They Just Keep Growing

   Hurricanes and tropical storms "donate" a lot of things to us.  The tidal surges reach well into the yard (sometimes as far as inside of the Little Bayou House) and deposit anything that happened to get caught up in the water.  Once the surge reaches our shore, whatever was south of us stays.  It is not a fun cleanup, by any means.  The trash, lumber, downed trees, boats, pieces of houses, furniture...just about anything imaginable gets all tumbled together with marsh, vines and other debris.  This has to be sorted and then disposed of properly.  A very tiresome task that has to be dealt with before the next storm rolls into the area.  

  What does NOT get separated and discarded is the seeds and other minute plant material that soon take root and grow rampantly in our rich soil.  There are far too many invasive plants that come to visit and never leave.  I try to eliminate as many as I possibly can but it is a daunting chore.  I am not about to traipse out into the middle of an alligator and cottonmouth infested marsh to pull up some stupid plant that came from parts unknown.  For instance, we are now being inundated with Sesbania, also known as rattlebox tree.  This small tree started after Hurricane Katrina dumped a few pods but then Hurricane Zeta upped the ante by spewing thousands of seeds everywhere!  At first, I thought "A couple of those won't be bad.  They are pretty things and surely I can keep them under control."  WRONG!!!  While I am able to do a pretty good job of thinning the ones on dry land, those in the marsh just keep multiplying.    Each of those "rattlebox" seed pods can hold up to twenty seeds that scatter everywhere when the pods burst.  It is just my observation but I think every last seed must be viable.  

  Am I to just embrace the beauty of the tree and its blooms or do I try to eradicate these along with the dreaded cogon grass that Katrina gave us?  If I am to attempt this, how???  Like I said...I'm smart enough to stay out of the reach of the gators and moccasins but how do I reach those trees?  Wonder if there is a market for these things?  Hmmm?  The bajillion seeds could be potted and sold.  I would be rich!  Anyone want to buy an invasive tree? 

Mace Sedge and Tiny Spiders

   After any tropical system that hits the Bayou, I am always a bit concerned about those dratted invasive species that are often washed ashore.  We have become plastered with cogon grass, water hyacinths, brown widow spiders and eastern lubber grasshoppers all thanks to one storm or another.  None of these were present when I first moved here from the old farm place across the road.  Now, I find that there are several more "pond" plants that are clogging up the waterways of the Bayou.  Soon, there will be no way to navigate the twists and turns and, soon, there will be no Bayou left to enjoy.  Even from the shoreline, you can see masses of floating plants that were not there before the latest system (Claudette).  A few were washed in on the high tides and now are multiplying rapidly.  There is nothing I can do to save my Bayou from this mess.  Son and I pull out any of the plants that we can reach from the pier and small skiff but it is a dauntless job to empty an entire bayou of unwanted items.

  Early this morning, my walk to the pier caused a bit of concern.  Near the sloped step up to the planking, a large plant loomed where one had not been a few weeks ago.  With the copious rainfall, I had neglected to see this one.  It worried me that this would be another "problem".  Since I could not get to the plant for fear of getting totally mired in by the squishy mud, several photographs were taken of the plant to use as a reference for me to study.

  It appears that my fretting was for naught.  The plant is actually sold in nurseries as an ornamental and is not considered invasive.  Carex Grayi or Mace Sedge grows in large clumps but is easily controlled and is a source of food for some birds.  The flowering part does indeed look like a medieval weapon, of sorts!  

  It is funny how after spying the Mace Sedge and worrying about the possibility, I suddenly became engrossed in photographing a tiny spider that was repairing her web after a night of successful hunting.  The sweet little thing had her web strung between several of the "maces" on the plant.  It occurred to me that she was one smart spider.  Her choice of making the web in the muck and mire of the Bayou ensured that she would snare plenty of mosquitoes.  At the same time, the pointy sedge knobs give her a slight bit of protection from any small predators that may wish to eat her!  Critters are amazing.  I am sure glad her choice of a homesite is not something I have to eliminate as I would hate to disrupt her important work.

A Pretty Problem

   A while back, someone obviously dumped a bunch of pond plants into the Bay.  While this may not seem to be a big deal, it is since most of the plants used in ornamental ponds are not native to the area.  When you put them in an environment that is perfect for growing...they grow...and grow.  The Bay is a lot larger than any tiny pond, so the plants simply multiply to great ends.  This creates problems as now the native plants are squeezed out of their territory and many of the critters that depend on those plants have to either leave or die.   The plants also clog waterways such as the Bayou making navigation by small boats virtually impossible.

  When I discovered a bunch of water hyacinths near the pier, I was quick to fish them out of the water.  All but two were destroyed by composting.  Two went into the little Frog Pond where I could keep track of the plants.  Water hyacinths are an invasive species that are rapid growers and can reproduce like crazy. In fact, they are the fastest multiplying water plants on earth!  Go figure.  

  Those two plants in the little pond did well and by the year's end had multiplied enough to totally fill the pond.  Come next spring (and every spring since), I fished the plants out, returned two and composted the rest.  Hundreds upon hundreds of hyacinths filled the compost pile!  While most others are attracted to the beautiful blooms, I grow them for the composting.  These things make the best fertilizer for the gardens!

  Today, the hyacinths are in full bloom and the pond is a gorgeous mess of purple!  My second cleaning of the pond will be in a couple of weeks since the pond is clogged and most of the frogs are not happy.  The compost pile will be filled again and soon the garden plants WILL be happy!  Folks, don't dump your unwanted plants and critters.  They do, indeed, cause problems for the environment.  Be careful!

Big Headed Rascals

  Usually, when people are called "big-headed", it refers to their inflated egos and not the actual size of their heads.  I know a few people that could fit the description well.  They have such a high opinion of themselves that they act like they are a few notches above all others.  Sorry to burst their bubbles but no one is above anyone else.  In my opinion, everyone is equal.  Sure some are better at certain things but everyone has a way to shine.  Those inflated egos do nothing but irk others.  This is not about people and their uppity ways, however, but about some truly big-headed critters.  Yep, critters with unusually large heads!

  My herb garden is coming along nicely with the exception of one small problem.  A colony of big-headed ants has decided that the freshly dug dirt is an ideal place to call home.  This habitation became quite noticeable by way of a few bites.  Something had to be done to eradicate the critters before anyone else had a run-in with them.  With that in mind, a bit of "target-specific" ant bait was carefully administered  and after just a few days...no more ants.

  Big-headed ants do, indeed, have a huge head.  Well, some of the worker ants do, at least.  The colony is made up of the queen(s) and two types of workers...the major workers and the minor workers.  Both types are foragers and builders but the major workers have huge heads while the minor workers are wee beings.  They both make tunnels as they forage for food.  Each colony can have several fertile queens so the colony rapidly grows once established.  They do not sting and are slow to bite doing so only if their nest is disturbed (which I did).  While this non-stinging/slow to bite ant sounds ideal, it is an invasive species that does disrupt the lives of other ants.  In fact, this big-headed ant can displace red fire ants.  Wait! Maybe I should not have gotten rid of the invasive critters that do not sting and are slow to bite!  Fire ants hurt!  They bite and then sting!  Perhaps the big-headed ants are not so bad after all.  I just do not need them in the herb garden.

The Compost Has Been Invaded!

  What started as a potted plant soon spilled over and became a garden plant.  Then, as things do happen, it spread a bit further.  Clippings were dumped into the compost pile and, now, the compost pile has the healthiest bunch of purple blooms atop of four foot tall stalks!  Did I make a mistake by tossing the clippings?  Will our place soon be overrun with ruellia as it is with wisteria?  Hmmm...both grow continuously, spread rapidly but have beautiful purple blooms!  Mistake?  Or happy accident?

  Ruellia Simplex goes by about a gazillion different names.  Mexican Petunias, Purple Showers, Wild Petunias, Mexican Bluebells, and Hardy Petunias are a few of the monikers used to describe the plants.  There are as many different names as there are people growing them.  One odd thing...even though most of the names label them as petunias, they are not even related to that plant.  They belong in a completely different family of plants. The plants are considered invasive in Florida and some other states but, for some strange reason, the plant is readily available at nurseries everywhere.  My start came quite by accident as it came with some "hand-me-down" plants.  In fact, it did not seem to be an aggressive spreader until it hit the compost.   The plant has always stayed more or less contained near the Frog Pond but when those "cuttings" hit the fertile soil of the compost, things exploded!  The compost has become a flower garden covered in a sea of purple blooms.

  Now the question...do I eradicate the plants or let them grow?  As the compost pile sits, I can easily mow around it and keep the plants under control.  Unless birds carry seeds far from the area, that mowing will keep any from spreading.  I have to admit that I do like the plants and have been studying a bit to see if there are other uses for either the roots or leaves.  In that aspect, things look promising but, on the other hand, do I really need to "farm" Mexican Petunias?

Here's Mama!

  For the past several years, I have been noticing some pretty elaborate caterpillar looking critters happily munching on the leaves of the Groundsel bushes near the shore end of the pier.  Groundsel bushes are also known as salt myrtle as they grow in or around salt marshes.  They are low growing, thick bushes that make a plethora of fluffy, white seeds that look a lot like swarming termites when they are being scattered by the wind.  (Yes, termites are bad down here so anytime there is a "swarm" of anything, we think termites.) The caterpillars munch away on the leaves until the bushes are pretty much stripped.  Then, the little buggers go into hiding until they do their larva-changing-into-adult thing.  

  Today, instead of caterpillars, I found the adults.  The adults are beetles that look quite different from the caterpillars or larvae   Where the young are brightly colored and iridescent (almost metallic looking), the beetles are bright yellow and black.  The beetles were so busy eating that they were oblivious to my attempts at photographing them.  Dozens of the critters crawled about the bush and I am sure there were just as many on the other bushes along the shoreline.  We have an infestation of cute, little bugs!

  Long story, made short.  It seems that the beetle was introduced to keep the invasive Groundsel bush in check.  While I cannot vouch for the veracity of the story, it may make sense in a weird sort of way to whoever thought of it.  Why not introduce yet another possibly invasive species into an area that is plagued by so many?   I will say, if the bush is invasive, the caterpillars and beetles are doing their part of stripping the leaves and perhaps weakening it but who is to say that these critters are not going to move on to other plants?  Oh, well.  At least they are cute!...but I could do with the invasive part.  Maybe if they ate termites....just saying...

Seen In A New Light

  Down here on the Bayou, we are told to watch out for many "invasive" critters and plants.  It seems that waterways are an easy way for invasive species to get a foothold.  While I have not found but two invasive critters (a Cuban frog and a Brown Anole), plants are a different story.  Often, these plants are washed in on the tides.  The plants are usually discards from someones gardens and goldfish ponds.  Plenty of folks use no commonsense when it comes to properly disposing of plants.  "Throw them in the Bay" seems to be the brilliant idea of many folks.  Hey now!!!  Those pretty water plants can soon clog waterways and create all sorts of problems for wildlife.  They also deplete oxygen from the water and literally suffocate a lot of critters.  I try my best to fish out the offending plants and either find them homes in another landscaped pond or destroy them.  That is usually easier said than done, however, as I have no way of scavenging the entire shoreline for misplaced plants.

  Along the shoreline, there are dozens and dozens of one particular invasive species.  The popcorn tree or tallow tree has strewn enough seeds about the marsh to make a regular nuisance of itself.  This fast growing tree blooms and then bears thousands upon thousands of seeds each summer.  By late fall, birds, squirrels, rats and coons are all feasting on those seeds.  Well...what goes in must come out and the seeds have been transported to a new growing spot via poop.  There seems to be no easy way to eradicate such a prolific species.  So...quickly spreading and fast growing has me pondering something.  Does tallow tree wood burn nicely in the fireplace?   If suitable, I would have a ready source of wood for the wood burning stoves!  Not a bad idea, if I do say so myself!  A bit of research is called for here.

  This morning, the rising sun was beaming across the Bayou and onto the tallow trees across the way.  The trees were putting on quite the extravagant show with their long, golden tassels.  My goodness!  I was now seeing the tree in a new light..literally!  The golden sunlight on the golden tassels was a sight to behold!  Maybe...just maybe, tallow trees have a place here on the Bayou...at least, a couple of them, anyway.