UNH Cooperative Extension - Belknap County

06/09/2026

Nothing says summer in New Hampshire quite like fireflies.

If you'd like to see more of these familiar summer visitors, a few simple changes in your yard can help support their habitat.

Avoid chemicals targeting insects. Fireflies spend much of their life cycle in the soil and leaf litter, where their larvae feed on snails, slugs, and caterpillars.

Mow higher and less often. Fireflies are attracted to taller grasses and often rest on grass blades and shrubs. Maintaining a lawn at 3.5 to 4 inches can benefit fireflies while also promoting a healthier lawn.

Plant native grasses and shrubs. Native plants such as Pennsylvania sedge and little bluestem provide valuable habitat and shelter.

Reduce outdoor lighting. Artificial light can interfere with fireflies' ability to see each other's flashes, making it harder for them to communicate and find mates.

Small changes in your landscape can help support fireflies and other beneficial insects.

Read full article at the link in comments!

06/05/2026

Join us for a comprehensive reflection of ten years of Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change research at the Second College Grant in New Hampshire. This series includes 7 lunch-hour webinars throughout the summer and a field tour in September.

06/05/2026

June is here, and gardens across New Hampshire are growing fast.

Here are a few seasonal reminders from UNH Extension:

Plant summer-flowering bulbs like cannas, dahlias, and gladiolus in a sunny location with well-drained soil.

Set your lawn mower to at least 3 inches. Taller grass is more resilient to pests, diseases, and drought, while also helping to suppress weeds.

Harvest asparagus and rhubarb through the end of June, then allow plants to grow and store energy for next year's harvest.

Prune and stake tomato plants to improve airflow, reduce disease pressure, and make harvesting easier later in the season.

Thin excess fruit from overloaded fruit trees to encourage larger fruit and reduce stress on branches.

Move houseplants outdoors once nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 50°F, gradually introducing them to brighter sunlight.

Water gardens in the morning to allow the foliage to dry before nightfall and help reduce disease issues.

Read more seasonal gardening tips at the link in the comments. ☀️🌱

06/04/2026

FaceBook: Kindness For All Living Things
The mammals in your yard right now range from one year old to forty. The one that lives the longest isn't the one you'd guess.
Deer mouse — one to two years. She compensates with four litters a season.
Eastern cottontail — one to three years. Breeds from February through September. Speed over longevity.
Virginia opossum — one to two years. The shortest-lived mammal of her size in North America.
Red fox — three to five years in the wild. The fox under the shed has likely been raising kits there for two or three seasons.
Eastern gray squirrel — six to twelve years. She's cached tens of thousands of acorns over her lifetime. The ones she forgot are now saplings.
White-tailed deer — six to fourteen years. The doe eating the tulips remembers every fence gap and garden on the block.
Little brown bat — twenty to forty years. She weighs a fraction of an ounce and may outlive the family dog, the family cat, and the family car. The longest-lived mammal per unit of body weight on the planet.
Same yard. Seven different clocks

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

NH Bat Counts Training
June 4, 2026 | 7:00 - 9:00pm
In-Person
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
23 Science Center Rd
Holderness, NH 03245

Got bats? Help us count them! Barns, attics, and church steeples often serve as summer homes for female bats and their young. In the face of white-nose syndrome, which is causing significant declines in bat populations throughout the Northeast, monitoring these “maternity colonies” is more important than ever. Landowners, homeowners, and other volunteers can help keep track of New Hampshire’s bats by conducting “emergence counts” at bat roosts throughout the state.

Join wildlife biologists Sandi Houghton of NH Fish & Game and Haley Andreozzi of UNH Cooperative Extension for a presentation and demonstration at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center to learn more about the bat species found in New Hampshire, the threats leading to population declines, and how you can help. The training will start with an indoor presentation on bats in New Hampshire. Then, we’ll head outdoors for a bat counting demonstration at dusk. (continued...)

For full event details and to register, please visit our website: https://extension.unh.edu/event/2026/06/nh-bat-counts-training

06/02/2026

4-H Volunteer Tour of the Mount Washington Observatory
June 13, 2026 | 9:00am - 3:00pm
In-Person
1 Mt. Washington Auto Rd
Gorham, NH 03581
4-H Volunteer Tour of the Mount Washington Observatory and a discussion about mentoring youth in citizen science
Cost: $15
MUST REGISTER BY JUNE 5!

If you are a 4-H volunteer who loves exploring our world and sharing your passion and discoveries with youth, this trip to the summit of Mount Washington may be for you. Join us for a trip up the Mt. Washington Auto Road to the summit for a tour of the Mount Washington Observatory and discussion about using citizen science and problem-based learning to engage youth in their environment. (continued...)

For full event details and registration, please visit our website: https://extension.unh.edu/event/2026/06/4-h-volunteer-tour-mount-washington-observatory

06/01/2026

there are two types of ticks? There are hard ticks and soft ticks. The ticks most commonly found in New Hampshire are hard ticks, named for the tough, shield-like structure on their backs called a scutum. The word “scutum” is Latin for shield.

Understanding the type of tick you’ve found can help you better understand your risk after a bite.

UNH Extension’s Tick Testing Service identifies tick species and tests for disease-causing pathogens, with results often available within three days.

Learn more or order a test at the link in the comments.