Category: Gardens
Lichens, Flowers, and Ants
Lichens seen on early morning hike.
Blooming succulent with ants.
Growth Found on Willow
Replacement of the Sad (Probably Dead) Plant
Over the weekend we attended a succulent show. There were many interesting and beautiful plants, but I went with the objective of finding out what killed my plant. And I hoped to find a suitable replacement.
Accually I do not know for sure that my plant is in fact dead. It could be one of those add water and something sprouts from the debris. And you can’t really replace a plant. You can add a new plant with similar attributes.
Just a few images of plants that I found interesting–
Probably dead plant–
New Plant
Rusty Tussock Moth – Orgyia antigua
Tonight I was cleaning up the courtyard garden and found a wonderful surprise. This little fellow was on a tree that is not doing well.
When I finished for the evening I took a quick look at the wormy guy and found that he was climbing down the tree. His movement indicated which was his head. He looks a bit prickly, but could that be an illusion? According to Debbie Hadley on the About.com site, “touch them with a bare finger and you’ll feel you’ve been pricked by fiberglass.”
I saw a photo of the Rusty Tussock male moth and it is amazing. I hope that I have an opportunity to see one up close.
Bug Guide Image of Flightless Female
Orgyia antiqua (Rusty Tussock Moth)
Armadillo Bugs or Rollie Pollies
I enjoy gardening. Growing things from seed, nurturing the plants, making more plants from cuttings, harvesting seed… And it is fine to have dirt under your nails.
This season, well we really don’t have seasons on the CA Central Coast, I have been cleaning up my gardens, moving plants, and adding new plants.
Recently I noticed what seems like loads of Armadillo Bugs, Rollie Pollies, Pill Bugs. A bug with several names. This morning when I was hand watering, I found a dozen on one of the garden walls. By the time I went inside to grab the camera, nearly all of them had disappeared, only this one remained.
I was curious about their story. Can they cause damage? Armadillo Bugs are actually crustaceans and have gills. They typically clean up garden debris and don’t usually cause damage.
And according to several articles, Rollie Pollies, or Armadillidiidae possess the ability to safely remove heavy metals from soil.
More information about Armadillidiidae
Custom Fragrance
My backyard garden has the most amazing fragrance in the morning. It is the combination of the fragrance of Brugmansia, Wisteria, and the blossoms of a lemon tree yet to be planted.
Don’t be too quick to remove weeds from your garden. This “weed” has a lovely flower that I would never have seen if I had removed it from my garden.
A Grasshopper
An unusual visitor hanging out in my courtyard garden.
University of California Cooperative Extension
Agriculture and Natural Resources Ventura County
Blooming
Potentially Dangerous Can Be Beautiful
I recently snagged some Oleander pods from the parking lot of a neighborhood restaurant. In California it is common to have plantings in parking lots.
Oleander has a reputation for killing people and animals. Some stories have a valid science component, others lean toward myth and urban legend.
The pods I snagged have dried and opened exposing their lovely seeds.
Why did I snag the seed pods? I use poison plant bits in my work. Some of the bits that I use are from plants banned in a few states. The reason for the ban is reactionary. A couple of kids decide to get high, use too much, have a bad reaction, and the plant is held responsible.
Each of the cups in my Poison Cup series has a small bag of bits from poisonous plants. These are a few of the bags included in the series.
The title of the series is actually Preservation. While the cups refer to the tea ceremony and poison goblets, the cups have been perforated making them a nice vessel for seedlings.
Treat with Respect contains the seed bag in the upper right corner of the above graphic.
The bag contains 11 Castor Bean seeds.
Additional image of the series can be seen on my website.