This and That: A Blog

  Sunday Stamps is the letter P this week.  P latypus Australia 1938 P ine Chafer Czechoslovakia 1992  P artridge, Red-Legged Oman 1982 Q is often a difficult letter, so come back next week and see how I did!

 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....

  L  is the theme of the week for Sunday Stamps .  L ynx, Eurasian  Czechoslovakia 1966 Part of the Game Animals series. L ove USA 2024 L ightning Bug USA 2018 L eopard Nigeria 1966 Come back next Sunday for M stamps. 

About time for some garden news.    I didn't realize I'd missed Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day until yesterday!  I've been doing the bare minimum outside due to summer heat, just watering, and a bit deadheading in the front yard, and watering again. While the temperatures have gone down into the 90s from the 100s, the lemon cucumber leaves show damage from the hotter days.   While the lemon cucumbers have yet to produce any cucumbers, the Salad Bush cucumber is doing well.  The plant looks dreadful.  Either this kind always does, or it thinks it's dying and putting out cucumber after cucumber. This one escaped my sights, I discounted the ugly plant!  I expected it would be too bitter and pithy to eat, but it wasn't (see below).   One of my FFA $1 mystery tomatoes is a nice large red one.    Ready to enjoy, a warm tomato and a cooled cucumber! The Herb Garden is happy, but even herbs need some water on hot days.  The little flo...