All of my work cutting the new hiking trail seems to have been for naught. Now that it is clear enough to walk, the bugs are too bad. It seems that this is a fine year for ticks as once you enter the woods, you are invariably the host to a dozen or so. With all of the diseases that those critters carry, hosting them for a short while can mean trouble. Then, there are the deer flies! Oh, my goodness! Those things are down right vicious! Stepping onto the path means that you are in their territory and they are hungry rascals. A dozen or so will immediately attack! It is not fun. So...I have not been hiking. The path needs cutting again but I guess it will have to wait.
Speaking of those deer flies, another critter friend is at least trying to help. What Pop used to call a robber fly will attack the deer flies and, in a sense, protect me! This critter is also called an assassin fly and for good reason. The scary looking critter is just the thing we need around here as a security guard against the biting critters.
This morning while out turning on the sprinkler, a quick movement on the ground caught my eye. Almost under my foot, a rather large nymph was trying to climb up a tomato stalk. The sprinkler was knocking the poor critter back to the ground each time. Not thinking of what might have been, I reached down to let the critter crawl onto my hand. "There you go, Little One." I remarked as I held my up next to the hanging basket. The critter looked appreciative as it left my hand to climb onto the basket. While I worked the gardens, the critter morphed. After a bit, I came back to find a robber fly in place of the nymph. "You are a beauty! Now since I was so kind to spare your life, you can return the favor by eating lots of deer flies!" I said. (Yes, I actually talked to this bug!)
If I never see this critter again, I can feel assured that it is keeping its end of the bargain.
Imagine my surprise when I found the peach trees in full bloom. The goofy trees are thinking it is springtime and have burst forth with their lovely pink blossoms. While this is encouraging in the fact that spring is near, it is disheartening to know that most of these are likely to be lost with a late freeze. My meanderings, today, had taken me down behind the canebrake to where the peach orchard once stood. Time, deer and wood borers have all taken their toll on the poor trees leaving only a few hearty enough to bloom. With those blooming now, it is likely that we will not see any peaches this summer.
While back in that "neck of the woods", the old dog and I decided to venture a bit further down into the creek bed. The recent rains made it soggy and slippery but I wanted to check for any unusual mosses that may have sprung up since my last visit. I did not have the opportunity to even search for one moss due to what I did find. A tick had creepy-crawled up my pants leg and made its way onto my hand. Ok, time to get the dog out of the area! Old Mr. PJ does not need ticks and surely does not need to cart any back into the Little Bayou House.
Once inside, I did a quick check on the dog but found nary a critter. The monthly flea and tick medicines must be doing the trick for him but it was best to check him regardless. Then, a nice hot bath and body-check led me to believe that the tick was an isolated incident and I had not been infested! The tick that I found crawling on me, today, is a wake up call for me to be diligent when out traipsing the woods. I will confiscate a pair of Son's long, white socks to wear with jeans tucked inside. While this may not be a fashion statement, it will, at least, give me an easy way to do a quick check out in the field. Ticks are no fun! The dog, however, will most likely be banned to the yard for the duration of warmer weather. There is no need to put him in the ticks' territory!
