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Prairie Fare: Hot peppers spice up menu
I wouldn't taste those peppers! Even the store owner said they're really, really hot. We didn't use them!" one of our program assistants exclaimed as she handed me a plastic bag containing the peppers.

I took her advice. I glanced at the innocent-looking green pods as I helped set up a photo shoot for a salsa publication we were creating. We were looking for a pepper to add to the scene.

"She spit it right out!" our program assistant added. She glanced toward another program assistant, who appeared a little embarrassed at the revelation.

Read the rest of this week's Prairie Fare by clicking here.

Mourning cloak butterfly is the culprit
Q: Caterpillars have taken a liking to our young golden willows. They defoliated one tree and have moved on to the surrounding trees. The caterpillars remind me of thistle caterpillars. Are they related? (Mohall, N.D.)

A: These are mourning cloak butterfly larvae. While the adult is beautiful and admired when seen fluttering around flowers, she lays eggs at a rate of 200 to 500 at a time. These gregarious little characters then hatch and begin feasting on willows. After that, they move on to other surrounding trees. Most trees can tolerate an occasional defoliation with no problem. The thistle caterpillar yields the painted lady butterfly, which is a Lepidoptera just like the mourning cloak butterfly, but that's as far as they go in being related.

Read the rest of Ron's Smith's Hortiscope by clicking here.