Tag: tepary beans

Posted on

06/04/2022 unexpected excitement

Saw a great little jumping spider on the ironweed leaves.
An interesting bee or velvet ant male or something, on white avens leaf. It was one of the nervous kinds who keeps flicking their wings constantly.
The rain of the last few days prompted the Missouri fluttermill primrose to bloom again!
The Chef and I cleared leaves off the patio. In several places they were up against the wood siding which is not great as they are essentially composting. Here Briar holds down a leaf pile for us. We leave the leaves in the rest of the yard as that is best for a healthy woodland environment!
The worst offending area of leaf collection next to the house. This is after I pulled out the bulk of leaves. Our compost pile should be happy now!
An extremely tiny planthopper that the Chef found on the outdoor work bench.
The last round of tepary beans I planted are coming up.
The big thrill of the day… The horse crippler cactus in the rock garden has bloomed!!!! I imagine this means it’s either happy here or thinks it’s about to die. Hopefully the former. Since I just planted it this spring I wasn’t expecting it, and its flower bud was not obvious, or grew in really fast the last few days when I wasn’t looking with the rain.
Posted on

Tepary beans begin

I’ve been getting worried about no tepary beans, but I looked in my spreadsheet and the big harvest last year didn’t start until late September and went into mid October until frost. So I think we’re doing fine. These are pinacate tepary beans.
Posted on

Weekend things

Texas mallow might bloom soon?
Goldenrod from Abby thinking about blooming too.
A pupa! I bet the Black Swallowtail.
Side view.
Tepary beans begin!
New crystals from Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge!
Closeup of two fancy selenite crystals.
Posted on

Early morning to early afternoon

Briar wanted to go out around 4am. I found this nibbled out Bisbee red cowpea flower.
A pair of Red-banded Hairstreaks mating. They must have started yesterday as I can’t imagine they were flying at night.
Alright actual morning, the chewed up flower still opened!
A bit of rain seems to have the Bisbee red cowpeas really blooming!
A tepary bean flower!
She had a piece of grass on her nose, silly dog.
A break indoors. Gram’s really lounging hard.
A close up of this hard working kitty cat.
A geometrid moth trapped in the shower. I released it outside.
Front porch is boring. She sits next to more strawberry runners I’m capturing in dirt for a coworker.
A Pearl Crescent sits on moon and stars watermelon leaf which is speckled with “stars”.
A different watermelon flowering.  I forget which variety.
A jumping spider patrolling the cushaw squash vine
Briar investigates.
An American Bumblebee (Bombus pennsylvanicus) in the loofah gourd flower.
The volunteer loofah gourds are really framing the rain barrel nicely.
A different loofah individual has made itself a ground cover for one of the apple trees.
The whole front garden.
Posted on

Foods

Garden green beans (blue lake bush) with tonight’s dinner.
Rice to go with tacos on weekend. Garden tomatoes.
Refried beans to go with tacos
Refried beans before any frying. Mostly black teparies, a few vaqueros. All the remaining from last year’s harvest.
Posted on

A day without rain??

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!
Posted on

Assorted day off activities and observations

Several strawberry runners took root so I snipped the runners.
I set out a tray of dirt to try to capture more strawberry runners.
The Chef helped me cut down the yaupon holly that was planted in a bad spot. It kept hitting the garage roof and gutter. Nine of ten water barrels are now in place for use!
Dinner… I made it this time. It includes a few of the new tomatoes (as well as a store tomato) and fresh garden basil and oregano.
Got mail!!
Drying coriander (the cilantro seeds) for later harvest!
Tepary beans reaching up!
Wild poinsettia (A volunteer).
The prairie and its rain barrel.
Rudbeckia is looking great.
A true bug.
Standing cypress about to bloom!
Posted on

Little things growing

Some of tepary beans have started to climb!
Salvia coccinea seedlings emerge in an earwig-free environment.
Likewise, maybe the baby basil will have more luck away from earwigs.