Just Eat The Aphids Already!

     It was a bit disappointing to see tiny aphids hatching out in the garden.  Most folks would douse the garden with insecticides but that is not an option in my garden.  No chemicals!  Anyway, the aphid babies were pretty much making a mess of things all the while I pondered the best method of removal.  Then, I spied my answer.  Creepy crawling on the pea plants were ladybugs...or, at least ladybugs of sorts.  Asian Beetles with their happy Ws on their heads were invading the garden!  Who cares where these critters came from as long as they eat the aphids!

  Supposedly, the easy way to tell the difference in Asian Beetles and Ladybugs is by a clear W on the head of the Asian variety.  Our local critters don't have that monogram.  To be honest, it matters not.  They are all Ladybird Beetles just from different areas and they all eat aphids.  Oh, happy day!

  

Ladybug Diner

  This afternoon, I headed out to pick the figs.  This is a twice daily chore as I try to "beat the birds".  No, I do not wallop the thrashers stealing the figs but I try hard to out race them to the ripe ones.  There are only a few more days that this comedy will take place as there are few figs left on the trees.   Between the birds and me, we have picked the trees clean.  After finishing this chore, it is my habit to walk through the garden to check for any remnant veggies.  It was there that a small red dot caught my eye and made me while away a good half hour.

  One of the garden boxes has a mishmash of plants. One volunteer tomato plant, six marigolds, one chrysanthemum, two mints, a few chives, a couple of purple basils and one struggling rose cutting are all growing there.  In the midst of all those leaves, a red dot scampered.  Aha!  A ladybug had found the mother lode of aphids and was a happy camper!  I watched as the ladybug raced around the leaves in search of aphids.  It would then chow down on its prey before starting anew.  The race was on!

  On closer inspection, there were many ants on the same plants.  At first, I assumed the ladybug was merely trying to outrun the ants but it kept coming back to run atop them again and again.  Then I realized that the symbiotic relationship between the ants and aphids was how the ladybug found its meal.  Ants literally "farm" aphids.  As the aphids suck the juices out of my plants, they excrete "honeydew" which the ants love.  The nectar rich resource is food for the ants.  In return, the ants protect the aphids.  (There have been cases known where ants will tote aphids with them if they have to move their nests.)  The ladybug, on the other hand, dines upon the aphids, themselves.  

  Usually, the ants and ladybugs tolerate each other and pretty much ignore one another.  Neither are predators to the other.  They both happen to be interested in the third insect..the aphid.  Personally, I would rather have the ladybugs than either the ants or aphids!  Chow down, Ladybug!

For The Want Of Ladybugs!

  For the past few days, I have noticed tiny bugs dropping from trees near the back porch.  At first, it was hard to distinguish these from the pollen and blossom drop from the black gum trees and oak trees. Since the every bit of the porch, Frog Pond and back yard is covered with the greenish yellow pollen, it was difficult to even find the minuscule greenish yellow bugs.  BUT...they were there!  As I worked in the gardens, I would find the little rascals crawling on my shirt, in my hair and even in Ms. Nycto's long black fur.  The cat did not seem to mind but I did!  What were these things and where were they??  

  This morning, I found them.  The two pear trees that flank the back porch were literally crawling with things.  Ugh!  Every leaf, blossom, twig and new shoot was mounded over with bugs.  At least this gave me a closeup view of the critters without them crawling on me.  Aphids!  Millions of aphids!  Aphids everywhere!   Actually, these are green peach aphids.  Stupid aphids!  These are pear trees!  Ok, time to attack the critters that were attacking my trees.

  Since I am not one to douse every plant with some harmful chemical, I had to come up with a more earth friendly spray that would eliminate the bugs but not harm the birds, the cats and, well, me!  While Son repaired the sprayer, I pondered the situation.  It was not long before a solution was found.  The sprayer was filled with a combination of water, dish soap and apple cider vinegar.  The dish soap is a "clean" (pun intended) brand that does not cause problems in the garden.  It would make the vinegar stick to the critter and hopefully kill it.  

  Son volunteered to soak the trees.  He hopped up on the porch rail and started shooting the stuff at the tree.  The stiff south wind aided him in his quest.  The trees were soon covered in what Son was calling "Easter Egg Goop".  (Anything that smells like vinegar reminds him of dying eggs as a kid.)  Once he finished the job, he asked me to spray him.  Hundreds of the little critters were crawling on his shirt.  Since the spray was also "people friendly", I obliged and he soon smelled like an Easter Egg himself!

  The mixture did work and most of the aphids are dead even though they are still plastered to the leaves.  Tomorrow, Son will mix another fine blend and repeat the process.  Hopefully, a million or so aphids will bite the dust and my pear trees will be happier.  I know I will be!  Where are those ladybug swarms when you need them??

A Buggy Sort of Day

  Early this morning, Mark and I made a trek to the pier.  It was a gorgeous day and felt grand to be outside....before the rains start again tomorrow.  While there, I noticed that the Groundsel Bushes were starting to bud and there were a number of False Ladybugs crawling about them.  (I say false because these are the Asian Beetles that have more white on their heads that the Ladybugs)  On closer inspection, those beetles were there merely because of an infestation of aphids.  The tiny aphids had obviously just hatched as they were still relatively small. The beetles were making quick work of the little varmints, though, so all was well.  I am good as long as the Asian Beetles are behaving nicely and not causing problems.  They do eat a number of garden pests and are rather cute.  The only downside is that they will overwinter in cracks and crevices in the house and that they BITE!  Not that one has ever bitten me but folks have told me that they have received a nasty (albeit small) bite from a beetle when the bug was handled.  Dozens of the critters were on the bush and I handled quite a few...no bites.  Maybe I just taste bad.

  Anyway, as we were watching the aphid-munching fest, I noticed another denizen of the Groundsel Bush.  A tiny caterpillar was busy with his own breakfast.  This caterpillar was rather unusually beautiful for a glorified "worm".   It was sort of bronze in color with a hint of blues and greens.  A sheen of gold made it sort of metallic looking.  The caterpillar really was unlike any that reside in the garden.  As I was photographing the one, Mark called my attention to dozens of other caterpillars.  The look-a-like critters were all filling their bellies with the new growth on the bush.

  One would think that such a lovely caterpillar would surely morph into something as equally lovely.  Perhaps this was the forerunner of a gorgeous butterfly or majestic moth.  Not so...this is the caterpillar that morphs into none other than the Groundsel Bush Beetle.  The beetle, itself, is not particularly showy.  It has a greenish yellow head with a few black dots and black wings edged with the same green/yellow.  I will have to wait a few weeks to get a photograph of the adult as none were present today.

  As its name suggests, the Groundsel Bush Beetle loves to munch on the leaves of the Groundsel Bush.  Since this is so, the beetle was actually introduced in parts of the world where the Groundsel Bush was becoming a nuisance or invasive plant.  It only takes a short while for the caterpillars to totally strip a bush of its new leaves.  If the bush was weakened by a severely cold winter or other disease, this defoliating would bring sure death to the shrub.  Here the bushes do well.  They love the brackish waters of the Bayou and multiply like crazy.  It does not bother me to see the caterpillars stripping the bush near the pier.  

  As long as the aphids, Asian Beetles and Groundsel Bush Beetles all stay down near the marsh edge and do not make an attempt to munch my garden, I am happy.  They can live in peace and I will have plenty of subjects to photograph.  Be happy, little bugs...just do not be happy in my gardens!

The "Honey-Dew" List?

I remember back in the day that my grandmother kept a "Honey-Do" list.  On this list, there were a number of tasks that were meant for my grandfather to do.   He would dutifully choose items from the list in order of what he thought would make her happiest.  Usually, the list contained things like check the mail, pick up milk at the grocery store or fix the latch on the screen door. Occasionally, however, some major chore was written among the five-minute jobs.  Usually, he knew that the chore needed attention but he never minded the reminder.  Not that this "Honey-do" list has anything to do with what popped in my head earlier but the list name is a homophone to what I observed today.

Honey do or honeydew..both are pronounced identically but mean something oh, so different!  The sun was bright today which finally allowed me to get outdoors.  I toted my camera and my new lens!  Mark bought a macro lens for my camera as a Christmas gift for me!  I have been wanting one for some time now and was elated to be out experimenting with closeup photographs!  I took pictures of grasses, mosses, pine needles and tree bark.  I found that I have a lot to learn about using this lens.  It is far different than my other lens.  As Ms. Ez and I moseyed about the hillside, I kept a keen eye open for possible photograph subjects. It did not take long before I found some likely subjects!  Aphids!  Normally, I despise aphids!  They reek havoc on my plants!  These were huddled on the Asclepias plants or Butterfly Weed!  Tons of tiny orange nymphs all climbing over top of each other.  Tons of aphid nymphs with their honeydew droplets glowing bright in the fading sunshine.  Tons of nymphs eating my plants! Tons of nymphs that will transform into large aphids!  But..it was that honeydew that drew my attention.  The gold blob was being gathered by a small wasp.  It seems that when the nymphs or aphids go to suck the juices out of my plants they digest the stuff then eject it as honeydew.  There it sits until some wasp or ant comes along and dines upon said honeydew.  Eeewww!  That sounds rather disgusting!  Why in the world would anyone give such a pretty little name to what amounts to poop!

All in all, as I watched the nymphs and wasp, I learned something about the relationship between aphids and other critters.  While the wasp went from aphid to aphid dining upon the honeydew, a number of ants crowded the nymphs into tight herds.  I was beginning to root for the ants until I realized that they were merely keeping track of their food source.  No..the ants did not eat the aphids, they ate the honeydew!  Oh, my goodness!  I have farming ants!  The ants were protecting the aphids all the while keeping close watch on where they went.  The ants did not want the aphids to get too far out of range as then the honeydew would be gone as well!  Well, I like that!  Ants are now helping bugs eat my plants! Aphids are feeding wasps and ants!  My garden is doomed!  I knew you could never trust an ant!  I suppose tomorrow Michael and I will wage war on the bugs.  It is never too soon to help the spring garden! At least I did get a trial run of my new camera lens!......Aggravating ants...wicked wasps...awful aphids..What next?