Of Importance...Praying Mantis Egg Case

  The weather has been plenty warm enough to plant the spring/summer gardens.  Mark has been building several raised gardens to go along with our in-ground plots.  These are being filled with mulch from the downed leaves (winter storm) and compost from our bins started last year.  There will be no need to buy the chemical-laden stuff this year which makes me elated.  So far, squash, potatoes, bell peppers and tomatoes have been planted with hopes of digging rows for green beans coming this weekend.   It is a lot of work but the rewards are great...fresh veggies without the high cost, getting a workout without a gym membership and lots of sunshine just to lift the spirits.  I guess all of the elation comes from memories of growing up on a small farm and the happy times as a kid.

 In one of the veggie plots there is a pear tree right smack in the middle.  When it was planted, I had no idea that my gardens were going to expand to this area.  The tree does not present a problem and actually provides a bit of cooling shade to some of the plants.  As I was looking at the pear blossoms, I noticed a bump on one of the small limbs.  Yep, there was a praying mantis egg case!  Yay!  I am excited!  I am in hopes that every last one of the eggs in this case would hatch to be a healthy critter.  That would mean that up to 200 praying mantids would roam the garden devouring all of the pests that intended to devour my plants!  After admiring the case for a few moments, I started to work again.

  On the west side of this same garden, there is a small persimmon tree that has seen better days.  In fact, I do believe it has met its demise so I started to remove it.  While examining the small tree for any life, I found yet another praying mantis egg case!  Whoa! That could mean up to 400 mantids!  My gardens would definitely benefit from this.  Needless to say, the persimmon tree (even though quite dead) will stay put for the time being.  That egg case is valuable if only to a gardener.

Happy Roses

   A month ago, we had several hard freezes for this far south.  The temperatures dropped into the teens which seems frigid to us.  We are not accustomed to such weather!  The usual preparations were made for us to "hunker down" against the cold.  An extra stockpile of firewood for the woodstoves, lights in the pumphouse, bushels of citrus fruits picked and plants moved into the greenhouse (even though it was a makeshift shelter).  Normally since these freezes do not last long, I never think about moving rose bushes to warmer areas but I had a dozen or so cuttings in pots that were just starting to do well so, in they went.  I promptly forgot about them as they hid among the hundred or so other plants.  

  Imagine my surprise when I found that those tiny plants were not only thriving but blooming!  Yep!  Several of the small plants were showing their appreciation for the snug shelter by setting lovely blooms!  It was a welcome sight among the normal drear of winter.

  This week, the weather seems like spring so the plants will all return to the proper "summer" spots and I shall hope for the best.  The temporary greenhouse will be deconstructed and stowed just in case it is needed next year.  The plants will be on their own for the next ten months or so.  Hopefully, the overwintering will give these roses that needed boost to flourish.  Also, hopefully, this is not a "false" spring and I will regret my moves.  

Wild Potato!

  The early morning hours never fail in bringing new discoveries and delightful finds.  At daybreak, I was on the pier listening to the sounds of the world awakening.  With humans being more or less reluctant to rise before the sun, this time is dominated by the critter world.  I sit mesmerized by the melodies of the Bayou.  Of course, it is not only the sounds that are intriguing.  Many wondrous sights abound at that time, as well.  Like I said, most folks never see what the world has to offer because they do not take the time to roam about before dawn.  This morning as I was aimlessly wandering about the place, I noticed a rather large, white flower in the palmettoes.  Since, cottonmouths are also out at this time, I made a mental note to come back when I could see better and photograph the bloom.  

  I admit to forgetting about my intentions for a good while since cutting back a lot of the overgrowth near the pier took up far more time than intended.  It is hard, hot work but, if not done, the place gets quite snaky.  Once the chore was accomplished, it was picture-taking time!  The bloom was still in perfect condition!  So, I braved the palmetto clump to get close enough for a clear photo.  Ahh, lovely!

  This is the bloom of a wild potato!  It is a naturally occurring plant around this area (and most everywhere).  It prefers to be in some of the most inhospitable environments, however, such as the midst of the palmetto clump.  It is a vining plant with heart shaped leaves and a four inch bloom that is white with a rich, violet center.  Looking at the bloom, it is easy to see that it belongs to the morning glory family.  

  Most folks would deem this as a weed and probably use some chemical weed killer on it but I, on the other hand, love the wildflowers that dot the area.  This find brightened my day so, instead of a weed, it is indeed a "glory" and shall grow where it may.

Tiny But Fast!

  Today, I tried to photograph something so small and so fast that nary a picture turned out well.  This was rather disappointing as the critter was adorable and I so wanted to save an image.  It did not happen.  I have lots of photos of a blurry snake but nothing clear enough to say "Hey!  This is a great shot!" 

  Early this morning, Son and I were heading out to cut grass before the next round of rains when I noticed a quick movement on the pathway steps.  Oh, my!  A very slender snake was slithering by my feet.  "Son!!! Can you get my camera?"  Sure enough, he did but when I asked him to take a photo of it so I would not have to move and frighten the snake, Son could not even see the thing!  So, I slowly took the camera from him and tried to maneuver it in front of me so I could take a photo.  The poor little snake was not in the mood for pictures.  It was great, however, at hiding!

  My tiny friend was a juvenile ribbon snake.  While ribbon snakes are all slender and small, this was the tiniest I have ever seen.  Oh, my goodness was that thing adorable!  You just never know what you will find in the Small Gardens on the Bayou!  

Find your smiles

   It is far from being complete but the yard is finally getting to where I enjoy being in it again.   Due to hurricanes and health issues, the place had fallen into disarray.  It was disheartening and, to be totally honest here, I had no energy to even care about it much less fix it.  Also, to be honest again, it was the health issue that kicked me in gear.  Last July I had what the hospital claimed was a stroke.  My personal doctor has a problem calling it anything of the sort since all tests show differently.  Even a year later, there still has not been a clear cut diagnosis so I figure I would not fret over it.  It was during my "quarantine" (time where I was literally confined to what I started calling the "Small Gardens" by orders of Son) that I decided on a plan for the gardens.  Instead of a beautiful lawn and a few well placed flower beds, the entire hillside (over 4 acres) would be transformed into "rooms" with pathways connecting them.  I was not going to interfere with the wooded 4 acres but concentrate, instead, on what was cleared.  Starting with my designated area of the Small Gardens, things started being changed.  At first, I could not do much more than pull a few weeds or paint a gate.  Healing had to take place for me just as much as for the yard. It became a challenge that kept me pushing myself.   Get up, do physical therapy, work as much as I could in the yard, still do the home canning and then sit back and plan what was next.

  This morning as I was out at daybreak, a huge smile spread across my face as I found my first "enchanted" place.  I took the new pathway up the west side of the yard instead of the usual east.  I had just finished this area and wanted to "feel" the happiness.  As I reached the back side of Puddle Pond, rays from the rising sun started filtering through the shrubs. Wow! The enchantment was real!  I smiled.  I really smiled with pure glee at the sight.  No, it was not a massive, slap me up side the head change but was a wee nook of the garden that made me feel totally blissful.  My dream was happening!  

  Are the Small Gardens finished?  Nope and they probably never will be.  This is a work in progress. There is still an incredible amount of work to be done and I shall slowly get there.  The health has greatly improved in some ways but other things have been found that are setbacks.  Still, if I want to have a happy place, I have to keep striving toward it.  If ever the need arises that I have to be confined to the Small Gardens again, I want those smiles to come with each turn of a path.  The entire place will be filled with quirky finds such as the heron decoy (Hurricane Katrina debris) or the leftover Clue Hunt on the Bayou prop bottle tree.  Life is far too short to be stodgy and nitpicky about where the path takes you.  Just go and find the smiles.

Time to Fill the Warbler Feeders!

   Well, either I have not noticed before or this is a first for around here.  Early this morning, I was wandering the Small Gardens when a slight flutter caught my attention.  In the big camellia bush, several tiny birds were flitting from bloom to bloom.  I stepped closer to get a better view.  The birds did not seem to care that I was just a few feet from them and kept on working the blooms.   If I am correct, these are Nashville Warblers and are only migrating visitors to the Bayou.  They are tiny and a soft olive green with a buffy, yellow belly.  Thinking that they were after some tiny bugs in the blooms, I figured I had better check the flowers.  Sometimes ants will go after the nectar of the blooms.  Imagine my surprise when I found no ants in the tree...none...zilch...nary a one!  So...the next thought was "I wonder if the birds were sipping nectar?"

  After doing a bit of research, it seems that hummingbirds are not the only birds that love nectar and these warblers are on that list.  This got me pondering whether they would appreciate the nectar feeders that I usually hang in the gardens for the hummers.  Tomorrow will find me making sugar water and filling a few feeders just out of curiosity.  

Little Ghost!

   Still not able to roam as I wish, I have to find interesting things "where I am planted".  This is fine since my "realm" has greatly increased since the Small Garden "quarantine".  As Queen there, I literally had to delve deep to keep from going stir crazy.  Now, at least, my hikes can take me to the back part of the property.  The marshes and swamps are still a no-go, however.  Soon...I hope. 

  This morning was rather drippy and chilly.  Not much was to be seen as most critters were laying low and trying to avoid being chilled to the bone.  I should have followed suit but my escape had been made and I sure was not going back to the Little Bayou House for a while.  I needed the break.  So, with Mark in tow, the hike commenced.  When we were making our way back from the north end of the property, he decided it was necessary to check a few of the downed oak trees. These still need to be cut into firewood.  While he was surveying his next chore, I surveyed the leaf litter under some bushes.  I was elated to find a little ghost hiding there!  Ghost Plants, Indian Pipes or Corpse Plants...whatever you want to call them...a cluster had popped up and already gone to seed.  One lone fresh plant with its bloom still downturned was among the tall seeded stalks.  What a beautiful find on this drippy morn.

Welcome to Puddle Pond

  Four weeks....just four weeks ago, I was in the midst of creating Pebble Creek and renovating Puddle Pond.  These two features of the yard make use of the drains to capture water from the rooftop.  Instead of letting the runoff wash gullies in the yard, I dug a trench, laid in pond lining and filled it with gravel.  This I called Pebble Creek.  With the help of a pond pump located in Puddle Pond and a long hose running the length of the "creek" water is recycled to make it appear as if the creek is actually running.  Along about halfway, a small foot bridge crosses Pebble Creek and allows for passage into the Small Gardens.  Since falling on bad health just as I completed Pebble Creek, this area has become my new domain.  It is where I must do my healing and I am fully appreciative of the hard work that went in to creating my special place.  I had pushed myself to create the space so I figure that I have every right to call myself Queen of the Small Gardens.  It was my doing and now I shall take refuge here.  

  While basking in the sunshine this morning, I saw that the frogs and toads that visit the gardens nightly have been busy.  Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny tadpoles are in Puddle Pond.  This makes me happy as I know that the project can be considered a success if the critters feel at home in it.  Most folks would have dumped some fancy goldfish or tropical fish in the little pond but it suits me fine to have local critters here.  The frogs are just as adorable and they help out in the gardens by eating a lot of unwanted pests.

  Puddle Pond is a delightful place to watch my little tadpoles as they grow and change to froglets!  It is only about 18 inches deep so the clear waters allow me to view the babies with ease.  Ahh, a bit of hard work has paid off.  I feel rewarded.

Pretty Little Visitor

  Early this morning, the garden was in dire need of a bit of water.  As I was doing my best to save the plants, I caught sight of something in the window of the living room. Well, now this needed to be investigated.  The hose was attached to the sprinkler and I dragged the ladder to the window.  Since our house sits about three feet above the ground and I am quite short, that ladder is used often.  Once I was up almost to the top rung of the step ladder, I realized that it was a moot point.  What I thought was a critter stuck between the window screen and the actual window was really inside the house!  Down the ladder I went.

  Inside, I gently pulled back the curtain to find a beautiful adult antlion!  These thing always give me a thrill as I rarely see them.  "Oh, my!  Little one, you cannot stay in here."  After a few photos, I eased my hand next to the antlion and it readily climbed aboard.  Well, that was easy.  Slowly, ever so slowly, I made my way to the door.  I surely did not want to frighten the poor thing so it took flight.  Adult antlions are rather delicate creatures and catching it while the creature fluttered about could injure it.  Still, it needed to be outside.  So..the door was opened and I stepped outside.  The critter stayed put on my hand.  "Ok, you can go now!  Fly away!  You are free!"  Nope.  The bug did not want to leave my hand.  Finally, after much coaxing and a gentle nudge, the sweet antlion took off in its whirlygig type flight.  It flew to the eaves of the house and landed.  

  This antlion is known as a Glenurus gratus or Tree-dwelling Antlion.  The common name comes from the fact that the larvae live in nooks of trees instead of making funnel-shaped traps in sand.  The larvae eat ants and other critters that climb about in trees while the adults feast mainly on caterpillars and aphids.  This adult antlion is one of my favorites because I rarely get to see an insect with pink wing tips!  The pretty little visitor does need to stay outside, however!

It has eyelids...Not a snake!

  Ok, folks.  It is NOT a snake!  Yesterday evening, I decided to head to the pier to haul in all of the fishing gear.  Once again, we were in the line of  some pretty bad weather and there was no need in letting the gear get ruined.  After everything was toted ashore, I figured that I may as well hike around the property edge before the storms set in for the evening.  Down along the east side near the marsh, I rounded a corner in the path to come nigh on stepping on a critter.  At first glance, I did, indeed, think this was a snake but, then, a closer look and I realized that I had made a mistake.  The critter blinked.  Snakes do not blink!  In fact, snakes do not have the ability to blink as they have no eyelids.  Snakes have a clear scale covering each eye (it is part of their skin).  This critter definitely blinked!  Well, if it was not a snake and not venomous, I needed to investigate.  Actually, at that point its identity was already clear to me but I still wanted to  check out my new found friend.  

  The critter was about two feet in length, light brown with a dark longitudinal stripe down each side and dark speckled markings near the face.  It also had ear holes!  Those ear holes were the definitive factors in identifying this as a lizard!  Yep. I had just stumbled upon a Slender Glass Lizard which is also known as a legless lizard.  To say I was ecstatic would be putting it mildly.  I have long wanted to find a glass lizard since I have not seen one in years.  What a beauty this one was, too!  It still had its original tail!  True to its name, Slender Glass Lizards are pretty fragile things when it comes to their tails.  Like most lizards, when they feel threatened, the lizards have the ability to drop their tails as decoys.  This tail-dropping is called shattering.  A detached tail will continue to thrash about so a predator is distracted allowing the lizard to escape.  

  I was amazed at how docile (almost tame) the lizard was.  I knelt near it to get photographs and then had the bright idea to use the macro lens to get a nice up-close and personal photo.  The lizard did not mind that I was literally shoving the camera to two inches from its face!  Well, if it was that tame, I may as well try to pet it!  Yep!  I did.  The lizard had no qualms about being stroked on its head as I admired its beauty.  Oh, my goodness!  I so wanted to hold this beauty but, using my better judgement, I refrained.  There was no need to cause our meeting to be traumatic for the critter.  (I did not want to be responsible for its tail breaking!).  After about ten minutes, the Slender Glass Lizard eased its way to the nearby pile of oyster shells.  It turned once to look at me as if to say, "Thanks for not being mean!  See you next time!" or at least I hope that is what it was thinking!  


                                                   

The Fertile Soil of a Compost

  As a kid growing up on the farm, my life, of course, was filled with plants.  I was taught how to plant, tend and harvest.  The lessons started with the seeds and how to tell if they were viable and ended with how to preserve the bounty of our harvest.  Pop made sure that his knowledge of caring for plants (and the farm animals) was passed along so "if there is ever a need", I would be able to provide for myself and family.  The knowledge has come in handy as our pantry shelves stay filled with the most delectable treats from our garden plot.  One of the all important instructions was to "never let anything go to waste".  This not only applied to what we could eat or share but even the scraps.  On the farm, most kitchen scraps were fed to the farm animals.  The chickens, hogs and cows loved any vegetable scraps!  What was deemed too far gone to feed the critters was placed in the composting pile.  That, as we all know, is grand stuff for the gardens.

  The compost pile here is in steady use since I am not allowed by the city to have multiple critters running around the place.  So, every table scrap is dumped to be broken down into soil additives.  Of course, the wild critters around the Bayou have a fine time finding free foodstuffs each night but a good bit still rots and the nutrients can be used to grow more plants.  Of course, a lot of rubbish from the gardens makes its way to the pile as well and, occasionally, seeds sprout.  I allow a good many flowering plants to live where they sprout so the compost pile is a makeshift flower garden of sorts.  

  After emptying some coffee grounds into the compost, I noticed that the oxalis or (pink wood sorrel) were blooming in one corner.  They flourish here and are always the earliest to bloom.  Today, however, one bloom was the largest that I have ever seen!   The normal size of each bloom is about 1/2 inch in diameter but this one was easily 2 times that (maybe larger) and, instead of the normal 5 petals, this had many more.  The whole bloom was like a big ruffle!  Thinking this was just a fluke and nothing to be excited about, I checked the other plants and sure enough there were others with the large blooms and equally oversized leaves.  

  Maybe the compost pile is a really good place for the wood sorrel to grow.  If that is the case, I am purely happy to let it thrive there.  These plants hold a special place with me since they have always been favorites of several of the important ladies in my life.   Grandmother, Mom, Aunt Helen and my grandmother-in-law, Momie, all adored the little pink blooms.  Each made the same remark at different times of how they knew spring was here if the wood sorrel bloomed.   I wish they could see these blooms!

Warning! Critter Alert!

  My yard work is in full swing!  Well, maybe I overdid it a bit today since that goofy knee is being rude again but a lot was accomplished!  Perhaps, tomorrow I shall rest.  Probably not but, at best, I will have to hobble about the place.  Today, however, things went smoothly.  The idea was to rake where I cut yesterday and to burn the leaves in the enclosed burn bin.  That never happened.  I raked.  I hauled.  Then, Son hauled...and hauled.  He did not complain since we had good reason for not using the burn bin.  It would have been cruel.

  The early morning raking uncovered a sweet baby turtle.  This was the tiniest thing ever and oh, so cute!  That cuteness overload got me to thinking.  If there was one baby turtle hiding in the leaves, how many more were there and just unseen?  Oh, no!!  A burn ban was self posted and the burn bin sat cold.  Nary a wisp of smoke arose above the Little Bayou House.  Instead, forty some odd times, the wheelbarrow was loaded and hauled to the back of the property.  If a baby turtle or any other critter was inadvertently raked and scooped, it was moved to safety.  There the little critters had a fighting chance to survive and not suffer an agonizing death by fire.

  So, head's up, folks!  While springtime gets us all antsy about making the yard look nice, please be on critter alert!  Be nice to those little tykes hiding in the leaves.  The leaves and yard debris provides a nice safe place for the babies to grow.  They blend well and can hide from predators like coons, cats, snakes, crows and even squirrels!  

  The little turtle that was uncovered was put back in the same area where I uncovered it right after the photograph was taken.  A large mound of leaves was scattered back out over the turtle to provide the coverage it sought in the first place.  I figure that I can always go back and clean that spot after the little tyke grows a bit and goes on its merry way.  Hopefully, the turtle will survive and learn that this crazy old lady meant it no harm.  Perhaps, it will decide the yard is a pretty nice place to live. 

The Jewel on the Forest Floor

  A few months back, I was lamenting the fact that I could find no sundew plants down in the creek behind the house.  There were tons of them in my daughter's bog but nary a one in ours.  It saddened me since I truly love these little plants.  Their bejeweled leaves sparkle and shine with each sunbeam.  The "jewels" are droplets of sweet mucilage (think glue here...yep, glue!) and are designed with one thought in mind...attracting bugs.  Once a critter climbs on board to take a sip, they become ensnared in the sticky stuff and WHAM!, they are caught.  The plant has supper.  The critter is absorbed as nutrients by the plant. Sundews can grow in the poorest of soils due to the fact that they "eat" to gain nutrition.  I like them, not only because they are beautiful, but because they do catch bugs.  One thing we have plenty of here on the Bayou, is BUGS!

 Earlier today, I meandered back behind the canebrake, down the hillside to the creek area.  I could not go deep into the creek bed since a storm is brewing and has the tide in the Bay quite high.  This water pushes into the Bayou and eventually into the creek.  Today, the creek was swollen to the point that it was a bit treacherous to enter.  Snakes would be seeking higher ground and might be on my usual path.  While most would be water snakes, there is always the outside chance that a moccasin might be among the ferns.  It was best that I stick to higher ground myself.  I chose one spot where the sun filtered down between the leaves of a poplar tree dappling the ground below.  Making myself comfortable to listen to the rails chattering their conversations between nest sites, I spied a sparkly red object and had to investigate.  A small patch of sundews was shimmering in the sunlight!  I was elated!  The seven small plants were nestled in a patch of peat moss (which was also a pleasant find!).  Since Hurricane Katrina dumped a couple of tons of debris in my creek, we have been hard pressed to find any such plants and, now, I found a fresh start! These were on higher ground than expected but seemed to be doing quite well.  The sundews were thriving on the many insects already creepy-crawling about the place.  Curious fact...our sundews are not nearly as vivid as those in my daughter's bog.  There are at least 194 species of sundews with some looking quite different than others.  Hers are brilliant ruby red while ours have a good bit of green in the leaves.  Seems like a bog garden needs to be in the works during the near future!  There are so many unique plants that not many folks ever get the chance to see.  It would be fun to share the beauty.