Shieldbacked Pine Seed Bug?

   I am definitely not an entomologist as I have to seek the identities of just about every critter I find in the garden and around the Bayou.  I do, however, have an interest in insects merely because I want to know which are pests and which are helpers.  Those deemed as garden pests are not high on the list of favorites.  So, if I find an insect that is new to the gardens, I pull out the camera, photograph the critter then try to catch it.  Catching it gives me the option of disposing of it or releasing it depending on which side of the good/bad list it falls.  While I hate killing anything, some infestations must be eradicated quickly.

  It was while I was hanging clothes to dry that I spied an unusual (to me) bug near the garden fence.  First came the pictures then came the capturing.  It turned out to be a rather simple catch.  The critter sort of fell into my jar then laid on its back with its little legs flailing wildly in the air.  The search for information began.

  As near as I can tell, my critter is a Shieldbacked Pine Seed Bug.  To be honest, I did not know these even existed.  Once I identified it, the bug was taken down to the water's edge and released into the palmettoes.  I was confident that a bug that eats pine seeds would not hurt my tomatoes!  Then I read more.  It seems that the bug can be quite destructive in pine forests as it renders the seeds useless.  Well, now.  I started having second thoughts about my release of the critter.  Perhaps I should not have been so hasty.  Ponder...ponder.

  That slight regret soon was replaced with a new thought.  I am not overly fond of pine trees around the house.  Those things have a tendency to break during hurricanes and have been known to put huge holes in the roof of the Little Bayou House.  Maybe...just maybe...that bug was doing me a favor by not allowing more pine trees to grow.  As long as it does not start eating all of the acorns from the oak trees, I think it is safe to say I will not have problems.  The pine trees can go. Leave my oaks.  Little buggy can go on his way.

Palmetto Berries

   The sawtooth palmettoes back in the swampy part of the Bayou are some of the few left around here.  Progress and all of that has the huge clumps being plowed out of the ground and replaced with stupid things like palm trees.  To my way of thinking palm trees are not really something that cries "Mississippi Coast" but people seem to think differently than me.  Personally, the live oaks with Spanish moss dangling from the branches and palmettoes sitting stately below perfectly represent the Coast.  Just my thinking but still...it is sad to see things be decimated because people "know" better than Mother Nature.  Whatever.

  Back to the palmettoes...the plants are thriving on our piece of property!  Just this morning, I was astounded by the number of palmetto berries were tucked neatly beneath the spikey fronds.  Every clump had thousands of the hard, green berries.  Of those, I will most likely never see a ripe one.  The critters will pluck the berries as soon as they begin to ripen.  This is fine by me as I have no plans on harvesting the things anyway and my critter friends need to fill their bellies.

  It was brought to my attention that in Florida it is illegal to harvest the berries.  There are regulations about who can and who cannot pick the things as the sawtooth palmetto is an endangered plant and Florida...being all Florida-like and everything is smart.  They wish to preserve a bit of their natural flora.  Smart folks there.  Too bad that won't happen here.  Nope...clearcutting is the way to go.  Just not on my property while I am still here.  The palmettoes and oak trees shall rule...and the critters shall feast...and I shall roam the swamps...and life will go on.

Be Careful Out There!

   It is my habit to take hikes about the hillside each morning and then again in the late afternoon.  In the morning, I set a plan in place as to what my day's chores will be and, in the afternoon, I review the progress made on those plans.  This routine usually follows basically the same path each morning then that path in reverse in the evening.

  Early this morning while I was down near the persimmon trees, it became apparent that the place needed to be mowed again.  Things can get pretty hairy down in that part of the property due to the large vines that seemingly grow a few feet overnight.  There are also several large clumps of palmettoes in this same area.  When cutting, I will shove the mower up under the fronds to keep the vines to a reasonable height. I am glad that I was observant this morning as my cutting could have left me in some pain.  In one of the palmetto clumps, there was a paperwasp nest.  Those critters did not look overly happy that I was even a few feet from them so I can only imagine how angry they would have been if I had disturbed them.  As much as I try to heed the "Live and let live" mantra, these had to go.  My old brain would soon forget they were hiding in the palmettoes and I would get quite a number of stings when I mow.  I am happy to say that a few shots of a cheap flying insect spray killed them all on the spot.  The palmettoes are safe again.