Low Tide, Jasmine and Bayou Scents

   More oft than not, if someone describes the "smells" of a bayou, they have to include the musty, heavy smell of low tide.  It is then that the mud is exposed.  Here, we do not have the sandy beaches or even the hard clay bottoms.  We have mud.  Mud that swallows things completely in a matter of minutes.  To give you an idea about this, when Pop was in his 70s, he was putting an outboard motor on his old, wooden skiff when he slipped.  The outboard motor went into the 2 feet of water and submerged.  Dad never found that motor.  The boat was not 5 feet from shore and the motor still sank to parts unknown.  The muck devoured the thing!  He even took a long pole and gently shoved it into the mud thinking, if he hit something hard, he would know where to search.  The pole was about 10 feet in length and he never hit anything.  Time and time again, he prodded but with no luck. The mud is an entity in its own right.  And, yes, that mud does smell bad to outsiders. We have become so accustomed to the "low-tide smell" that we never notice.

  That does not mean that the Bayou is nothing but stench.  Quite the contrary, my friends.  When in bloom, the place smells heavenly!  This far south, there is always something aromatic in the air.  Right now, it is the Confederate Jasmine.  This vine is one of those plants that was imported from Asia a century ago and has pretty much claimed the area as its own.  The smell of jasmine wafting on the breeze, front screened porches, windows flung open and wooden rocking chairs pretty much adds up to a perfect evening.  

  The jasmine and roses are in full bloom right now, the azaleas with their sweet aroma and citrus trees just waned and the wisteria is setting buds as are the magnolias.  It is practically a merry-go-round of delightful floral scents!  Any of these are enough to make you forget all about our mud!

Can't Have One Without The Other

  Months ago, the fennel was growing well.  It is one of the herbs that is easy to grow, fun to harvest, smells divine and once the seeds are dried, lasts forever!  Fennel is a must have in my herb stash. Not only is it a great culinary herb, it has numerous medicinal uses.  It calms the stomach, clears the digestive tract and can help cut phlegm from sinuses and colds.  I use it so many ways in my home remedies.   Being as it is easy to grow, I have several nice large clumps in the herb garden.  The bright green leaves and yellow blooms add a bit of loveliness to the yard.

  It is those bright green leaves that also attract egg-laying butterflies.  The black swallowtails seem to be especially fond of the plants so after the eggs hatch into hungry caterpillars, the fennel looks a bit ragged for a few weeks.  I am one who will leave most caterpillars alone to dine upon the herbs.  The butterflies are worth a few munched leaves.  Spraying the fennel would not only kill the caterpillars, it would also poison the plants for my use.  

  This morning, the reward of neglecting the fennel for the past few months had paid off.  A gorgeous black swallowtail flitted about the garden.  Obviously, the swallowtails love the nectar of the chive blooms, too!   Its beauty was well worth a few missing leaves.  It sort of makes me sad that, even though most folks love the beauty of butterflies, they hate the caterpillars.  Sorry to inform you, folks...you cannot have one without the other.

A Danger Free Zone!

  There are some things that I just flat out refuse to do.  One being, I will not under any circumstances spray, douse, dust, powder, or otherwise dump a lot of harmful chemicals on my garden.  It just ain't happenin', folks.  Tomato worms will be handpicked, squash bugs cut out of stems and smashed and most other plant devouring critters will be coated with vinegar.  (For some reason, bugs do not like the stuff and while it may burn the plants a bit, it is otherwise harmless.)  By my figuring, if a chemical kills a critter, it cannot be to all powerfully good for my body.  So, that said, the critters do indeed eat their share of my fruits and vegetables.  That is ok, too, since they have to live as well.  

  Other than the fact that insecticides are terrible for us, they are not species specific.  By this I mean, what I spray on the tomatoes for stinkbugs will also kill honeybees and butterflies.  This is not good, by my standards.  I like critters...for the most part.  In fact, I like them so much that I do allow a good many to just munch away to their hearts' content.  The "Fennel Munchers" fall into that category.  Fennel Munchers is a nickname that I applied to the caterpillars of the black swallowtail butterflies.  They do some major munching on the fennel but it is only temporary damage and the end result is gorgeous butterflies that flit about the garden.

  Before the rain this morning, I watched as dozens of fat caterpillars searched for places to attach themselves for the duration of their morphs into their adult stage.  The caterpillars left the fennel and made their way across the ground to the posts surrounding the small garden.  A few attached themselves to the posts but others kept on their journey until they reached the deutzia bush. These climbed and climbed until they each chose a special spot to cling.  This trek to find the perfect spot to morph had to be the most exercise that any of the caterpillars have gotten since they hatched from their eggs.  Other than moving on the leaves they were eating, their entire life up to this point was spent on one plant.  Soon, however, they will spend the days endlessly flying about hunting nectar and laying the eggs on my fennel. After a few days, a hundred or more baby caterpillars will hatch and start eating again.  It is certainly a good thing that fennel is prolific and fast growing!  And it is a good thing that I like butterflies!

Big Changes are Coming!

  Oh, what a beautiful day!  After so many days of steady rain, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and the caterpillars were changing to their chrysalis stages!  Well, actually the first two were right.  That caterpillar thing actually started yesterday in the pouring rain.  And, yep, I was out to witness the phenomenon.  Mark and I made a quick hike about the hillside during a break in the rains and found the caterpillars "in process" of cocooning.

  The Florence Fennel that fills the herb garden with such graceful fronds is the favorite food of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly.  Each year, the plants can be found with dozens of the hungry caterpillars all munching away on my plants.  Since I adore the butterflies flitting about the garden, I do not have the heart to rid the host plants of their diners.  I figure that they cannot do that much harm to a five foot tall plant so I just let them fill their little tummies.  The rainstorm of yesterday did not seem to deter the critters from their morphing process.  When Mark and I went to check the fennel plants, the caterpillars had vacated the fronds and moved onto the fence boards surrounding the garden.  Several had already made the change and were hanging by thin, threads.  One was still a caterpillar clinging to the board.  With another storm in the works, I felt badly for the tiny critter.  Perhaps he would not be able to withstand the pelting rain and the high winds.  I felt the urge to "help" the critter even against what I know Son would have advised.  "Leave nature alone, Mom.  It has done fine all along without your help."  I have heard these words on more (many more) occasions than one.  He admonishes me for interfering with the lives of wild critters but since he was inside, I could help my caterpillar without his knowing....right?  A window from the hotbed would serve as the perfect shelter for my critter friend!  I felt good about my attempt to protect the little guy.

  Fast forward until today.  The two cocoons were still intact on the fence boards.  My caterpillar?  Well, he was having a bit of a problem. Obviously, my protective services hindered his progress....he was still a caterpillar!  That change had not occurred.  Ok...so I removed the window, apologized and wished him well.  Hopefully, a hungry bird would not dine upon the hapless critter.  Two hours after removing the window pane, I checked again and, lo and behold, a chrysalis hung where the caterpillar was earlier!  He made it!  So, I guess I should listen to Son and leave well enough alone.  Lesson learned...at least until next time that I feel the urge to "help"!  On a happy note..it will not be long before butterflies are gracing the garden!  (And laying more eggs on the fennel.)

A Little Foresight Would be Priceless!

 Son has this saying that "Hindsight is worthless unless you learn from it, while a little foresight could be priceless regardless."  He is always spouting some bits of wisdom that could come in handy if only I could remember them when the time comes that they are needed.  It never seems to work that way and I always go about lamenting my missteps. The art of having foresight would be grand but at least I try to look at the hindsight as a learning tool.  This does not mean that I will not make the same mistakes over and over again but, hey, at least I try!

  It seems that I am not the only one that does not "think before I leap" or as Son would say "Two steps in the right direction might save you a lot of pie."  I am not quite sure what he means by this one but surely it has some profound idea behind it.  Today, however, I found that one of my friends did not use a lot of thought before stepping those two steps. The Black Swallowtail Butterfly that frequents the garden did not think through laying her eggs this time of year.  My fennel is covered with the caterpillars!  With the weather forecast calling for a bit of icy weather in a few days, those caterpillars might be in a bit of trouble!  Am I the only one fretting over such things?  Probably.  Son reprimands me for "interfering with nature" when I move the plants and their munchers into the greenhouse so I am trying hard to resist the urge to dig up the huge fennel plant and cart it into a warmer spot.  Poor babies!

  In a weird sort of way, this whole situation makes me feel not quite so inept.  If others (even if they are critters) are making mistakes, then I am not alone in this.  At least I did not leave my kids out in the cold...unlike the "mother" butterfly!
 

 

Who called the caterpillars?

  While out on a hike about the hillside, Mark and I found dozens of fat caterpillars munching away on the fennel.  While I have no problem sharing a few leaves with a couple of the critters, I draw the line at them eating my blossoms and seeds!  I need those seeds for the spice rack! I hate killing anything that might add a bit of beauty to the garden and these caterpillars were destined to become Black Swallowtail butterflies.  What to do, what to do?  I asked my niece, Eva, if she would like to raise some fine caterpillars!  She has a young son and he might just like to have a few bugs!  I fully expected her to give me a firm NO as an answer but, to my surprise, she gave me a joyful YES!  What a relief and what a good mama!

  Mark and I started picking caterpillars!  It seemed as if those critters were multiplying as fast as we picked!  I soon had a gallon jug of creepy-crawlies for Eva and Evan but before she could drive to the Little Bayou House, the hungry herbivores devoured the fennel stalks that I had placed in the jug.  I headed out to snip a few more branches only to find more critters! Eeek!  My poor plant!  

  Once she arrived, we noticed that several of the caterpillars were already making their cocoons.  By the end of the day, she told me that nine caterpillars were safe inside their new homes and waiting to become butterflies.  I am so happy to know that she is caring for the critters and will release them to add beauty to the world!  What a blessing to know someone else loves God's critters even though they munch our gardens!  Thank you, Eva and Evan!

What's for dinner?

  Once again, I spent the day pushing a lawnmower about the hillside.  It seems that once spring made its appearance it is determined to make everything grow with a vengeance.  It is all I can do to keep ahead of the weeds.  Which brought me to my next chore...weeding.  The weeding of the gardens has gotten a lot easier since Mark made me planter boxes. While the idea behind the boxes was to outsmart the tunneling voles, it has made gardening simpler.  The main challenge now is to find space for all of the plants.  But, back to weeding.  While I was pulling vetch from around the blueberry bushes which are not in boxes and prone to have a few (a lot) of weeds.   Then a black blob caught my attention over in the fennel patch.  Well now!  Someone came for dinner!

   The fennel plants were the site of a dinner party being held by some caterpillars.  The Black Swallowtail butterfly had been busy already this spring!  A number of the hungry caterpillars were munching away on my herbs.  They looked like they had been there a while judging by the size of them.  

  My problem comes since I am hesitant to destroy something that is so very beautiful..now and later.  Do I just let the critters eat my fennel and go on to become butterflies?  The problem with that is the fact that the cycle will start anew with each adult butterfly.  My herbs shall never be safe!  Still, I do love the butterflies and even the caterpillars.  So with that thinking...What's for dinner?  It seems to be fennel leaves for some.

Never-ending cycle

  It seems that sometimes there are things in life that go around in some extreme circle.  Where one part ends another just takes off and goes again.  I was out cutting grass this morning when I noticed a lovely black swallowtail butterfly flitting about the yard.  I, also, noticed that very same critter make an extended pit stop at the large fennel plant.  Hmmmm.  I know that the plant is covered with blooms but something seemed a tad amiss.  This critter was not attending the blossoms like it should. It was going for the leaves and stems.  Uh, oh. That is all I needed.  More caterpillars.

  I stopped the mower and watched the butterfly for a few minutes.  Yep, there were sure to be some tiny caterpillars in a few days.  She made approximately ten more stops and deposited the tiny eggs on the stems of the fennel.  I had a decision to make.  Did I want to rid the plant of the plant-chewing caterpillars or did I want to feed the "baby butterflies"?  I pondered this as I went back to pushing that lawnmower.  

  It was not to tough of a decision for me.  I like the butterflies and I am willing to sacrifice a few leaves to them.  In my mind, the butterflies do perform a needed service for the garden through their pollination of the plants.  To have this, I must allow the little ones to grow.  Besides, I love the beauty that these "flying flowers" add to the gardens.  So, the tiny critters will eat to their heart's content and my fennel will take a beating for a few days.  It has not hurt it in the past.  I suppose it will survive once again.

Fennel Eaters!

I was so smart! I found a old, beat-up wheelbarrow and decided that it would be a perfect place to plant a few of the herbs. Here they could grow happily without having to be subjected to nightly pruning by the bunnies. I had Son repair the rusted-out bottom as well as he could and fill it with nice, rich dirt. We added a half sack of cow manure and I set to work planting herb seeds. That was early Spring and I must say that the herbs were doing quite well! The dillweed, parsley and fennel grew to massive size! The stray tomato plant bushed out and set tiny cherry tomatoes. The lonely marigold seemed to flourish with its newfound friends. All was well in Wheelbarrow Land! Until....

Today, I noticed that the dillweed was missing! What? How does and entire plant go missing??? Oh, my! The parsley was on the lam, too! Both had fled the scene! Or something had kidnapped my herbs! Then I spied the culprits..there on the whittled-down fennel plants! My fennel!! Egad! What has this world come to when there are fennel-nappers! Ok..enough..there on what was left to my fennel were the meanies..caterpillars! Lovely striped caterpillars..all green, black and white stripes with yellow polka dots! Pretty little things! They looked like some sort of ornaments dangling on the wispy fronds of fennel leaves. So pretty! Wait..no..not pretty..mean..they ate my herbs!

Now, I have a predicament. What do I do with the caterpillars? Do I leave them to devour the remainder of the fennel and perhaps move on to some other plant? Or do I smish them! I love butterflys, but I also love fennel! And parsley! And dillweed! These particular caterpillars will eventually turn into the Black Swallowtail Butterflies. These butterflies usually lay their eggs on plants in the carrot family and all of these herbs just happen to fill the need of a food source for the hatched out babies. My planting the herbs together in the wheelbarrow did not protect them from critters, it just bunched them all together. By doing this, it was far too easy for the butterfly to lay eggs on a mass of food sources all within a few feet. I made a butterfly nursery!!! But..the Black Swallowtail is an absolutely beautiful butterfly that graces the gardens, bringing smiles to most who see it. It brings smiles to me. I suppose I can do without fennel, parsley and dillweed for a few weeks!

Rescue me!

It is cool here..out of the norm cool. I love it and I am surely not complaining about Fall being here, but I think some of my bayou critters might be. Early this morning as we were just getting started in our work, my son noticed a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly that had just hatched from its cocoon. Its wings were not fully developed and it was struggling to fly. The cool weather made it virtually impossible for this poor thing to move. It had fallen on the ground and surely would have been attacked by the multitudes of fire ants that inhabit this hill. He gently picked it up and carried it to me.."Here, Mom..have a butterfly." "Thanks, Son..just what I needed." Now you can see where this was going..I was to sit and use my hands as a heater for a critter! Not that I have any qualms about holding a bug, but it was a matter of "you found it..you hold it!" The butterfly must have agreed with me..he was staying put! Good butterfly! Soon the warmth from my son's hands allowed the butterfly to start moving easier and he lifted it near a rose. At first, the swallowtail refused to budge from its toasty warm perch but I suppose the scent of the rose soon was too enticing. Slowly, it edged its way onto the petals of the rose. After just a few moments, another beautiful "Flying Flower" lifted it wings and flitted away. Another successful rescue! Another small part of nature allowed to live.

Later as I was walking down the lane, I felt something bite my ankle! Looking down, I could see no bug that might have stung me so I rubbed my ankle. OUCH! Now I knew what was hurting! Rockachaws! Sand burrs! Stickers! Ouch! My sock was full of these things! My goodness that hurt! For those who do not know, sand burrs are the seeds of a grass that usually grows in open sandy areas such as the barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico. It will grow anywhere the seed is deposited in sandy soil. Our burrs were deposited here by Hurricane Katrina.. in abundance. The sand that washed in was so full of the burrs that now our hill is covered with this weed. The burrs are very prickly and are designed to stick to animal fur so they can be transferred to new growing areas. The trouble is..they stick to everything! And are extremely sharp! These pointy things have TEETH! When you come in contact with a few heads of the seeds, my goodness, you will know it! They pierce the socks and with each step pierce your skin. Pulling them off the sock seems like a good idea until you try it..then you again realize..they BITE! The very fine "needles" on each burr are slightly barbed on the end thus making it painful to remove. Hmmm..now I am between a rock and a hard place. Do I leave the stickers in the sock to be stabbed with every step or do I attempt removal only to have them embed themselves in my fingers? Neither! It is most sensible to find somewhere to sit, remove the shoe, carefully roll the sock over the mass of biting burrs to remove it and then deal with these boogers at home with a pair of pliers! There, I will not be reseeding since as soon as I remove them from my sock, they will go into a fire! I am supposing there is a lesson to be learned here..I really should be more careful where I step!

New Addition and Flying Flowers!

This afternoon brought more violent thunderstorms to the Bayou. There was much wind, lightning and torrential rain for most of the afternoon on into the evening hours. This all made me concerned about the newest additions to our hillside. This morning during my early walk, I came across the telltale sign that a baby had hatched. A snow-white eggshell had been discarded away from the nest. It was still moist meaning that obviously the big moment had just occurred. This egg was that of a Mourning Dove and this was probably the second or third hatching this summer. Scanning the low limbs, I soon found what I assume was the father bird standing guard. Slowly I circled the area..almost immediately Daddy Bird literally flopped out of the tree. He staggered, dragging his wing as if hurt. Ahh, the nest was quite close. Sure enough, in a sapling oak covered with a wild Muscadine vine..a nest! Careful not to get to close (since I did not want to disturb Mama Bird) I snapped a few pictures of the nest and then backed away. Daddy Bird went back to his guard post and Mama Bird remained with her hatchlings! I will check on them in the morning, hopefully they made it through the storms alright. Doves actually are not much as construction workers. Their nests are very sloppily made, sometimes with just a few twigs. An interesting note about doves though, they feed their young "pigeon milk" instead of bugs or seeds. This milk is made in the crop of the parent birds and then is regurgitated to feed the babies. These babies will stay in the nest for about two weeks if all goes well.

Mourning Doves are such sweet birds..at least as sweet as a wild bird can be, I suppose. They are not easily frightened by humans which sometimes is not to their advantage. These passive birds are hunted for sport which seems pointless to many. I am not against hunting as a way of obtaining food but doves are small birds to be of much use as a food source. They are only maybe twelve inches in length from beak to tip of the tail. You would have to kill a mass of them to have a meal! I think these doves will stay as "yard ornaments"! They frequently visit the feeders and are a joy to have in the garden.

I also noticed a Monarch butterfly in the garden this morning. Although I am not sure about this, it seems to be a mite early for one to be this far south. If I am not mistaken their migration should be a bit later in the Fall. Maybe this one is getting a jump on the traffic congestion or maybe it just overslept and missed the northward migration. Also, a beautiful Black Swallowtail visited the Phlox. These "flying flowers" add beauty and charm to any garden, although their catepillars have decimated my poor Fennel and

Parsley plants! I guess this is a small price to pay

for the happiness they bring. I am determined to have a "butterfly friendly" garden so I suppose I will have to plant more herbs. Maybe I need to move some inside so I can get my share!