Hard Work and Great Expectations

This past Monday I spent long, arduous hours fertilizing plants in all my grow bags and the raised bed. Long after I’d spooned out dry components for each plant it occurred to me that a plastic cup could be marked with the desired amount. ~sigh~ I’d done that with liquids, so why not? Measuring proved a bit trickier but made things way quicker. Meanwhile, I’m incredibly grateful for my ‘portable oasis’ shade and these cooler temperatures.

This is my little raised bed contains dill, eggplant,
sweet basil, and bell peppers...

The little 3 pack purchased at our Walmart garden center looked like it contained basil and I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses. LOL What’s even funnier is that the tag gave no clue as to the variety; the image included everything from sweet bell to some of the hottest. Weird, huh? Oh, well, I look forward to finding out what they are, which is probably green bell.

Meanwhile my husband, most beloved by me and our three cats cannot conceive how hard I work. He does appreciate it, though, and cooked our dinner that evening. The next day my body complained, for sure, but a good foot soak and rest restored me. And I’m excited.

I took this today and need to keep an eye on that twine,
making sure it does not interfere...

Do you know that eggplant got its name due to the original white skin matching the mass produced chicken egg’s shell? Why do you think growers felt the need cultivate the purple variety?

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Both Bewildered & Delighted

Somehow, I didn’t get on my laptop for four days straight (!) when I thought I’d only missed doing so yesterday (Monday). ~scratches head~ So I’m sorry for my lengthy absence.

In the meantime, my first super sauce Roma tomato blooms have fruited. I’m so happy my leggy seedlings could be rescued.

I harvested exactly one last year due to not
labeling, planting only sturdy seedlings,
and all but one turned out being
of the cherry variety.

In my defense, my husband spent two weeks in hospital last spring, thus my thoughts were scattered. At least I learned a valuable lesson about seed starting, and I’m thrilled at how well my guy is doing now.

I also enjoy our ruby throated hummingbirds and maintain several sugar water feeders. The ants no longer annoy me as they did years ago. They are generally beneficial, after all, and we all have to eat.

Inevitably, a few of these teeny tiny ants hitch a ride with me
even though I try to leave them where they were...

It fascinates me how only a single size of ant invades one feeder or the other. You would think the larger types would take over from the tiniest. Perhaps having so many options makes a difference.

Aren’t I lucky that replanting all this season’s scraggly seedlings deeper revived them? Who knew that different types of tomato seeds were more finicky than others about their growing conditions?

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Curled Up for a Long Winter’s Nap (Caution: this post includes images of a creepy crawler, however adorable to me…)

My husband helped me take down my heavy deck umbrella for the winter and it seems there was a little creature snuggled up inside. I found it lying on the deck floor, fully exposed to weather. Since we had another chore on the back patio, I carried the critter down with me to tuck in amongst some leaf debris.

Lady, put me down. This is actually my defense pose.

I’ve known these particular caterpillars as ‘wooly bears’ my entire life. Folklore states that if the central brown band takes up more than a third of its body length, we’re in for a mild winter. Scientists have determined that the segment colors tell about the creature’s past, such as weather conditions like humidity and the animal’s age.

A Better Photo: Credit to American Gardener

The larva (Pyrrharctia isabella) will emerge in spring as the Isabella moth. Our gorgeous and sweet blogger friend Katie Isabella should be flattered by sharing a lovely name with a beautiful flyer.

Does your region have similar weather related folklore? Are you aware of the flannel moth larvae?

Spoiler alert: The flannel moth caterpillar’s pretty off-white coat hides highly venomous hairs that cause excruciating pain. Yet the equally adorable fluffy adult is harmless to touch.

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A Cute Visitor to My Yard

Warning: if crickets give you the creeps, give this three second video below a skip. Should I have named this little critter Jiminy?

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Update on the Vegetable Garden

Having grown so many viable vegetable plants from seed, I am so much more invested than in previous years that I stroll around several times daily. Most discoveries make me happy. Now I’m facing a serious issue.

While my container grown tomatoes are thus far unharmed, the corner patch became infested by tomato hornworms. I spent a good while Wednesday morning pulling off and discarding these repulsive caterpillars. Fat and alien in appearance, they cling to the foliage for all they are worth. And their frightening camouflage would have allowed them to decimate every plant if not for their distinctive droppings.

I’m so glad I can recognize this berry-like poop…

On a bright note, an adult moth became trapped in my pumpkin netting (revenge is sweet). Being smaller than its offspring makes the winged bug no less ugly. Unlike most moths’ elegant tapered thorax, those of Manduca quinquemaculata appear revoltingly bloated up to the sharp pointed end.

It did not have a happy ending...

That evening I used the netting for my pumpkins to cover the neighboring tomato plants, as well. And I’m leaving another bit of netting looped over the trellised EarthBox plantings as an extra precaution.

Much to my dismay I saw more droppings early the next day and had to remove another stomach-churning monster. So I bought a spray bottle of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Thursday afternoon.

We once purchased a concentrated form, which I looked for at the store to no avail, but it’s for the best. These natural and effective living bacterium do not have a long shelf life. In fact, we still had the concentrate which is doubtless inert after perhaps an entire decade (!), and I’m a bit annoyed that the label didn’t include a production date. My belated research following the same day application also irked me. This ready-to-use product’s label neglected to inform me that sunlight degrades the product.

I should have waited until evening. But I did not use the entire bottle yesterday and emptied it this morning after killing a small caterpillar. Anyway, this article provided other fascinating information. Humans first discovered Bt’s benefits in the early 1900’s and some field crops have been modified to include the gene responsible for the bacterium’s all important crystal protein.

Did you know that modern Bt strains have also become an essential weapon in the battle against West Nile Virus? And since profit drives more research than human welfare, do you think genetically modified foods pose a health risk?

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Questions, Answers, & an Issue

I asked the artificial intelligence on my smart phone about squash bees. To my astonishment, these insects were noted as pollinating anything squash related except pumpkins.

These insects fit the description otherwise. Maybe my blue variety attracts them or they have no other preferable plants nearby. As for the behavior I filmed, it seemed like a signal to others of their species but the information also indicated these pollinators build solo underground nests.

Then again, perhaps it’s a mating posture. Ooh… That could be interesting research as nature does fascinate me.

The issue relates to my largest pumpkin growing within the confines of my obelisk trellis. I didn’t think about this until the other day. ~shakes head~ Making sure this beauty reaches healthy maturity is my newest challenge.

I look forward to watching it turn blue.

I have an idea of turning it on its side and adding support netting as their shape is squat. It’s both surprising and dismaying my online research hasn’t offered suggestions.

Is this not a good problem to have? What do you think I should do if the fruit starts becoming malformed?

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Buzz, Buzz

A Garden Update

Thanks to all for the well wishes and suggestions for my pumpkin growing adventure. One developing fruit appears super healthy and a little larger (!) every day.

I wonder when the blue skin will become evident...

To my delight, more and more female flowers are appearing on the two largest plants. The fact I started everything but our Swiss chard from seed makes this season even more special.

Cool, huh?

My netting has been protecting the plants overnight. Finished eating a farmers market cantaloupe I tossed the rind into the backyard jungle as compensation to our deer.

Every morning I get to see adorable little bees marching upward to freedom. It never fails to make me smile.

Isn’t it neat that we have a pollinator named after the insects’ favorite pollen source? Do you think the bees wake up as if they’d been on an alcoholic bender, wondering where they are and why they never made it home?

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A Teeny, Tiny Flying Gem

This morning I did some garden chores and spotted this damsel fly. What a lucky discovery; most folks (my husband included) would never spot such a tiny creature.

Here is a photo, as well. I apologize for the blurriness.

Doesn’t that blue color pop? Can you imagine being such a minute yet vibrant and valuable being?

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My Suburban Views

I am tired of fighting with blogging software, so here is my simplistic post. Best wishes to all; I hope you enjoy. ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

Can you see the tiny insect on my hand?

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Bee-Ware

I’m so sorry. ~shakes head~ My husband made this exact remark after I told him I rescued a bee from drowning. Keeping my water feature going without pebbles or something for insects probably isn’t the best idea. Happily, I discovered the bee must have flown off upon my later return.

 

Isn’t the bedraggled insect quite cute, though? Do you think they can learn from their mistakes? -

My Cutest Spider Yet

This happened just minutes ago and I am sorry but I just had to share. And I wish its itty bitty stripe pattern showed up in this clip.

Is this not an adorable start to a gorgeous October day? Are you enjoying nice weather today?

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Apparently Cats & Eight Legged Hunters Share a Similar Preference

Another tiny arachnid visited me. And if you don’t mind seeing them, I have evidence below.

What occurred to me this time, as my title suggests, is that housecats and little jumping spiders both appreciate taking the high ground. Of course my speculation could be wrong.

As an aside, I tend to draw all sorts of critters, including local children. Unfortunately my list includes blood thirsty mosquitoes. My husband has witnessed me being chased by a cloud while on vacation.

~sigh~

After getting bitten during a recent cloudy day I applied insect repellant before this spider dropped by. Apparently scavenging ants are among others not bothered by deet. On a positive note, our local ant species are harmless to humans so I try leaving them alone unless they infest my house.

Can you believe there are 42 species of spiders in my US state of Ohio? Do you know how many live in your area? Or would you prefer not knowing?

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The World’s Tiniest Ninja

I’ll warn anyone with a dread of spiders that this is my little ninja’s species. The creature, smaller than my pinky fingernail, landed on my laptop lid the other day. My photo turned out fine. The video, however, showcasing its skills is blurry.

I apologize in advance. So please scroll down if you want to see my miniature visitor.

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Can you spot the thread of silk between the abdomen and rear back leg?
I dragged my finger over the line to set the jumping spider free...

Is that not an adorable animal? Aren’t you glad these fierce hunters don’t scale up to predate humans?

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A Decent Retort & First World Concerns

Not long ago I purchased an apron. When our friend Phoenix visited I modeled it for him.

He asked, “Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

“I ate her,” I replied.

On a different note, I’ve been going outside during my husband’s daily afternoon naps if the weather is good. Sometimes I use his hospital assigned walker (which, again, he no longer needs!) as a laptop stand. Other days, I roam around or just enjoy the view. Let me know if you think it’s wrong, but sometimes I pet fuzzy bumblebees. Here is video evidence.

As for our household, things are not all peaceful. To my dismay, Dandelion has been urinating and even defecating on the carpet just off the stone kitchen flooring.

My guy knows about the former. When he heard her pawing at the couch late Monday afternoon he asked me to check. That’s when I saw her little brown ‘gifts’. He asked if I found any wetness and I replied in the negative while surreptitiously cleaning up. I’d already placed a box with some litter where she peed. Now there is an old folded towel where she pooped. ~sigh~ While I dislike the idea of litter and whatnot all over our kitchen floor, this situation is nigh untenable. Any and all recommendations are appreciated. This kitty isn’t going anywhere. ~grin~ And I’m sure my husband would agree. I just don’t want him stressed.

No stress here for Dandelion...

Polly just hanging out...

Terra enjoying other kitty furniture...

Have you been following the horrible events in the Mediterranean? How can I complain with all the misery around this world?

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The Bee's Knee

Last week I had a routine eye exam. The next day I drove my husband for his. Instead of sitting in the waiting room as he did, I explored the lovely surrounding grounds. I’ll have to share clips of the water features. Meanwhile, my favorite part was when this bee landed on my knee.

Would you sit in the waiting room like my husband did? Can you guess why we didn’t schedule our appointments back-to-back?

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A Lighter Post to Celebrate September

There are plenty of beautiful and/or silly things I could blog about and today seemed ideal after my downer regarding our precious pets. First off, I found cheap flip flops to replace my disintegrating pair. The strap across my foot hurt but the softer edged, sturdier orange plastic off my old ones fixed the problem. I just adore ocean creatures.

Liz and I share similar tastes :D...
She is talented with textiles...

Today I bundled up some branches and found this adult praying mantis. It’s always a pleasure to see them as babies in spring and then successfully grown up. 

This handsome creature watched
my movements very closely...

Before shaving my legs in the shower this morning I saw something that made me think of Pam. She’s another artistic blogger I enjoy following and sometimes shares inanimate objects’ faces.

Extra blades for my razor come
in this smiley faced box...

Do you like my sandal fix? Can you spot the mantis?

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One Popular Plant

One late spring day I found a potted mint plant in Kroger’s produce department. Since I don’t have good luck with house plants, I planted it next to my mailbox. The brick border should keep this aggressive species from spreading; it’s worked so far. I enjoy leaves blended into my yogurt/fruit smoothies and, as you can see below, pollinators like its blooms.

Filming these calm insects was all fine and good until one of the big black critters landed on my arm. Unfortunately I’d stopped recording. Evidence of my reaction would have been hilarious, I’m sure. The wasp simply flew away, probably startled as me by my reaction. lol I don’t even know if those wasps have a stinger.

Are you or a friend/loved one allergic to insect venom? Did you know that disturbed fire ants here in the US state of Florida can inflict life threatening anaphylaxis?

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Video Clips from Tuesday's Stroll

 

Taking a Walk

Park signage in the neighboring town claims several were established in or around 1846! About ten years ago the city began expanding and/or interconnecting these plots. Yesterday I explored a meadow with mown walkways off a recent paved path addition. However tame, the space provided me a little suburban paradise.