Content by Amanda Bachmann

Monarch butterfly visiting a blanket flower near a backyard garden.

SDSU Extension to host Backyard Natural Resources series

May 01, 2025

South Dakota State University is pleased to announce the second year of its virtual Backyard Natural Resources series on May 6, 8, 13 and 15, 2025.

Four common South Dakota ticks: American dog, Rocky Mountain wood, blacklegged and Lonestar.

Spring is here, and so are the ticks!

As spring continues to bloom, more arthropods will begin to emerge from winter dormancy. Ticks are among the first to appear, and statewide reports have already been flowing in.

a broccolini plant is next to a person's hand for scale

SDSU Extension to host off-season Garden Hour series

September 25, 2024

Garden Hour runs weekly during the growing season, typically from May through August. The off-season episodes are scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. Central time on Oct. 8 and Dec. 3, 2024, and Feb. 11 and April 1, 2025.

Left: Lady beetle on red clover. Right: Cabbage looper on broccolini.

Friends and Foes of Brassica Crops

Brassica crops are a group of plants widely cultivated for their nutritional value and versatility in agriculture. Understanding their relationship with beneficial and detrimental insects is crucial for maintaining healthy crops and productive harvests.

Pollinator and Wildlife Habitat signs in a bed of plants and yellow flowers.

Funding Opportunities for Small-Scale Pollinator Habitats: A Guide for Urban and Home Garden Projects

Urban habitats are essential for providing food, shelter, and breeding grounds for important pollinators. Learn about some of the many funding opportunities available for urban pollinator habitat projects of all sizes and scopes.

A little girl wearing butterfly wings and a little boy wearing honeybee wings scoop dirt and insects out of pails

SDSU Extension, McCrory Gardens to host 7th annual Insect Festival

August 13, 2024

The seventh annual Insect Festival is from 1 to 4 p.m. CDT on Sept. 7, 2024, at McCrory Gardens in Brookings. There will be garden tours, interactive insect education, an insect costume parade, crafts and edible insects.

United States Environmental Protection Agency Sign plate outside the agency’s main office.

EPA Issues Emergency Order: Stop Using Dacthal

Following a review of data associated with the use of dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (sold under the most-common trade name, Dacthal), the EPA has issued an emergency order to stop using this active ingredient effective immediately.

Bottom side of a soybean leaf revealing a sever soybean aphid infestation.

Management Recommendations for Soybean Aphids

In many fields across eastern South Dakota soybean aphid populations have reached economic thresholds, and there have been a lot of questions regarding the best approach to managing the 2024 outbreak.

A large white flower with green leaves

Night-Blooming Flowers and Host Plants for Moths

Moths are fascinating creatures, and they are also important pollinators. Learn about a variety of night-blooming flowers and native host plants that can attract these beneficial insects to your yard and garden.

Light colored moth on a yellow sunflower head.

Sunflower Moths Observed in South Dakota

Sunflower moths have been observed in South Dakota sunflower fields this week. Sunflower heads are most susceptible to damage caused by the sunflower moth caterpillars from the onset of flowering to when the ray petals begin drying.