Features

Franklin Square Gallery in Southport is featuring its new exhibit “The Figure Exposed,” which culminates with an open house at the First Friday Gallery Walk from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 3.

Last spring, many local painters attended a workshop in experimental techniques in figure painting. They have been refining their paintings over the summer, and this show is the culmination of their work.

Here are some gardening tips for September.

Landscaping

Everyone wants to know the best time to move plants or to plant them. According to extension specialists, the best time is the fall season. Late September and October would be some of the best times for us in the coastal regions but there should still be some good times even in November and early December to plant shrubs and trees. You still have time to put in a fall garden for some of your cool season crops.

Autumn color ideas

It has been more than four decades since a group of young men and women made their national television debut on The Andy Williams Show, in the fall of 1962.

That group, The New Christy Minstrels, went on to win a Grammy for their debut recording, “Presenting The New Christy Minstrels.”

Formed by Randy Sparks in 1961, the group had several Top 40 folk music hits, including “This Land Is Your Land,” “Green, Green,” “Today,” and “Ramblin’”. They are still singing and delighting fans, old and new.

Watch for the following problems. The hotline volunteers have received several requests on the following:

Fall armyworms in turfgrass

Fall armyworms have been present in turfgrass for the past week or so and it appears they are now in full gear.

There are a variety of sizes present and larger armyworms are most damaging. They typically begin near the edge of a turf area and invade across the turf leaving serious damage behind.

Getting the garden soil tilled, fertilized and ready for planting of fall vegetables can be a rather tiresome job, especially with outside temperatures higher than 90 degrees. Undoubtedly, most people would find it more comfortable under an air conditioner, but maximum results from gardening efforts are not always achieved under the most ideal working conditions.

Ongoing

Oak Island Art Guild exhibit, Oak Island Recreation Center, 3001 Oak Island Drive, 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Exhibit renewed every 60 days. For more information, call exhibit coordinator Miriam Pinkerton at 278-5562.

Every first Friday through December

Even if you’re not old enough to remember the Jim Stafford song from the 1970s, you probably don’t like coming in contact with creepy critters like spiders and snakes. Knowing there are only two venomous spiders and six venomous snakes in North Carolina usually doesn’t help, so let’s take an objective look at the snakes we share this corner of the state with and see if we really do have something to fear.

As summer progresses, the number of insects found in our landscape increases. There are millions of types of insects in our world and more than 100,000 different ones active in the United States; however, less than 1 percent of these actually feed on plants in a harmful way.

Before you pull out the insecticide, take the time to identify the insects on your plants. You just may find out that they are beneficial insects. Beneficial insects are those that are helpful in some way, as predators or pollinators. A number of beneficial insects occur naturally in our gardens.

Ongoing

Oak Island Art Guild exhibit, Oak Island Recreation Center, 3001 Oak Island Drive, 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Exhibit renewed every 60 days. For more information, call exhibit coordinator Miriam Pinkerton at 278-5562.

Every first Friday through December