monte Sano Mountain, the Land Trust now covers 10 counties, 10,000 acres and has 10 nature preserves for education and recreation. With newly planted pollinator gardens at Blevins Gap and Harvest Square, they talk about the Land Trust's role in preserving our natural resources amidst North Alabama's increasing growth and expansion.
Links:https://www.aces.edu/  (Alabama Cooperative Extension)https://www.landtrustnal.org/2023/04/17/northal-native-plants/https://www.alcpl.org/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30c0WX-kOHI    (pollinator garden at Blevins Gap video)
The Athens-Limestone Public Library has a wide selection of books on native plants. Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.orgMusic by Pixabay     

 Master Gardener, Emily Clem, welcomes Lynne Wenineger from Alabama A&M University. The curator of the herbarium at A&M, Lynne talks about the importance of collecting and preserving plants for study in the plant library. From gathering specimens in the field, to pressing, and cataloging, Alabama is the 4th ranked state in the US for biodiversity and several plant species are found nowhere else in the world.
Links:http://floraofalabama.org/    (Alabama Plant Atlas)https://www.aces.edu/  (Alabama Cooperative Extension)https://www.alcpl.org/
Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.orgMusic by Pixabay 

Master Gardener, Emily Clem, welcomes Travis Roddy of the International Crane Foundation. They talk about the cranes that winter here in North Alabama, including sandhill cranes and the endangered whooping cranes.
Links:https://www.aces.edu/  (Alabama Cooperative Extension)https://savingcranes.org/  (International Crane Foundation)https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wheeler  (Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge)https://www.alcpl.org/
Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.orgMusic by Pixabay     

Limestone County Master Gardeners Emily Clem and Soozi Pline talk about native plants that grow well in the North Alabama region.  They identify plants, season by season, that bloom and provide food for pollinators all year long. In the process of naturalizing their own home properties, Emily and Soozi identify which plants work for different sun and soil conditions. They agree that gardening is often trial and error and even Master Gardener experts make mistakes!
Links:https://www.aces.edu/  (Alabama Cooperative Extension)https://www.landtrustnal.org/2023/04/17/northal-native-plants/https://www.alcpl.org/
The Athens-Limestone Public Library has a wide selection of books on native plants. Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.orgMusic by Pixabay    

Limestone County Master Gardener, Emily Clem, talks with Rhonda Britton, Former Home Grounds Agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension and current Campus Engineer at Auburn University's Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville. Rhonda gives a step by step guide to growing shiitake mushrooms for home gardeners.
Links:https://www.sweetgrownalabama.org/sga-members/626https://www.aces.edu/  (Alabama Cooperative Extension)https://www.alcpl.org/
 Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.org Music by Pixabay