—Nashville chef Karl Worley on consuming several spoonfuls of mayonnaise as part of a taste test at the G&G offices this month. See how Worley and other Southern chefs rated the mayos.

Blighted boxwoods in Virginia. (Photo: Courtesy of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Photo Collection)

Concern is spreading for one of the South’s most beloved plants, the English boxwood. The culprit is boxwood blight, a fungal disease that has wiped out generations-old boxwoods, especially in the mid-Atlantic. The fungus thrives in warm, wet weather and can survive at least five years dormant in the soil. When spring rains come, it showers plants with tiny white spores that consume the shrubs, browning leaves and blackening branches. The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, Virginia, for example, has seen its historic bowknot garden and dozens more boxwoods on the property decimated. But there is hope, including a new blight-resistant cultivar. Read our story from the April/May issue about the blight and what’s being done to combat it.

In Miami, Florida, an ambitious conservation project is underway: the introduction of the world’s largest bat house. “The bigger your bat house is, the better your chances of getting it inhabited,” Fred Hubbard, part of the team that oversaw its construction, told the Miami Herald. Built within Patch of Heaven, a nature preserve in the Redland region, the soaring two-story structure will hopefully provide a safe haven for a variety of bats, but it’s been specially outfitted for the Florida bonneted bat. Once thriving in South Florida’s pinelands, the endangered bats have found their habitat gravely depleted by development—the total population now stands in the mere hundreds. While there’s no guarantee the new house will successfully attract the animals, the team is optimistic, this month installing speakers to pipe bat calls throughout the area. And they hope it will help foster a greater appreciation for all bats and the challenges they face. “One bat can eat 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour,” Hubbard says. “They are the best.”

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We recently asked, “What are you doing with your extra sunlight in the evenings?” A few of your responses:

Sitting on my deck an hour longer, watching to see what decides to visit the creek at the back of my yard. —Steve M.

Trying to sneak in nine holes after work. —Will P.

Sitting in the sun near the bay window and stretching like a cat. —E.B. Abrams

Happier hour! —Jay M.

My extra daylight hours are spent in my garden. Weeding, deadheading pansies, and smacking mosquitoes. —Martha G.

I am trying to explain to the children why it’s not dark at bedtime and why it’s pitch black in the morning. —Brooke W.

Wife and I take after-work motorcycle rides. —Michael M.

Sitting on the porch outside, sippin’ some bourbon while the steaks grill and I enjoy the evening sunset. Ah! —Cassandra S.

Weeding and talking. My neighbor walked over with spade in hand and we attacked rampant oxalis while anticipating her just-announced granddaughter. —Karen C.

Walking when I get home from work before the pollen gets too bad in about a week. —Missy M.

Taking my mini Aussie Rowdy for a twirl around the block so we can enjoy the twittering birds, the tender new green grass, and the budding spring trees. Heavenly! —Glenda K.

The season officially begins at 5:58 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. If you’re in need of a spring getaway, check out these five out-of-the-way Southern escapes.

New Orleans has its own kind of March Madness—Red Bean Madness. To get in on the fun, fill out a bracket with your favorites and attend the kick-off party in Jean Lafitte National Park Wednesday evening.

The Boykin Spaniel Society Spring National, a four-day expo and competition centered around South Carolina’s state dog, kicks off in Camden with an oyster roast and pig pickin’. 

Middle Georgia is a sea of pink this month as its 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees reach full bloom. Take in the spectacle at Macon’s International Cherry Blossom Festival with ten days of events set amid the cotton candy scenery.

The Nashville Songwriters Association International hosts the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, featuring intimate shows and conversations with more than a hundred writers at venues across Music City.