texas gardening: Homeless in Cibolo, Texas
- 08/04/13 12:25 AM
I made two Cibolo families homeless this morning before I even had my coffee. I knocked down two wasps' nests with water from the hose first thing this morning because supposedly they can't see very well, although by the time I got into the back yard the sun was up. They had built two nests on the walls under the roof of the covered patio. A wasp stung me a couple of months ago when I was innocently watering a plant, which was not pleasant; but I didn't retaliate. Now the nests are a lot larger and my handyman needs to (2 comments)
When I bent down to sniff the scent of this plumeria blossom, I spotted this creature taking in the morning sunshine. She is a green anole, and she has lots of company in our garden in Cibolo. We don't use pesticides in our yard, other than mosquito donuts, so there are lots of insects for her to catch. Lots of green anoles are a sign of a healthy outdoor environment. (Try saying this post title out loud! It just rolls off your tongue, doesn't it?) (9 comments)
texas gardening: Oops, sorry I invaded your privacy! Ladybug porn
- 05/24/11 01:55 PM
Every year, my organic garden in Cibolo looks different. Not only do various plants survive, grow, die, or get planted, but there is an ever-changing parade of birds, animals, and insects. This spring, we have not seen many ladybugs. This is a shame, because one of the antique roses and some of the other flowers are teeming with aphids. This year, we planted some fennel, which is doing well (for once), but ladybugs don't seem to like it as much as they do dill. However, the other evening I spotted a couple of ladybugs apparently having an intimate encounter. I applaud their efforts, because (16 comments)
This intriguing insect is a little larger than the average honeybee we see in our garden. It hovers like a bee and is attracted to the same plants as the honeybees are. However, it isn't particularly fuzzy, and it is speckled gray and white. What is it? This is the only one I have ever seen. (8 comments)
This swallowtail butterfly is looking for someplace to lay her eggs. Swallowtails love parsley. It is one of their favorite plants for hosting their eggs. When they hatch, the swallowtail caterpillars will fatten up on the parsley leaves. They still leave plenty for my husband to use when he's cooking, though. (7 comments)