Month: May 2013
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)
Flat Stanley Came For A Visit
My nephew’s teacher sent Flat Stanley for a visit. I put together a scrapbook and made a box for the collected things from the beach and hikes.
I didn’t know anything about Flat Stanley. Apparently Flat Stanley books have been around since 1964.
These are a few photos of the scrapbook that I made for my nephew and his class.
Scrapbook and Box. The box contains rocks, shells, pods, and twigs with lichens.
Scrapbook Pages 14 and 15. While Stanley was here he went with John when he donated platelets.
Stanley also went with our bunny, Big Baby when he went to the vet’s for a check-up.
Scrapbook Page 17 shows John at work with his assistant, The Bird.
Scrapbook Page 19 has photos of a project that I made for my sister’s 50th birthday.
Stanley helped.
Scrapbook Page 20 is the back cover.
Had a difficult time getting a photo of Stanley and Big Baby.
Big Baby was a bit too interested in Stanley.
Stanley is Packed and Ready To Travel.
I included a CD with the images of Stanely’s visit and the pages of the scrapbook.
This is what the class will see when Stanley arrives.
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