Catching Up

I'm bad.  Haven't posted, and haven't been keeping up with the garden.  It's a jungle out there.  Anyway, I did a bit of gardening today.  I transplanted this lavender that I had had growing dramatically out of a sewer pipe.

It was pretty tricky getting it out of there, even though it was in there for just one season.  I dug a deep hole for it to live.  I think having its roots truly underground will be better for it and it'll get to expand more.

I found this corn salad growing in my sidewalk

As well as this lettuce.

Heroic Hammy

Here's Hammy with all those parasites cocooned up.

I am actually pretty sad about this but then again my tomatoes are better off.

Sad News for Hammy

I hesitiate to post this both because it's sad and also because it is gross but it is part of the cycle of life.

These maggots are parasitic wasps larvae emerging to spin their cocoons.

Hammy doesn't have a lot of personality but this still makes me sad. He just loves eating tomato leaves.

I've edited this to make the image smaller.  If you like you may click on it to see the gross details.

Notes on tomatoes

I just want to copy and paste what's out there about my tomatoes

Pruden’s Purple

Days: 75
Color: Purple-Black

Box Car Willie

Days: 80
Color: Red
Type: Heirloom
Beefsteak 

Days: 85
Color: Red

Cosmonaut Volkov

Days: 72
Color: Red

White Queen

Days: 85
Color: White

Yellow Brandywine 

Days: 90
Color: Yellow-Orange

Amana Orange

Days: 90
Color: Yellow-Orange

Jaune Flamme - first to be eaten early August

Days: 70
Color: Yellow-Orange

Sun Gold - I got this one in late in my earthbox

Days: 55
Color: Yellow-Orange

Snow White

Days: 75
Color: Cherry -uh cherry sized, the color is off white

I forgot
Black Seaman 
Days: 75
Size: Determinate
Color: Purple-Black

Yankee Hammy

Happy Fourth of July fellow Americans!!

Captain Hammy Hornwormgrower is still growing fast.
June 29

June 27

The only thing not growing is the horn.  Hammy's poops are getting bigger too.

No Tomato

That's a joke that a few hundred people will get.
OK so this year I have

• Pruden’s Purple
• Box Car Willie
• Beefsteak 
• Cosmonaut Volkov
• White Queen
• Yellow Brandywine 
• Amana Orange
• Jaune Flamme
• Sun Gold
• Snow White

I could be wrong about a couple there.

Whoah.

Sherpes may not know where they are.

Penny

Captain Hammy Hornwormblower has grown a lot in 2 days.  The stripes are more distinct too.  The horn seems to be the same size though relative to the rest of Hammy looks smaller.

Molted

Last night my caterpillar molted.  That's its horn.
It was pretty dark so it was hard for me to get things in focus.

Horned Caterpillar

I think I will keep this guy as a pet for a little while.

Violas

Just a quick photo of some violas I picked.  At this point I feel like my garden is incomplete without these.  They bring in the bees and other insects with a sweet tooth like lacewings and they help locate slugs early in the spring so you know where to lay the bait because the slugs love to eat them.  Remember, only use iron phosphate based slug bait like SLUGGO.  You may also eat these flowers.  They really dress up a salad.

Mantis

I'm getting downright lazy.  Here's 3 mantises in my garden.

Almost Grown-Up

Just an update

Why I grow sunflowers

Just a quick note with my farmer finch.  I sorta blame these birds for the 2nd generation of sunflowers not planted by me.

Mantis Update

Just some of the mantises hanging out.  Sorta wish I had a shot of one that is still little.  His head looks really big relative to his body. 

a Mantis and her Molt

I've got to get a better camera.  My canon powershot is a good all around camera but getting it to focus where I want it too is problematic.  I took a dozen pictures trying to capture this mantis nymph and her discarded skin below.  I cropped it so it shouldn't be too hard to find in the bottom slightly right of center part of the photo but I know I can get a clearer shot.  If I am still obsessed I'll try when it is a bit brighter out.  This molt hung from all 4 limbs off a mint leaf.  Of the handful I have seen this is the only one like this.  Others were on the dirt or hanging by 2 legs.

At any rate I got this clear photo of the mantis hanging out.  Perhaps she is getting used to me.

Misinterpretation

I saw this and thought that this mantis was dying.  I was so wrong

After seeing another hanging just like that I relaize that this mantis is MOLTING.

WOW!

I figured something out as a result of this... I think.
Little mantises with fat bodies are close to molting.  Once they molt their bodies are skinny.  At least that is what I have noticed.  When they are older it becomes gender specific.

Tiny Creatures

I think that people who walk by my house must think I am nutty.  I am always looking at the tiny creatures that inhabit my plants.  I've been keeping a rough count of the mantids.  There's about a dozen that I know of.  Here are 3 on a butterfly bush.  I see 2 looking at each other which makes me nervous.  They are very hungry and might eat each other.  I have moved some to prevent this.  One I gave to a neighbor, two I moved to the back.  Of the 2 in back I think one was eaten by a spider.

And speaking of spiders, here's a jumping spider on a sunflower.  I saw a mantis around here but I bet it has been eaten by one of these spiders.  Such is life.

Here is a lovely nymph that looks female to me.  She's graceful and she has a big butt.  The males have smaller butts.  I think that they are starting to look distinct, plus the females are a bit larger.  She is actually less than an inch long, 2 centimeters at the most.

Finally I have a wasp with orange legs.  I tried to get a better picture but my vision and camera limit me.  It looks like it might be laying an egg into an egg, possibly that of a cabbage moth.  Could it be a parasitic wasp?  There's so many species that a quick google search has not solved my mystery.  It is pretty small.

Dividing Lemongrass

I keep a few things through the winter.  It doesn't mean I take great care of them.  Here is some lemongrass, sadly unwatered.  It is barely alive and yet it is alive.  Lemongrass is tough.

What to do?  First a haircut.

Then I cut it out of the pot.  Yes, the roots get dense plus it is sharing the pot with some he shou wu, a plant that annoys me.

Now I cut the stalks apart.  The soil is almsot bone dry which makes this easier.

I split it in 9.  Some stalks actually have 2.  This is in my earthbox, a selfwatering planter that might be idea for lemongrass which is happiest with lots of water, sun, and heat.  I have a feeling this will be a good year for it.