So... What Do You Do About Aphids?

The Monarch Caterpillars are back. In full swing! (And in all sizes!) We'd had a couple of them a month or so ago, but now my Butterfly Milkweed has quite a few of them.

But what's one to do with the aphids that are covering each stem on the plant? They don't seem to be bothering the caterpillars, but I don't like the looks of the Numbers of them! Is there something I can do to rid my plant of the aphids without harming the caterpillars?

(I wish I had a camera that would take those wonderfully clear photos... perhaps I need to experiment a bit more with mine to see if I can't do a bit better.)

This isn't a shady problem, but they're shady characters... those aphids!

Let's Get to the Root of a Mysterious 'Toot'!

On Thursday morning, a friend opened her front door and found...

... three cases for musical instruments on her front step. Reportedly, the first case she opened contained a rusted trumpet. Unplayable. The second case she opened was empty. The case was mouldy and not worth keeping.

We arrived at her house before she was able to open the third case, so she dropped the first two in a dumpster. I'm afraid I wasn't up to diving inside to investigate for myself - so here's a photo. When we returned from our expedition, we noticed that the third case was still on her front step.I followed her, acting upon the premise that I was offering moral support should we discover something distasteful, ungainly, Precious, or Dangerous (!) inside. Quite honestly, I was just plain curious.
As you can see, it was nothing unusual. A trombone with a slight bit of rust, but one that could be cleaned. Hopefully it's playable. It will be passed to the local high school band director in hopes that it will turn out to be usable.

As far as we could discern, these items had to have been left during the nighttime, under the guise of darkness. There's no shade here! ;-)

Here's Another Neighbor's Yard...

Here are a few examples from another neighbor's yard. It's pretty "green" over there, in their shady "Neck of the Woods!" ;-)


























I long for a dry bed, too. This is pretty scenic.







There are some good pockets of sun over there, too. Great for daylilies, lithrium (domestic purple loosestrife)


Here's a Mohican Viburnum. I'm sure the birds will love these berries! We do share the birds, so perhaps they'll find my Blueberry Muffin Viburnum this Fall, too!Could I convince you that this is just an extension of my yard??

Today Is Barb's Birthday

My sister would be celebrating her birthday today. August 1. And I should have made plans to "travel north" today. Perhaps within this next week.

She was killed October 16, 2006 by a hit-and-run driver.

She was a super gardener, too! And a super sister.

We miss her.

One finished project

Here's a view of the finished "log dam" at the end of the backyard north bed. I'm happy with the results. Personally, I think it looks great! Doesn't Sum and Substance look good next to it?

Those little green bits on either side will, someday, be big Goatsbeard (Aruncus). They, however, began as late 2006 bare-root plantings. I know, I said I'd never do bare-root again. And, I probably won't.

Below is a photo of a "work in progress." It's an arbor I began about three years ago. When my neighbor's bushes (those bordering my raised bed gardens) begin to encroach, I give them a trim. Those trimmings are crucial to the progress of the arbor. Narrow honeysuckle limbs bend easily and are great to work with... hence the slow progress. But, I don't care! Check out my list to the right. I have a lot of projects in mind!

Won't this be cute next to a playhouse for grandchildren and neighboring children? (The back side might be my garden shed... or where the great big brush mower could house.
Either way, out of the sun... into the shady retreat.

What is THIS doing HERE?

Do you remember the photo of the Robin's nest atop the wren house? Yesterday I walked 'round the house , and what did I spy but the Robin's nest... on the ground! (see below)
I was distraught because I didn't think the babies had looked old enough to leave the nest, and I couldn't imagine what might have caused the nest to fall.

This morning, however, as I was working in the backyard, I was surprised to see a baby robin hop out from under a hosta leaf. All I had in my hand was a shovel... and they don't take pictures, so I thought I was "out of luck." But I was at least relieved to have spotted one of the babies alive!

Later, as I was eating lunch in the dining room, I spotted an adult robin struggling with a worm. As I watched, it hopped to its baby next to the tree (photo to the left). You'll definitely have to click on the photo if you want to try to find the little fellow!

I grabbed my camera and headed out the downstairs doorway.

With my little 3x magnification, the next photo is what I was able to capture from the backyard bench. Obviously I wanted to be closer, but "Mama" was concerned.


She wasn't alarmed however, so I crept a bit nearer the baby. You may see him below (he's the little speck to the left of the tree). One more photo... and this is as "good as it gets." Without scaring the baby OR the mother, I retreated. Please click on the photo to get a better view of the baby.

Oh! That's not the end of my saga. As I made preparation to sit on the backyard bench (I had eyes only for the baby robin at the time), someone narrowly avoided my foot! (I jumped and he sped away as fast as his body could angle and dart!)

I don't know who was more surprised - but SOME people have their eyes open when they walk in the shade. But not me. I missed an opportunity to photograph a big, fat garter snake!

Ahhh, back in the Shade!

Today was quite the fun day. I began the day by using my wheelbarrow. I'm making a "log dam" at the end of the bed below. You can see that the job is yet unfinished. I ended the afternoon by visiting all my "friends" in the shady backyard. Everyone is growing, new blooms blooming, etc. This being the 3rd growing season for many plants, they're maturing and how grand is that!
Please feel free to click on any of the photos. You'll find more than what I'm describing.

Here are a few photos. The photo above shows the extreme north bed on the east side of the house. The bush closest to the camera is called a "Dappled Willow." You may note a Bleeding Heart to its right. There's a sign that says "A Kiss of the Sun for pardon, the Songs of the Birds for mirth. One is closer to God in a garden, than anywhere else on Earth." I believe it.
Just beyond that are two Japanese Painted Ferns. This is their second year. I'm hoping they're happy.

Photo one below shows a closer view of one of them. Way at the end of the bed in the first photo above, you might be able to see Sum and Substance hosta. The second photo below shows a close-up of Sum and Substance, now in bloom.


I am standing at various points on the east of the house as I take these next photos. Photo one shows the north side of the "big bed." Photo two shows the center part. (Note the same "Revolution" hosta appears on the right foreground of photo one and on the left foreground of photo two.) In photo three, I was standing at the southeast side of the house, looking at the south end of the "big bed," but looking at a slight bit northerly angle.


This photo looks at the east side of the "big bed." There's a little walkway between the two parts of this bed. Beyond the hosta in the foreground you'll note two different Pulmonaria (lungwort), and the Tenryu hosta.

Last, but not least... here's a photo of another robin nest! On top of the wren's house! Looks like they've both been quite busy nesting. My photo's a little "jiggly," but I think there were 4 babies being fed today!