Archimedes of Syracuse was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, and inventor whose principle of water displacement inspired the design of the World’s Coolest Rain Gauge®. He wrote about the discovery in his famous work On Floating Bodies — and more than 2,000 years later, here we are, still having fun watching things float in water.

Archimedes Backyard: Resources For The Modern Gardener

hose end sprayer applying water

Why Is My Soil Not Absorbing Water? Causes of R...

If water beads on the surface, runs off your garden beds, or disappears without soaking into the root zone, your soil may be struggling with more than simple dryness. Hydrophobic...

Why Is My Soil Not Absorbing Water? Causes of R...

If water beads on the surface, runs off your garden beds, or disappears without soaking into the root zone, your soil may be struggling with more than simple dryness. Hydrophobic...

weather app on computer

Why Your Rain Gauge Doesn't Match Your Weather App

Rainfall often varies dramatically over surprisingly short distances. Learn why your rain gauge may show a very different number than your weather app and why local measurements matter more for...

Why Your Rain Gauge Doesn't Match Your Weather App

Rainfall often varies dramatically over surprisingly short distances. Learn why your rain gauge may show a very different number than your weather app and why local measurements matter more for...

watering can and rain boots in daisy field

How Plant Water Needs Change Throughout the Gro...

Plants don't need the same amount of water all season long. Learn how water requirements change from spring through fall, why fixed watering schedules often fail, and how measuring rainfall...

How Plant Water Needs Change Throughout the Gro...

Plants don't need the same amount of water all season long. Learn how water requirements change from spring through fall, why fixed watering schedules often fail, and how measuring rainfall...

casual backyard

How Rainfall Affects Birds, Pollinators, and Ba...

Rainfall affects far more than watering schedules. Birds, pollinators, soil organisms, native plants, and backyard wildlife all respond to changing moisture levels throughout the seasons. Tracking rainfall can reveal surprising...

How Rainfall Affects Birds, Pollinators, and Ba...

Rainfall affects far more than watering schedules. Birds, pollinators, soil organisms, native plants, and backyard wildlife all respond to changing moisture levels throughout the seasons. Tracking rainfall can reveal surprising...

rustic garden in fall

Leave the Leaves: Why Fall Leaves Matter and Wh...

You may see fallen leaves as a seasonal chore, but they provide winter shelter for pollinators and beneficial insects, protect soil, conserve moisture, and help build healthier gardens naturally.

Leave the Leaves: Why Fall Leaves Matter and Wh...

You may see fallen leaves as a seasonal chore, but they provide winter shelter for pollinators and beneficial insects, protect soil, conserve moisture, and help build healthier gardens naturally.

sweet alyssum flowers

What Are Insectary Plants? How to Attract Benef...

Insectary plants do more than attract pollinators. They provide food and habitat for lady beetles, lacewings, hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and other beneficial insects that help control garden pests naturally.

What Are Insectary Plants? How to Attract Benef...

Insectary plants do more than attract pollinators. They provide food and habitat for lady beetles, lacewings, hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and other beneficial insects that help control garden pests naturally.