August 2016 State of the Garden

Lantana Blooms

Vegetable Garden Remnants

In my North Carolina vegetable garden, August is a month of cleaning up dead plants and cutting back weeds plus fighting bugs so the few remaining plants can survive.

Hornworm with Parasitic Eggs Attached

Tobacco Hornworm

Another Hornworm!

Vegetables

Squash production slowed to a crawl and plants died off two at a time. Tomatoes ripened so slowly that worms and stink bugs enjoyed them before I could. Hornworms appeared on the Green Pepper plants on a regular basis. Left unchecked, these voracious eaters will completely defoliate a plant. I always spotted the waste material before spotting the well-camouflaged caterpillars.

Spaghetti Squash

I harvested a spaghetti squash gourd in late July. Growing from seed to harvest took about 90 days. Two other gourds had to be pulled since the vines were dried up and weakened by Squash Vine Borers. Regular squash grows rapidly but spaghetti squash takes much longer. The challenge is that the vines have to stay healthy weeks longer to grow the spaghetti gourds.

Sunflower

Flowers

I can't say enough about the beautiful sunflowers. they continue to amaze. I grew them in circles hoping large stalks would fall towards each other for support. That didn't happen. The circles filled up with tall grass and weeds. Next year I'll go back to single rows.

Mexican Petunia

A new addition to my perennial flowers is a Mexican Petunia. I brought a plant back from Georgia last Thanksgiving. I babied it in a Mason jar over the winter and planted it in late Spring. It was slow to flower, but was worth the wait.

Rain has been sparse for the last 2 weeks and that has given me a breather from grass cutting. With regular rains, this month has required lots of mower time.

How's your August/ September garden doing? I would love to hear about it. I'm already planning next year's vegetable garden with severe cuts in the number of plants. What about you?


Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

Amazing Facts about Honey Bees

During the first 5 minutes of a tour of Bayer CropScience's Bee Care Center, I learned two things:

1. Honey bee biology is complex.
2. Huge numbers of honey bees are required to pollinate crops and produce honey.

The queen honey bee can survive 2-3 years laying 1000-3000 eggs a day. Despite that impressive fertility, she only mates once early in her life cycle. Currently the U.S. almond agribusiness is driving pollination demand. 1.5 million bee hives are needed to pollinate almond crops in California.

Amazing Facts:

• Honey is naturally antimicrobial and never goes bad.
• One worker bee produces 1/12 teaspoon of honey in a lifetime.
• An exclusive diet of royal jelly produces a queen bee.
• Worker bees transition from one specific job to the next during their short 4-6 week life. 
• Varroa Mites are visible on a bee's back, and would be "dinner plate size" on a human.
•  By flying through the air, a bee develops a static charge which attracts pollen.
• Queen bees exude chemicals that guide the hive's behavior.
• Stinging causes the death of a honey bee (this is explained here).

Bayer CropScience's Bee Care Center in the Research Triangle Park near Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, offers tours of their exhibit hall and pollinator research lab. In season, the handling of live hives is demonstrated. Bayer is an agricultural company producing chemicals and seeds for farmers. Their seed crops depend on honey bee pollination. The company produces products to fight plant diseases as well as treatments to neutralize the Varroa mite. This mite is a vector or carrier of 20 different diseases. The colony is weakened by the mite and is less able to meet other challenges to survival.  If you are local to the Raleigh area, the Bee Care Center is an interesting and educational tour (reservations required-see website here).

Bee Hives at NCSU Arboretum

Honey bees enjoying Crocus flowers

Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

Human Behavior and Bugs - The Touchability Factor

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug on Tomato- Garden Lady Blog

Why can I touch one insect, but cower in fear from another?


What makes a bug too repulsive to handle?

In my vegetable garden I pluck stink bugs off tomatoes and drop them in jars of soap water. I've discovered this is the quickest way to get rid of them.

Stink Bug Close Up - Garden Lady Blog

Squash bugs are a slightly longer and faster bug that I need gloves to touch. I pick up centipedes to remove them from the house, and can handle lady bugs. Daddy-longlegs are easy to grab by one long leg and carry out of the house. They are harmless and slow. Most spiders scurry away and are difficult to identify. I wouldn't pick those up.

Squash Bug - Garden Lady Blog

Recently dry weather has driven large wood roaches into my home. These insects fill me with revulsion and fear. Normally a do-it-yourself-er, I called in a pest control company after sighting a half dozen of these. I will not touch them, but, I can squash them under my shoe.

Wasp - Garden Lady Blog

Factors that make a bug too repulsive to touch:

• Excessive wiggling or other movement (like Japanese Beetles)
• Danger of stinging or biting (wasps, for example)
•  Large size (wood roaches)
•  Unknown Species

6-spotted Green Tiger Beetle - Garden Lady Blog

There are some bugs that I admire very much, but would not touch. Praying mantis, dragonflies, and butterflies are in this group. Years ago I was told handling butterfly wings would damage them permanently. (My article on identifying butterflies found in the southeastern U.S. is here.)

Spicebush Butterfly - Garden Lady Blog

Praying Mantis - Garden Lady Blog

Monarch Butterfly - Garden Lady Blog

I am fascinated by the fact that I touch some bugs and cower in fear from others. What do you think? What is your experience handling bugs? I would love to hear about it. Sincere comments will be published. Anonymous and spam-like posts will be deleted. Have a great day!

If you enjoy photographs of bugs, check out my portfolio at: http://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/PamSchodt.

Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

The Destructive Squash Vine Borer: Rampage in the Squash

This year found me up close and personal to destruction wrought by the Squash Vine Borer. We had experienced squash plant collapse a couple of years ago, and knew about the Borer. This year was different because I got a much improved eye-level view of the damage.

Spaghetti Squash Vine on Tomato Cage

Climbing up and over tomato cages, spaghetti squash vines ran hog wild over the garden. Instead of seeing plants wilting on the ground, I first spotted the wilting and drying up of vines at eye-level on tomato cages. It's hard to ignore.

Squash Plant Base no Borer Signs

Signs of Borer on Squash Plant Base

Once the destruction became rampant, and there was nothing to be salvaged from the crop, I started a sanitary removal of all squash plants and further witnessed the destructive nature of this pest. This is what I saw:

Gourds drilled with tiny holes.
Frass deposits on the gourds. (Frass is excrement and material excavated from vines.)
Hollowed out and devoured vines  resembling large straw tubes instead of lush, living vines.

I rolled the vines up and placed them in a black plastic bag. Squash bugs and borers ran for cover. I destroyed several in the bag and on the ground. Before sealing the bag, I sprinkled a healthy amount of Sevin powder in the bag to prevent transporting the bugs to the local dump.

Below is an interesting 3 minute video showing the larvae and damage of the Squash Vine Borer. There are several longer YouTube videos on this subject that may be worth watching.

Garden sanitation is so important in controlling these pests. Gardeners love to compost, myself included, but this is not the time. All diseased and pest-carrying plants should be removed from the area. Think about next year's crop. Since both Squash bugs and Squash Vine Borers overwinter in the ground, squash should not be planted in the same area the next year.

Excellent photographs of the Squash Vine Borer can be found at this University of Kentucky site. Further information on squash pests from North Carolina Cooperative Extension can be found here.

State of the Garden July 2014

Vegetable Garden
Garden Lady Blog

Vegetable Garden

The vegetable garden is producing zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. With a crop of 12 plants, I'm picking every other day. The tomato plants are loaded, but green. I've started taking a few tomatoes for ripening in the house. I've lost a few tomatoes as they got mushy and fell off the vine. Research indicates that temperatures above 90 F can be the cause. I've lost a few to caterpillars, and am pulling Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs off the plants. (Click hyperlink for my previous post on this pest.)

Jalapeno Peppers are abundant. With 6 plants, I can pick every day. I've made 3 batches of Jalapeno Poppers - a family favorite. (Click for recipe video.)

Since Spaghetti Squash is a creeping vine, it's crawling up some tomato cages and over other vegetable plants. There are different sizes of gourds so I'll be able to stagger picking and not have to harvest all at once. (Check out my new book on Spaghetti Squash-growing and cooking-a link to Amazon page is below.)

Spaghetti Squash in Tomato Cage
Garden Lady Blog

Green Peppers are not producing yet. The eggplant has fruit, but it is green and not the usual black for the Black Beauty variety. I'm not panicking yet. Eggplant is one of my favorite garden vegetables. Our county extension agent thinks they will gradually turn black. I've fertilized just in case the cause is a Nitrogen deficiency. Click here for a delicious Eggplant and Garlic Sauce Recipe.

Vegetable Garden
Garden Lady Blog

Until today, the vegetables were pesticide free. An invasion of Squash Bug Nymphs was treated with powder Sevin. We also had our first Tobacco Hornworm (see video here) on a tomato plant. No chemicals were necessary to dispatch this gigantic specimen. The photo shows the Hornworm eating the tomato. To detect the worms before too much damage occurs, look for the following: waste material sitting on leaves and branches missing leaves.

Flowers

Video of Swallowtail Butterfly enjoying Butterfly Bush

Garden Lady Blog

The Butterfly Bushes are finally blooming. I have baby plants sprouting everywhere including in the mortar of my front steps.

Brown-eyed Susan
Garden Lady Blog

The Brown-eyed Susans look wonderful especially since I don't remember planting them. The Goldfinches are enjoying the seeds.

Most of my flowers are perennials, but an exception are the Cleome. I bought a pack of seeds 10 years ago, and the flowers are still reseeding themselves. In addition, my neighbors took some seeds and the whole neighborhood has stunning displays of Cleome.

Cleome
Garden Lady Blog

Many of my perennial bushes are overgrown and need severe pruning. Forsythia, azalea and camellia fall into this category. Over the years, the Forsythia and Camellias have provided great cover and nesting sites for birds.

Enjoy!

Garden upkeep seems endless this time of year. If you're like me, being outdoors working beats indoor chores anytime. Just remember, eventually the weather will change and then we'll be missing the hot days of summer.

Please check this post again as I plan on adding more photos and videos. Thanks for reading my blog.

Burrowing Crayfish: What's that mud hill near the ditch?

Burrowing Crayfish Mud Chimney

The Burrowing Crayfish creates mud columns or chimneys alongside ditches or in low-lying wet ground. The stack is formed as the crayfish pushes mud out of it's habitat tunnel. The chimneys near my home are along a ditch that ranges from a shallow mud puddle to a 2-foot deep creek. The crayfish live in underground water pools and mud. They are rarely seen because they are nocturnal. 

The Southeastern United States has over 300 crayfish species.

This 4-minute video shows a scientist catching a burrowing crayfish. At the end of the video, you get a good look at the crayfish.

Sources:

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=665N7MKI5mM&autoplay=1&app=desktop

N.C. Cooperative Extension
 http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Ornamentals_and_Turf/lawn/note126/note126.html

N.C. Museum of Science
http://naturalsciences.org/research-collections/research-specialties/invertebrates/john-cooper

University of Illinois Extension http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=56

UNC Charlotte Publication
http://ui.uncc.edu/story/crayfish-streams-north-carolina-fishing

Stunning White-marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar

White-marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar

     This colorful caterpillar feeds on a wide-variety of trees. Severe defoliation of trees can sometimes be attributed to this species. An allergic reaction may result from touching the hairs.

There are several caterpillars with "tussock" in the name. This refers to tufts of hair. Their appearance features tufts of hair rather than a uniform covering of hair.

     The White-marked Tussock Moth is related to the Gypsy Moth so a fungus introduced to control the Gypsy may affect the Tussock.

Ipad viewers: see video on you tube.



Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

Saddleback Caterpillar: Beautiful Camouflage and Painful Sting

The Saddleback caterpillar has a striking appearance with a bright green body and a brown saddle. Horns point upward on either end. Spines on the horns and other hairs secrete painful venom.

I’ve brushed my leg against a Saddleback and can attest to the discomfort. Upon stinging, the spines can become lodged in the skin which causes more venom to be released and additional irritation. Loose spines can be left on surfaces or be inhaled posing further hazards.

I photographed this specimen on a Japanese maple tree. The caterpillar’s movements were slow, but deliberate. It's about 1 inch long. The Saddleback’s host plant list is lengthy.

This caterpillar is classified as a slug caterpillar because it does not have prolegs and moves in a sluglike manner. [Prolegs are fleshy protuberances that aid with motion in other caterpillars.] It is the larvae of a brown moth called the Saddleback Caterpillar Moth.

Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

Leaffooted Bugs: Bugs all over my Yucca Plant

Their movements were in slow motion so I almost didn't notice the brown and red shapes on the yucca pods adjacent to my deck.

Leaffooted Bugs - the red ones are nymphs

In the enlarged photo above, the leaf shape of the hind leg is visible. These bugs are known for emitting a foul smell when disturbed. They suck plant juices. 

The activity on the yucca pod resembled more of a family reunion than a feeding frenzy. If the individuals moved at all, it was very slow.

Reference:

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ag295/html/stink_bugs_and_leaffooted_bugs.htm

Tick Hotels

Tick Hotels

Along with the beautiful warm days come creepy and dangerous ticks. Our yard seems to have an abundance of them. What do you do when you find a tick crawling on your arm or leg? Grab it and throw it down so it can jump on another family member or pet? No, you want to make sure that tick is not going to live to bother another person.

It's not always convenient to smash the tick with a rock. They are really quite indestructible. I have flushed the little devils, but, they're so ridiculously hardy, I envision them navigating our septic system and resurfacing in the yard. One solution is to make containers we call tick hotels.

These tick hotels are small cosmetic jars and vitamin bottles with lotion in the bottom. We have them labeled and placed strategically in the kitchen, garage, deck, and greenhouse. Once a tick is discovered, it can be dispatched to the nearest tick hotel.The lotion in the bottom of the container slows them down and kills them. Also, it is easier to identify the type of tick with a white background.

Prevention

I'll list some general guidelines that I use to prevent tick bites. There's a lot of specific information available on the topic from experts. If needed, please consult those sources for additional information.

Protect yourself from ticks by spraying insect repellent on your shoes and clothing. Even for a quick walk to the garden, I'll spray my shoes.

For extended stays in long grass, in wooded areas, or other known tick areas wear long pants and liberally spray the lower pant legs and shoes to create a tick barrier.

If possible, remove tick-exposed clothing in a garage or utility room to avoid introducing ticks into the house. Bag the clothing and wash immediately.

Be alert to itchiness or tickling on your skin. These are signs of tick movement. Inspect the itchy area closely. Small ticks resemble freckles. If a tick is found, drop it in the nearest tick hotel.

Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetle

This insect has a unique and beautiful, metallic green sheen. I found this specimen crawling around in the yard, and noticed that half is outer shell is missing. These are beneficial insects because they eat other bugs.

Note that the actual size of the Green Tiger Beetle is only 1/2 inch.

5/26/13 Update- Second photo added.

Termites in North Carolina

Termites swarming on an interior window sill

 Few words strike fear in the hearts of homeowners more than the word "termite." These destructive insects weaken a home from within by eating wood and other cellulose structures.

The destruction by termites is often unnoticed because it is behind walls or under floors. Occasionally, a homeowner will be lucky enough to witness termites swarming.  Swarming only occurs periodically when a large colony needs to split. Special winged termites called swarmers seek out a new location. This is the time to call professionals.

The maintenance of a termite warranty is important. That requires scheduling annual inspections, paying annual fees, and scheduling booster treatments. A termite inspection is almost always required prior to a home sale. Any infestation would be a hindrance to the sale's closing.

More information on termites can be found at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension website.

Many Ants on Peonies

This is the time of year my peony plants become heavy with buds...and ants. Years ago, I had been told that the ants perform a function that helps  the peony blossom. A quick web search indicates this is not true. The ants are enjoying the nectar secreted around the bud.

To avoid carrying ants inside with cut peonies, I carry the vase and a bowl of soapy water outside. I cut the peony knocking off visible ants. Then I take a paper towel dipped in the soapy solution and wipe off any emerging ants.

I place the cut peony(s) in the vase and let it sit outside for 10 minutes. Usually a few ants will come out of the flower. I knock these off with the paper towel. I give the cut peonies another 10 minutes and then take them inside.

Peonies are delightful perennials to have in the garden. Each year, the number of blossoms increases. If your peony is not blooming, the plant may be planted too deep. Peonies prefer a shallow bed. A peony plant can last for generations so it's well worth the initial investment.  The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has information about peonies on its website.

Mourning Cloak Butterfly: A Visit from the Winter Butterfly

     The Mourning Cloak Butterfly has adapted to take advantage of warm days in the winter. Adults will emerge from hibernation to feed on running sap. Special adaptations for this emergence are glycerols (antifreeze) in their blood and shivering to raise their body temperature.

     The photographed butterfly was observed in March 2013, but one was seen earlier in February.

Look in your hat before you put it on!

 Rosy Peach Aphids Inside Hat

I had pulled off my wide-brimmed straw-braid hat, and noticed a discolored thread inside the head. I scratched it, and it didn’t move so I didn’t think anything more of it, and returned the hat to my head.

The next day, I grabbed the hat off its storage place on the deck. Thank goodness that I happened to glance inside before putting it on. There was a large gang of small red bugs milling around the discolored thread.

Yikes! That “thread” was a row of egg cases. The hatch-lings were rosy peach aphids (see my blog of August 2, 2012). Definitely nothing I want between my head and hat. That’s why I say, “Look in your hat before you put it on!”

 Rosy Peach Aphids and Line of Egg Cases Inside Hat