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Cheryl Ann Meola invites you to visit her sunlit world of tropical flowers and plants. Enjoy browsing through abundant images of colorful flowers and merchandise. New images are updated daily so check back often. 
All the pictures featured in Gardening and More's blog post are done by the artist Cheryl Ann Meola. 

Visit her photographic studio here:  https://society6.com/cmeola7 

Enjoy and Happy Gardening.

40 Mosquito Repellent Plants

As summer fast approaches, these recommended plants will repel mosquitoes in your landscape and how to use these plants to enjoy the outdoors during summer. In addition to the plants that repel mosquitoes, there are eco-friendly ways to keep mosquitoes from your outdoor living spaces.

Some areas of the southeast have had drought-busting rainstorms and even with the tremendous amounts of rainfall, these areas are still considered to be under drought conditions.  With the severe amounts of rainfall that comes into an area, and the warmer temperatures of the season that is a sure sign the annoying mosquito is not far behind.

The plants that I am suggesting will repel mosquitoes from your outdoor living space. There are a few suggestions when planning to use the plants mentioned to enhance the natural repelling abilities:

v  Use the plants in containers around your patio, deck, or outdoor living space such as patio tables and chairs.

v  Use the plants in containers or planted in the ground by your front door and your back door.

v  Lemon Grass is the #1 recommended plant to grow in the landscape and in containers to use around your patio, deck, or outdoor living spaces to repel mosquitoes during the summer.

v  Before having outdoor activities brush the Lemon Grass to release more of its fragrance.

v  Lemon Grass is used in cooking.

Here are a few suggestions recommended to do in addition to using the recommended plants:

v  Fix all outdoor facets that drip.

v  Drain your birdbath twice a week and refill your birdbath. Another suggestion is to add one 1-inch chlorine pool tab to your birdbath once a month.

v  Turn your empty outside pots and containers upside down to prevent the containers from collecting water.

v  Drain your plant saucers that collect water once a week, mosquitos lay their eggs in stagnant water.

v  To reduce numerous other flying insects, including mosquitoes, plant marigolds in containers or in the landscape.

There are additional benefits to adding mosquito-repelling plants to your landscape. A few of the benefits are that the mixture of plants listed can be used in addition to repelling mosquitoes, but also used as herbs in cooking, the trees listed will attract additional wildlife such as birds to the garden to give natural predators of mosquitoes a safe heaven, the majority of the plants are nectar and larval food plants for butterflies in your area, and the Silver Dollar Tree can be used in your fresh cut flower arrangements as greens.

Ageratum, Floss Flower - Ageratum houstonianum. Type: Annual. Zones: All. Height: 6-12”. Spacing:

6-8” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, bedding, edging, or in containers. (Ageratum pictured left.)

American Beautyberry – Callicarpa americana. Type: Shrub. Zones: 6-10. Height: 3-6 feet. Spacing: 3-6 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Attracts birds, mass plantings, woodland gardens, butterfly nectar plant. (American Beautyberry pictured below right.)

Basil Lemon, Mrs. Burns' Lemon Basil -  Ocimum basilicum citriodora. Type: Annual. Zones: All. Height: 2 feet. Spacing: 18 – 24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. The best tasting lemon basil, with a sweet, tangy flavor. Very bright green, 2 1/2" long leaves with white blooms make this basil both attractive and intensely flavorful. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, leaves used in cooking, especially good on chicken and fish dishes.

Basil Lemon, Sweet Dani Lemon  -  Ocimum basilicum. Type: Annual. Zones: All. Height: 26 – 36 inches. Spacing: 18 – 24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Tall, upright plant with high yields. 3 inch long, light olive-green leaves. The high citral content (68%) in the essential oil results in a sweetly pungent lemon flavor and scent. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, leaves used in cooking.

Basil - Ocimum basilicum. Type: Annual. Zones: All. Height: 2 feet. Spacing: 18-24” apart. Light: Full

sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, leaves used in cooking. (Basil pictured left.)

Cadaga Tree - Eucalyptus torelliana. Type: Tree. Zones: 10-12. Height: To 80 feet. Spacing: 20-30 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Attracts wildlife to the garden. (Cadaga Tree pictured right.)

Catmint - Nepeta faassenii. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-10.

Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 “apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly and hummingbird nectar plant and your cats will love it. (Catmint is pictured left.)

Catmint - Nepeta mussinii. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-10. Height: 12 – 18 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Profuse lavender blooms on spiky stems. Good for containers and the perennial garden. Soft, crinkled, gray-green leaves on a compact, mounding plant. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, ground cover, and cats will love it.

Catnip - Nepeta cataria. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-10. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 “apart. Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Vigorous, high-yielding plants. Cat-attracting perennial with gray-green leaves and white flowers. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant and cats will love it. (Catnip is pictured right.)

Citronella Geranium, Mosquito Plant – Pelargonium ‘citrosum’. Type: Perennial. Zones: 9-10, treat as an annual outside zone 9. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 6-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Containers, herb garden, cottage garden, and bedding.

Citronella Grass - Cymbopogon nardus. Type: Perennial in USDA Zones 9 and 10, annual outside zone 9. Height: 5-6 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The oil from the plant is used in citronella candles. Plant along walkways and in containers to use around outdoor living areas.

Clove Tree - Syzygium aromaticum. Type: Tree. Zones: 9-10.

Height: 20-30 feet. Spacing: 25 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The flower buds are the spice of commerce, and attract wildlife to the garden. (Clove Tree is pictured left.)

Garlic – Allium sativum. Type: Bulb. Zones: 3-9. Height: 3 feet. Spacing: 4-6 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: The cloves are used in flavoring numerous culinary dishes and breads. Garlic has several medicinal properties check with your health care professional before starting.

Horsemint or Lemon Beebalm - Monarda citriodora. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10.  Height: 12-30 inches. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The flowers can be used in fresh cut arrangements, nectar plant for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia ‘‘Lady’. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 24 – 30 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Blooms heavily the first year. Lady sets the standard for earliness and uniform, dark violet bloom color. Blooming begins 10-12 weeks after planting. Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, use dried flowers in potpourris and sachets.

Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis ‘Quedlinburger niederliegende’. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Improved Lemon Balm with high essential oil content. All leaves have a distinct lemon flavor. Uses: Leaves used in potpourris, flavor hot and iced teas, and used as a substitute for lemon peel in cooking. Toss three stems on the barbeque to deter flying insects. Attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds to the garden.

Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Leaves used in potpourris, flavor hot and iced teas, and as a substitute for lemon peel in cooking. Toss three stems on the barbeque to deter flying insects. Attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds to the garden.

Lemon Grass - Cymbopogon citrates. Type: Perennial. Zones 8-11, treat as an annual outside zone 8. Height: 4-6 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The leaves are used in cooking, herb garden, beds or borders, and containers. (Lemon Grass is pictured right.)

Lemon Scented Geranium - Pelargonium crispum. Type: Perennial. Zones: 9-10, treated as an annual outside zone 9. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, leaves used in cooking, in potpourris, sachets, and containers.

Lemon Verbena - Aloysia triphylla. Type: Perennial. Zones 8-11, treat as an annual elsewhere. Height: To 4 feet. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The oil is used in perfumes; the leaves are used in flavoring teas and jellies.

Mexican Marigold Mint - Tagetes lucida. Type: Perennial.

Zones: 8-11. Height: 24-30 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly nectar and larval food plant, fresh flowers used in salads, leaves are used as a substitute for French tarragon. (Mexican Marigold Mint is pictured left.)

Mindanao Gum Tree - Eucalyptus deglupta. Type: Tree. Zones: 10-11. Height: To 225 feet. Spacing: 30 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Attracts wildlife to the garden, fragrant leaves and colorful bark. (Mindanao Gum Tree pictured right.)

Mugwort – Artemisia vulgaris. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-11. Height: 3-4 feet. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant.

Neem Tree – Azadirachta indica. Type: Tree. Zones: 9-11. Height: 50-65 feet. Spacing: 25-30 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Shade tree.

Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegium. Type: Perennial. Zones: 6-11. Height: 6-12 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: A groundcover, nectar plant for butterflies, leaves used in the flavoring for fish dishes.

Peppermint - Mentha piperita. Type: Perennial. Zones: 6-10. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Leaves are used fresh in hot and iced teas, butterfly nectar, and larval food plant.

Pitcher Plant - Nepenthes alata. Type: Herbaceous perennial. 

Zones: 10-11. Height: To 14 feet, usually grown in a hanging basket. Spacing: N/A. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Will attract and capture all types of pesky insects from your garden. The plant is available at local garden centers in hanging baskets and can be placed in tree limbs or placed on patio plant stands. The plant uses the insects it captures as fertilizer. (Pitcher Plant pictured right).

Prostrate Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostrates'. Type: Perennial shrub or groundcover. Height: 12-18”. Spacing: 2 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, butterfly nectar plant, drought tolerant plant. (Prostrate Rosemary pictured above left).

Red-Flowering Gum Tree - Eucalyptus ficifolia. Type: Tree. 

Zones: 8-10. Height: 25-30 feet. Spacing: 20-25 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: After establishment in the landscape the tree is very drought tolerant, the leaves are fragrant, attracts wildlife to the garden, very showy red flowers in spring and summer. (Red-Flowering Gum Tree pictured above right).

Roman Wormwood - Artemisia pontica. Type: Perennial. Zones: 2-10. Height: 18-24”. Spacing: 12” apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant, ground cover, beds, and containers.

Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis. Type: Perennial shrub. 

Zones: 6-10. Height: 4 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, drought tolerant plant, butterfly nectar plant, and containers. Cut stems 6-12 inches long when firing up the barbeque and place on the grill. The scent will deter the mosquitoes away and the flavor of rosemary will be absorbed into the meats you are cooking on the grill. (Rosemary pictured left.)

Sagebrush – Artemisia tridentate. Type: Shrub. Zones: 4-9. Height: 2-8 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Drought tolerant shrub.

Silver Dollar Tree - Eucalyptus cinerea. Type: Tree. 

Zones: 8-11. Height: To 20 feet. Spacing: 25 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Attracts wildlife to the garden, the foliage is used in fresh cut flower arrangements as greens, and dried floral arrangements. (Silver Dollar Tree pictured right.)

Silver Drop Eucalyptus, Cider Gum Eucalyptus, Cidergum Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus gunnii ‘Silver Drop’. Type: Tree or shrub. Zones: 8-11. Height: 24 – 36 feet. Spacing: 25 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms: Summer through fall, white flowers. Drought tolerant.  Small, silver-green leaves that are used in fresh or dried bouquets. Easily preserved with glycerin. Uses: Butterfly larval plant, grows well in containers, accent in beds.

Tansy - Tanacetum vulgare. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-10. 

Height: 3-4 feet. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar food plant for butterflies. (Tansy pictured left.)

Tea Tree – Melaleuca alternifolia. Type: Tree. Zones: 9-11. Height: 20 feet. Spacing: 20-25 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Flowering tree for formal or informal landscapes.

Vanilla Leaf – Achlys triphylla. Type: Ground cover. Zones: 7-9. Height: 12-18 inches. Spaing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Ground cover for shady areas, fragrant vanilla scented leaves.

Vetiver Grass – Vetiveria zizanioides. Type: Perennial grass. Zones: 8-10. Height: 4-5 feet. Spacing: 2-4 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Erosion control.

Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant.

Wormwood - Artemisia 'Powis Castle'. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 3 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant.

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Living in Harmony with Mother Earth

How-to live-in harmony with our planet called Earth. This is an introduction to the many ways to recycle.

Modern humans have used their magnificent brains to make our lives easier such as telephones, cell phones, cars, computers, airplanes, and other vehicles that can travel even greater distances. Today, we have become a little wasteful with our natural resources and we need to rethink how we use these natural resources efficiently.

People all over the world are beginning to read and see the signals that planet Earth has been sending and our working together to protect our home planet Earth and to restore the places that have been hurt, like Everglades National Park.

What is the source of our energy? The sun. Living things use chemical, heat, and forms of light energy to produce and consume food. Energy and food are nature’s way of recycling nutrients through the environment. I like to explain how energy flows through our ecosystem and how matter recycles.

What or who can use the sun’s light energy to begin the process of making food and recycling nutrients? Green plants. Yes, that is right the green plants, if animals and humans did not have green plants they would not be here today. Green plants start the recycling process. 

What do plants have that we do not have? Cell Wall, Chlorophyll, and a Central Vacuole, (larger in plants than animals).

Green plants are able to manufacture their own food because of Chlorophyll.  Plants use Chlorophyll to capture light energy from the sun to start the process known as Photosynthesis. Photo means light and Synthesis means put together. Combining the two words means: put together with light.

Light energy combines carbon dioxide from the air that is taken in through the leaves and H2O (water) that is absorbed through the roots of plants to manufacture a simple sugar known as glucose. The plant stores this sugar (glucose) as starch and uses it to grow. During photosynthesis oxygen is released into the environment. Animals and humans depend on oxygen to breathe. When animals and humans breathe the oxygen, it combines with the food they eat and releases chemical and heat energy that their body uses to grow. This process is called respiration and CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), is the waste product of respiration.

Let’s start with a history of plants from prehistoric plants to present day. Prehistoric plants include whiskfern, mosses, horsetails, and ferns from the Paleozoic era; and bald cypress, ginkgos, cycads, magnolias and palms from the Mesozoic era. Horsetails and ferns are considered the first land plants and the oldest. Scientists believe their spores created new plants and lead to the gymnosperms. Flowering plants or the angiosperms were the last to appear and now are the most prevalent species on the planet. They include: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and lianas. Lianas are a type of climbing vine found on the tropical rainforests floor. They have thick, woody stems and depend on the rainforest trees for support. Lianas include Rattan palms and Philodendrons.

Psilotum – Whiskfern is a living fossil, dichotomously branched.

Sphagnum – Mosses absorbs liquids up to 20 times their weight.

Equisetum – Horsetail has underground rhizomes; the outer layer of cells is embedded with silica which gives an abrasive texture. Horsetail is often called scouring rushes because it was used to scrub pots and pans during the pioneer days.

Ferns include three species: Adiantum spp., Athyrium spp. and Dryopteris erythrosora. Adiantum is represented by the Maidenhair Ferns; Athyrium species is represented by the Lady Ferns; Dryopteris species is represented by the Autumn Ferns.

Gymnosperms became the dominant plant with the dinosaurs. The gymnosperms include Cycads, Ginkos and Conifers. The Conifers include: Pines, Firs, Spruce, Larches, Yews, Junipers, Cedars, Cypresses, and Redwoods. The dinosaurs ate Conifers, Cycads, and Ginkos.The flowering plants or angiosperms include a wide range of plants. I would like to show you examples of a few. 

Palm trees are considered the oldest of the angiosperms or flowering plants. The Windmill palm (pictured left) and the Pindo Palm (pictured right) are considered the oldest palms.

Royal Poinciana Tree (Delonix regia) and Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) are in the Fabaceae family which has a symbiotic association with Mycorrhizae fungi. The Mycorrhizae takes a form of Nitrogen from the air, N₂ and fixes the Nitrogen to a form the plant can use immediately. The Royal Poinciana Tree (pictured left) and Hong Kong Orchid Tree (pictured right). 

Pitcher plant or Winged Nepenthes (Nepenthes alata) are Carnivorous Plants that make their own carbohydrates from photosynthesis but obtain some of their nitrogen and minerals by killing and digesting insects. The traps are usually equipped with glands that secrete digestive juices. Pitcher plants use a pitfall to capture insects. The insects slip into a long funnel containing the juices in the bottom. After the insect drowns, it is digested by enzymes secreted by the juices of the plant. Pitcher plant (pictured below left).

Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica) 

Sensitive Plant shows how a plant can move. The movement you see in the sensitive plant is caused by turgor pressure. Turgor pressure is the pressure exerted on a plant cell wall by water passing into the cell by osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of a solvent such as water through semipermeable membrane such as a living cell into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentrations of solute on the two sides of the membrane. 

Red Maple Tree (Acer rubrum) is a United States native tree that has been studied for its ability to remove air pollution. The studied showed that Acer species removes more air pollution than most trees. Red Maple Tree (pictured below left). 

The benefits of trees are: Trees clean the air by removing pollutants and providing us with fresh air; Trees provide oxygen; Trees cool the streets and the cities; Trees encourage people to healthy lifestyles such as walking, jogging, biking, or going to parks; Trees raise property values; Trees provide food for humans, birds, and wildlife; Trees heal. Studies show people heal faster with green ambience outside their windows.

We discussed outdoor pollution and what we can do. Let’s talk about indoor pollution and what we can do.

Several studies have been done on the benefits of houseplants and how houseplants in your home or office remove indoor pollutants, and toxic chemicals from the air. These studies have shown which houseplant removes what indoor pollutant or toxic chemical from the air. There are many health benefits that people receive from plants in the home or work place.

As newly built homes and offices were being constructed to be more energy efficient, the homes and offices become airtight and sealed, and the quality of air inside these newly built homes and offices led to indoor pollution or what is called sick building syndrome. Newly built homes or offices are loaded with indoor pollutants such as: benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde. There are more indoor pollutants and toxic chemicals, but these are the big three, and are found in numerous household products and building materials. Formaldehyde is found in many building materials, and consumer products including paper towels, garbage bags, facial tissues, carpet-backing, plywood, and particleboard. Benzene is found in adhesives, caulking compounds, ceiling tiles, electro photographic printers, floor coverings, paints, particleboard, photocopiers, wall coverings, stains, and varnishes. Trichloroethylene is found in duplicating machines, electro photographic printers, and photocopiers.

A NASA study was a huge stepping-stone to raising public awareness of the benefits of houseplants. NASA’s 2-year study done in conjunction with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) showed that certain houseplants remove a

specific indoor pollutant better than other houseplants studied. The study also showed that some houseplants would remove more than just one indoor pollutant. Another study involving houseplants showed that employees that work in office buildings that had interior plants in their lobbies and also in their offices had a lower rate of sickness, had better employee morale, and had a lower rate of employee sick days, when compared to employees that did not have interior plants at their work place. In a recent study published in February involving houseplants and patient recovery times, researchers monitored hospital patients that had undergone the same exact surgery. One group of patients had houseplant(s) in their room, and the other group did not. The group with plants required less pain medication, were in less pain, and had a faster recovery time than the patients that had the same surgical procedure done but did not have houseplant(s) in their hospital room. Corn Plant - Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’ is pictured above on the left.

In the book “How To Grow Fresh Air” by Dr. B. C. Wolverton, mentions 50 interior plants that remove indoor pollutants from your home or office. The plants in his book were rated according to ease of plant care maintenance, pest resistance, efficiency of chemical removal, and transpiration rates.

Here are a few of my favorite houseplants that remove indoor pollutants and toxic chemicals from the air. I have chosen these plants for their excellence in improving the air quality in interiors, and also for their ease of care. 

Bamboo Palm – Chamaedorea seifrizii. The Bamboo Palm is easy to care for, is more resistant to bug infestations, will give you an overall height of 6-8 feet, and will take

any type of light conditions. Bamboo Palm has a high transpiration rate, which means during the dry winter months with dryer air coming from your heating system the air will feel less dry. Due to the Bamboo Palm’s upright growth it is an excellent plant to place in bare, empty corners or anywhere you need a little more height. This palm removes high rates of benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde. (Pictured right).

Janet Craig Dracaena – Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig'. There are two cultivars of Janet Craig Dracaena. There is Janet Craig Compacta variety that can be used as a table plant and there is Janet Craig Dracaena that makes an excellent floor specimen. Both varieties can be placed in dimly lit areas and can tolerate neglect. (Pictured below left). 

Golden Pothos – Epipremnum aureum. Golden Pothos is a beautiful plant to use in hanging baskets or anywhere you would like a trailing plant. The plant can be placed in any type of light conditions and can tolerate neglect. (Pictured left). 

Heart Leaf Philodendron – Philodendron scandens oxycardium.

Heart Leaf Philodendron is one of my personal favorites because you can place this plant anywhere in your home. It can be used in hanging baskets or trailing down the sides of pots. (Pictured below left). 

Peace Lily – Spathiphyllum spp. The Peace Lily will enjoy any type of light conditions, except being in direct sunlight. Peace Lily will group nicely around other plants and reaches an overall height of 2 to 3 feet. This plant has been rated as one of the top performers of removing benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde from the air. (Pictured right).

The decomposers go to work and break down our waste products so that they can be recycled and used by green plants. Decomposers also, breakdown dead and decaying plants and animals to make nutrients available again to green plants.

Earthworms are one example of the many decomposers. They ingest organic matter and soil. They mix the soil by burrowing, and increase drainage and aeration of the soil, improve soil fertility by collecting dead organic material from the surface and transporting it into burrows and tunnels. Earthworms bring nutrients from the deep layers of the soil up into areas where roots of many plants are more concentrated.

We have the sunlight flowing through our system providing energy for the producers to make food for the consumers that provide waste for the decomposers that recycle matter into nutrients for the producers and thus the cycle starts all over again.

©Cheryl Ann Meola 2019. All rights reserved. Do not copy or paste this article without the permission from the author.