FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF AUGUST 12, 2001:
Our land borders forest land and we are of course worried about wildfire. We have landscaped for fire prevention and have created defensible spaces around our home and outbuildings. Is there anything else we should do?
Yes, make sure that you conscientiously maintain the defensible space you've created, says Yvonne Carree Barkley, University of Idaho Extension forestry associate. Keep grass and other landscape materials well watered and pruned, remove fallen needles from the roof and ground, and store firewood no closer than 30 feet from any structure.
Another thing to consider: Do you have enough water to fight a fire? Consider developing an emergency water supply, such as an additional well, pond, cistern, swimming pool or tank. "You should have 25,000 gallons of water available for emergency backup," Barkley says. Make sure your water supplies are clearly marked and readily accessible: firefighters usually need at least 16 feet to access a water source.
And, if you depend on a well for your water supply, get a gas-powered backup generator to provide power to the pump in case you lose electrical service.
We found a praying mantis in our yard. What does it eat?
The praying mantis is a carnivore. It eats "just about anything it can catch," says University of Idaho Extension educator Wayne Jones. That includes both pest and beneficial insects--and some mantis types in Eastern states have even been caught eating small frogs, lizards and birds.
"They're about twice as fast as a housefly when they grab their prey, so hunger is not usually a problem for them," says Jones. However, if the "cupboard is bare" in your garden, they're very likely to move on to someone else's yard where the pickings are better.
"They're worth having around, if only to observe them," says Jones. "They're fascinating to watch as they await their prey. They can actually look over their backs." Reaching a length of 5 inches, the introduced Chinese praying mantises most frequently encountered in Idaho gardens "make nice pets and are great for kids learning about the world around them," he says.
Each praying mantis lives for only one year. Young emerge in the spring from eggs cases that were laid in the fall and that look like small pieces of paper foam.
"If you would like to have praying mantises in your yard, you'll have to be careful with pesticides," Jones cautions. "The mantises will eat the insects that have been sprayed and will die, too."
My 3- and 5-year-old really like to draw and work with clay. I'm glad they're so creative, but I'm wondering how helpful this is to their overall development.
Keep giving them those crayons, finger paints and clay, says Diane Demarest, coordinator of the University of Idaho's Parents as Teachers demonstration project, which has recently expanded its services to include children up to the age of 5. Expressing oneself through various forms of art enhances creativity and learning, is emotionally calming, promotes self-esteem and encourages socialization.
Art improves intellectual skills and teaches cause and effect, Demarest says. "Playing with materials such as sand, water, paints, blocks and crayons provides an opportunity to make things happen," she says. "If a child mixes yellow and blue paint together, she learns that she can create a green color. If she puts too much paint on the paper, she learns how wet the paper becomes. As she pounds clay, she learns that it takes a different shape."
Group art projects with other children also help the shy child feel less isolated and become more expressive and they help the aggressive child to learn more appropriate ways of expressing herself. "By harmlessly hitting, punching and molding clay, your child releases aggression and stress," Demarest says.
In addition, art encourages decision-making and self-esteem. Your young artists are making choices and "in charge." And, of course, art enhances fine motor skills.
Through Idaho's Parents as Teachers program--offered free regardless of family income--families get monthly visits from trained parent educators. The educators bring along children's books, short videotapes on child development and ideas for fun activities designed to encourage learning during that specific month of the young child's life. For more information, call Demarest at (208) 343-1542 in Boise or write her at dianed@uidaho.edu.
Can I use lime juice instead of lemon juice in my homemade salsa?
Yes, lime juice and lemon juice may be used interchangeably to increase the acidity of home-canned salsa to safe levels, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho Extension food safety specialist. But make sure you use bottled--not frozen--juices because the acidity in bottled juices is standardized.
Some salsa recipes also call for vinegar, but vinegar is less acid than lemon and lime juice and cannot be substituted equally, McCurdy says. To achieve the same level of acidity, you need to use twice the volume of vinegar that is specified for lime or lemon juice--and you need to use vinegar that's at least 5 percent acid.
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by University of Idaho Extension or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]