It’s easy to find energy-efficient LED lightbulbs almost anywhere now, but it can be difficult to understand what color output an LED “soft light” or “daylight” bulb emits. It may sound like a “daylight” bulb mimics the yellow color of the sun, but in reality it means it’s a clean, white light that’s very bright and suited for when you need as much illumination as possible. For some people, this style of light can feel too sterile or clinical. If you want to mimic the soft, yellow glow that came from incandescent bulbs, go for “soft light” LED bulbs. They cast the golden glow that most people want for their indoor light fixtures.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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