(Links will open in new browser "window".)
On this page (click on a topic to go directly to it):
- Honey Bees:
- Insect Image Database: This site features striking images divided into several galleries. Home Gardeners will find The World of Insects gallery useful in identifying many commmon insects. Clicking on a "thumbnail" produces a full-size image of an insect.
- Select the FAQ link to find answers to commonly asked questions about bees. Beekeeping Information Index .
- Plant Disease Facts, a site maintained by Gary W. Moorman, Professor of Plant Pathology at Penn State University, contains fact sheets on common diseases of indoor and outdoor plants frequently grown in the northeastern United States. The location loads quickly and is easy to navigate. An outstanding resource. Plant Disease Facts
- Small-Scale Fruit Production - A Comprehensive Guide is a home garden version of Penn State's Pennsylvania Tree Fruit Production Guide - an online manual for commercial fruit growers. Site acknowledgments show that an impressive array of Penn State educators and extension agents contributed to the guide. Emphasis is placed upon viewing fruit planting as a system. The systemic approach gives one a greater appreciation of the role of integrated pest management in backyard fruit production. The onsite search engine returns highly relevant returns and allows for refining a search by further searching among the first group of search results. Small-Scale Fruit Production loads quickly and is easy to navigate.
- The Master Gardener Program at Penn State
General
- Ohioline: Yard and Garden, a site maintained by Ohio State University, may be the definitive World Wide Web garden and horticulture resource. If you can't find what you are looking for there, (a) it probably does not exist; or (b) it is not worth looking for in the first place. Ohioline: Yard and Garden
- At The Pennsylvania Horticulture Society location, winners of the society's Gold Medal Plant Award are listed and quality graphics invite one to take a leisurely tour of the site. Timely information on the Philadelphia Flower Show is posted annually. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
- Remembering the correct botanical name for a plant can be a challenge. Help is available at botany.com. The site loads quickly and features:
- A dictionary of common plant names.
- A dictionary of botanical names.
- A dictionary of botanical words.
- Plant descriptions and propagation information.
- Links to botanical associations and societies and botanical gardens.
Urban Landscaping
Proper planning, according to experts at the University of Minnesota, is the key to creating long lasting urban landscapes. To educate the horticulture/landscape industry and the public, the University of Minnesota has posted a Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series. The site loads rapidly, is visually appealing, easy to navigate and contains a treasure chest of information on urban landscaping.
For Children
While the negative has received much attention, it should be noted that the World Wide Web does include some quality learning sites for children. One such site is maintained by Missouri Botanical Garden, where one will find an intuitive, fast loading section on biology-related topics devoted to children of elementary school age. Projects for children, interactive stories and a leaf collection are but a few of the many well designed and easy to follow resources for children. For help with a school project or just to learn while having fun, visit the Missouri Botanical Garden and select the "Just for Kids!" link appearing on the bottom, left of the Home Page.
Of Local Interest
For the African violet aficionado. The invitation: Whether you have one plant or one hundred, whether you have been at it for decades or just got started, if you enjoy African Violets, please join us. The "us": the African Violet Enthusiasts of Berks County. See the list of African violet-related links, which lead to informative and colorful sites.
Master Gardener Sites
