Bug, Wildflowers and Miscellaneous photos
This bug was scuttling about dazedly on our driveway. It looked like it had just emerged out of the ground with bits of dirt still clinging to its carapace. Potato beetle?
Here are some pictures of some wildflowers. I sowed the seeds earlier this spring and they are just starting to bloom. My favorite is the one that looks like snapdragons in whorls. Some kind of small mallow was also included in the mix. The sunflowers (black oil) are volunteers from our birdfeeders.
The 'Jane' Magnolia decided to bloom again. This second flush of flowers are even greater in number (approx. 45 flowers) than when it first bloomed in the spring. It will be interesting to see if it will bloom yet again in fall.
posted by Ki at
8:24 AM
11 Comments:
ah, sunflowers!!! Just beautiful and a wonderful symbol of summer:):)
Lovely photos!
I hope you stepped on that Colorado Potato Beetle. I never saw one before this year and suddenly I have a plague of them.
The whorled purple & white flower is very pretty. Maybe a lobelia or a scutellaria? Just guessing here.
Hi Jessica,
Indeed summer is here. The heads on these bird seed sunflowers don't become so huge that they fall over so I like them a lot. The bumble bees really like them!
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Hi Sheila,
Thanks.
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Hi Entangled,
I'm afraid the bug was too pretty and since we don't have any vegetables, I just let it go on its way.
For some reason Lamium comes to mind but I don't think that's what it is. Scutellaria sounds good. I should see if I kept the bag the seeds came in.
After more than 3 weeks the Bhut Jolokia hot peppers have finally sprouted. The Pepper Inst. sent me exactly 10 seeds and 4 sprouted. They said it would take up to 4 weeks and they were right. I'll let you know if it produces any peppers and send you some seed if you're interested in growing them...but that's counting the chickens before they hatch.
Wow, 3+ weeks for germination on the Bhut Jolokias - that would try my patience for sure. I hope they produce fruit for you. Somewhere I read that just one fruit will last an Indian family for a week because a tiny sliver is plenty for any dish it's added to.
Entangled,
Peppers usually sprout in a week or two so I would surely have given up watering if the Pepper Inst. didn't include information it took almost a month for germination. One more sprouted today so that makes 5, 50% germination rate so far.
I'm surprised even Indian families find the pepper to be so hot. I've had some pretty fiery and downright incendiary Indian food. If I remember correctly, there was a woman in India who could consume 50 or 60 Bhut Jolokias in a sitting. She must have burned up all her taste buds but it must be excruciating eliminating those peppers. =:O
Ki, I can't even begin to imagine that....
But I think I found your wildflower. How about Collinsia verna? That one looks bluer than yours, but I think it's close.
Thanks for the sleuthing Entangled. It does look like the Collinsia. I'll try to dig up the bag the seeds came in that listed the wildflowers included but I may have discarded it.
The 'Jane' magnolia is just gorgeous... lucky you! At least you don't have to worry about the potato beetle damaging any veggies.
Your attitude towards the colorado beetle puzzles me a little.
Here in the UK they are firmly in the notifiable quarantine section. You have to phone your local council or DEFRA (department of food and agriculture) immediately, should you find one.
Besides, some of the people on your street might be growing potatoes or other root vegetables. Their proliferation rate is enormous by all accounts.
Hi Kate,
I am quite impressed the Jane magnolia is blooming profusely at this time of the year. I do notice that some of the star magnolias are blooming as well but these are only one or two flowers on a tree, not 45.
I remember seeing a potato beetle one year when we were growing vegetables a few years ago but have not seen any more until now. The Japanese beetle and brown chafer beetles are definitely more numerous and do much greater damage especially to the ornamentals.
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Hi Abby,
Since I normally don't see too many Colorado potato beetles I wasn't sure this was one. I don't think we have to notify our county agricultural agent if we see one. Perhaps if we lived in Idaho or other potato growing states we may be required to alert an agricultural agent but the potato growers here probably spray so many pesticides it's not a problem for them. :(
I try not to kill to many things unless they get out of control. Since we have so many birds in the yard now, I let them do most of the pest clean up. Of course they won't normally eat beetles although on one occasion I saw a bird pull the wings off and eat a beetle but they will eat the larvae so I try to do the Buddhistic thing.
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