Yesterday morning I picked half a dozen sweet corns and Wes buttered them up and roasted them in foil. The front one we threw out because of too few kernels from incomplete pollination.Steak and corn.While taking the husks out to the compost pile, I was relieved to see that my mysteriously dying frostweed is resprouting at the base.Steak, a roll, a baked potato, and corn. Very classic.Everything buttered up extra. It was pretty good but nothing to write home about. First year I picked way too late (hard and rubbery), last year didn’t pollinate, so I’m counting this as a win.After dinner, the Chef found this fine friend on the porch.The stealthy bagworm (a moth caterpillar). So invisible in its natural habitat of Rubbermaid tub lid!Here it was walking so you can see its head.
Surprise! A loofah gourd I didn’t plant has already reached the top of the trellis.Chard, mini bell peppers, and Chimayó peppers.The Chef found a cutworm in the chard.I found a big beautiful banana spider (Argiope) in the tomatoes while I harvested! I made sure not to bother her more.I finally determined the zucchini plant was a total loss to squash vine borers. I also made an executive decision to not let the very thriving white currant tomato plant shade out the moon and stars watermelon or the salvia or the rosemary. There’s only one plant and it’s a monster! I got over 900 g this evening alone.All tidy now. I hope the watermelon will do better now.I came inside to find this beautiful meal prepared by the Chef. Greens are chard from the garden and the bell pepper topping is mini bell peppers sliced. Yum. Nice and cool after working in the heat and humidity.
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!!
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.
Replanted coreopsis looking rather worse for the wear but still has some leaves, so I hope for its recovery.Mealy blue sage for blue. Seedlings transplanted to pots from near the house ones, and now grown big enough for the ground.Culinary sage for a light purple.Waiting on other colors but you can see it’s starting to take shape! The peach tree will be part of the orange section. The butterfly weed seeds will probably take a while to get going, so I am also waiting on some marigold seeds for fast orange.
I noticed a bump on one of the two remaining baby apples. The apple in question fell right off so I guess it was a goner anyways.A top view of the wee beastie after I coaxed it out with a piece of grass. I believe it’s a fly maggot but it seems too big from what I read of the common apple fly maggot (Rhagoletis sp).“Nooooo don’t turn me over”“Where’s my apple???”“Hmph.”. Back upright for a full length portrait with its prey.
