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Saturday, July 26, 2025 at 4:09 AM

Garden of Edith - Lizards in the Garden

Garden of Edith - Lizards in the Garden
by Edith Isidoro-Mills-- The growing season is coming and soon small critters like insects, toads and lizards will be crawling around in your garden.  Some of these critters are very beneficial and some are not. In my recent research on the Internet, I was surprised to see some extermination sites and comments on garden chat sites where people are advocating removal or killing of lizards in the garden.  Lizards are very beneficial to gardening and do not harm you plants as some people claim.  Yes, they can bite if threatened but they are more likely to run away from you then to attack you. Contrary to popular belief, lizards are mostly carnivorous.  Their preferred food sources are the insects in your garden such as grasshoppers, ants, and caterpillars.  Grasshoppers and caterpillars do eat your garden plants and ants are usually associated with aphids that can infest your plants making them less productive.  If anything, you want to attract lizards to your garden to control the populations of insects that are eating your plants. Creating a habitat in your garden that is welcoming to lizards and toads is the best way to attract these beneficial critters. They need plenty of cover from cats, dogs, and in some cases children. Also, refrain from the use of pesticides. Not only do pesticides kill the prey these lizards seek but they also sicken and kill lizards and toads.  Instead, let the lizards keep insects from becoming pests in your garden.  For some ideas on how to attract lizards to your garden, check this website out. The above website is also a good website for ideas on how to introduce children to lizards and toads.  Please, supervise your children's earliest interactions with these critters since lizards, reptile, and amphibians can pose a health hazard to children if they are bit or handle these critters without washing their hands afterwards.  Keep in mind that children want to touch or even capture critters and that this should be discouraged.  Instead, try to get children to observe reptiles and amphibians from a distance.  Talk to them about the needs and benefits of these critters. Tell your children that these critters can provide for themselves much better than humans can.  Keep in mind that even these critters will eat plant matter in captivity but plant matter will not keep these critters healthy. Do not bring lizards or any reptile or amphibian into your house because they can present a health hazard. A healthy balance of beneficial critters to pests is the best pest control method.  Also, keep in mind that eradication of a pest is not possible but keeping their populations small is.  Even pesticides, in the long run do not eradicate pests.  However, pesticides can harm beneficial critters that do control pests.  Currently, many reptiles and amphibians face extinction and the pesticides we apply to our gardens and crops are major contributors.  If reptiles and amphibians become extinct, the pests that eat our gardens and our crops will become even more out of control and pesticides will not control or eradicate pests in the long term.    Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon.  

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Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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