By Margaret Bayne, OSU Extension Service Staff-retired, OSU Master Gardener

Critters digging up your lawn and garden?  Here are some resources on voles, moles and gophers:

Pruning saw (upper left), a long‑handled pruning shears (center), and hand shears (bottom).
Pruning tools – OSU

Moles, voles and gophers dig the garden. (Dana Sanchez, OSU) https://bit.ly/33iM2Uu

Meadow Voles and Pocket Gophers: Management in Lawns, Gardens, and Croplands. (Gunn et al,
OSU) https://bit.ly/3zZYi8r

People and Plants-“…a look at the German botanist Adam Lonicer.” (Sylvia Thompson-Hacker, Gardenprofessors.com) https://bit.ly/3fiQs0k

VIDEO: Pruning Fruit Trees. (OSU Clackamas County MG, Clackamas County TV via Youtube) https://bit.ly/33wpEXt

In a New Study, Spring Forest Bees Get Their Due. (Leslie Mertz, Ph.D, Entomologytoday.org) https://bit.ly/3Grheil

Back-Seat Driver: The Parasite That Makes Bees Drop Off Its Babies. (Page Embry, Entomologytoday) https://bit.ly/3nky37w

Do Pollinators Prefer Dense Flower Patches? Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No. (Andrew Porterfield, Entomologytoday.org) https://bit.ly/3GDxDkx

Moss in lawn – OSU

VIDEO: Managing Moss in Lawns. (Alec Kowalewski, OSU) https://bit.ly/3I4mrO5

Where Giant Honey Bees Rest Their Wings During Annual Migration. (Ed Ricciuti, Entomologytoday.org) https://bit.ly/3GqcZ75

This Insect Has The Only Mechanical Gears Ever Found in Nature.  “The small hopping insect Issus coleoptratus uses toothed gears on its joints to precisely synchronize the kicks of its hind legs as it jumps forward.” (Joseph Stromberg, smithsonianmag.com) https://bit.ly/3qvaSJX

VIDEO: Watch roots from different plants compete for prime real estate underground.  Mathematical modeling and greenhouse studies show complex interactions keep roots productive. (Elizabeth Pennisi, Science.org) https://bit.ly/3GmNK5C

Frost covered buds on branch of a tree or shrub.

“The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.”

William Cullen Bryant


OSU Master Gardeners Impact Our Communities

Last month we highlighted the steadfast commitment of metro area Master Gardeners to serve the community and build their knowledge and skills as we navigated through another year of challenges.  

Now read those highlights in the 2021 OSU Master Gardener Impact Report, and see the resolute spirit the OSU Master Gardener Program has throughout the state, to grow knowledge and grow reach, all in the midst of challenging times.

2022 OSU Master Gardener Impact Report


Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series Launches for 2022

Sunflower behind promotional text for Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series. With OSU Extension Service logo.

It’s a new year and a new slate of free online learning webinars with Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series. Whether you want to learn better irrigation techniques, understand if clearing leaves in the fall is really good for garden insects or not, or if you get excited for all things roses, there’s a class for you!


Metro area Master Gardener, Dennis Brown, kicks off the series on Tuesday, February 8, 12noon
Presenting: ‘The Science and Practice of Seed Starting: Secrets to success when growing by seed’


This year’s schedule: 

Presenters for this year’s schedule include OSU faculty, as well as national research experts, authors and industry leaders. View the website for full descriptions of the 2022 workshops and presenters.  

The closed-captioned webinars are broadcast via Zoom and streamed via our Facebook page the second Tuesday of the month, at noon, February through November 2022. This series is open to the public and OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers receive 1 Continuing Education Credit for each class. All webinars are recorded and will be available to view on our website within two weeks of airdate. 

Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series is produced by a team of horticultural faculty and staff of the OSU Extension Master Gardener program. The series launched in 2021, engaging thousands of gardeners live, online and through recordings on the OSU Extension website. The program received the 2021 Oregon State University Extension Association (OSUEA) Search for Excellence award.  


OSU Master Gardener Program’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Task Force

Screen shot of 32 faces participating in JEDI task force webinar meeting.

The first cohort of the statewide OSU Master Gardener Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI) Task Force was launched last year.  The Task Force includes over two dozen Master Gardener volunteers from around the state and seven Master Gardener program staff and faculty.  

Read about the professional training and work of the Task Force Group in the 2022 OSU Master Gardener Impact Report  which includes testimonials from Task Force Members.


Applications Being Accepted for 2022 JEDI Task Force Members

Excerpt from the OSU Extension Service Master Gardener Program News

Applications for the second cohort of Master Gardener JEDI Task Force Members are now being accepted. Click here to submit your application. Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2022. We are specifically seeking applications from Master Gardener volunteers, across the state of Oregon, who are

  1. committed to advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity with in the Master Gardener program.
  2. wanting to deepen their own understanding of inequities, historical racism, and colonialism within horticulture, Land Grant Institutions, and Oregon.
  3. able to make a 12 month commitment (April 2022 – March 2023), of 4-6 hours per month, for Task Force work.
  4. willing to be a bridge between the Task Force, and their local Master Gardener group, to ensure that the work that we do on the Task Force is brought back to county Master Gardener Programs.

JEDI stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity. Sometimes, we call ourselves the DEI Task Force. Sometimes, we call ourselves the JEDI Task Force, because frankly, the word ‘JEDI’ is both more representative of what we are trying to do, and is also more fun to say.

You can learn a bit more about the aims and structure of the JEDI Task Force, by visiting this post, from May 2021. Service on the Task Force can be counted towards your volunteer service requirement or recertification requirement.’