Butterflies are more than beautiful creatures; they are essential to flower pollination and are also an important food source for birds. To help butterflies thrive in your garden, you can do a few simple things. First, avoid using insecticides in your yard altogether. Second, plant milkweed flowers in your yard. Monarch caterpillars, for example, feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed; over the past few years, milkweed has been decimated due to urban sprawl and suburban landscaping. Adding milkweed to your yard is easy: Just plant native varieties by seed in the spring and let them thrive.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When it comes time to decorate your front porch for Halloween, think twice about over-decorating a simple pumpkin. Many crafters have turned simple pumpkin carving into over-the-top crafts using materials like glue, glitter, paint and even petroleum jelly on cut surfaces to help seal them and prevent spoiling. But when Halloween is over, that once-edible pumpkin becomes trash. By leaving pumpkins as-is (or simply carving them with a knife), you can leave the pumpkin in the woods for wildlife to enjoy when the Halloween season is over.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When you buy new skin care, makeup or other beauty products at stores, you’ll often receive free samples or even free full-size products as part of a loyalty club. If you have a stash of unused beauty products at home, why not donate them to help women in need? The nonprofit Project Beauty Share connects donated new products to women who need them. All items must be new, and among the items needed are makeup bags, moisturizers, soap, fragrances, personal care items (like deodorants), clean makeup brushes, hair care products and nail polishes. Learn more at projectbeautyshare.org.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION