Volunteers in the Garden

I love volunteers. Particularly, I love volunteers in the garden. People that volunteer in gardens are great. My topic today is the plants that volunteer in the garden. Volunteer plants are those that sprout from uncultivated seed. Seed dropped from previous plantings or spread by birds can result in volunteer plants.

After the Great Deer Debacle earlier this summer (my blog of July 20, 2012), I was especially grateful for the volunteer pepper and tomato plants. The deer had laid waste to my formal plantings so I let the volunteer plants grow to replace the carnage. I transplanted some of the pepper plants into pots on my deck to insure their survival.

Jalapeno Peppers

Now I’m harvesting jalapeno, green peppers, and grape tomatoes from those volunteer plantings. Thank you, volunteers!

My Victory over Japanese Stiltgrass

Around 1919, Japanese Stiltgrass, sometimes called wire grass, was used as a packing material for goods imported from Asian countries. It made its escape and has been invading North American landscapes ever since. The plant has grown rampantly on our property for at least 17 years.  My horse refused to eat it.  In wooded areas, it displaces native plants. 

 Japanese Stiltgrass 

 In the lawn, mowing hides its weedy appearance.  In the perennial flower bed, however, the Stiltgrass takes over by growing tall and obscuring plantings. Because the grass is growing adjacent to beloved perennials (liriope, sedum, pampas, hosta, false dragonhead, periwinkle, peony, iris), I’ve never considered chemical control a possibility in the flower bed. 

 While listening to a Master Gardener lecture, I realized I could treat the Stiltgrass with a grass killer that would not harm broad leaf perennials. My only concern was the other grass-like plants in the garden with the stilt grass: liriope, pampas, and iris.

Liriope and iris are unaffected by Ortho Weed- B- Gon. Pampas grass, being an ornamental grass, would be affected and care needs to be taken when spraying around it.

I used a convenient premixed spray bottle, and sprayed the Stiltgrass in my flower beds. Where growth was heavy, I hand-pulled grass prior to spraying. The results were amazing. In one to two weeks, the Stiltgrass died off.  I’m thrilled to have a weapon against the Stiltgrass.

Japanese Stiltgrass Area after Treatment

Squash Bug Nymphs Overrun August Garden

The North Carolina garden in August is overrun with insects. Previously, I wrote about Squash Bugs and their devastating effects on squash plants. I have several friends that adhere to strict no pesticide gardening that lost their entire squash crop.

The nymphs of the Squash Bug are very active now. They hang about in groups on squash plants or remnants of the plants. While hoping for one last bit of yellow produce, I inadvertently provide them a wonderful habitat.

Good housekeeping will help curb the Squash Bug population for next year's garden.The adult bugs will overwinter in garden debris. Remove all dead plants and dispose of by burning or bagging. This is not good material for compost.

 Squash Bug Nymphs

Yellow Woolly Bear Caterpillar

Yellow Woolly Bear Caterpillar

 

While clearing squash plants out of my garden, I noticed this colorful, hairy caterpillar on the underside of a leaf. This is the caterpillar stage of the Virginia Tiger Moth or Spilosoma virginica. It is called the Yellow Woolly Bear or Yellow Bear caterpillar.

About.com explains the weather prediction folklore surrounding the Woolly Bear.

There is an excellent caterpillar identification guide online. Select the observed characteristics and click search.

7/17/14 Link updated on Woolly Bear folklore.

More North Carolina Butterflies

Red Admiral

Dun Skipper

Cabbage White

For more photographs of North Carolina butterflies see my previous blog post of July 2, 2012.


My references:
I am lucky enough to have a copy of Butterflies of the East Coast by Rick Cech and Guy Tudor. For moth and insect information, I use The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

 Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

I recently discovered an invasion of stink bugs on my eggplant and tomatoes. I was intrigued that my Audubon Field Guide only had the Green Stink Bug. In explanation, I discovered the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug arrived in the U.S. around 1998, and my book was a 1980 edition. Marmorated means marble-like or streaked. The Wikipedia page has a photograph showing more detail.

This invasive species originated in Japan, Taiwan, China and Korea. This agricultural pest pierces and sucks fruits and vegetables inflicting damage as well as spreading pathogens.

Interestingly, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug tries to overwinter in buildings. Once it gains access to a structure, it hibernates unless the building is too warm. Last Spring we stayed in a mountain lodge that had several of them on the ceilings.

This is the time of the year that bugs become aggressive in the garden, and the gardener must be equally aggressive. I’ll be treating my plants with a Sevin liquid spray or dust, and observe to make sure the stink bug population declines. Of course, if you have only a few bugs, they can be removed by hand.

Rosy Apple Aphids

 Rosy Apple Aphids

I've seen this bug around from time to time. I'm taking a stab at identifying it as a Rosy Apple Aphid. I found several on a pepper plant which is not its food source, but our neighbor has apple trees. If I need to be corrected, please leave a comment.