Salt Marsh Asters, Briars and Cow Killers!

The Salt Marsh Asters are in bloom now, which is nice since they brighten up the marshes around the Bayou. These can range in color anywhere from white to purple and although they are very small flowers, they are highly visible against the drab marsh grass. These wiry plants have unusual stems that sort of zigzag back and forth. Maybe this has something to do with growing in the marsh and having to fight for space. It is also one of the few plants that thrive in salt water. Their roots can be completely submerged in the briny water and they will still grow and bloom. The one in this picture was actually growing in about two feet of water, right on the edge of the marsh. The Salt Marsh Aster..one overlooked tidbit of beauty that seems to have no other purpose than to make us smile. Priceless!

Today, I tackled the blackberry vines. These brambles had multiplied to the point that they were taking over the entire garden space that should have been shared with squash and beans. I cut, slashed and ripped my way through a huge mass of them. And they cut, slashed and ripped their way through me! I came out looking like I had just tangled with a bobcat! I admit that I am foolish for not wearing protective clothing and gloves when I do something like this but then again, it was like an inferno out there. Yes, yes it is Fall..but we still had temps in the nineties today. Getting dressed in something other than a cool, cotton shirt and jeans just seemed to be asking for a heat stroke. After trimming back one side of the row, I had to dig out about twenty new vines that were growing in the garden away from the original row. This time, I did use my head.."Son, I need you to dig "a" plant for me." Little did he know that these plants have teeth! Still, he dug them all and even continued on to dig the rows for my Fall garden. The berries he removed had such nice rootstock that I hated to put them on the trash pile. For the time being, they are being stowed in the edge of the pond in hopes of finding a new home. Perhaps some kind soul will adopt these briars and give them space in their garden. If not, I suppose another row is in the making and this entails digging in posts and putting up a new fence. This summer, I picked three or four gallons of blackberries everyday off of the existing vines..what am I to do with another row?? Berries, berries everywhere! I keep threatening to start selling jams and jellies and I suppose these berries would be a good place to start!

While digging trimming the vines, I came across a Cow Killer! This bug is actually the Red Velvet Ant..and on that note, it is not an ant at all but rather a wasp that looks like an ant. A great, big ant wearing velvet clothing in the brightest of reds or oranges. It is the female that is often seen crawling around on the ground..the males have wings so they don't stick around long. She runs around looking for an underground nest of any other insect and then proceeds to lay her egg on the larva found there. This larva will play unwitting host to her larva and will also serve as its dinner. I often wondered about the "Cow Killer" moniker that has been attached to this beautiful creature. Could it really kill a cow? Should I get rid of this beastly bug? If so, how?? Yes, it can pack a wallop with its sting but it turns out that no where in history is there a record of a cow being taken down by our winsome wasp. Whew..that is a relief as I have seen dozens of them scurrying about our yard this summer. Not that I have herds of cows munching grass in my yard, but it is good to know this fact just in case I ever do! It is also a relief that these do not cause any damage to speak of in any way so I will not be inclined to exterminate it. But if anyone feels the need, the recommended method of disposal..a foot with a sturdy shoe! My bug shall live!