It has been ages....

   As saddening as it is, the old place is not what it used to be when we first built the Little Bayou House.  Then, the whole area was wooded with very few houses and those were the homes of family.  Now that lovely thing called progress has seen the wooded areas clear-cut and new houses built.  We do not know but a handful of our new neighbors on either side.  The Little Bayou House sits on one of the only pieces of ground that is still in its natural state.  The yard was cleared enough to plant gardens and fruit trees but the remaining property was left untouched.  The creek, marshes, boggy areas, and woods are all still intact and shall remain that way, if I have any say about it.

  With that clear-cutting came an influx of critters.  The poor animals had no place to go once their homes were literally smashed.  No one cared about the little ones that may have been in nests or dens.  More than once, babes were separated from their parents or just run over by tractors.  It broke my heart to hear their cries but there was nothing I could do but whisper a feeble prayer.  Without homes, the critters scrambled to the only area that offered refuge...our place.  Now, we are overrun with any and all critters.  This, in itself, has created problems.  Many went hungry and many fell to the over abundance of new predators.  Coyotes, bobcats, fox and raccoons all were in search of any food they could find.  The first three found easy prey in the numerous rabbits that had, at one time, led a peaceful life here.  Soon the rabbits were ravaged to the point of non-existence.  It has been ages since a rabbit has been seen on this entire hillside.

  I missed seeing the bunnies in the yard and even the gardens where they would nibble the cabbages.  I took it as a "sign of the times" and, even though I mourned the loss of bunnies, I dealt with it.  With that in mind, you can only imagine my elation in finding a single baby bunny this morning.  As I came off the pier, a slight movement caught my eye.  I was caught off-guard by the sight of the wee rabbit.  My heart flipflopped with joy!  If there is one baby, there has to be an adult pair!  Perhaps our bunnies are making a return!  

  It was not long, however, before the realization set in about the baby bunny's survival chances.  As I sat watching the tiny tot, I had a good talk with it about staying out of harm's way.  (Yes, I do talk with my bayou critter friends.)  I know the rabbit had no idea what the crazy woman was saying but it would occasionally look at me, cock its little head and look wistfully at me.  Oh, please...please let this bunny live.  I miss our rabbits so very much.  Stay safe, Little One, stay safe.

Firecrackers, bottle rockets and noise! Oh, my!

   This being New Year's Eve, the peace of the Bayou is being thrown in a turmoil by the constant barrage of fireworks being exploded.  I cannot help but think of the poor critters that must be fearing for their lives as bottle rockets and firecrackers blast near them.  It has to be terrifying, to say the least.  I have nothing against people celebrating as long as they do it carefully and do not intentionally try to cause harm with their fireworks.  In fact, I really do enjoy the showy "showers" that light up the sky.  Those are beautiful!  (Still, just a hint here, tomorrow...go pick up your mess!)  Personally, I shall celebrate with the quietness of the sunrise.

  That said, folk, have an enjoyable and safe New Year's Eve and an even better entire year coming.  May each of you find peace, love and happiness knocking at your door this year.  Happy New Year!

Maybe a few figs?

   I admit to being a mite frustrated at the critters roaming about the place.  Since all of the property to our west has been clear cut, we have been invaded by just about every critter imaginable.  While I love critters of all types, you would think this would be fine but those very same animals are hungry.  They have been raiding the fruit trees and vegetable garden day and night.  When they hit the peach trees and plum trees, I was quite miffed, to say the least.  It really would not be so bad if they actually ate the fruit and not just "sampled" each and every one.  Most wind up on the ground ruined by bite marks.  What to do, what to do?  Well, I picked anything that was large and starting to ripen and left the rest.  The picked fruit was placed on trays and let ripen inside.  In the past few weeks, I have canned more fruit than is needed.  So it all worked out ok. 

  Now, the pears are starting to be attacked.  Beneath the pear trees, the ground is littered with half eaten pears.  The fruit is far too small to be picked so it does not look promising.  I suppose the fig trees will be the next buffet for the fruit-eating critters.  All of the fig trees are loaded with fruit and I am in hopes of at least getting a few but that may not happen.

  Pop always used to say "If something is hungry, let it eat.  Plant more next year."  Well, Pop.  I guess I better get busy and plant more trees because we sure have a lot of hungry critters on our hands!

That is not a peach tree!

     I have a lot of fruit trees dotting the gardens.  Each of the plum trees and peach trees were loaded with fruit so I expected to be canning fruit for the entire month.  Well, we also have an overabundance of critters now that nary a tree stands on the acreage west of my brother's place.  All of the animals that were not immediately killed were displaced and are now starving to death.  (It is saddening to know they are suffering merely because of the greed of humans.  I would not be able to sleep at night knowing I caused this much agony on any creature.)  The critters have no place to go other than the Bayou so my fruit trees have been fair game for the critters.  There is not much I can do other than share.  Lots of the fruit is merely "tasted" then dropped to the ground.  That is frustrating as it is a huge waste.  Son and I picked several hundred of each type before they were tasted and let them ripen indoors.  Enough jam, jelly and preserves were made to last for the year so all is good.  The rest of the fruit will be left for the animals.  

  This afternoon, I was out taking one last walk through the gardens when I noticed something strange.  Up in the top of the live oak tree on the west side of the house was something rosy pink.  Well, now!  That is not a peach tree!  Obviously, a squirrel had stolen a peach and managed to get it to the opposite side of the yard, up the tree and then got chased from its prize.  The peach sits perfectly balanced on the large limb.  Perfectly balanced that is until the next thunderstorm rolls through the area later tonight.  Then the winds will shake the peach loose and it will come crashing down...right on the old truck!  It seems that the "critter damage" is not just confined to the fruit trees.  Hopefully, some other critter will take a liking to the peach and remove it before it falls.  Oak trees are not supposed to have peaches!

Mirrors...Just Don't

   There is a gardening trend that seems to be all the rage, as of late.  A lot of folks are hanging or positioning mirrors in the gardens to bring "depth" to the space.  Supposedly, this makes a garden seem larger and adds a bit of mystique.  Folks, don't do it.  Just don't.  While it may look nice, it causes a lot of confusion for critters.  Here is a bit of info for you...critters are not vain like humans.  They do not need mirrors.  In fact, most critters find a mirror to be a a passageway to another part of the yard or find it as a threat of some sort.  Just don't, ok?

  As for the "passageway", birds do not seem to understand that the mirror is a hard surface.  They see it as just an opening and will often fly directly into the glass.  This can actually kill the bird.  Not exactly something I wish to do.  As for the threat, critters have a hard time deciphering just who that is in the mirror.  They often see the image as an intruder as they do not have an inkling what a mirror is.  A battle commences between the critter and its image self.  Again, the animal can be hurt terribly.  

  Today was proof that animals and mirrors do not mix well.  No, I did not intentionally place a mirror in the garden.  My husband's truck just received a nice washing and the side mirrors were sparkly clean.  A male towhee immediately thought a rival male was invading his territory!  A battle ensued and, had I not been nearby, the bird may still be battling itself!  Poor thing!  It had no clue that it was wasting its time.

  So, folks, don't follow those trendy things that could be a danger to the wildlife.  Plus, if a large enough critter takes aim at your mirror, you will have to deal with shattered glass in the garden instead of some cutesy idea.  (Seven years bad luck?  If the mirror is large enough, it might take that long to find all of the shards of glass!) Just don't.  Mirrors and gardens do not blend well.  Keep your mirrors inside.

At Least They Do Not Bite!

   So, true to my earlier words, spring has sprung and along with it came the bugs.  While the gnats and mosquitoes never left due to the lack of cold weather, the onslaught of other critters has begun. This afternoon, a cloud of midges could be found seeking refuge from the high winds.  Every nook and cranny on the north side of ANYTHING was covered with the bugs.  If you stepped too close (which I did), a cloud of the critters would soon engulf you.  Thankfully, these are the non-biting type of midges.  They may look a lot like mosquitoes but the soft bodied critters with their fluffy antennae have no blood-sucking intentions.  In fact, in their adult stage, the critters do not eat much if anything.  The larvae, however, eat whatever they find.  Speaking of the larvae, they are called bloodworms.  This is not because they have a diet of blood but because they are red!  If you ever look in the bottom of a pond, ditch or even your birdbath, you may find the tiny bloodworms.  I have to admit, they are weird looking little things.

  This onset of critter swarms is just the beginning.  The eastern lubber grasshoppers and termite swarms are probably set to start soon. Those, I detest!  I prefer the midge flies if I have to have any but it is all part of living where I do.  The Bayou has critters of all sorts...some are just worse than others.

A Million Critters

   Have you ever thought of how many critters go unseen when we are out in their territory?  Some are so camouflaged that we pass right on by without ever a sighting.  They hide!  It is all about survival for them.  Being a predator or a prey, each has a great need for camouflage.  I was thinking of this when I was on the pier during the predawn hours.  How many critters are out there in that marsh?  How many sets of eyes are watching my every move?  How many are waiting for me to leave so they can go about their lives without being interrupted?  Just how many?

  Well, along about sunrise, I got an inkling of at least how many of one type of critter were there.  As the sun rose up over the pines, the rays glided over the marsh and illuminated every spiderweb in its wake.  As far as the eye could see, there were spiderwebs.  I am assuming there were millions upon millions of webs so there had to be that many spiders.  At night, if you take a strong flashlight to the pier, millions of eyes will light up across the marsh.  It is a pretty amazing sight seeing all of those glittering eyes!  Many of these spiders are wolf spiders and their eyes glow like turquoise gemstones.

  So, if there are millions of spiders in the marshes around the Bayou, think of how many other critters go unseen!  The world is an amazing place.

The Signature!

   Lately, we have been noticing a lot of holes being dug in the yard.  These usually appear overnight.  They are not large being only a few inches in diameter.  They are deep in comparison to that diameter as they are approximately ten inches deep.  We pondered what could be digging and why.  First thought was the armadillos digging after grubworms.   I had seen several armadillos and actually knew a pair had a den under an old boat near the marsh.  I figured those critters were helping keep our yard free of pesky grubs.  Mark had often said we need to put out the night-camera so we could catch them in action. I should have but never did.

  Today as we were on our late afternoon hike, we stumbled upon yet more holes.  These were freshly dug (as in last night fresh).  It surprised me to see that several of the holes had been dug in the gravel pathway.  Well...I guess grubworms are there, too, but that sure seemed to be some hard digging.   We continued back toward the canebrake following the holes.  The critters had been busy!  

  Suddenly, I realized that I was blaming the wrong critter!  These were not dug by armadillos, at all!  The critter left its signature by one hole!  A telltale footprint was all it took for me to know that the raccoons were digging the holes.   They were after much the same things as the armadillos would have been.  Coons will eat just about anything and are not above digging for grubs, earthworms, insects or even roots.  I figured that we fed the coons enough from what we put in the compost pile to keep them from digging but I suppose I was wrong.  That footprint gave it all away!

Monsters In The Greenhouse!

   I am NOT my happiest right now!  I made a discovery that has upset my whole set of plans for this week.  Backtracking, I had good intentions of having the house fully decorated for Halloween plus taking advantage of our cool weather to do some yard work.  Well, a big kink has been thrown in that well-laid plan. There is another major chore that demands attention.  This one will have to be left up to me since Son is still repairing the water damage around the fireplace in the dining room. I may as well push up the shirt sleeves and get to work come morning light.

  This morning, I was going to make space in the greenhouse for two of the porch rockers.  Stuff has been shoved in there while Son is (was before the water damage) remodeling the shed.  Everything from the shed was jammed in my greenhouse.  There is not a lot of space in there for anything but I really need to store the two chairs for a couple of months.  While there, I noticed that my seed packets were on the floor.  Well now!  I imagined that the squirrels had somehow made their way into the greenhouse and decided to steal a few seeds.  No problem.  I went to pick up the packets and saw it....IT!!! There was a huge rat nest in the corner behind the gardening tools.  My couple of months of recuperating from illness left the greenhouse up for grabs obviously!  "Well, I guess I would get rid of a rat nest before clearing a spot for the chairs." Then...another nest!  Oh, geez!  It seemed as if a whole colony of critters was in the greenhouse!  

  While battling rats, I noticed that the weather packing around the eaves was sagging.  I gave it a gentle poke with an old flounder gig thinking perhaps this roof had also developed a leak.  Oof!  THAT was heavy!  I poked harder and heard a squeak and some rustling. Geez!  Those rats are huge!!!  I poked harder!  The critter rummaged around to the north side of the eaves and then half fell through!  A fluffy, striped tail and one dark foot dangled precariously through the vent.  Raccoon!  Yep, I now had to battle raccoons!  So...poke again!  Squeal, rummage and into the greenhouse, went the coon.  I raced around the side and into the door only to find several coons up in the rafters.  They were frightened and a bit confused as to why their daytime snooze had been interrupted.  Suddenly, one coon fell (or dove) from the rafter and started scurrying around the greenhouse floor in search of a new hiding place.  Well, with that much stuff packed in the small space, hiding was relatively easy.  Then, plop! Another coon and another.  Three, madly-racing, juvenile raccoons , a crazy, old lady with a flounder gig and a mountain of junk suddenly became like a huge pinball machine.  It was crazy!

  Needless to say, I gave up.  I was exhausted from this fracas!  I will attempt again in the morning.  Hopefully by then, the coons and the rats will have had enough of the gig-wielding monster and will have vacated my greenhouse!  Otherwise, the battle will continue!  I sure need to find me a big, ole rat snake to inhabit the space.  By now, it would resemble an anaconda in size with the ample supply of prey hiding in the greenhouse.  So much for decorating the house.  It is already Halloween in the greenhouse!  Monsters!

Morning Friend

  Early this morning, I had to wait a few minutes for Mark to join me for our daily fishing on the pier.  While he was putting on his shoes, I decided to sit on the front steps.  The arbor surrounding the french doors is the perfect place to grow shade loving plants so either side of the steps is a regular rainforest of plants.  On one side there is a large turmeric plant, several philodendrons and a couple of ferns.  On the other is a gigantic split leaf philodendron, some hostas and a couple of unknown plants that seem to love shade.  All of this greenery flanks the steps and is topped by several hanging ferns.  Sitting on the steps made me feel like I was sitting in the local nursery!

  Being as it was still early morning,  I had not checked out the yard.  Any critters that had come in from the marshes or out of the woods could very well be lingering about the place.  Suddenly, I had that eerie feeling that I was being watched.  Hmm, something had been drinking water from the Puddle Pond.  In fact, it was nigh on dry each morning.  We figured the family of deer were seeking fresh water since the area has been in a bit of a drought, as of late.  Maybe a couple still were hanging close?

  Sitting quietly, I scanned the area.  Nope, did not see a thing.  Still, the feeling of being watched was heavy.  Ok, so nothing was out in the gardens, it was time to look closer.  A small cottonmouth was under those very same steps about a week ago.  The darkness was not helping with my search but, soon, the peeping tom was found!  Right at my elbow was a tiny tree frog!  That big, ole, split leaf philodendron was the chosen spot for the frog's daytime resting.  I just happened to plop myself down right next to froggy!  Its, ok, Froggy!  You are welcome to live among the plants as you do a fine job of keeping them bug-free!  We are good.

The Helping Hand...uhh...Talon...Beak...

  Occasionally, something occurs on the Bayou that truly saddens me.  Recently, an osprey was seen acting rather strange.  The bird appeared to be exhausted from flying but with each attempt to land in the old pine, a struggle would ensue and the bird would take flight again.  My first thought that something was in the tree that was prohibiting the bird from landing.  Maybe a large snake was there as rat snakes are known to even be in the tops of the tall pines.  Since I had nothing better to do, I sat down and watched the osprey.  Again and again, it made the attempt to alight in the tree to gain some much needed rest but each attempt was aborted.  Fatigue is not a good thing when you are in flight.

  Soon, the osprey flew low overhead and I was able to view the full bird.  It became quite apparent what was ailing the poor bird.  Evidently, the bird had tried to catch a fish but that fish was its undoing.   Wrapped around the osprey's legs was a fishing line with cork still attached.  The bird could not use its legs!  My heart started breaking for the bird.  What was it going to do??  Ospreys depend on those strong legs and talons for more than just perching in a tree.  Without the use of its legs, an osprey cannot fish for food.  I sat fretting over the bird and trying to figure how it could be helped.

  It was not long before it became clear that my help was not needed.  The bird did a belly-flop on the shore on the other side my brother's pier. It screamed for its mate who quickly came and between the two of them, they managed to pull the line from the legs of the exhausted bird!  The tired bird took flight again and landed on her perch in the pine.  Soon her devoted mate brought her a nice size fish...WITHOUT a hook and line.  The love and care that the male osprey showed for his ladylove was amazing.  The resiliency and determination of both birds is something that should be inspirational to all humans.  I sure learn a lot from the critters around here and I am so thankful that, what could have been devastating, turned out to be truly incredible. I only wish the camera lens could have caught this feat but the distance was just too great. 

Just a Little Miffed!

  This morning as I was out walking, I could hear quite the racket going on back by the front door.  Begrudgingly, I headed back that way to investigate noise since I had left the door unlocked.  Not many folks are coming to the Bayou but it was better for me to see who was knocking.  So, I shortened my hike time and walked up behind the greenhouse.  From here, there is a full view of the front door and no one was there.  What I heard was a battle between five squirrels!  The rascals had raided the birdseed but were not willing to share.  The greedy, little things had started squabbling among themselves and the fuss took itself into the arbor that surrounds the french doors.  The "knocking" was literally their hard heads boinking on the glass window panes as they fought.  My goodness!  They did not even notice that I was in their midst for a few moments.  I clapped my hand loudly and all five scampered away...three up the oak tree, one up the black gum tree and one insisted on racing all the way down the hill to the pier.  (Silly squirrel)  Well, that job was done!  Now back to my hike.  

  The path led me back down behind the greenhouse but under that black gum tree.  The once terrified squirrel was now feeling rather feisty as it was sitting high up in the safety of the tree.  That rascal started barking at me!  He obviously did not appreciate having his bar brawl broken up.  Oh, what am I going to do with these tree-climbing, birdseed-thieving, glorified rats!  I can only imagine the damage they are going to do to the garden.

 

Drama In The Oaks!

  Wandering around the Bayou and surrounding woods is something I do best!  I can wander til the cows come home and never feel bad about it.  Yesterday was a wandering day. Down near the marsh edge, there are many old oak trees.  These trees have been here and held strong for as long as I can remember and then some.  These old oaks are always a source of interest.   They hold secrets aplenty! Their branches sweep low to the ground which offers a hiding spot for all sorts of critters.  Yesterday's point of interest was not a critter that was easily seen, however, and I am not even sure if the critter was there at all!

  On one of the lower limbs, a tiny twig held a huge lumpy, bumpy thing.  I have seen these "growths" on the oak twigs many times and have always secretly wanted to cut one open to find my critter.  Inside, there is supposedly the larva of a wasp just waiting to burst forth in its full glory of wasphood. The gall wasp is also commonly called a gall fly.  It belongs in the family Cynipidae which is considered a superfamily because it has so many members!  There are lots and lots of these critters and they all induce the galls on trees to house their larvae.  It is pretty neat when you think about it.  While there is still some question as to how the wasp induces the tree to make the gall, the tiny critter has a nice wooden home to protect it while it grows. 

  There is one downside to this whole house thing, however.  The larva has one enemy that knows just how to get to it.  There is a different wasp that is parasitic to the gall fly.  The female has a long, hard tube-like ovipositor that can literally poke a hole in the gall.  It lays an egg which hatches and feeds upon the original occupant of the "house".  

  See?  I told you oak trees have some pretty neat secrets!  There are wasps that are called flies that can make trees do fantastic, magical things but they have enemies that can break into their houses to eat their young!  Drama in the oaks!

This One Tolerates Me...

  Yesterday, I made mention of my preference of critter friends over people friends, as I have so many times in the past.  It is just a "me" thing as I prefer peace and I often find that in the animals of the Bayou.  They are merely trying to survive and have no time for frivolous drama and pettiness.  I, also, stated that there are some critters here that plain do not wish to be buddy-buddy with me and I fully respect that.  

  One of those "not so close" critters is the osprey.  Ospreys have their standards of who is to be trusted and I am obviously not one on their list.  In fact, their list is rather short.  I am not sure they even like other ospreys.  That said, there are a couple around who do not mind my presence purely because they have grown accustomed to my daily hikes about the hillside.  I still consider them as my friends but I have not gained the honor of being "their" friend.  That is ok.  I can still watch and admire them from a distance.

  Early this afternoon, a beautiful osprey sat on the pier post as I was meandering down the board path.  I could hear its screams as soon as I opened the front door so it was only natural that I venture down that way.  The osprey was resting from a day of hunting.  Earlier, it flew over the house with a rather large fish but was back within a few moments.  I assume that either it "presented" its catch to its potential mate or lost the fish to an eagle.  (Eagles are notorious thieves!  They will wait until an osprey catches a fish, then steal it rather than work to catch their own!)  The ospreys do not nest until early April so I am hesitant to say the fish fed little ones but with the warm weather, anything is possible...not plausible nor probable but surely possible.

  This afternoon, the osprey stayed put until I was well on halfway down the pier.  The bird eyed me constantly as if in hopes that I would retreat back up the hillside.  Once it took flight, it made a huge loop and came back to the same post.   I stood watching then turned to let it rest in peace.  There was no need in disturbing this majestic bird.  I was happy just to catch a couple of photos from the distance.

Waging War!

  It seems that during the 1930s, a ship made a run from South America to the Port of Mobile (Alabama).  Supposedly, this ship used dirt as ballast and supposedly, the folks loading the ballast were not overly observant about what dirt they used.  (Or, perhaps, there were no laws about such things back then.)  The dirt contained fire ants and, once the ship made port, the ants found a new home.  So, according to all accounts, Mobile, Alabama was where the feisty critters found their start in the United States.  Since then, the ants found the area favorable due to the warm, humid climate and they multiplied greatly.  The colonies soon spread all over the southeast and that includes the area around the Bayou.  We have our share of the little, biting buggers.  I have been battling fire ants for as long as I can remember!  Not one that likes using a lot of harmful chemicals, I use a method that Mark's uncle taught me.  This involves bringing a very large pot of water to a boil, toting it outside to the fire ant mound, using a long stick, poke a hole in the top of the mound and, finally, dumping the entire pot of hot water into the mound.  The water causes the mound to collapse killing thousands of the mean critters.  The next day, check the area.  Usually, the remaining live ants will be carrying out their dead and the damaged eggs.  Others may be relocating within a short distance and creating a new mound.  It is best to attack both sites this time..the new mound and the old caved-in mound.  This method has proven to lessen the number of mounds in the yard greatly. 

  I did find a huge mound this afternoon.  Son and I were out doing a bit of yard work when I happened to walk past a large clump of palmettos.  I rarely go past this clump since it is on the edge of our property.  Today, however, I meandered on the back side and found the gigantic fire ant mound!  My goodness!  This thing towered above the ground a good 18 inches high and was 2 feet in diameter!  I made a mental note to boil water tomorrow!  Son and I will tackle the colony with a vengeance over the next few days.  Normally, the ants will mate in spring but with the lack of winter, they may take a notion to swarm soon.  It will be wise to try to eradicate them while they are all still in the one mound.

It Is NOT Spring!

  Our winter has not been.  We are sitting at about 70 degrees here tonight and each day has been much the same.  We do have the occasional dip in the temperatures which puts us down into the 30s but those times have been far apart.  This unusually warm time has most of the critters around the Bayou in a state of confusion.  Birds are nesting, fur bearing critters are shedding their winter coats and snakes are out and about.  Today, I saw evidence of another bit of wannabe spring.  

  I opened the front door to be engulfed in a huge swarm of flying ants.  Ugh!  I immediately stepped back indoors, shut the doors tightly and raced to get the bug spray.  As much as I hate to use chemicals around the place, sometimes it is a necessity.  This was one of those times.  The ants were swarming on the east side of the house and were being wafted by the breeze right onto the french doors.  I do not need a swarm of ants inside the house!  My efforts killed a few but Mother Nature came to the rescue after a short while.

  Ants swarm during mating season and that should be anywhere from late spring until mid summer.  It should not be in January!  The ants supposedly need bright sunshine, little wind and warm temperatures.  They also prefer to swarm after several days of rain.  Well, that pretty much describes what has been happening around here lately.  That sunshine was a short lived thing, however.  Soon after I found the ants, a thunderstorm rolled through and then a heavy fog set in for the evening.  The ants may have been sorry that they were so hasty about swarming.  That rainstorm probably killed a good many of those wanting to start a new colony.  Way to go, Mother Nature!  Good job!  While we did not need more rain, that rainstorm was perfect timing!   

Bite/Sting...Whatever!

  Down here in the Deep South (probably in a lot of other places, as well), we deal with a lot of critters.  I am usually pretty tolerant of most as I chose a mantra of "Live and let live".  I do, however, draw the line with things that bite/sting me, eat my garden or eat my house.  Yep, I am talking bugs here.  Our bout with termites eating the house (thanks, Hurricane Katrina) and an onslaught of weird grasshoppers eating the garden has taught me a couple of things.  First...be sure to take care of those critters right away.  Do not assume that because you only see a few, there are no more.  There are and they will soon wreak havoc on everything.   Several types of the critters are literally trying to eat us out of house and home.  We are dealing...slowly. Two...be careful where you step as some of the critters inflict pain!  Causing them to go into defensive mode is asking for trouble!

  One type of critter that is the bane of my existence is the fire ant.  These ants excavate massive hives beneath the ground and create large mounds above ground.  I am ok with ants being around the place as they do serve a purpose.  They clean up dead things or rotted things.  The stench of what could be is not a happy thought.  I am grateful for that but I am not overly happy with the critters biting/stinging me.  I do realize that they are trying to defend their territory but it just happens that this is also my territory.  Accidentally stepping on the side trails of an ant mound can lead to a leg full of nasty pus-filled lesions that can linger for a week or more.  To those that are allergic or weakened, a number of the bites/stings can cause severe medical issues.  

  As you may have noticed, I keep saying bite/sting and that is not an oversight.  Fire ants bite only to get a good grip on you so they can use their stinger which is located on their posterior end.  The stinger is loaded with venom that causes serious pain!  It is because of this, that fire ants are not on my "Like List".  This afternoon, I was traipsing about behind the canebrake when I accidentally stepped on one of those side trails leading to a mound.  Immediately, my leg felt like it was on fire!  The red, swollen areas still itch tonight and it is driving me crazy!!  Fire ants are evil beings!  After the rains that supposed to set in tonight, I shall be out hunting down those critters and exterminating all I can.  This is war!

You Cannot Eat My House!

  I finally have new siding on the Little Bayou House thanks to Hubby and Son.  They have been renovating the place for quite some time due to an infestation of my enemy, termite.  Yep.  The place was being eaten from inside the walls.  So...the walls came down.  New walls went up.  I am a happy camper because termites are gone!  Now it seems as if other critters want to "try out" the new siding.  For the past few weeks, I have found adult antlions, grasshoppers, spiders and wasps nosing around the siding.  While I adore my siding, I am not sure what the great attraction is for bugs.  This stuff is not wood!  The siding is some stuff called cement siding.  It is supposed to be termite resistant at least....termite proof at best.  I am hoping for the latter.  But these other critters are driving me crazy with their affinity for my house.

  The other morning, I noticed what I thought was a smudge on my new paint job.  The siding seemed to have a blotch of something high enough to be just out of my reach.  A few days later, I noticed that my blotch was moving.  There were little squiggles "worming" their way away from the original smear.  Uh, oh!  I do not need more critters.  I climbed a ladder, took photos and sprayed the teeny-tiny, siding-dwelling critters.  After killing the mass of them (there was clearly hundreds), I decided I had better determine the type of critter.  It appears that my house was the host to a couple of hundred moth caterpillars.  Ok, so I have seen caterpillars on plants but never cement siding.  There cannot be much to eat on the side of a house.

  I feel better after eradicating the critters even though I usually follow a no kill motto.  I suppose that strategy only applies when the critter is not trying to literally eat me out of house and home.  Nope...we are not going that route again.  I have had enough already.

If Only Critters Could Talk!

  I managed to slip out into the garden early this morning and was surprised to see how many critters had taken a liking to the chive blossoms.  Usually, the white blossoms are covered with lovebugs but this year there were only a few but joining them was a whole slew of other bugs!  Milkweed bugs, ailanthus webworm moths, longtailed skippers, assassin bugs, honeybees, bumblebees and even mosquitoes were busy on the blossoms.  Those were the ones I recognized.  Many more were flitting and crawling about the flowers.  Some, I was able to photograph.  Others were far too fast!  And then there were those that were too shy to stick around long enough for me to steady the camera in their direction.

  Finding so many different critters interested in the chive blossoms made me curious as to their nectar.  Is that stuff sweeter than say the roses that were blooming just a few feet away?  Does it taste better than the morning glories that fill the fence a directly behind the chive garden?  Are moonflowers, lilies and crepe myrtle blooms just not good enough for the bugs?  To me, the blossoms always tasted garlicky...these are garlic chives, after all.  So what is the big attraction here?  If only critters could talk!

Yet Another Swarm

  Ok, folks.  Any of you living down here in the Deep South, you are receiving fair warning.  It is THAT time of year again.  It is high time you make preparations for the coming "storm".  Yep, August/September is THE season and I noticed the very first intrusion just this morning.  Lovebugs!  Yep.  The lovebugs (also known as Honeymoon Bugs) are coming.  You had best be ready so get out your hairnets, bug sprays, car washing equipment and suit of armor (if you so desire) even though that is overdoing it just a tad.  Just be prepared for the bazillion or so bugs to soon be swarming....everywhere!  Much to the disdain of every Southerner, the bugs are coming whether we want them or not.

  Lovebugs are a type of marsh fly that swarm in early spring and then again in fall.  Contrary to what folks believe, these critters are not coming from other places just to make life miserable.  They are born here.  It is just a fact of life.  The lovebugs (so called because usually the only time they are seen is when they are mating), transform from larvae to insects then fly about in search of a mate.  Once a suitable mate is found, they stay conjoined for about 5 days then they land and the female lays her eggs in leaf litter and mulch.  The male dies almost immediately after mating while the female dies a few days later (after all, she is busy laying eggs).   The eggs hatch and the larvae stay in the leaf litter/mulch nursery and grow.  That is all fine and dandy except when you consider the millions upon millions of lovebugs that keep crawling out of that leaf litter to mate.  It takes a good month or so before the critters are through swarming.  (Don't we have fun??)

  There are "conspiracy" theories that these are an experiment gone wrong.  Folks are eager to blame anyone or anything when they are being covered in critters.  Most likely the critters are just an invasive bunch that came here in a shipment of whatever from South or Central America.   Now, they are here to stay as they have found the place to their liking.  Good news...they do not bite nor sting!  Bad news...their decaying bodies that become plastered to your car can eat through the paint job.  That said...car washes are going to be really busy for the next four or five weeks.