I was up in my new happy garden the other day, pulling a few weeds, and look what I found!!!

 

First of all, I didn't even know that I planted a zucchini up there.  I knew I planted some kind of squash, but I thought I put all the zucchinis in the vegetable garden. Well, apparently not.  

 

What a happy surprise.  Btw, it was delicious!!  

 

HAPPY ACCIDENTS!!!

 

We were walking in the Park on Saturday and my friend texted me that she and her husband are still suffering the effects of Covid-19. Her words were, "my skin hurts."  Oh dear, what can you say for gentle support?  "I'm sorry."

 

Just as I stopped to text back (I can't walk and do that) Jon noticed this sweet little wildflower blooming right on the ground at our feet.  So I sent her this picture.  She texted back that it made her smile.  My brand of medicine.  It works, if only for a moment.  

 

STAY WELL!!!

 

This is my other favorite tree in Meeks Park.  

 

It is a Dogwood that fell down years ago, and the branches have sprouted vertically, making it look like its own little forest of trees.  

 

Talk about a will to survive!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is our Lemongrass growing in a pot.  This one is about 3 feet tall and as wide.  It is an annual here, so I don't bother planting it in the ground;  I just buy a 6 inch pot of it and up-pot it into a 12 inch pot, then place it around the corner from the front door.  It looks nice nestled into the Mondo grass.

 

Lemongrass is a very cool plant.  Besides being pretty and fragrant, and somewhat deer resistant, it keeps the mosquitoes away!!!  

 

It is used extensively in Thai and Indonesian cuisine.  The fresh stems are crushed and give off a delightful lemon scent.  We use the stems as a rack under a chicken to be cooked on the grill.  It gives a subtle lemon flavor to the chicken.  

 

Up til now I have bought a pot of Lemongrass every year.  Well...this year I bought lemongrass SEEDS.  We'll see what happens next spring.  I'll let you know.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I just went out to take a picture of the Lemongrass because I wanted to tell you about it, and there was a praying mantis right in the middle of it.  See?  The lemongrass is just across the driveway from the Rosemary and that egg case I wrote about the other day. So, I guess they have emerged, and grown.

 

I love how praying mantises camouflage themselves.  If they are against something brown, they are more brown than green.  Beautiful!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Remember when I showed you the mole in the wheelbarrow?

 

This is that same mole tunneling for his life under the watchful eyes of Gizmo.  The mole did get back to his home underground, but Gizmo knows where it lives, and checks that spot every day when he's making his rounds of our yard.  Sometimes he just parks himself on the spot, listening.  

 

Talk about an ambush predator!!!

 

HAPPY HUNTING!!!

 

 

 

It is a Praying Mantis egg case.  You can easily see it on this branch of Rosemary.  It is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  

 

I don't know if the mantids have emerged yet, but this egg case holds about 100 babies.  You can read all about Praying Mantises at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis?wprov=sfti1  and learn more than you can possibly remember.  

 

My favorite part of the article describes Praying Mantises as "ambush predators."  That paints a pretty picture!!

 

It reminds me of our cat, Gizmo.  He loves to ambush critters, including US!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Have you noticed that the Hoary Mountain Mint is blooming?  

 

You can see it in the neighborhood, especially down by the creek, and all along the roadsides.  It stands about 2 feet tall, and is a bit weedy-looking.  It's easy to spot  because it's white on top.  It looks like it has been dusted with baby powder.  

 

Like all mints, it has square stems, and opposite leaves, and the flower clusters sit atop the leaves.  If you can get close enough to pick some, and crush the leaves, you can smell the mint.  

 

We love seeing it this time of year.  Look for it.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

We saw this tree in Meeks Park a few weeks ago, and Seek told us that it is Buffalo Nut.  Never heard of it, so I had to look it up.

 

Here is what Wikipedia says about it:  Pyrularia pubera, or Buffalo nut is a shrub in the Sandalwood family and grows in the eastern US from New York to Alabama, found mostly in the Appalachian mountains.  Here's the interesting thing:  it grows up to 12 feet, mostly in the shade of other trees.  You can see that here with white oaks.  It is a parasitic plant, specifically a hemiparasite which while still photosynthetic, will also parasitize the roots of other plants around it.  Hmmm. Pretty interesting, huh?

 

Ever since we first noticed it, we look for it every time we go there.  There are so many interesting plants in the Park.  There's always something to see.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

We were walking in the Park last Wednesday and saw this guy just off the trail.  I jumped a bit when I spotted him, but he was so calm I didn't panic.  He didn't move a muscle when we walked by.  Look how he is in the sunspot, probably just warming himself.  

 

It was about lunchtime;  maybe he was just waiting for his lunch to happen by, and he considered us a little too big to swallow alive.  Good!  

 

My reference book:  Snakes of the Southeast  says that Southern Black Racers have white chins.  You can see that in the picture.  The book also told us that they are non poisonous.  We hung around only long enough to take a couple pix.  That was enough for me.  Then back to our walk.

 

There are other snakes out and about these days, and some ARE poisonous, so be careful when you are out walking in the woods.

 

HAPPY HIKING!!!