This and That: A Blog

 I didn't see any ladybug larvae, which look like tiny dragons, but the adults are out and about doing their good deeds. Seven-Spot  Spotless (I'm not just calling it that because it has no spots, that's what it's actually named.) Common Red Soldier Beetle   These are often mistaken for red and black pests, so be careful before you rid your garden of these beneficial insects! A spittlebug nymph at the half-way stage of development.   At this stage spittlebugs actively feed on plant sap, but unless you have a lot of them the plant won't even notice.  The foam, called cuckoo spit, or spittle, is a moisture shield, and won't harm the plants either.  The adults are called froghoppers.  If the spittle is noticeable I remove it.  Bold Jumping Spider  I've posted about these geniuses of the spider world before.  Jumping spiders problem-solve, learn from experience, plan routes (short-cuts, detours), and explore just out of curiosity....

 O is the stamp of the week for Sunday Stamps .  Let's see what I came up with for O animals.  O ctopus Republic of Togo 1964  O strich   Zimbabwe 2000 O kapi East Germany 1980 - "Endangered Animals" series, Berlin Zoo  O ryx, Arabian East Germany 1980 - another of the "Endangered Animals" series P stamps are up next Sunday. 

I bought two tomato plants around the corner. Or, two corners, like if I were to walk halfway around the block.  A woman had grown them from Baker Creek seeds and was selling them for $2 each.  I got my favorite, the reliable Sungold and a Pantano Romanesco , which they say has flesh " rich, flavorful, and juicy ." I also have a volunteer Sungold from last year's plant.  I had a larger one a while back, but a late freeze got it.  Nice shadow!  No one really needs more than one Sungold , but I didn't know this was going to show up. My June-bearing strawberries are a little earlier than last year, but only by a few weeks.  They taste nothing like the kind you buy in stores! There's a little Chinese elm that came up in a pocket of a terra-cotta pot.  It's a few years old now.  I just let it be. Purple tansy is blooming in the compost pile.  I tossed the old plants in there years ago and get volunteers each spring.   I like how the f...

  Skywatch Friday Hope you don't mind another puddle reflection shot!  I am partial to them.  Have a nice weekend.  My weather is getting a bit warm.  Today is forecast to be 81° and tomorrow 88! I'd like to say it will cool off after that, but I see it might be 90° on Tuesday.  My peas have just started to flower, they won't like this...

 For the month of May Thursday Postcard Hunt 's theme is Parks and Gardens.  This week it's National Parks. Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas Alligator Farm  c1948 Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada Lake Louise and Victoria Glacier  c1930-1935 Yosemite National Park, California Four Great Waterfalls: Yosemite, Bridal Veil, Vernal, and Nevada (Bridalveil is the old spelling on the back) late 1930s - mid 1940s  Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming The skyline of of the Teton Range viewed from the east, with labeled peaks and landmarks.  A very inconvenient sized postcard for storage!  Next week will be Public Gardens.

  There'll be more iris in the upcoming weeks, but for now here's what blooming.   Autumn Tryst , division from a friend. Unknown, free off Craigslist. Unknown, free off a curb. Mango Passion , division from a friend. October Skies , division from a friend. Another curb freebie, or as I called a free one in a poem , a " nameless mutt ."  This, a yellow, and a pretty white I hope appears, are tall and need some support or they tip over.   Nothing to do with iris, but look at these roses at a McDonald's drive-through lane!  I got a large iced sugar-free vanilla coffee.  Not the best, but with the app only 99¢.  That beats anywhere else!  I don't need sugar-free, but it doesn't hurt.  I get four pumps of the syrup instead of of standard six.