The Termites Started It!

   The termites started this battle of bugs around the Bayou.  After Hurricane Katrina nigh on twenty years ago, termites started munching on the mountains of debris that were left behind by the storm surge.  It took years for the Coast to scramble out from under the piles and piles of smashed houses and downed trees.  In that time, termites happily chomped away on the mess.  Then, those critters took flight and aggravated the daylights out of everyone.  Not many thought about how the termites that were swarming were leaving their handy debris pile homes to infiltrate the newly built or repaired structures.  So...the termites made themselves at home yet again.  Once folks became aware that their houses were in danger of being totally eaten, the war began.  People sprayed their homes and outbuildings in hopes of eradicating the critters.  Nope...it is not that simple.  The termites moved elsewhere and continued chomping now infesting live trees.  It took several years before anyone thought that the termites were killing trees!  And the swarms continued...until just about every tree along the Coast has been damaged, if not completely destroyed.  Well, the termites are on the move again to who knows where.  The swarms let us know that the battle has not ended.  It has only relocated.  

  Now, there is a "new kid" in town.  The Neoclytus scutellaris has made an appearance. This is also known as the Gray-winged Neoclyt-Borer and, as you can tell by its name, it eats wood.  Once the termites infested the live trees and weakened them to the point that they are literally dying, this critter came to take advantage of the situation.  The Gray-winged Neoclyt-Borer is almost exclusively associated with dead or dying oak trees.  This saddens me greatly as I have always loved the old oaks that dotted the property.  They stood through storms, fires and humans only to be taken down by some tiny critters.  I cannot be unduly furious with the borer as it is only finishing up the work started by the termites.  I do wonder just what is next on the agenda for those nasty termites.  I do believe it is high time they leave the Coast.  They have already pillaged extensively to the point that just mentioning their name brings groans from all of the locals.  It seems that this Battle of Bugs will be never-ending.

More Oak Apples!

  Maybe I am just more observant now than when I was younger but I never noticed the galls hanging on oak limbs when I was a kid.  In fact, I never noticed them until a few years ago.  After Hurricane Zeta slammed us, thousands of "wooden" balls littered the ground.  They were not only here but everywhere.  Folks all over the Coast were finding these odd balls and were wondering what they were.  The balls were about 1 1/2 inch in diameter, perfectly round and were firmly attached to oak twigs.  At the time, I figured they were a type of gall housing a critter larva but was not sure just what.  Researching led me to find that the galls are often called oak apples because of their appearance and they do, indeed, house a larva.  These balls are created to protect the larvae of an oak gall wasp.  The wasp, as an adult, is a wee thing that most people would view as a "gnat" or "fruit fly".  It is neither.  It is a true wasp.  That wasp spends most of its life inside the gall.  It only comes out for a few weeks to mate and lay eggs so the cycle can repeat.  Once we figured out just what the balls were, they were promptly forgotten and cleanup after the storm continued.

  A quick hike around the hillside today was invigorating.  There was a slight misty rain and the winds were chilly.  At one point, my leather moccasin rolled slightly to one side as if I had stepped on a stone.  Nope.  It was not a stone at all.  I had stepped on an oak apple!  I picked it up and was amazed at the sturdiness even after being on the ground for quite some time.  Then I realized dozens of the galls were on the ground!  Pondering this, it suddenly came to me that the squirrels were lining their nests with the small, leafy twigs from the oak trees.  Obviously, as the squirrels were gnawing on the branches, the galls were tumbling to the ground.  A few had the telltale pinholes where the gall wasp had emerged but most were still intact.  

  Folks, if you see these oak apples dangling from the twigs in your oak trees, do not despair.  The wasp larvae do not harm the tree whatsoever and the adult wasps have no inclination to sting.  Leave them be and make up some grand tale to explain your ability to grow apples on your oak trees!  I have a grand one stirring around in my brain to befuddle visitors to the Bayou!

That is nutty!

   If acorns were pennies, I am sure that I would be a millionaire by now.  They are not so, instead, I am just the owner of billions of the nuts.  It appears that every oak tree on the hill decided to bear nuts this year and bear LOTS of them. They are everywhere!  

  Back about a month ago, nighttime was perhaps the noisiest it has ever been.  Several oak trees near the house have huge limbs that hang over the rooftop.  As soon as darkness fell, the coons made their way to the oak trees and started munching the acorns.  It seems that they dropped more than they ate.  Acorns pelted the roof all night long.  It sounded as if we were in the midst of nightly hailstorms.  The clatter would last until sunrise then suddenly stop.  Sleeping was not easy, to say the least.

  Now, acorns are strewn about the entire yard and the squirrels are having a heyday.  Dozens of the critters can be seen fattening themselves for the coming winter months.  I have no problem with the squirrels for a couple of reasons.  First, they are out during the daytime hours and are not pelting the rooftop with nuts.  Second, they are cleaning up a mess that makes it difficult to walk anywhere in the yard.  There are so many acorns that I have to be careful not to slip and slide down the hillside.  Try to imagine walking on a floor covered with marbles and you will understand my predicament.  Thanks to the squirrels, things should be better in a few weeks...hopefully...hopefully, they will not get bellyaches and quit eating the nuts!

"The Red Vine of Death"

  It is my habit to start the day with a leisurely hike to the pier then about the property.  This gives me time to reflect on life, in general, and then make mental notes of chores to be done during the rest of the day.  The stroll takes me all the way from the Bay, around the marsh edge, back to the creek and then to the west side of the place.  Once there, a full circle (of sorts) has been made and that mental notepad is full of ideas.  It is also my habit to take the camera along "just in case" something interesting is found.  There is always tons of stuff so many photographs are taken.

  This morning while I was back behind the canebrake, a blotch of brilliant red caught my eye.  It was about a foot off the ground making me think that I had found some small plant with a red bloom.  Well, the red bloom was correct but this was NOT a small plant.  This was the bloom of a Trumpet Creeper Vine!  The vine can get up to forty or more feet and will take over trees if it is left to wander.  What I found odd was that the vine was, indeed, far up in a tree but had sent down one lone tendril to bring me the beauty of its bloom.  That "tendril" was about ten feet long with nothing but the bloom and bud at the very end.

  It sort of felt like the vine was hurt that I not photographed its blooms in the top of the small oak tree so it sent one down for me.  Of course, the camera was brought into play and the image was captured in all its glory.   I am one of those weird people who loves these blooms and the vine, itself, even though it is a nuisance.  While the blooms are a favorite of bees and hummingbirds, the Trumpet Creeper can literally take over.  If left to its own accord, it can strangle trees to death.  Yep, this one will have to be cut back, if not removed.  Perhaps a small root can be potted and relocated near one of the arbors.  That way, both the plant and I can be happy!

Let The Critter Live!

   We are still trudging along with the cleanup from Hurricane Zeta.  It is a time consuming task and now even burning in the covered burn bins is out.  Things are too dry and the winds have shifted from the south so I will not risk it. The marsh debris will just have to stay as ten foot tall mountains in the front yard.  (So far we have 8 of these mountains with no end in sight of how many will yet be piled as we search for salvageable lumber.  Hopefully, we can get most up before another storm appears in the Gulf.  Exhausted...purely exhausted.  

  While dragging the planks to be stacked, Son and I have been noticing some strange "balls" on the ground.  These are sort of dried, papery like thing about half the size of a golf ball.  Most of them have a single leaf protruding from (what I think is) the top.  There was some discussion as to what these things were.  I figured they were just another type of gall wasp creations but did not know the name.  Well, I was correct in thinking that a tiny larva lived inside.  Son cut several open to reveal our critter!  

  These are indeed a type of gall wasp larva home.  Much like the small, round blobs on the leaves of the oak trees, these house a wasp.  Often called "oak apples" they appear as green balls in the spring and gradually turn brown over the summer.  The female wasp lays a single egg on the branch and enzymes on the egg cause the tree to "grow" the gall around it.  The egg hatches and the larva dines upon the interior of the gall. Eventually, (when the larva matures) it will drill a tiny exit hole in the ball and emerge as a wasp.  These balls do not hurt the tree at all and really should not be viewed with disdain.  Let the little wasp be! It is no threat to you nor your oak tree!  Let the little critter live.

Drama In The Oaks!

  Wandering around the Bayou and surrounding woods is something I do best!  I can wander til the cows come home and never feel bad about it.  Yesterday was a wandering day. Down near the marsh edge, there are many old oak trees.  These trees have been here and held strong for as long as I can remember and then some.  These old oaks are always a source of interest.   They hold secrets aplenty! Their branches sweep low to the ground which offers a hiding spot for all sorts of critters.  Yesterday's point of interest was not a critter that was easily seen, however, and I am not even sure if the critter was there at all!

  On one of the lower limbs, a tiny twig held a huge lumpy, bumpy thing.  I have seen these "growths" on the oak twigs many times and have always secretly wanted to cut one open to find my critter.  Inside, there is supposedly the larva of a wasp just waiting to burst forth in its full glory of wasphood. The gall wasp is also commonly called a gall fly.  It belongs in the family Cynipidae which is considered a superfamily because it has so many members!  There are lots and lots of these critters and they all induce the galls on trees to house their larvae.  It is pretty neat when you think about it.  While there is still some question as to how the wasp induces the tree to make the gall, the tiny critter has a nice wooden home to protect it while it grows. 

  There is one downside to this whole house thing, however.  The larva has one enemy that knows just how to get to it.  There is a different wasp that is parasitic to the gall fly.  The female has a long, hard tube-like ovipositor that can literally poke a hole in the gall.  It lays an egg which hatches and feeds upon the original occupant of the "house".  

  See?  I told you oak trees have some pretty neat secrets!  There are wasps that are called flies that can make trees do fantastic, magical things but they have enemies that can break into their houses to eat their young!  Drama in the oaks!

The Feast Of The Mistletoe

  Mother Nature has thrown the Bayou plants for a loop.  For the past few years, we have had no winter, to speak of, so plants have no idea when to grow, when to blossom or when to produce.  The flora around here just sort of haphazardly throws blossoms out there in hopes that the weather is kind.  Some plants just give up hopes of having a normal life and don't produce at all since they have no idea when to do so.  The yaupon and other hollies did not produce more than a handful of berries which is sort of sad for the fauna of the area.  Come on, flora, get your act together!  Fauna depends on you!

  The lack of yaupon and other berries presented a problem for a flock of birds today.   While Son and I were out working on yard projects, I noticed forty or fifty birds fly into the yard.  Ahh, the cedar waxwings were making their annual appearance on the Bayou.  They come in droves to feast upon the many berries but, this year, they found scarce pickings.  After inspecting the area, the birds finally chose to fly to the tiptops of the white oaks.  There, among the bare limbs, the birds found their sustanence.  Mistletoe fills the tops of these trees and, obviously, this was a good bearing year for those plants.  The cedar waxwings feasted upon the pearly white mistletoe berries.

  Within the next twenty minutes, two more flocks came to the Bayou and were in search of food.  They promptly got word that there was nothing but the mistletoe berries so they, too, flew to the tops of the mistletoe laden oak trees.  The soft tweets were our music for the day!  After two or three hours, the birds moved northward.  They obviously believe spring is on its way and they need to head back home to nest.  Goodbye until next year, sweet friends.  Hopefully, we will have more to offer then.

The Biggest One I Have Ever Seen!

  Early this morning found me stalking a Great Golden Digger Wasp.  I had seen the hole next to the front door but could not find my wasp.  I love these wasps!  Yeah, that is a pretty strange thing to say about something that could sting you but these are solitary wasps that are hesitant to sting.  Unless you grab hold to one, it would be extremely rare to be stung.  They just go about their business digging holes, laying eggs and stuffing the hole full of bugs.  That is another reason to love the wasps!  They clear the garden of a lot of caterpillars, stinkbugs and other insects.  Like I said, I was out stalking the wasp but got sidetracked along the way.


  About twenty feet ahead of me, I saw something moving on the ground.  Well, with the old eyes getting weak and a slight, drizzly rain coming down, I was not positive what I was seeing.  I actually thought a mouse was scurrying about the leaves.  Quietly slipping over to where a better view could be had, I came to realize that my "mouse" was not a mouse.  A cicada was struggling to take flight with its newly formed wings.  Ok, so a little help was needed.  The cicada readily climbed up on my extended hand and waited to be lifted high in the air.  My goodness!  That thing was the size of my palm!  It filled the palm of my hand with its beauty!  Never in my life, have I seen one this large!  It was a good three inches in length from the tip of its nose to the ends of its wings.and was such a fat bugger!  I had no idea what type of cicada it is but was told it was called a Giant Oak Cicada.  Maybe?  It was huge!  It is flying free as it took flight and flew to the top of a nearby oak.  It can now live out its life being a happy cicada.

  It was strange that this cicada was found on the ground instead of on the trunk of a tree.  Usually, when the critter digs its way out of the ground, it immediately hunts for some place to hang above ground.  There, it wiggles its way out of its old skin (molts) and hangs to let its wings unfold and dry.  Sometimes, the cicada will climb even higher in the tree to give it a better place to try out those wings.  It is a bit wobbly, at first, but then gains strength and can fly high into the trees just in time to begin singing for a mate.  My cicada never made it up that tree to start or something knocked it to the ground where it was struggling.  It just needed a helping hand...my hand.  Now, I can listen to its music as the sky darkens. 

A Fallen Limb or a Bright Idea!

  The weather did not cooperate with plans of a bit longer hike with the old dog. He had a good night and I thought perhaps he might wish to amble about the place.  Instead, a steady rain put a nix on that idea.  I did manage to slip out to the greenhouse to putter for a while but he stayed on his warm bed which was probably for the best.  

  Just beyond the greenhouse, stands a live oak tree.  It was a small limb that caught my eye this rainy day.  The branch had been broken in the recent winds and landed squarely on the back deck of the greenhouse.  What made it interesting was the fact that it was covered with moss and had a lovely little fern growing where a twig had once been trimmed.  It did not take long for this chunk of wood to capture the imagination and send those wheels in the brain to flying.  I could use this!  If it is at all possible to keep this whole little "garden" alive until October, it will be perfect to use as a prop for this year's Clue Hunt on the Bayou! (Yes, that event is always on the forefront of my brain as preparations begin in January of the event of the year that happens in October!)  This year's theme calls for the greenhouse to be transformed into a swamp witch's hut.  Mosses, ferns and lichens will all be needed to do the deed!  In a sense, I will be landscaping my greenhouse!

  The wildly flying imagination could see just how the transformation will take place.  It has to begin now so each part looks perfectly natural.  My plan is to be on my own clue hunt of sorts as I search out each item that will soon be growing in the little hut!  This make believe world will probably be my favorite yet since the onset of the clue hunt some seven years ago!  (Oh, my!  It is hard to believe that this will be the Seventh Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou!! Fun times!)  So...rainy weather is my friend.  It will aid me in my efforts to transform the greenhouse into a moss, lichen and fern covered dwelling!  What an undertaking this will be and, to think, it all started with a fallen branch!

The Evil Ones?

  A lot of folks suffer from allergies this time of year and pollen is the biggest threat to their comfort.  A few weeks back, these folks were in fear of allergy attacks due to the pine pollen that covered just about everything in sight.  Few reports of sniffles, itchy, watery eyes and sneezes resulted from that outburst of pollen flurries since pine pollen is not the culprit.  Now, another layer of pollen.  It seems that the Deep South is spared the heavy snow storms only to endure the onslaught of heavy pollen storms. Once again, everything has been coated yellow.  This does, indeed, make you thankful for the spring rains that also hit the area.  Today, was a nice rainy day.  The latest layer of pollen has been cleansed from outdoor surfaces and people can breathe again!

  This latest bout of complaints of allergies CAN be attributed to the pollen storms of this week.  The oak trees are heavy laden with the pollen makers.  Oak trees make both male and female "flowers" with the male being most noticeable.  The male "flowers' or catkins droop down on all new branches of a mature oak and produce the pollen that causes all the problems for allergy sufferers.  

  This year, if all goes well, it seems as if there will be a bumper crop of acorns for the critters to munch.  Every limb on the oak trees around the Bayou are literally covered with the pollen producing catkins. On sunny, dry days, that pollen floats on the breeze and pollinates the female flowers but, also, coats everything else.  So....it is the oak pollen that folks should deem as the "evil one" even though without it, there would be no acorns.  Things all have a way of working for the good.  Folks, if need be, go take your allergy medicines as it is going to be a rough spring for you.  The oak trees are blooming.

Lichen Search!

  This time of year always finds me almost obsessed with lichens and mosses.  Most of the time, the lichens are hidden but with a lot of tree limbs bare of leaves, they are more easily seen.  This opens up a whole new world to discover.  Lichens, mosses and molds are often overlooked as things of beauty and interest.  They intrigue me.  Since they really do not fit in with plants, as we know them, these three almost seem to from an alien world.  It is not uncommon to find dozens of different types growing together on a single tree branch.  Some can be branchy or wispy while others are flat.  Some have funky, little knobs on the ends of stalks and others are mere dots.  In all, there are over 15,000 different lichens!  Imagine trying to find that many!

  Most folks do not even notice (or care to notice) lichens in their gardens.  To other folks, these are "nuisance" growths on their "perfect" trees and will go to great ends to rid the place of the lichens.  That is ridiculous for several reasons!  First, the lichens are not out to take over the world or even the garden.  They are simply existing and doing it quite well.  Lichens can add an "established" look to a garden and, since they are highly sensitive to toxins, they can be used to assess the health of a garden.  Pretty neat little things, when you think about them.

  On a hike about the hillside this afternoon, PJ and I discovered a wealth of lichens on the crape myrtle trees and on several oak trees.  I have to admit that the old dog was more interested in the squirrels than the lichens but he was patient with my examining the tree branches and I welcomed his presence during my search.

Noisy Eaters

  Guests, here on the Bayou, generally show a great deal of respect.  I suppose I just do not tolerate it any other way.  Even back when the kids were younger, there were set rules.  I did not actually "state the rules", they were more or less "understood".  There was one particular incident that occurred with Son's friends.   A newcomer to the bunch was met with each of the standard bunch relating a "rule" to be welcome at the Little Bayou House.  "No drugs or alcohol allowed!" said one young man.  "No cursing!" stated another.  "Share and share alike!" could be heard from one.  "Be respectful!" was next. This went on through each member of the regular crew until it came to the last kid.  There were just no rules left for him to instruct the newcomer so he made one!  "Hug Mom whenever you come and again when you leave!"  Well, now!  That was a pretty good rule!  (And, yep, most of these teenagers at the time called me "Mom".)

  But now there are a few "guests" that have left all respect behind when they visit!  They are loud, squabble constantly, eat all the snacks and do not clean up after themselves!"  For the past few nights, I have listened to four young raccoons that have been raiding the oak trees on the west side of the house.  These oaks have large limbs that reach out over our rooftop so nightly, the critters can be heard squabbling over which limb is the best.  Once they settle down to eat, the racket changes to acorns pelting the rooftop.  A steady rapping that sounds a lot like large hail often wakes me from deep sleep.  This goes on all night until the sun starts to rise in the east.  Rap, rap, rap!  Acorns can be loud on this roof!

  This morning, I checked the ground on the west side of the house and found that not only are the raccoons loud, they are quite wasteful! Thousands upon thousands of plump acorns litter the ground.  I am assuming that once the trees are pilfered of all the nuts, the raccoons will start squabbling under the windows as they fight over the best acorns on the ground.  At least they will be fat for the winter!  They just need to learn a bit of respect!