Agriculture

Three Spencer County 4-H members got to experience being in a Fashion Revue thanks to Shelby County 4-H!  On Thursday, April 26th Rebecca Panepinto, Bailey Cranmer, Kelly Baird, Karlie Acker, and Jenna Thompson represented Spencer County very well and modeled the clothes that they had made in 4-H sewing.  Thank you to Pat Douglas, Shirley Thomas, Virginia Smith, and Vicky Rego for all of their help guiding these young sewers in the completion of their projects.  We could not have had this opportunity for our youth without you all! 

A couple of weeks ago, in mid-April, one of the prettiest flowers in the garden started to bloom. This great cut-leaf Japanese peony, Paeonia tenuifolia, opened its simple ruby-colored petals to reveal bright yellow stamen. The finely cut foliage, reminiscent of the most finely cut foliage of a Japanese maple, allows the plant to be interesting in the mixed border the rest of the growing season, too.

June 1 is the official cutoff that marks the difference between a spring bloomer and a summer bloomer. Does it matter that you know? Yes, if you want to properly prune because pruning after June 1 could result in no blooms next year.

Springtime, with its warmer temperatures and more abundant rainfall, is typically when many winged termites emerge inside homes and other structures. Termites swarm from the colony to disburse, fall to the ground, find mates and start new colonies in the soil.
From now through May, you might see swarms of winged termites, called swarmers, inside your home, signaling an infestation that can cause extensive and costly damage. Since swarmers are attracted to light, you often see them, or their shed wings, around windows, doors and light fixtures.