We haven't seen the butterflies, but we know they have been here.  

 

Cabbage whites are very noticeable flittering around in the garden, so I don't know how we missed them.  But they lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves of all the Brassicas.  I noticed all the caterpillar poop in the kale, so I started looking for the feeding caterpillars.  And here they are:  GROSS!!!

 

You really can't see any damage yet, but as they get bigger, they eat more, and leave huge holes in the kale leaves.  We have to get rid of them SOON!!!  

 

We use a biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis, we just call it Bt, that disrupts the digestive system of the worms.  It doesn't kill the butterflies, or any other critters, including us, just worms.  Worms have an enzyme in their stomachs that reacts with these bacteria, and they stop eating our kale.  Really, that's a nice way of saying that Bt causes paralysis.  

 

Anyway, Bt is approved for organic gardening.  So we use it.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

It was early in the day, so you can't really see the gorgeous color, but this Crape Myrtle is lavender!!!

 

Crape Myrtles are so beautiful in the summer.  I hope you get to see them in your travels.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Before we picked the pears, I took this picture.  I took one at the beginning of the season, and there were lots of baby pears.  Well, in July, there were lots of bigger pears.  When we went out the other day to pick them, there were only about ten pears.  That's ok, we picked them ALL.  

 

I read in the Food Lovers Companion book that it is best to pick pears when they are hard, and let them ripen at room temperature.  So that's what we did.  We picked what was left, and we will let them sit until they're done.  

 

So the critters got some, and we got some too.   

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

When we brought in the cabbages I saw all these snails on this one.  I thought you would like to see them, showing their tentacles.  Did you know that their eyes are on the ends of their tentacles?   Interesting.  

 

Good news, they are so little, I don't think they ate too much of the cabbage.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

This was my only red cabbage this year.  That's ok.  I think she is beautiful!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

As I was walking in the garden yesterday, I noticed a humming sound.  At first I thought it was the electric transformer in our neighbors' yard.  Then I looked up and the Sumac tree was absolutely abuzz with bees.  There were bumblers and honeybees all over the flowers.  They were collecting as much pollen as they could hold, then flying off.

 

It was amazing to watch;  I am so glad I got to see it. 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

All the rain lately has really brought out the mushrooms.  We have seen these in the park two weeks in a row, growing on a pile of mulch.  You can see their different ages.

 

Seek told me they are Fringed sawgill mushrooms,  Lentinus crinitus.  When I looked that up in my Audubon mushroom field guide, I found no such thing.  So then I looked on the Internet, and found some pictures that look kinda like these.  

 

But, you remember the rule, right?  Don't touch until you are POSITIVE of their identity.  I don't feel too secure in the identity of these mushrooms.  I think I will call them fungi.  Not too inviting, when you look at it that way.  

 

Interesting, though.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

How pretty is this?!  This is our first apple of the season.  The deer have gotten a few already, but I like them to be a little riper before I eat them.  We had this one with our lunch yesterday.

 

Boy was it good!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Here is some tree identification for you.  This is an American Beech tree, Fagus grandifolia.  I don't even need to see the leaves to know this tree.  The trunk has this beautiful mottled bark, and it is very soft.  I've heard it called the "lovers' tree," because it is soft enough for lovers to carve their initials into the bark.  We've seen a few.

 

This is the same tree that holds onto its leaves through the winter here.  Another easy tree identification feature.  They also produce small edible fruits, triangular nuts, eaten by deer, squirrels, bears, foxes, raccoons, turkey, and other birds.  

 

I hope you have some American Beech trees near you;  they are beautiful in all seasons.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

The peach harvest is over.  We picked all the ones that were left on our two peach trees.  

 

This picture is a bit deceiving.  It looks like we had hundreds of peaches, and at some point I bet we did.  But by the time they were ripe enough for us to pick, there were only about 50 left.  Between the deer, the squirrels, and whatever night critters are out there, we only got enough for a few bites.  

 

But, BOY!!  We're they good.  And it was fun watching the process.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!