U.S. Department of Labor Cites Texas Underground Tank Contractor for Excavation Hazards

October 31, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Texas Underground Tank Contractor for Excavation Hazards

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Tank Cleaning Company For Confined Space, Fire, and Explosion Hazards

October 31, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Tank Cleaning Company For Confined Space, Fire, and Explosion Hazards

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Florida Framing Company For Exposing Employees to Falls

October 30, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Florida Framing Company For Exposing Employees to Falls

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Missouri Plumbing Contractor Admits to Violating Trench Safety Requirements

October 30, 2018 Missouri Plumbing Contractor Admits to Violating Trench Safety Requirements

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U.S. Department of Labor Renews Partnership with Electrical Contractors and Associations to Protect Worker Safety and Health

October 30, 2018 Contact:  Office of CommunicationsWashington, D.C. Phone: 202-693-1999

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Texas Metal Recycling Company After Employee Suffers Injury

October 30, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Texas Metal Recycling Company After Employee Suffers Injury

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U.S. Department of Labor Signs Alliance with Texas Contractors Association To Protect Safety and Health of Construction Workers

October 25, 2018

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Company for Protective Equipment Violations

October 25, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Company for Protective Equipment Violations

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The Creepiest Native Plant I Know

It’s a scene straight out of a horror movie: a thread-like orange stem emerges from the ground, circling around counter-clockwise, searching by smell* for a potential victim. When it finds an unsuspecting, vulnerable plant, it wraps around it and pierces the victim’s stem, sucking water and nutrients from the host plant like a vampire. This nightmare is called field dodder (Cuscuta campestris). It’s the creepiest native plant I know!

See how those orange stems are reaching out, searching for its next victim?

It has no roots. It has no leaves. It has no chlorophyll. It is a complete and utter parasite, weakening its host, reducing its flowering and fruiting and making it more vulnerable to viral diseases. As soon as it has pierced its victim, it sends out more stems in search of additional victims. One seed can produce over 720 meters of stem in four months! Witches hair is another name for the dense, multi-branched, matted vines.

Doesn’t it look like witches hair? Photo credit: Scot Nelson

So you can imagine my dismay when I found this by the used-to-be-pond, wrapped around my one and only cardinal flower.

It creeped me out.
The only way to eradicate dodder is to pull up the host plant. I didn’t want to pull up my precious cardinal flower, so I cut it off at the base and hoped that was good enough. I also searched the area for other plants in dodder’s stranglehold and pulled them up. For a plant that’s supposed to be such a nightmare, I didn’t find that much. That wasn’t too reassuring, as I wasn’t sure if I just hadn’t looked hard enough or had indeed caught it early. I’ll have to revisit the area next year to see if I find more.

Of course, it’s best to pull the host plants before the dodder has gone to seed. Here you can see both flowers and developing seed capsules. (Click to enlarge)

Dodder is an annual, but it makes a lot of seed. Once the seed gets wet, it becomes sticky, and so easily travels on birds, other animals, and machinery. If it infests an agricultural field, it can drastically reduce yields. There are many species of dodder and many of those most harmful to crops are not native. However, our native dodder is considered invasive in many countries around the world.

Yes, it’s creepy.

Halloween creepy. I found the dodder and took these pictures in August, but thought it made the perfect October post for Wildflower Wednesday.

*It detects volatile chemicals released by the (potential) host plant and grows toward them. (Don’t believe me? Read this.) We use our nose to detect volatile chemicals in the air and we call it smelling. So I’m saying dodder finds its victims by smell, even though it doesn’t have a nose.

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites South Florida Farm For Exposing Employees to Lightning Strikes

October 23, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites South Florida Farm For Exposing Employees to Lightning Strikes

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OSHA and Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals Form Alliance to Protect Employee Safety and Health

October 19, 2018 Contact:  Office of Communications Phone: 202-693-1999       

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U.S Department of Labor Cites Roofing Contractor After Accident at Florida Worksite

October 19, 2018 U.S Department of Labor Cites Roofing Contractor After Accident at Florida Worksite

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U.S. Department of Labor Orders Massachusetts Railway to Pay $85,000 to Employee Subjected to Retaliation after Reporting Injury

October 19, 2018

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U.S. Department of Labor and Colorado Contractors Host Trench Safety Summit

October 19, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor and Colorado Contractors Host Trench Safety Summit

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2J7M8ju

Fall Flowers For Cold Climates

Where do people get this silly idea that hardly anything blooms in autumn? I gave my colchicum presentation this week and one attendee remarked that I inspired her to have color in her fall garden. There’s plenty of color in my fall garden, without even looking at the trees. Here’s just a sampling of what I see as I stroll around.

‘Ruby Mound’ chrysanthemum (Dendranthema hybrid) is a true, rich red.

As more buds opened and the stems got top heavy, it has started to flop. The floppiness is why I’m supposed to pinch the stems back before July 4th, but I’m afraid it will delay bloom on an already pretty late bloomer. I guess I should pinch some stems and leave the others to see how much it really does delay flowering.

Fire Light® hydrangea, a sample plant from Proven Winners, is almost as red as ‘Ruby Mound’–almost.

Fire Light® flowers open white and gradually deepen in color. When I opened my garden to the public for colchicum viewing last year, many people asked me the name of this hydrangea. It’s the same species as ‘Pee Gee’ hydrangea, but with a lot more bang for your buck. And it’s hardy to USDA Zone 3, people!

This is blooming, but the flowers aren’t the main point of ‘Kingswood Gold’ jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum).

I grew this from seed and placed it to contrast with the ‘Grape Expectations’ heuchera and the ‘Glory of Heemstede’ colchicum. Gardeners in warmer climates complain that this seeds everywhere and becomes a nuisance. I’m wondering how many of the seeds will germinate with frost due to come this week. I have read that the roots can be dug and stored over winter like dahlias, and I’m planning to try that this year, as well as collect some seed.

New to me this year–monkshood.

I got some starts from a friend, who didn’t know which monkshood it was. It took so long to start blooming that I wondered if it had died on me. Nope, it’s just getting started.

This mum is called Sheffield Pink, but it looks more apricot to me.

I’ve been growing this for several years now, and it will bloom into November. The flowers can get knocked back by a hard freeze, but then more flowers open with the next warm spell.

‘Jindai’ Tatarian aster has gotten ruined by frost in past years.

I’ve dug it up and given it to friends whose growing season lasts longer. But it grows back from every small piece of root, so I still have it, and this year I’m glad of it. It’s really pretty and we haven’t had frost yet.

Once you build up your supply of colchicums, you can really make a statement.

‘The Giant’ colchicum draws your eye to this bed, where Little Quick Fire® hydrangea, a sample plant from Proven Winners, glows up above, and golden feverfew zings up the corner.

More inspiration for a great autumn garden

These are some of my posts from previous autumns. They feature other great plants for fall.

• The Last of the Hardiest
• Good Fall is Here
• October’s Bounty
• Frost is not the End
• Autumn Blooms
• Unusual Plants for the Autumn Garden
• Garden Color in Dreary November

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens. Check it out at May Dreams Gardens.

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U.S. Department of Labor Urges Workers and the Public to be Vigilant And Mindful of Hazards Following Hurricane Michael

October 12, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Urges Workers and the Public to be Vigilant And Mindful of Hazards Following Hurricane Michael

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2ykiljv

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Pennsylvania Contractor After Employee’s Electrocution

October 12, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Pennsylvania Contractor After Employee's Electrocution

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U.S. Department of Labor and Jordan Foster Construction Partner To Enhance Workplace Safety and Health at El Paso Construction Project

October 11, 2018

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2CaIUKz

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Actions to Assist Americans Impacted by Hurricane Michael

October 10, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Announces Actions to Assist Americans Impacted by Hurricane Michael

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2QKqPqT

The Biggest Surprise Of My Life

A week before my sixtieth birthday, my daughter said the family would like to celebrate my birthday late, after my trip, because of “technical difficulties.” “Oh, sure,” I agreed, but I was thinking to myself that “technical difficulties” meant whatever gift they ordered online wasn’t going to arrive in time.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As my sixtieth birthday (which was this past April) approached, I decided it was time to start doing the things I had planned to do “one of these days.” And one of the things I had never done was visit my brother John and his family, who live in Hawaii. Hawaii in April–I liked the sound of that–and so did my sister Marianne, who had also never been there.

And while we spent the week in Hawaii, I imagined my grown children impatiently waiting for their “technical difficulties” to be resolved.

I could not have been more wrong.

The afternoon after I returned home, I found this cryptic message on my desk:

I could tell my birthday celebration was beginning, but I had no idea what was next.

Shortly afterward, I heard a beep-beep, beep-beep while at the same time a message popped up on my computer screen asking Where is that noise coming from? I tracked the beeping to a digital stopwatch underneath my desk, with the second clue attached. Kudos to my son Arlan for such a clever treasure hunt!

Some of the clues were outside, and some were inside.

One clue was even inside a blown-out eggshell, hidden in the carton in the refrigerator with the rest of the eggs.

The next-to-last clue encouraged me to break the “rule” about no clues further than the mailbox, and led me down this mossy path…

…until I found a chilled and shrunken balloon marking a sign which read “Look around you, gaze far and wide, you can see your last clue from here.”

I turned my head to the left, looked up the hill, and saw–well, we call it the garden shelter.

I was never more surprised in my life.

I was astonished…dumbfounded…

…completely and utterly gobsmacked!

Having fun with my new toy

I later learned our family friends Nicole and Derrick had proposed building a garden shelter based on an image in one of my Pinterest boards. Derrick and several of my children had built the garden shelter while I was away. The garden shelter was built in an area of our property (which I have dubbed the Wild Apple Woods) where I had spent the past winter making trails. But the trails never seemed to have a purpose or a destination–now they did!

By May, I had changed some of the furnishings.

The gorgeous hanging baskets that adorned the shelter when I first saw it needed more sun than the woodsy location provided, and I eventually replaced them with some semi-trailing begonias.

Since then, my shelter has looked like this.

It was the perfect place to listen to the peepers this spring. That was probably the last time I sat in it for any length of time. I do sit on that bench–while I’m contemplating which branches in my gaze need to be removed in order to improve the view. I’ve also been busy transplanting spring ephemerals from Fern Alley to spots that can be viewed while walking to the shelter or sitting on its bench. Soon I’ll be planting ‘Pagoda’ trout lilies along that mossy path. And I want to find a vine to climb up the back. Any suggestions?

My heart is full

Always when I visit, I’m reminded of the family and friends who love me so much, and who went to such great lengths to give me the biggest surprise of my life.

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Wisconsin Manufacturer Settles Whistleblower Allegations

October 5, 2018 Wisconsin Manufacturer Settles Whistleblower Allegations

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2Pfzkd9

U.S. Department of Labor and Ohio Craft Brewers Establish Alliance to Promote Workplace Safety in Ohio Breweries

October 5, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor and Ohio Craft Brewers Establish Alliance to Promote Workplace Safety in Ohio Breweries

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2Nnc9Mc

U.S. Department of Labor Cites New Jersey Pet Food Manufacturer for Failure to Correct Prior Workplace Safety, Health Hazards

October 5, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites New Jersey Pet Food Manufacturer for Failure to Correct Prior Workplace Safety, Health Hazards

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2Rv3XNh

U.S. Department of Labor Cites New Jersey Lumber Company For Exposing Employees to Health Hazards

October 3, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites New Jersey Lumber Company For Exposing Employees to Health Hazards

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2IF4CHQ

U.S. Department of Labor Cites U.S. Postal Service For Repeat Safety Violations at Austin Facility

October 2, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites U.S. Postal Service For Repeat Safety Violations at Austin Facility

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Art Supply Manufacturer For Exposing Employees to Amputation Hazards

October 2, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Art Supply Manufacturer For Exposing Employees to Amputation Hazards

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2zMSHEZ

U.S. Department of Labor Updates National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation Safety

October 2, 2018 Contact: Office of Communications Phone: 202-693-1999

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2Oy3uLt

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Wisconsin Refinery for Failing to Control Hazardous Chemicals

October 2, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Wisconsin Refinery for Failing to Control Hazardous Chemicals

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Manufacturer For Safety Violations After Employee Injury

October 1, 2018

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U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Plastics Manufacturer For Exposing Workers to Machine Hazards

October 1, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Plastics Manufacturer For Exposing Workers to Machine Hazards

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2zN4qnb

U.S. Labor Department Awards Workplace Safety and Health Training Grants to Assist in Educating Workers, Job Creators

October 1, 2018 U.S. Labor Department Awards Workplace Safety and Health Training Grants to Assist in Educating Workers, Job Creators

from OSHA News Release https://ift.tt/2OpksM2

U.S. Department of Labor Joins Partnership to Promote Workplace Safety During Construction of Georgia STEM School

October 1, 2018 U.S. Department of Labor Joins Partnership to Promote Workplace Safety During Construction of Georgia STEM School

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