Wayne County Extension Office

11/06/2025

11/04/2025

11/03/2025

Check out the latest issue of the County Gardeners Extension Express newsletter!

This months newsletter contains an article from our county Extension Agent, Curtis Jones!

10/31/2025

Today, 3rd graders at Buckatunna School enjoyed learning about habitats and creating their very own habitat magnet. We appreciate their involvement with our 4-H in school programs this year. We have the best time and learn a lot, too!

10/31/2025

If you move an outdoor flower pot, stick of firewood, or some similar item in the yard this winter, you may encounter a large, hairy black caterpillar curled up in some protective crevice beneath the item you moved. You've just found a giant leopard moth caterpillar!

Giant leopard moth caterpillars, a.k.a. giant woollybears, overwinter as partly-grown larvae, and do not form cocoons and complete their development until spring.

During the winter months they are able to produce antifreeze in their blood to protect them from freeze injury.

Mature caterpillars are up to three inches long, and if you look past those stiff black hairs you may notice narrow red bands on the skin.

The heavy-bodied adult moths are about two inches long and have white wings covered with circular black spots. This is why they are called leopard moths.

Although these big caterpillars feed on a wide range of plants, including many ornamental and vegetable plants, they rarely occur in large enough numbers to cause serious damage or to make treatment necessary.

Despite those stiff black hairs, these are not “stinging caterpillars.”

10/30/2025

Come out to see 4-H from 5:30-7:30 for Trunk or Treat at the Sheriffs Department! 🍀

10/30/2025

🍀🎄We are accepting monetary donations for Project Christmas Smiles! These donations will be used to take local needy children shopping for Christmas!

10/29/2025

You can plant blueberries in Mississippi between November and February!

Be careful not to plant them too deeply. The rootball should be just below the surface -- one-quarter to one-half inch.

Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush blueberry varieties both grow well in Mississippi. Rabbiteye varieties are native to Mississippi and have been improved to grow quickly and produce large amounts of berries. Fruit ripens in June and July. These bushes require cross-pollination to produce fruit, so you’ll want to plant at least two varieties close to one another.

Southern Highbush varieties produce fruit during May. Several varieties of each kind produce a range of bush sizes and fruit types.

Blueberries prefer a moist, well-drained soil enhanced with organic matter. Ideal pH is 4.5 to 5.5, so plants can be successfully planted with acid-loving ornamental landscape plants, such as azaleas, camelias and gardenias. Blueberry plants are evergreen with a pretty, pink bloom in the spring.

Blueberries have shallow root systems and can’t compete well with weeds, so mulching with pine bark, pine needles, grass clippings, or leaves is recommended. Do not use barnyard manure.

Keep the plants well-watered to help establish the root system. Consistent watering is especially important once a fertilizer schedule is begun, otherwise the plant won’t take up those nutrients.

Soil testing helps determine soil pH and soil nutrient levels. These tests can be performed in our Extension soil testing laboratory for a minimal fee.

10/28/2025

Brown recluse and black widow spiders are pretty spooky!! Both of these spiders are venomous. Do you know how to distinguish them from other spiders?

Brown Recluse Spider:
🟤Typically measures between 3/8 to 1/2 inches long, excluding legs. It has long legs that make the body appear larger.
🟤Has a fiddle-shaped structure that stretches over its head and thorax, which is technically referred to as the cephalothorax.
🟤Appears to have no hair.
🟤Has six eyes, unlike most spiders, which have eight.
🟤Primarily found indoors in dark spaces like attics, closets, and behind furniture. Can be found outdoors under rocks or debris.

Black Widow Spider:
🕷️Has a distinct shiny black body with a red hourglass mark on the underside of its abdomen.
🕷️Females are larger than males. Females measure around 7/16 of an inch long. Males are less likely to be encountered.
🕷️Primarily found in outdoor habitats, including crawl spaces, under rocks, and in old structures.

What happens if you are bitten by one of these spiders?
Brown recluse bites often swell up and turn red. As more venom spreads, the bite will turn deep blue or purple. Eventually the wound will ulcerate. It’s recommended to seek medical attention if you suspect you have been bitten.

If bitten by a black widow, immediately visit your doctor. Many bites go unnoticed at first, but can quickly escalate to severe pain, muscle cramps, and other symptoms due to the venom.

Knowing the physical differences of these spiders can help you avoid being bitten or know when to get treatment if you are bitten.

10/27/2025

If you’ve ever spotted those big, bumpy, lime green balls lying under a tree and wondered what they are… It’s the fruit of an Osage orange tree (Maclura pomifera)!

Also called horse apple, bodock, hedge-apple, bodark, bois-d’arc, bow wood, or naranjo chino, this remarkable tree belongs to the Moraceae (mulberry) family.

Though it produces no sawtimber or pulpwood, Osage-orange has been planted more than almost any other tree in North America. Most of the fence posts that “fenced the West” came from Osage-orange trees.

Also, Native Americans used it for bows, and woodcarvers still prize its bright orange-gold heartwood today.

10/24/2025

🍀🐐Wayne County 4-H'ers, Jackson and Jones King, and their Lamb "Yeah-Yeah" won Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb and their goat "Jeremy" won Third Overall Market Goat at the 2025 South Mississippi Livestock Fair in Laurel this past weekend.

Congratulations to you both!

10/24/2025

February through April is the best time to plant many fruit trees, shrubs and vines in Mississippi! However, you need to make plans to order the plants in the fall to ensure good variety choices for planting in February.

We have several resources for planting and harvesting fruit that you might find helpful!

🍑PEACHES, NECTARINES & PLUMS: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-peaches-nectarines-and-plums

🟢FIGS: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-figs

🟣BLACKBERRIES: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-blackberries

🍏APPLES & PEARS: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-apples-and-pears

🟠PERSIMMONS: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-oriental-persimmons

🫐BLUEBERRIES: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-blueberries

🍇GRAPES & MUSCADINES: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fruit-and-nut-review-muscadines

You can always contact your county’s MSU Extension office for more localized guidance! Find yours here: https://extension.msstate.edu/county-offices