There are some beauties in the AARS Winners list for 2010. Several of them are Zinnias which make wonderful cut flowers, and two are exciting prairie flowers, including "Pow Wow Wildberry Echinacea", pictured.

 

 

 

 

In another piece of bad news for bees, a parasitic fly has been found to cause have die-off.

"The fly, a species known as Apocephalus borealis, has been known to parasitize bumblebees and paper wasps, but this was the first indication that it might also affect honeybees. The fly deposits its eggs in the bee’s abdomen, causing its host to abandon the hive, flying to nowhere “like a zombie,” and die. About one week later, as many as 13 larvae push their way out into the world from between the bee’s head and thorax. A terrifying image. However, not as terrifying as what it portends for honeybee colonies and the fate the agricultural systems that depends on them."

To learn more about how this was discovered, and the difficulties that honey bees are facing, read the article, "Researchers identify yet another threat to hive health" . “Colony Collapse Disorder is not caused by a single pathogen or parasite,” says Hafernik. “It’s a combination of factors that pushes hives to their tipping point.” While there is no consensus on what is driving this phenomenon, researchers concede that the techniques of modern agriculture likely play a role.

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No, I had never heard of it, either; but on GardenAdvice .co .uk is an intriguing article telling all about it. Effective Micro Organisms (EMS), a combination of Yeasts and Fungi mixed into bran as a carrier and spreader,  work by speeding up composting, and at the same time these micro-organisms prevent those horrible smells to which composting is sometimes prone.Try a Bokashi kit,All Seasons Indoor Composter Kit with Bokashi - Black
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Galantamine is an alkaloid that inhibits acetylcholinesterase and is used to treat Alzheimer's disease. It is extracted from the bulbs and leaves of daffodils (Narcissus), snowdrops (Galanthus) and summer snowflake (Leucojum).-from Roger Bolger's site.