Roundup is starting to take effect on Bermuda grass. I can’t plant the buffalograss until I get that nasty invader out.A different bumblebee (or maybe robber fly mimic?? It flew different I thought) came to get water while I watered rainbow garden beds.Saturday morning dog. She is four years old as of Friday!Ironweed buds! Looking forward to the purple!Briar helping me garden on her birthday. Buffalograss corner of prairie is a good laying spot!I trimmed all the dying dill and cilantro out of the herb bed so I could see what’s going on with parsley, sage, and oregano better.
I am very honored to announce I have received one of the highest endorsements of my garden I can think of: we have a bumblebee nest!
They are in the wren house, in the abandoned nesting material.They look so much less round here than when out pollinating flowers, so much so that I tried to get closer for a confirmation photo.
So! That last picture, the bumblebee flying? Yes, well, I have found their limit is about a meter or so. Keep scrolling to see three of my four stings and one unlucky bumblebee that clung to me into the house and got squished in a panic, sadly. Content warning if you keep scrolling down: squished bee, reddish stings, puffy knuckle. No blood.
Briar was interested in an ice cube abandoned after Wes got out the more useful bag of frozen peas n carrots for me. Last chance to turn back from sad bee and sting pics!!!!Sting above knuckle on ring finger.Left arm stingRight arm sting. This was the unlucky and persistent bee we squished in house. I feel bad about that.We kept the dead bee for identification. Tentative identification by several people is American Bumblebee, Bombus pennsylvanicus.Front viewAnother above shot. Pattern of yellow and black seems to be how they are identified.This morning my two arm and one neck stings not too bad. Last night the arm ones hurt when bounced (ie when I took dog on her bike ride) and the knuckle hurt to flex. This morning the ring finger knuckle is very puffy and definitely hurts more to flex.Note how the affected knuckle doesn’t wrinkle up like all the others.Unaffected left ring knuckle for comparison.We’ve been walking by here all summer with no problems, but I decided to put a chair out for safety for now. Finger pointing at bees.You can see it’s on the way to the door to the garage. I think it should bee fine but for a few days at least I am going to go around!
Argiope spider. We call them banana spiders for the yellow but I think most people call them garden spiders.Missouri fluttermill primrose in the rock/sedum garden continues to bloom!Many tomatoes along with kohlrabi.A caterpillar on cilantro. Maybe a cutworm? It looks familiar…Uzbek golden carrots! Excited to try them… I harvested a bit early on two. Oops.Wes made hot pot style soup. It contains chard, kohlrabi stem and leaves, green beans, sweet peppers, onions, and green onions.A view of the spread. We have a vaccinated guest!!
Dill seeds are developing.A lightning bug rests on carrot leaves.This pillbug (rolly polley) looks very fresh, perhaps it just molted? It’s on a dayflower.The prairie is very lush and some of the tepary beans are sure climbing tall!Beautiful fungi on woodpile.Dog says things are okay!
A lot of blue lake green beans.Several tomato varieties are ripening.UF garden gem was fine but all of the UF “W” at a similar color rotted and molded. Perhaps they don’t like the endless rain? I will watch more closely for ripening now too.The Chef tied all the onions up for storage.The mini bell peppers are more mini than I expected.Corbaci peppers. I think the three little ones aren’t ready, but their plant died.A mini bell pepper plant died too, in the same way, a rotting brown at the base.This mushroom looks like it should be named lemon chiffon something.Weighing the dried garlic.Pseudothyris sp. moth resting on strawberry leaf.
The standing cypress on the left gets just a bit less sun than the towering thriving one on the right. It’s cracking me up.Rouge vif d’Etampes squash baby.Greasy grits pole bean flowers.First black vernissage tomato ripening! I love these. Small enough that they produce a lot, but big enough for canning.Beetles bumble around and end up pollinating a lot of flowers.Briar examines the potatoes growing in bags. The big leaves are rouge vif d’Etampes squash.Paula’s houseplant is happy.A beetle out late at night.Mexican Plum seedling from home is doing well and getting lots of water with our rainy spell.
