Have you ever strolled by plants and noticed something’s been munching on the leaves? Or maybe there’s a mysterious brown spot in a tree that seemed to develop overnight? Sometimes plant pests come and go in a matter of days, but their damage may linger for months after they’ve moved to a new green ‘residence’. Fortunately, our dry desert conditions don’t make for an overly welcoming environment for arthropod ‘friends’ to reside. However, during mild times of the year, a few critters may be lurking in our landscape. Here are a few to watch out for in the coming months.

There are many things vying for our attention every day, and a lack of focus on the task at hand can lead to tragedy, especially in riskier situations. Objects that fall, roll, fly, slide, slip and swing can do serious damage to a person.

Right Plant, Right Place… We can’t say it enough. Who is making the decision to plant the wrong plant for the site, or shall we say the ‘right plant,’ just in the wrong place? When plant material is allowed to grow, bloom, and thrive in its space it has lower maintenance and water requirements.

Lifting and carrying are power jobs that require special care and training to prevent back injuries. Back injuries accounted for 177,580 of the total 905,690 injuries in the private sector in 2012, according to Injury Facts 2015. Back injuries can be difficult to treat and may result in lengthy and expensive rehabilitation.

Color in the landscape often means any color other than green, though green is a color too. The color of a plant results from light acting on its leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and seeds. Colors are warm (reds, yellows, oranges, etc.) or cool (blues, greens, purples, etc.), depending on their hue. Hue is the name of a color such as red, blue, orange, and so forth. Cool colors are receding, not as conspicuous as warm colors are bright, inviting, and lively.