Look how beautiful!!!  After all the recent wormage, I thought you might enjoy a pretty picture for the day.  Here is a gorgeous Tiger Swallowtail feasting in our marigolds.  

 

And look!!!  Even her body is yellow!!!  Thanks, Linda for making me look closer.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

OK, some caterpillars we like.  Some others:  not so much!!!

 

The same day I saw that cute Swallowtail caterpillar on the lovage, I also saw this big, fat caterpillar eating my tomato leaves.  ACK!!!

 

I encourage and support the swallowtails in their efforts to cocoon and emerge, but these hornworms are terrible.  They can destroy my tomato crop in a couple days.  They gotta go!!!

 

So I cut off the stem just below the worm, and put it on the bird feeder tray.  Next day it was gone.  Good, maybe somebody enjoyed it.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

  

 

 

 

Here is our little caterpillar today:  a chrysalis attached to the lovage stem.  I think this stage lasts about two weeks.  That information is based on the children's book by Eric Carle:  The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Really, though, I don't know how long it lasts.  I will put it on my calendar and try to check on it every day.  I'll let you know.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Yesterday I saw this big, fat caterpillar eating my lovage leaves.  And today when I went out there to check, it had attached itself on the lovage, and started the process of becoming a chrysalis.  I'm not sure how long it takes, but I think by tomorrow it should be transformed.  I will let you know.  How exciting!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is why we can't let morning glories grow in the tomatoes.  They are stranglers.  

 

It is a shame that they are so pretty.  They trick me every year into letting them stay, then they do this!!!  

 

Oh well, I still love them.  Kinda like the squirrels, huh?  Love em, hate em.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is my beautiful Echinacea.  I nearly chose these for birthday flowers, but they are just too messy.  Look how they have overtaken the stairs.  Last year we didn't have any at all, because the deer ate them all, but this year we put up a gate to protect them.  The deer can't get to them, and we can't get to the stairs, so they have just gone wild!!  

 

Messy, but still pretty!!!  And the goldfinches love picking out the seeds.

 

 

WE ARE HAPPY GARDENERS!!!

 

We looked up from our usual walk in the park, and spotted this bald-faced hornet nest.  What I want to know is:  how it got to be this big without either of us noticing it on our weekly walks.  Well, it did, and it's huge:  bigger than a basketball!!!

 

It is up about 8 feet off the ground, and not too close to the walking path.  I have read that colonies of bald-faced hornets can contain 400-700 workers, and the workers aggressively defend their nest by repeatedly stinging invaders.  Yikes!!!

 

I have no desire to touch it, or get too close, but I LOVE seeing them.  And this one is awesome!!!

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!! 

 

The Mullein had the prettiest flowers in my garden today.  Not too good for cut flowers, but they do make a a pretty picture for your computer wallpaper.  

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA!!!

 

 

 

 

Funny!!!  Not funny!!!  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Saturday I took out all the dill, and harvested the seeds.  I realized that I am in the wrong line of work.  I should be raising dill seed for Mr. McCormick.  

 

I cleaned the dill heads and ended up with enough seeds to fill 10 of these spice jars.  First, I will make sure they are dry, then put some of them in with my kitchen spices, and the rest in a pint jar along with my other vegetable seeds.  

 

Let me know if you need dill seeds.  ;)  You can cook with them or plant them.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!