Nair.

I have had decent luck pulling it out. It will try to come back from any root remnants and if any nearby neighbors have unmanaged ivy then birds will eat the berries and can drop seeds in their droppings. It is an annual management thing, but done thoroughly the first time it isn't hard to keep in check.

Do wear gloves as you can develop contact dermatitis from contact with the sap of english ivy.

You have my sympathy! Here's more info then you probably want to know about ivy removal:

From “King County’s WEED BULLETIN - KING COUNTY NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL PROGRAM- English ivy – Herea Helix”
http://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/water-and-land/weeds/BMPs/english-ivy-control.pdf

“English ivy is a Class C Noxious Weed of Concern in King County - control is strongly encouraged although not currently required. The County Weed Board recommends control and containment of existing populations and discourages new plantings of invasive cultivars. For control requirements in other areas, please contact the county noxious weed control program.

MANUAL CONTROL:
Even though it is labor intensive, the most effective control method is manual removal. Depending on the site, several other manual control options are also effective. NOTE: Remove all cut stems from soil contact. Wear gloves and protective clothing. The sap can cause a reaction in some people.
• Remove flowers or seed heads you can reach.
• Hand pull or dig out accessible plants.
• Mowing is effective in areas that are mowed regularly. Clippings need to be removed.
• Mulching – apply an 8” thick mulch layer. The plants can be cut or removed and then mulched, or a mulch layer can be directly applied on top of plants. This is not an option in steep areas.

CHEMICAL CONTROL:
Controlling established English ivy with herbicides is not very successful because of the waxy leaves. There is also a risk to non-target plants from run-off of the waxy leaves. English ivy is considered tolerant of many commonly used herbicides. Some success has been achieved by carefully selecting herbicides and focusing applications on young, actively growing plants. If herbicides are used, make sure that their use is allowed at your site. Certain herbicides can not be used in aquatic areas or their buffers. When using an herbicide follow all label directions. Contact your local noxious weed control program for control guidelines in your area.”

From WSU Hortsense: http://pep.wsu.edu/hortsense. Click on Weeds and then on ivy. Hortsense suggests the same mechanical removal and about chemicals: "When using glyphosate (Brandname: Round-up), it is best to cut or mow the ivy back as much as possible, and then paint the injured areas of cambium with the herbicide. NOTE: Some ingredients listed here are only available in combination. Read the label carefully on combination products to make sure the product is suitable for your specific situation."

Clearly, there's no quick fix!

I've grown Morning Glories a few times and they will eventually die when a frost hits. Not familiar with Bindweed, although the seeds of Heavenly Blue and White Flying Saucers produce a somewhat pleasant hallucinogenic trip (minus the vomiting, diarrhea, and overall poison feeling).

In my experience, the moss in your lawn is trying to tell you something. That area just isn't ever going to grow grass that's strong enough to keep the moss out, otherwise it already would be doing so. It's on the shady side, right? We had that same problem, and no amount of soap or chemicals or thatching is going to make a bit of difference. We gave up and made it all patio and garden, with only a tiny strip of lawn in the front where the sun gets to it occasionally.

Dear Barry,

Andrea has given you an accurate and complete answer to your question. Ciscoe Morris recommends using a moss-control soap available in a hose-end sprayer after dethaching. Unfortunately, here in the Pacific Northwest, it seems to be a never ending battle. As the weather warms and dries out, the moss will subside somewhat naturally.

For the moss on your aggregate patio, pressure washing with a high powered pressure washer will do the trick--until next year.

Nita-Jo

Dear Barry: Moss has indeed been one plant material that has been thriving this year! You have my sympathy.

Here’s some information from WSU: In lawns, moss is a symptom of several underlying problems. Too much shade, high soil acidity, low fertility, compacted soil, and poor drainage are all contributing factors to moss growth. Rake to remove moss in garden areas, then add compost or other organic matter to reduce soil compaction and improve fertility. (Note: Ciscoe Morris recommends renting a power dethatcher to remove the moss.)
In lawn areas, moss can be raked and removed, or an iron compound, ferrous sulfate, can be applied to kill the moss. Whenever you use chemicals be sure to read and follow all label directions. Don’t use on patios or sidewalks.

Once the moss is removed, reseed the bare spots and put your lawn on a regular feeding schedule. WSU recommends 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn per year, divided into four applications: April, June, September and December. If you can increase the drainage and decrease the amount of shade your lawn gets, you'll have fewer problems with moss in the future.

Check out Oregon State University’s moss information for home gardeners-- http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page18.htm. This resource covers moss on roofs, patios, lawns, and everywhere in between. (I don’t think they have a section on how to deal with spare bedrooms. . . .)

Good Luck! MG Andrea

Maybe you are hearing either crickets or frogs.

Yes, but they're not as common and they don't get as large. I've only actually encountered them a handful of times here - it's very different from a warmer, more humid climate where the sonsabitches pretty much get big enough to steal your car.

Morning glory is a very broad name that can refer to hundreds of plants. (Wikipedia claims 1,650 species.)

Within the family, there are numerous genera.

And then each genus gets broken down even further until you end up with a particular species.

Each species is going to have its own propeties, but the general rule in the PacNW is that bindweed is (as you know) evil, but most morning glories are fine. They are generally annuals and don't become a problem like bindweed.

If you want to plant morning glories, just check the seed packet to make sure it's an annual.

Morning Glory is the most godforsaken weed in the pac nw. All are bad. I have been fighting a losing battle for control of my yard going on two years now.

Yes! In just the same places they live in other regions (urban areas heavy on the food service), and e. is right: they are MUCH smaller than their mutant NYC cousins. More like wee beetles here.

Pioneer Square restaurants have had them for ages (eww/ick), one of the reasons I often hesitate to confirm lunch dates made in that area...

The first apartment I rented in Seattle had them. Not many, thank god, but I'd see them scurry into the sink drain at night when I turned on the light.

I've never seen one, but I'm sure they are around. I know some local restaurant/bars that have reputations for having roaches.

But they certainly don't live here in the same numbers or vigor that they do in other parts of the world. For instance, in Central Texas cockroaches are huge critters with wings, and they are everywhere. And they suck your blood.

Ok, I made that last part up. But vampire roaches could hardly be more scary than the 3" long monsters that will fly at your face in Austin.

Yes, they do. They're generally much smaller here than in other locations, though. I lived in an apartment building in Portland that was infested with cockroaches. Even though they were small (about .75 inches), it was still gross. I don't know how or why, but they got into my microwave - you could see them crawling in front of the clock. I threw that microwave out.

Yes.

They live everywhere.

You might just be hearing the fearsome Twilight Vuvuzelas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZri-UNBwHo

When I lived in Texas as a lad, we had them every year. Loud as hell, a hundred times louder than crickets. It was just a part of summer. I've never heard one here; where do you live?

Funny bit of trivia; we don't have cicada here in the northwest so, no noise. Also, no fireflies or Hellmann's mayonnaise or good bagels or...

KEY POINTS:

* Bed bugs have not been demonstrated to be
effective transmitters of disease
* Not everyone reacts to bed bug bites and some
have delayed reactions to the bite
* Bed bug bite symptoms typically appear as red,
itchy welts but can vary from one individual to
the next
* Bite symptoms often appear in rows or clusters
* A single bug can be responsible for numerous
bite symptoms

Although over 28 disease pathogens have been found in bed bugs, transmission of these pathogens to humans has never been documented and is considered highly unlikely. For this reason, they are not considered a serious disease threat. Their medical significance is mainly limited to the itching and inflammation associated with their bite. Not everyone reacts to bed bug bites in the same fashion. Some people have reactions that are delayed for several days or more while others do not react at all. Reactions to bites can also vary significantly between individuals from a mild itchy welt to a more severe rash like symptom. The most common reactions appear as a raised, reddened welt similar to a mosquito bite. Bites tend to be very itchy and often appear in rows of 3-4 welts or more. There are currently a couple of explanations for why bites often appear in rows. The first explanation is based on the sensitivity of bed bugs to motion. A single bug may withdraw its mouthparts while feeding in response to the slightest disturbance (i.e. person twitches during sleep). After removing their mouthparts, the bug will move a short distance and then begin feeding again, resulting in several bites in a row caused by a single bug. The second explanation involves numerous bugs that are lined up one next to the other (typically along a fold in a bed sheet) all feeding at the same time (similar to cattle at a trough). The important point is that the number of welts does not always correlate with the number of bugs that bit the individual. Thus, just a few bugs can be responsible for many welts in a single evening.

It is also very important to realize that bed bugs cannot be diagnosed by the bite alone. While a medical professional can examine the bites, they can only conclude that the bite symptoms are consistent with those produced by bed bugs. This is not a confirmation however it does provide the grounds for suspecting that bed bugs may be present and that a professional should be called in to perform an inspection for the presence of bed bugs in the structure where the bites occurred.

I had something similar happen to me in 6th grade. All of a sudden, I'd wake up in the morning and find huge spreads of bites all across my chest, back and limbs, and they itched like hell. They looked like mosquito bites, too. Thing was, we never FOUND any bedbugs. If it was anything, it was microscopic. I don't think it was fleas, either...the bit wasn't like a flea, I never saw fleas, and we didn't have any reason to have fleas in the house.

So we washed all my bedding and all my clothes in hot hot water, vacuumed the surface of the mattress (hey, it's what we were told) and flipped it over, vacuumed the whole room, and then set a bug bomb.

Seemed to do the trick.

my experience has been similar to dunthor and westcoastin. smaller and closer together. also, bedbugs tend to go for hands, fingers, and feet. also, for me anyway, they itched differently than mosquito bites itch and actually not quite as badly. sort of a pinprick type itch in a very concentrated area moreso than an "ohmygodiwanttoscratchmyentireshinoffrightnow" type itch. but then again, i'm like creme brulee for mosquitos.

Contrary to the others, my experience with them was very much like mosquito bites. Large red weals that didn't really itch unless you touched them, but then they were quite awful. The difference is that you tend to get far more bites, and they collect in certain areas (usually, your arms, legs and anywhere else that is exposed by your sleeping clothes -- they don't tend to go under your clothes to feed).

I understand there are various factors that can affect the symptoms, though. Some people have allergic reactions and will get the more hive-like outbreak, and if you're primarily being fed on by young bugs, the weals will be smaller.

Agree with westcoastin. I was at a hotel for a conference and got a rash on my face and shoulder. It didn't look like mosquito bites and I thought I must have been allergic to the detergent in the sheets. When I got home I asked my allergist about it, he said, "bedbugs" EEEW! I called the hotel to tell them but they didn't seem concerned at all.

Not really. In my experience the bites are smaller, little red dots. They tend to show up in groups or lines all close together. At least for me, the itch was more painful than mosquito bites. I ended up with bed bugs in apartment back in Cambridge, MA about 7 years ago. My stupid roommate brought in a couch in that he found on the street.

Oh! those guys are probably meadow spittlebugs, which are related to cicadas on the other side of the rockies. the adults are black flying insects that mature every summer and lay eggs all over the place, and then next spring those eggs hatch. cute little green nymphs hang out in the dampest parts of whatever plant they were laid on, and they suck sap out of the plant in the same way as aphids do (but without being nearly as detrimental to the plants as aphids are).

once they begin feeding, it creates that white foam that does lots of great thing for the larva - it helps to keep the larva from drying out, it helps to hide it from predators, and its bitter so if a predator does find it then hopefully the predator will lose its taste for the larva once it takes it's first bite.

stick your finger in that foamy mass and you'll find possibly the cutest little larva you've ever seen - the 'eyes' of the thing are really just fake-out spots on its abdomen to encourage any predator to take a bite of its butt instead of its head. right now i've been finding spittlebugs in their 3rd and 4th instar, a fancy name for larval stage, and they've got 5 total before they pupate and become adults.

Yikes. Pink red oozing blobs sound far too much like flesh to me...
*shiver*

Fungus usually takes a little time to grow, and often is noticeably attached (e.g. to the ground)... how big are these things?!?

Pics?

Yup. those are spittle bugs. swipe some up with your finger and muc it around a bit and you'll find a wee green bug.