Happy Roots

05/30/2026

05/26/2026

Please pray for Chimney Rock, Bat Cave and Henderson County in North Carolina. They were still trying to get back on their feet after Hurricane Helene and they were hit hard with flooding last night.

What you see there is the first crop of raspberries since Helene and that crop is now flooded. They will need our support and prayers. 💔🙏🏻

05/23/2026

Turn food waste into powerful plant growth. Worm Command offers organic worm castings packed with beneficial microbes to improve soil health, increase yields, and support sustainable gardening.

05/20/2026

Wednesday will feel more like July 20th than May 20th. If you’re lucky you will get a late-day storm, but those will be far and few in between. Hot hot hot! Take it easy out there. Pool after work sounds good.

Mike

05/19/2026

Poor plants. This heat is just too much for these babies. 🌱🥵

With over 30 school and community garden locations, we’ve held off on additional planting during this week’s heat wave and are watering only in the early mornings and evenings when possible.

If you’re able to help water or check on your school garden, please do… and let us know. Of course, we’ll likely have to go back and replace some. 😕

05/19/2026

Firefly emergence tracker — third week of May.

The first flashes of the season are appearing in the deep South. The wave moves north over the next several weeks, reaching the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by mid-June to early July depending on latitude and overnight temperatures 🌿

Right now, in most of the eastern US, the fireflies are still underground — either pupating or finishing their larval stage in the top layer of soil and leaf litter. The timing of emergence depends on when the soil warms enough to trigger the final transformation.

🌱 Where the wave stands:

- Southern states — adults already flying and flashing in warm, humid evenings
- Mid-Atlantic — pupation underway in the soil. Emergence in a few weeks
- Northeast — still in larval stage. Emergence depends on soil temperature reaching the threshold, which varies by how warm May has been

☀️ What determines when you see them:

- Latitude — southern yards flash first, northern yards last
- Soil temperature — warm soil speeds up pupation. A warm, wet May means earlier emergence
- Rainfall — moist soil improves survival through the pupal stage
- Lawn chemicals — granular pesticides applied in April and May reach the pupal layer directly. This is the window where the most damage happens

🌿 How to prepare:

- Stop granular lawn pesticide in areas where fireflies appeared last summer — the pupae are in that exact soil right now
- Leave a section of leaf litter undisturbed along garden edges and fence lines. The pupae are in it
- Reduce outdoor lighting after dark once flashing begins — artificial light interferes with the flash patterns they use to find each other
- Best viewing is in the first hour after sunset, on humid evenings, near field edges or unmowed strips. Sit still and let your eyes adjust

The wave is moving north. Your latitude sets the timeline 🌿