Not Participating At All

   The other day, I found a caterpillar just crawling down the garden path.  It was not devouring my plants, not pupating, not doing much of anything other than taking a stroll.  Well now, my fine friend, you cannot stroll down the busy garden path without some danger.  Too many of us are making trips through the garden these days.  I picked up the fuzzy, prickly critter and pondered just what to do with it.  I wondered if it had fallen from the gum tree or had merely rode in on my shoulder.  I had just been working near the shiny berry bushes and could have inadvertently become "attached" to the fuzzy thing.  A quick decision was made to move the caterpillar to safety even if it meant transporting it to a new territory.  Its wellbeing was more assured anywhere off this garden path.

  I toted my new friend down to the shiny berry bushes and carefully placed it among the branches.  It immediately dropped to the ground.  Hmmm....I tried again.  The caterpillar was put back on a branch.  Down it went.  Critter!  You are not participating in this safety measure at all!!!

  This all black woolly bear caterpillar will soon become a Giant Leopard Moth.  The critter is unlike the other woolly bears that have the red or reddish brown stripe.  Those weather predictors are a completely different sort.  Our solid black one refuses to be a part of such folkloric nonsense!  It has decided to leave the weather predictions to its doppelgangers, the Tiger Moths.  The Leopard Moth caterpillar has no time for such foolishness!  It has a goal to meet! 

  Perhaps I stymied the poor caterpillar in its goal to find a place to pupate.  After the third time of the critter dropping to the ground, it was left to its own accord.  I had already interrupted its life enough.  Hopefully, it found a safe place among the leaf litter under the shiny berry bushes to continue its life. It would be lovely to see the lovely moth in a couple of weeks....if it wishes to participate.

Life in the Orange Trees

   A massive cleanup of the yard is in full swing.  There were so many back-to-back hurricanes and tropical storms crashing through the area that we never completed one cleanup before another had to begin.  Usually, those were put off as much needed repairs were done first.  Now, however, there has been just enough break for us to really make progress in areas that were neglected...neglected far too long.  This cleanup has brought some giggles...some tears...and a lot of achy muscles but...we are making progress.  

  While doing this cleanup, Son noticed that there were termites literally infesting the live citrus trees.  I was wondering why so many looked rather puny this year but never expected it to be termites.  He started treating the ground around the trees and I started lopping off any limbs that looked compromised. It is just about to the point that we should fully take out the whole grove but we will try to salvage any that we can.  It was on one of those "lopping frenzies" that I had to stop and enjoy one of those miracles of life situations.  A Great Swallowtail was just emerging from its cocoon!  This was interesting enough but then I found an Orange Dog Caterpillar on the same tree!  How neat to find two stages of the same type butterfly!  Too bad neither of these eat termites.

Caterpillar Tendrils!

   It occurred to me today that this old world is filled with some of the most marvelous creatures ever.  Sure, most of us can recognize thousands of critters even if it is from only picture books but, sometimes, ones plop down upon us and cause us to scratch our heads in wonderment.  

  Literally, that happened today. Kerplop!  A critter landed on the wicker chair next to me.  Son happened to see it and then questioned if I had any idea what it was.  Nope.  Never saw one before in my life...even in those picture books.  So, we did what we always do.  We took photographs.  I took some.  Son took some...just in case the others were not clear enough for an identification. Then the magic of the internet came into play!  Instead of browsing millions of photos online, I merely type in a vague description and, BAM!, there you go!  Good old Google has an answer.  My search line was "orangish brown caterpillar with tendrils".  

    This is a horned spanworm and those little twirly things are called tendrils!  This critter obviously fell from either the hickory tree or the oak tree that shaded the chairs.  The caterpillar chews on the leaves of hardwood trees so that makes the most sense.  (At least, it is not a cabbage worm!)  When the caterpillar ages, it will turn into a rather nondescript brownish gray moth. 

  While this is all interesting, it was those tendrils that captivated my attention.  Most of the time, the tendrils are small and mostly unnoticeable but when the critter is disturbed, that all changes.  It can puff those things up until they are quite scary looking.  The most noted theory is that tendrils are supposed to be a disguise and make the critter look like some odd flower with long stamens.  To my way of thinking, it looks a lot more like a spider than a flower.  Also, to my way of thinking, that makes more sense as appearing to be a scary predator is a probably a better defense that looking pretty.  Also, if you look really close at the last photograph, you can see what appears to be claws!  SCARY!  (Aren't we glad this thing is about an inch long and not some dinosaur sized creature!)

  Either way, Son and I finished our photo session with said critter and then I gently put it back on a hickory branch where it immediately started munching more leaves.  (Like I said, at least, it is not a cabbage worm!)  That ended our encounter with a very unusual and unknown (at the moment) critter that literally dropped in to visit us.

Let The Worm Turn

   Yeah, I know the title does not exactly fit the story but, if you really think about it, the worm is turning...or in this case, a caterpillar so maybe it does.  I went to the vegetable section of the Small Gardens this morning to do a bit more clearing of the spent plants.  As I went to pull a ragged tomato plant from the ground, something caught my eye.  Oops.  Can't pull that one!  Right on the tip top of the tallest stalk was a tobacco horn worm.  Yes, I do usually pull the worms off of the plants and get rid of them but, this time, it was different.  The season is gone.  There are no more tiny tomatoes on the plants so why not let the critter have its fill of the last few leaves?  The worm can then change into a moth that will help pollinate plants.  Yes, I know that this caterpillar will change to a moth that will then lay eggs and make more caterpillars....that eat my plants!  Still, that "live and let live" motto started buzzing about the head. Go for it, caterpillar!

  That said, the garden will have to wait a bit before being fully cleared and prepared for a fall planting. One caterpillar just changed the whole plan for the day.  One caterpillar postponed a chore.  One caterpillar will probably come back to haunt me by laying a billion eggs that will eat next year's tomato plants!  One caterpillar...oh, well.  It is what it is.  Chow down in peace, little one.

Just Leave Them!

  I am not one to go around needlessly killing critters...any critter.  There are very few critters on my "exterminating" list.  Things like termites, mosquitoes and gnats top that list along with roaches.  The life span of any of those is very short if I have anything to say about it.  Still, there are those folks that get "bug spray" happy and use enough of the stuff to thoroughly poison their entire home and yard.  Not me.  If a critter stays outside, then it can live.  Enough said.  Most of the time, the same folks that are busy with their sprayers are the ones that will remark about how beautiful a butterfly is or lament the decline of the honeybees.  They love the beautiful "swan" of a butterfly but hate the "ugly duckling" also known as a leaf-eating caterpillar.  Well, you can't have one without the other.  It does not happen.  I like butterflies as they do a great job of pollinating things along with acting as yard ornaments.  The caterpillars make an unsightly mess of plants but are only doing what they are meant to do so caterpillars in my yard are not doused with insecticides.  

  Today, the citrus trees were deemed an "unsightly mess" since the orange dog caterpillars are out and about.  They are happily munching the leaves of every citrus tree on the hillside!  If this keeps going, I will soon have "bald" trees!  Orange dogs are those funky caterpillars that look like and smell like bird poop.  This is their camouflage and only bit of protection other than a weird projectile that resembles a snake's tongue.  This odd thing is their osmeterium gland and is what causes the stench that scares away most predators.  (It scares me!)  As ugly as the caterpillars are, they do turn into some rather lovely butterflies.  The orange dogs are the caterpillar stage of the giant swallowtail butterflies! 

 I read where one "environmental group" recommends that it is best to "hand pick the caterpillars and place them in a baggy to be discarded in the trash."  Whoa!! Some environmental group that is!  To my way of thinking that is rather cruel!  Think about the slow death the caterpillars have to endure!  If you really must get rid of them, hand pick and smash them.  Or even better...leave them! Don't kill those ugly ducklings if you want beautiful swans.  The butterflies that grace your flower gardens have to start somewhere!

Attack of the Worms!

  A quick dash outside in a break in the thunderstorms found me face to face with some unsavory characters.  While I was picking tomatoes, a white fluttering caught my eye.  Hmm, that appears to be something in the persimmon tree down near the marsh edge.  Despite getting thoroughly soaked by a mist that was rapidly turning into a sprinkle, a hurried hike to the tree was in order.  Oh, my!  I almost wish I had not seen this.  There, in the persimmon tree (probably twenty five feet up), was a huge mess of tent caterpillars or web worms, as folks call them.  Just what I needed!  Those things are messy and eat just about anything and everything in sight.  The web was getting soaked with the overnight rains so the caterpillars were hastily retreating onto the limbs of the tree.  Perhaps they figured since there was obviously a "leak" in their tent, they needed to seek higher ground.  

  Hurrying back inside, I thought to study the critters as best I could.  Do they really do the major damage that I had always been told?  Or perhaps, was the lore connected with the critter just a bunch of nonsense?  As long as I can remember, the thought was to kill each and every one of the critters.  So..I researched.  Yep, sure enough, the tent caterpillars do indeed munch a bunch but it seems that what aggravates folks the most is the "unsightly" webs that adorn the trees.  No one wants huge webs strung about their well-manicured lawns. Persnickety bunch of folks, huh?  That explains the current thought but why did farmers from days past fret so over the caterpillars?  Seems that it had more to do with the mass migration of worms as they search for a protected place to pupate. If there were many webs in an orchard, the worms would literally take over the place.  Fences, woodpiles, sides of barns, roadways or anything in the path of the caterpillars was covered by tens of thousands of two inch critters. I guess seeing that many critters on the move would be pretty unnerving.  So, folks took action against the critters.

  For a while, chemicals were the way to go.  Spray everything in sight with harmful chemicals and let other critters (humans included) beware!  Recently, however, things have gone "green".  More "natural" and "organic" sprays have been developed that deter the critters.  That is good news!  Pop, his generation and even, I am sure, previous ones had a more direct method of dealing with the tent caterpillars.  FIRE!  Yep, they would burn those boogers right out of their tent homes!  A long cane pole was rigged with an oily rag to make a torch.  Add a bit of turpentine and strike a match.  Poof!  The web was singed right along with its residents.  Of course, occasionally, a few tree limbs were accidentally scorched, black smoke filled the fields and, occasionally, the torch-bearer would receive a burn during the process.  The torch method was used back on the farm as far back as I remember.  In the later years, however, Pop (being the innovative fellow he was) rigged a blow torch on a long cane.  This worked well but still had its pitfalls.  While the smoke was alleviated, the torch still singed tree limbs and the weight on the end of the cane pole made it unwieldy.  

  After thinking about the alternatives of reaching the extreme height of the webs, my method is "leave them be".  I may learn to regret this but, since this is a once a year occurrence, I will ponder it again next year. My mindset may be changed by then.  Until then, I can only hope that the torrential rains will wash the critters from their tents and allow the birds to feast upon them.  Ahh, I like that thought!

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!

Spring has Sprung

  Spring has sprung here on the Bayou.  I know this because the little fennel-munchers are out in full force.  I hate to tell them but I like fennel, too, so they need to calm down a bit and let the stuff grow.  While out in the garden today, I noticed that not only is the broccoli being attacked but the fennel has literally been invaded!  I do not mind so much about the broccoli as it is about to be yanked from the ground to make room for the summer squash but, egad!, my fennel?  Is nothing sacred?

  Dozens upon dozens of the black swallowtail caterpillars are munching happily on the feathery fronds of the Florence  Fennel.  While this does not hurt the growth of the large fan-shaped root, the caterpillars will render the leaves into an unsightly mess!  But...that said...I hate to kill them.  It is sort of a conundrum.  Do I wish to have pretty herbs or do I want pretty butterflies?  Answer?  The caterpillars win.  I love to watch the butterflies flitting about in the garden so it is not in my will to kill the critters that are devouring my herbs.  Mother Nature wins again.  So be it.

 

All is Lost

  Gone.  Kaput.  Done for.  Everything is lost.  Yep, as much as it has provided for us this winter, the broccoli has gone to complete and utter rubbish. This, though part of the life of broccoli, is not all of its own doing.  While I did intentionally let the stuff bloom and then go to seed, its demise was a different story altogether.  By the way, most folks do not realize that when eating the lovely, healthy green stuff, they are actually eating the buds of the plant.  Those buds do eventually open to make quite pretty, yellow flowers.  And I mean by "most folks"...everyone else that eats broccoli.  We not only munch the nice, fat heads but also the broad leaves that adorn the stalks.  These are delicious!  I am surprised that no one else has ever discovered this fact and demanded that they be offered in the grocery stores!  Broccoli leaves when steamed make a healthy pot of greens to add to the supper table!  So folks, eat all the buds you want but try the leaves as well!

  Now that I have totally gotten away from the fact that my broccoli...greens, buds and blooms, has come to a sad end, I will explain the  reason.  WORMS!  Or, more accurately, CATERPILLARS!  To be even more accurate, Cross-striped Cabbageworms.  Not fun critters at all when they are devouring my supper.  These critters will eventually change into cute, innocent-looking moths but do not let looks deceive you!  Their young have voracious appetites and have a penchant for my broccoli.  

  It seems that the Cross-striped Cabbageworms and their happy moth parents are a southern thing.  Perhaps they do not like the cooler weather and prefer our warm, wet springs and hot summers but I do wish they were not so comfortable in my garden.  I have a particular distaste for spraying nasty chemicals on my foodstuffs so, as I see it, I have several choices.  I can try to convince the birds that the caterpillars are tasty, pull up my prized broccoli plants or let the moths win.  The first would be the happiest choice but how do you sway a bird to doing your work for you.  The last...not hardly!  In my garden, caterpillars that munch the plants are not welcome.  So...I suppose the plants will be yanked from the ground, doused in boiling water to kill the worms and then will become compost for a future garden.  Things look dismal for the plants.....I'm sorry Broccoli!  Our friendship was beautiful while it lasted.

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 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!

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!

The Assassin

  The Florence Fennel is doing extraordinarily well this summer.  I suppose the daily rainstorms are good for its health although the water is taking a toll on the tomatoes.  Fennel will have to somehow become a daily part of our diet at this rate.  I suppose this will be ok except I really don't think the fennel will ever replace tomato sauce in a spaghetti dish! A new diet will have to be pondered.

  Today while Mark and I were out and about between thunderstorms, we noticed that the fennel plants were covered with caterpillars once again.  The Black Swallowtail butterflies must have been busy!  We counted over thirty caterpillars on one clump of the fennel.  Geez!  I suppose I could have started picking and squishing the critters but something tells me to just leave them be.  I like butterflies and you just cannot have one without the other.  While we were staring at the munching and crunching caterpillars, Mother Nature took measures to stop the total ruination of my fennel.  A wasp violently attacked one fat caterpillar!  

   In a matter of minutes, the wasp was making a meal of the hapless critter.  I had never seen a wasp rip into another critter with such voracity!  This thing was literally ripping the poor critter to pieces!  It was not a pretty sight but mealtime in the wild rarely is.  The wasp tore piece after piece from the caterpillar.  It did not take long for the caterpillar to be mostly consumed.  All the while, their sibling was being devoured, the other caterpillars calmly munched their own meal.  Not once did a single one seem to be disturbed by the actions of the wasp even though the assassination took place just inches from their place on the stalk.  None were afraid that they were to be eaten next. None made an effort to come to the aid of their sibling.  They just placidly ate. Wow!  The Wild World Of Nature is a strange one.

  Perhaps I needn't be too upset about the caterpillars on the fennel.  It seems that Mother Nature always has a way of balancing things.  I know that since the wasp found an easy source of food, it will be back to attack again and again.  The wasps of the garden will keep things in check.

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.

Orange Dogs

Orange Dogs! No.. my dog, Ezzy, is not being dressed up as a pumpkin for Halloween. I am not even one that dresses her up as anything as I am quite sure she would probably eat any costume that I put on her! As matter of fact, I am not even talking about Ezzy or any other dog. I am referring to a caterpillar. My citrus trees were under attack by some unknown assailant that was chewing off some of the leaves. It seemed to prefer the new, tender leaves so I figured that I would not have a difficult time finding the culprit. I looked and looked. I peered under and atop the leaves. Finally..there it was! Staring me in the face (as much as a caterpillar can stare) was an orange dog! I understand the reasoning behind the "orange" part of the name even though they are not orange. They are particularly fond of citrus leaves..lemons, limes and..get this..oranges! But to be honest, it beats me as to why they are called "dogs". They do not resemble a dog at all. Rather, they bear a strong resemblance to bird poop! I mean a really strong resemblance! They even smell bad! The strange thing about the Orange Dogs is that they will eventually turn into a beautiful Giant Swallowtail butterfly! How does something so ugly make the change into such a beautiful creature as a butterfly is beyond me. You talk about your "Ugly Duckling" fairy tale!

After the caterpillar incident, it was time for some more Halloween fun! I put up some more garland of Fall leaves and then headed for the entryway. This room is far becoming my favorite "theme" room. The parlor look was coming along right well after hanging the creepy cloth curtains and arranging the shelf of "family portraits" but I still wanted to add some more "special effects". The old cast iron parlor stove looked bland sitting there vacant and unused. To build a real fire in it would be a tad stupid since there are no stove pipes to vent the smoke. Fake fire! I wanted a dark and gloomy "parlor" to greet guests on Halloween night and a grate full of smoldering embers would be perfect. To create this look, I first placed a crumpled piece of aluminum foil on top of the grating in the stove. Next, an unobtrusive wire basket from the kitchen shelf would hold my "embers". Two (twenty count) strings of white lights, a piece of orange glass and some clear glass marbles became my fire. This was topped with enough tiny (two inch) pine cones to cover most of the marbles. The wires from the lights were strung up through the back of the stove where the piping should go and plugged into an extension cord. Now the moment of truth.Would it appear to be hot coals? Yes!! It worked! The "blinkers" on the

lights added the look of "burning" coals. I now have a fiery wood stove that won't heat up this tiny room on Halloween night! No need to cook my guests! Little by little, my creepy parlor is coming to fruition! Maybe a few ghosts should be enjoying this cozy little nook..we shall see!!!