Forcing Bulbs for the Holidays

To read the full Blog:

                       http://www.gardening4us.com/2011/11/forcing-bulbs-for-holidays.html

  

Goodbye to the Garden~

The trees and plants were in their last glorious days, making the goodbye evermore bittersweet.

I wandered the grounds yesterday, peering skyward at the honks of the last Canadian Geese rushing south before the frost line. The tiny sweet Mums were bright, the last roses smelled lovely. I had waited until afternoon and rushed as the sky turned dark to the North and the wind began to chill.

I dug the Caladium bulbs.... the soil was cold and damp and they are lucky to be drying in the laundry room, preparing for their winter storage.

I gathered the flats of the unplanted pansies to the warmth inside where they are crowding the window sills, waiting for warmer weather to be planted. As the sky continued to darken and inched closer and closer, the wind picked up and I hurried my pace.

The last of the Tropicals and Geraniums were rushed via the little red wagon to the shop to avoid the inevitable frost. I picked the remaining cheerful Geraniums and brought them to the house, apologizing to the doomed parent plants.

Back inside, I made a nice cup of steaming coffee and held it as the warmth of my cup made my hands tingle a bit as they unfroze.

Overnight the wind howled and the temperatures fell to the teens... and it was over. The summer and all the joy that it had brought is now in the pages of memory. Every still-green leaf has fallen this morning as the Sun began to shine ...
Winter is here!

Poor Annie is terrified of the sea of leaves... she is tip-toeing through them!

Hurricanes and Typhoons... Events Beyond Our Control

*Our hearts go out to those affected by the 'Monster Storm' that hit the islands.*
This is from an earlier blog and has been edited.

As we watch the world wide weather events unfold, we were reminded that mankind has maintained a continuous struggle against assaults by nature. Catastrophic events have occurred since the beginning of time and have been the subject of vigorous religious and scientific study and discussion.

For thousands of years, countless theories have come to light only to be rebuked by new information. The belief that mankind is responsible for natural disasters is not a new premise. Our responsibility was the reason for sacrifices to volcanoes, oceans, farmland, and forests with offerings made to appease angry gods. The argument is compelling and it would be convenient to blame us. With acceptance of blame, perhaps we have an option for change and some measure of control.

However when we study the deserts, which were once lush forests, it is obvious that many natural disasters are exactly that… natural. Although science has made vast advances in the prediction of weather related events, where a catastrophe will occur is still the whim of nature.

All week, I have been reading 'Nature on the Rampage' by Ann and Myron Sutton to better understand the forces of nature. Hurricanes were named after Huracan, an evil storm god of the Caribbean. One of the most devastating hurricanes on record occurred in 1780. It began off Barbados and came ashore where it flattened trees and dwellings killing countless numbers of people. It destroyed an English fleet anchored off St. Lucia, then ravaged the island completely leaving 6,000 dead in its wake. It swirled on to Martinique, enveloped a French convoy and sank more than 40 ships carrying 4,000 soldiers before leveling towns and villages killing another 9,000 people. It finally wound down after destroying Puerto Rico and an untold number of ships and fishing vessels caught unaware in open sea.

Weston Martyr is quoted in the book with his description of a hurricane. He said, "You cannot breathe with a hurricane blowing full in your face. You cannot see either; the impact on your eyeball of spray and rain traveling over a hundred miles an hour makes seeing quite impossible. The blowing sand cuts your flesh and you hear nothing but the scream and booming of the wind, which drowns even the thunder and the breaking seas. You cannot move except by extreme exertion. To stand is to be blown away like a dead leaf. You cannot even crawl; you have to climb about twisting your arms and legs around anything solid within reach".

To see the full article... http://www.gardening4us.com/2010/09/our-storm-and-hurricanes.html 

Tip for Saving Seeds

Don't toss those little silica packets found in every new pair of shoes or garment. They are a helpful addition to your packets of saved seeds. Since they absorb moisture, your seeds will be certain of a dry condition!

Fall Foliage... the Lovely Change

Grandpa's Pond~ Rural Oklahoma.

Perhaps it is said each year, however this year promises the most lovely Autumn in ages. The crisp and divine temperatures of late have Oklahomans happily donning sweaters and getting outside! As the clocks were turned back on Sunday, suddenly the foliage changed and shades of gold and scarlet were seen shimmering in the breezes.

Although the following explanation will be a vast over simplification, it may provide insight into the foliage change. During the spring and summer the trees use their leaves to collect air and water utilizing a process called photosynthesis to turn it into food. Photosynthesis means ‘putting together with light’ so as the days shorten and daylight diminishes, the gathering process ends. The leaf is no longer necessary to the tree and begins its fall transformation and the hillsides become a dramatic autumn palette that provides breathtaking color for a brief moment in time.

The chemicals chlorophyll and carotenoids are present in the leaf cells throughout the growing season with chlorophyll making leaves the bright green color associated with the photosynthesis process. As darkness increases in the autumn, chlorophyll production eventually stops and inevitably all the chlorophyll disappears. With the loss of chlorophyll, the carotids become visible and provide the leaves with lovely yellow colors. Lastly the anthocyanins may arrive and take center stage, ushering in the vibrant reds we associate with Autumn.

Because carotenoids are always present in leaves the amber, yellow and gold colors remain fairly constant from year to year, even during drought. However conditions must be ideal for the fickle anthocyanins who are glucose (sugar) and singularly responsible for the brilliant hues of purple, crimson, and scarlet. To be spectacular the tree requires warm sunny days and cool crisp evenings to slow the closing of the leaf veins and trap an excess of sugar produced at this time. Due to the perfect weather of late, the reds this year are gorgeous.

However the shade and a foliage show are not all the leaves have to offer… their parting gift is perhaps the most important. The leaves drift from the trees and collect below, continuing their work by slowly decomposing. Over time they will add nutrients which create a dark rich soil that nourishes saplings as they grow to become forest giants like their parents. It is indeed a miraculous cycle.

*Note: Many Caddo Maples have changed in an unusual manner this year. The crown of the tree has changed to a brilliant scarlet, the center has changed to an orange, while the lower leaves have remained green. This is very much an oddity.
 

For a faster loading blog...

People have commented that my blog loads quickly... and it does.
It is because I don't have ads. Loading ads is time consuming and it is not worth wasting the valuable time of my readers to place them here. Happy Autumn~

Autumn... a Pictorial

Fall Observations and Pansies

The weekend was delightful with the deluge on Friday and Saturday arriving as a day of pure outdoor pleasure. Once the rain stopped the cleansed sky was a gorgeous azure with billowing white clouds slowly drifting as the caw-caw calls of the crows could be heard in the distance. The sound of the Canadian geese, barely seen in the distant sky in the familiar V formation, was reassuring that Nature does indeed have a plan.

Observation indicates the grasshoppers have become rather lethargic, hopping slowly rather than zinging along. Thankfully their days are numbered, and between the cold and the damp, they are miserable! The ants, whose activity in the fall is always an indicator of the degree of winter we may expect, are racing about storing tiny pieces of grain. And the squirrels too are hastily assembling a stash of food for winter. The weather pattern and the critters point toward a relatively harsh winter so relishing these fall days is a must.

These comfortable daytime temperatures and cool evenings have made plans for fall gardening a delightful priority. And since the rain, the wild violets have sent forth tender new leaves signaling it is time to plant the earliest spring bloomers. Their relatives, the precious pansies, have begun arriving in the nurseries and if planted now will survive nicely over the winter.

Originally a common viola growing in fields and hedgerows in England their first noted appearance as a new species was on the estate of James, Lord Gambier. His gardener, William Thompson, crossed a viola species with a viola tricolor in an effort to achieve a round flower of overlapping petals. In the late 1830s he found by chance a flower with a broad dark blotch instead of narrow nectar guides; from this singular pansy came the future ‘flowers with a face’. Released to the public in 1839 with the name "Medora" this pansy instantly attained rock star status among gardeners and breeders throughout Europe.

Spiders on the Move Before Frost

The Deadly Black Widow... she will attack to protect her egg sac

Most spiders live one season, however some species live long lives and spend the winter in a semi-hibernation. The Fiddlebacks have hidden in the rafters, behind the books, under the bed, and in other out of the way places and are now beginning to look for a warm hiding place to spend the winter.  They have grown over the summer and will shed last years 'shell' leaving behind the empty casing... the empty casing is a sign that a more mature one is lurking somewhere nearby. The gentle Tarantula has an extremely long life expectancy and will easily live up to 20 years in captivity. The record has been set by a female who resides in LA and although her age was unknown at the time of her capture, she is now fifty years old.

Spiders are a most interesting invertebrate in both appearance and habit. All are predators which make them valuable to the gardener as they will eat flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, locusts, cockroaches, and aphids. The habits differ among species with some making intricate webs to trap their prey while some lie in wait on flowers and some simply travel about on the ground.


Spiders are found in every corner of the planet, making them one of the most common invertebrates and they alone have eight legs. True spiders (thin-waisted arachnids) evolved about 400 million years ago, and were among the first species to live on land. There are many references to the spider in popular culture, folklore and symbolism. The spider symbolizes patience for its hunting with web traps, and mischief and malice for its poison and the slow death they cause their prey. (Who could forget the pitiful death sequence in the movie ‘The Fly’?)

Though not all spiders spin gossamer webs, spiders have been attributed by numerous cultures with the origin of basket-weaving, knot work, weaving, spinning, and net making. Lovely pottery artifacts featuring spiders may be found in all ancient cultures, so respect for them is universal.



The lovely Orb Weaver web

Any talk of spiders includes the two most dangerous in North America and they must be addressed. All spiders have venom however the Black Widow and Brown Recluse(Fiddleback)are very dangerous species whose bite may have disastrous affects on humans. The Brown Recluse likes living in quiet corners of the house while the Black Widow resides outdoors. A member of the Tangleweb family, the Black Widow makes an untidy web as the name implies and will aggressively guard her egg sac. Both have thin legs and a fragile skeletal structure, making them easy to squish... do not hesitate to kill them.



Huge Brown Recluse (Fidleback) on the lamp shade!

A favorite spider which comes to mind is the darling fuzzy black jumper.
One summer we had a black fuzzy with emerald green fangs who took up residence in the kitchen. Every morning as the household awoke and greeted her, she would would lift her 'arm' and wave... a marvelous trick by any standard.

A harmless Fuzzy Jumper

There is an entire psychological phobia named after fear of spiders called Arachnophobia. So popular is this fear that comic book creator Stan Lee embraced it, introducing an irresistible spider hero in 1962. Spiderman instantly became an all time favorite!

Kettling Hawks

The Magnificent Hawk
 

Sunday was a perfect day for a drive to see if the foliage has yet begun to change and although the foliage was unremarkable, we did see a most unusual happening. Mother Nature apparently sent a message about the change of seasons for as we drove by a large pasture of brown grasses, a Red Tailed hawk could be seen quietly sitting on the ground. It was notable because it is unusual for Hawks to sit and also because there was another Hawk resting nearby. Hawks are rather solitary in habit so we stopped to better observe this unusual occurrence.

Lo and behold, the entire field was full of Hawks blending with the grasses…. all gathered calmly as if at an outdoor market. The blue sky began to fill with Hawks who were circling to land as though they had been telepathically summoned by those already attending the sit-in. Soon their numbers reached a hundred or more, all waiting patiently for some internal signal.

All at once they began to take flight and Hawks from adjacent fields joined them. As we watched in amazement hundreds of Hawks began the phenomenon bird watchers refer to as ‘kettling‘.

‘Kettle’ is the term used to describe the graceful acrobatic wheeling performed by a large flock that is beginning migration. Kettling birds catch a warm thermal updraft and begin swirling in a circular motion, going higher and higher as more birds join the wondrous dance... they literally floated with a quiet, graceful, and steady movement of feathered flight. It was mid-afternoon and the sight was beautiful as the light caught the underside of their wings. They continued ever-upward until the first birds appeared only as small dark specks in the blue sky. And then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone. They will go South now and not return until spring.

Sometimes happenchance will give a delightful surprise if one is simply at the right place at the right time! We feel incredibly blessed to have witnessed such a rare and wondrous sight. Watch carefully for the Hawks will continue to kettle for several weeks… perhaps, just maybe, you will see one.

The Social Wasp

This nest us under the eve of the chicken house... terrifying!

 

This time of year it seems the social wasp has taken an extreme dislike to humankind and they are poised to attack at a moments notice. A very nervous insect on a good day, lately they are like gun slingers at the OK Corral! It is because they are in a last minute fervor of mating to ensure survival of their species. Wasp society is typically matriarchal, the female is the one with the sting, it is best to stay clear since she wants no interruptions for this final party.

The days of the colony are numbered and soon many wasps will die leaving behind the mated queens who will find a place to hibernate for the winter. In the early spring the females emerge to find a suitable place to build a nest. Their bodies already contain fertilized eggs from last fall so they need only to select a place secure from the elements to begin the cycle of reproduction. Once the site is selected, surviving females gather to build a paper nest.

Intricate paper Nest is visible... these are in the ivy outside the front door!

Some studies indicate that several species of social wasps select a the queen through a contest within the group who gather in early spring. All of the females within this species are capable of laying eggs however the one with the ability to eat the eggs of her rivals wins. Following selection of the winner all other females stop laying eggs and the losers become workers, foraging for their queen and raising her young.

In other species, the female lays the eggs and raises the first young wasps herself… the first of the eggs to hatch are always sterile female who become workers who take over for their mother. They expand the nest and maintain their siblings in a series of intricate brooding cells. It is easy to determine the number of wasps in a colony by the size of the nest. Large colonies, which can number into the thousands, have extremely large and intricate nests.

As with Ants, male wasps are relatively unimportant and rather like dead beat dads. There is little necessity for them with exception of fertilization of the eggs as they contribute nothing to the hive. Wasp males born late in the season have the express purpose of embracing the females and following this task they die.

The wasp is a fierce natural predator, eliminating many garden pests, so oftentimes useful to ignore them. However stay clear of the excited buzzing-about that is occurring now; they are happy to attack enmass in a painful, terrifying swirl.

The Miracle of Faith Healing... Blowing the Burn

Peter the day before the explosion~
Warning photos below may be disturbing.

I was re-reading the Foxfire books one spring many years ago. We had a cook out one fine Sunday and I was talking about the books to friends. I mentioned how fascinating it was to me that the old ones in the Appalachian region had used folk medicine and held their beliefs since the 1700's. Brought to America by their Scottish ancestors, because of the mountains, an intense isolation had taken hold and nothing had altered their ancient practices. I mentioned I read they used a Bible verse to stop bleeding. A guest casually said her uncle could 'blow the burn'. I asked her to elaborate and she said he could even do it over the phone, it was his gift and he did without pay. She said he tried to help severe burn victims in hospitals but often they dismissed his efforts and told him to leave. It is his belief that fire stays in the flesh unless it is blown, thus the zig-zag look to a healed burn. It's the fire still within the skin and it must be blown for the burn to heal correctly. Strange conversation, strange luck... because I would need the information within weeks.  Our sixth son Peter was 10 at the time of his burn. 


If you slam our oven sometimes the air flow will blow out the burner but we're careful and you can always smell the accumulation of propane. He was happily baking cookies and I was in the kitchen with him as he checked them. I got a whiff of propane and was horrified as he grabbed a stick match and in a split second lit it! The explosion rocked the house and could be heard at the barn. Ten minutes of propane had filled the oven and blew up in Peter's face. He was blown backwards and I saw the fire as it boiled out of the oven to snatch him... it had talons and it was alive.

(Photo: Minutes after the explosion.)
Michael who was coming in the back door grabbed Peter who had been blown 10 feet against the back wall and put out his hair. Peter was immediately in shock and the skin on his face began to rise up. Turning from red to white, layer after layer was coming up, his nose was black, his lips ashen, his eyebrows and lashes melted, the forehead hair was singed and much of it gone as well. It was too bad a nightmare to comprehend!

I called the hospital and they told us to route to the burn center. Peter began to shake and cry; the pain was unimaginable and horrible. Maybe 4 minutes had lapsed and the skin was still lifting and beginning to white-bubble. The black around his nostrils indicated how much smoke he had inhaled. We wrapped him in a blanket and in a single heart beat imagined the months of peeling, molded face masks, and our son never looking the same as his brothers. We decided the burn was too bad for hospitalization.

Michael told Peter to draw deep down within himself and find a place to put the pain for a few minutes until we could call the burn-blower and it would be alright. It took three agonizing minutes to get the number and make the call. The gentleman blower was not at home but his grandson said he had the gift too and he could do it even though he had never done it before. He was sixteen.

 He asked how he was burned, with what properties, where the concentration was and a few other questions. Then he told me to gently blow on Peter's face, starting from left to right and slowly blow and he would do the rest. As I blew, layer after layer of skin began to flatten down, Peter stopped shaking and the pain subsided. The grandson told me that the aloe I had on hand was fine to use but not necessary. He said the burns would be totally healed in 30 days and that they would leave no scarring. The fire had been blown and was no longer within Peter's face.

(Taken over the next three weeks...)
The scabs were thick, deep, and dark. What was left of his hair was a brittle singed relic and his nose was transparent on one side. However the scabs fell off in thirty 30 days, leaving no scarring. His nose was a little thin on one side for several years and his freckles disappeared forever, but he never even needed antibiotics for breathing in the flames.
~The Miracle of Faith Healing... I am a grateful believer.

The Field Cricket

 The lovely song of the field cricket is heralded this month and its melodic symphony can be heard each evening. Fall is the time for cricket mating and the male, who is the only voice of the cricket, is singing to potential sweethearts. Although the female can not sing, she can hear the song through her ears which are located on her front legs just below her knees.

A shy and reclusive little insect, the cricket rarely makes a public evening appearance until the urgency of mating begins. Following fertilization cricket eggs are deposited in the soil in the autumn soon after the rains begin. They will rest there until time to hatch in the spring; once they are born baby crickets hide during the day. They emerge to eat in the evenings and enjoy grasses, pieces of grain, wool and their favorite snack... book bindings. Apparently the darling cricket will sing, mate, then come inside to eat a good pair of wool pants and a book or two before its life cycle ends.
Photo: An Outdoor Asian Market Selling Cricket Cages

 In China singing crickets are kept as pets in special cages and it is believed they bring a household good fortune... prized specimens fetch amazing prices. In fact the cricket culture in China dates back to the Tang Dynasty from 500 BC to 618 AD. It was during this time the crickets first became respected for their powerful ability to “sing” and a cult formed to capture and cage them. Naturally the obsession escalated and in the Song Dynasty from 960 to 1278 AD the sport “cricket fighting” became popular.

The sport became so popular that China actually produced a Cricket Minister, Jia Shi-Dao who reigned from 1213 to 1275 before being deposed for irresponsibility. Then from 1427 to 1464, a Cricket Emperor, Ming Xuan-Zhong ruled in favor of cricket fighting, making his palace a major tribute to this important insect. Racketeering, gambling, and even suicides were reported over Chinese cricket mania. *This 'mania' was described as a national obsession.

Luckily, the Asian fabric of choice is silk which is unappetizing to crickets for had it been wool the cricket's popularity would have suffered greatly. Years ago I pulled my 'good' white wool, Katherine Hepburn style, very expensive pleated slacks from my closet only to discover one leg was totally destroyed with cricket holes. Now whenever I hear them in the house I track them and gently place them outside to play!  

Magical Morning Glories~

This is the time of the summer when the spectacular Morning Glories have reached their zenith, climbing almost any vertical surface at a surprising growth rate of up to inches a day. In direct contrast to the Moon Flower, which is the same family, the flower of the Morning Glory opens with the dawn and lasts but one day, finishing the flower cycle by evening. However since it is a prolific bloomer, there is not a summer day that does not include lovely new blooms for the entirety of the season.

Wild morning glories have been traced back to ancient China where they were used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. The Japanese first cultivated the flower for ornamental use in the 9th century and it is celebrated in both culture and art.

Artifacts indicate that over three thousand years ago, many South American civilizations had discovered when morning glory seeds were added to the substances from the rubber tree, a bouncing rubber ball was produced. The sulfur in the seeds was the key and the ancients used the exact same process supposedly ‘discovered’ by Charles Goodyear in 1844.

The flower lasting but one day led to romantic folklore and in Victorian times the fleeting flowers represented the fickle nature of love while the profusion of new blooms symbolized the renewal nature of affection. At that time images of morning glories were used on tombstones where they were a symbol of the shortness of life.

Besides the traditional blue there are many new varieties in an astounding array of colors making this charming vine a welcome addition to any garden. With drought and poor soil tolerance, rapid growth habit, and amazing twining ability, the morning glory has long been used to shade porches, easily climbing a trellis to provide cooling relief on hot summer days.

It is an annual, meaning it must be planted each year and will die at first frost. Collection and storage of the seeds as the season progresses is economical however it should be mentioned the seeds contain an hallucinogen. For this reason the seeds are considered dangerous and must be stored away from children and pets.
*Photo Credit: Linda Perfield

Amaryllis Belladonna

The lovely Amaryllis Belladonna, in all her glory, has been attending the garden party for the past several weeks. Commonly called ‘Naked Ladies they appear from a leafless base and are also called ‘Surprise Flowers’ for their overnight appearance in the garden from a barren spot. The stunning Naked Lady comes from a clump forming bulb. Each year the bulb will increase in size and the flowers will appear at the outermost edge so over the years one bulb becomes a mass of exquisite flowers.



The foliage appears in the garden in the very early spring and looks at first like emerging jonquil leaves. Very soon however the foliage out-grows everything around it and begins to collapse early in the season, requiring binding or staking to keep it from overshadowing its neighbors. The foliage dies away and is easily removed as dried debris late in May. The spot in the garden now appears quite bare until mid-July when suddenly the forgotten flowers begin to appear. A tall sturdy stem emerges and supports a mass of six to twelve exquisite purplish-pink flowers which have a heady and intoxicating fragrance. Flowering at irregular intervals, they add long-lasting beauty to the garden and are also a lovely cut-flower for arrangements, lasting almost a week in the cool of the house.
This wonderful plant seems undisturbed by severe growing conditions and will bloom faithfully in shade or sun regardless of the heat. The ease of these ‘Ladies’ growing habits makes even a novice gardener joyful and will add beauty and grace to any garden setting. Often planted with Shasta daisies to cover the bare base, they bloom at the same time allowing for a visual garden bouquet. As with so many of our lovely flowers this one is originally from South America where it grows in wild abandon in dry and dusty sites.



Mine arrived in my garden quite by accident. When my Daddy died in July of 1994 I was distraught and could not be comforted. I was walking in my garden the day after his funeral when the most beautiful flower I had ever seen appeared miraculously. It was the first of 12 Naked Ladies to arrive, one each day for 12 days, each in an odd place in my garden. Since no one recalled planting them my family has long maintained that my father sent them to me from Heaven.

The Magnificent Mimosa

                                         

 The lovely Mimosa has begun to bloom. As the sweet scent of their flowers fills the air, we can enjoy both their fragrance and the gentle shade provided by their fern-like canopy. The Mimosa was introduced to the United States as an ornamental specimen in 1785 by Filippo Degli Albizzia, a Florentine nobleman. Arriving from Asia, it is also referred to as the Silk Tree for the texture of its flowers. The flowers appear in early summer and have long threadlike pink stamens which are white at the base. They bloom from June through July as stunning pink powder-puffs which drip with sweet nectar. Covering the trees, these blossoms attract hummingbirds, honeybees, and butterflies.

As with almost every plant and tree on the planet, the Mimosa has medicinal properties as well. The bark is a bitter and an astringent containing compounds which are used to shrink inflamed tissues. They are also used to relieve pain, and contain a sedative which was used to treat insomnia or anxiety. They increase blood circulation and thus treat heart palpations, and also act as a diuretic.

The lovely flowers were used to relieve a constrained liver and acted as an antitoxin providing a cleansing effect on the body. They have a sedative affect and were used for symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and poor memory. The concoctions made from flowers also relieved pressure in the chest and gastric pain. Apparently the spectacular Mimosa was a cure all for many ailments and it is truly a loss that the ‘recipes’ for its many uses have been lost over time.

This species of tree likes it hot and dry and thrives in the southern regions of the United States with relative ease. Used as a staple in front of Victorian homes it grows rapidly, up to three feet a year, and provides a lovely canopy of mottled shade allowing the grass to grow underneath the branches. With its stunning flowers it is a fantastic addition to the landscape regardless of the fact it is considered a chore to clean up after lest it become invasive.

The fruit-like seed pod, which may require management, can produce over two hundred thousand seeds each year. However with the ease of today’s mowers, it is not a chore to simply collect and discard the pods during regular mowing. Plan on weeding the young seedlings from the flower beds and enjoy the beauty of this exquisite tree.

Purple Martins and Mosquitoes

The rain and cooler weather have been such a lovely respite from out usual July. Last week we were sweltering, the soil had been transformed by the dry heat into powdered dust, and there seemed that no respite was forthcoming. And yet a reprieve did arrive and from the east, which is highly unusual since we receive our rain from the west. There is no second guessing Mother Nature, and this time we were truly blessed.

As a side effect of the rain we may expect a large influx of mosquitoes so be sure to dump any containers of standing water. While the male mosquito eats nectar, his lady is blood sucking as she needs it to complete the fertilization of her eggs. The eggs are deposited in a small amount of quiet water and it takes but two days for infant mosquitoes to hatch, squiggle about, and begin morphing into adults. Their entire 6 stage process of reaching adulthood takes but two weeks and most species live up to a month or more, with one living over 100 days.

The female mosquito is kind enough to produce a high pitched buzz, alerting that she has found a target. Her proboscis, which is long and needle-like, produces an anticoagulant to allow for blood flow and this chemical is the cause of the swelling and skin irritations following a bite. Mosquitoes are present everywhere on Earth, have a specific territory, and with exception of the newly arrived Egyptian species, most emerge at dusk.

The Purple Martin is a charming member of the North American swallow family with interesting flight habits, shiny steel-blue plumage, and an appetite for the mosquito. The Purple Martin gets all of its food and water while in flight, skimming the surface of a pond, scooping up water in its lower bill… they can consume over 10,000 mosquitoes a day!

Martins are a very people friendly little bird, nesting almost exclusively in man made houses provided for them. Long before the arrival of the first Europeans, Native Americans invited Purple Martins to take up residence by hanging hollow gourds for them. They migrate to Brazil for the winter and return each spring to their home, with the older Martins arriving first and the younger birds arriving two weeks later. For a natural and conservative method of mosquito control, they are simply the best alternative available.

Crepe and Crape Myrtle... one and the same.

As the summer heats up and mirages appear on distant roadways only to disappear as one approaches, it is time for the dazzling Crepe (or Crape) Myrtle to begin her show. This gorgeous shrub will begin blooming now and continue until late fall. The Crepe Myrtle originally made her way into American gardens in about 1750, so it is well established in the Southern parts of the United States. The most common species came from southern Asia and is called “bai ri hong” by the Chinese, meaning “a hundred days of red”. This species has consistently maintained her popularity by gracing both mansions and farmhouses for over two hundred and fifty years.

This stupendous tree has now been hybridized to include every height. There are dwarf Crepe Myrtles small enough for a patio pot and those that resemble small trees which may be planted as a screen or simply a mass of visual beauty. The blooms arrive in clouds of clusters which exude an exotic look. The deeply ruffled flowers, each almost a quarter of an inch and complete unto itself, are bunched in gorgeous tapering cascades which literally cover the tree. The color spectrum is fantastic as well with the traditional red joined by white, pale or deep pink, shades of rose, and the entire spectrum of lavenders from soft to a deep violet.

The bark of this marvelous species is stunning as well. The interest in the bark lies in the fact the rough outer bark curls and peels, revealing an under bark which is smooth and of contrasting color. The foliage remains throughout the fall, changing to a deep red which lasts until the deepest freeze.

The Crepe Myrtle loves it hot and dry and should be watered only during prolonged dry spells. To maintain flowering throughout the Summer it is recommended that you cut back the spent branches just above the bloom thus causing the tree to produce a new one. Many people trim their Crepe Myrtles quite low in the early Spring to control and maintain their shape and since blooms appear on this years growth, this does not affect the flowering. It is a matter of personal taste whether you wish to have a shrub or tree… however every garden deserves the beauty of at least one lovely Crepe Myrtle.

The Year of the Frog

We have the rain to thank for the resurgence of the frogs with every kind from jumpers to bull frogs seemingly everywhere this year. The last time they were seen in such great numbers was 1993 when they appeared after the spring flooding along with hundreds of tiny painted turtles. They were also notably prolific in 1983, the year we gave tadpoles as favors for a June birthday party. My friend above, Mr. Toad, has lived here for over 20 years.

It is good to see them making a come back, especially since frog populations have declined dramatically since the 1950s… the reasons are entirely environmental. The earliest fossils indicate frogs existed 125 million years ago so they are a mirror of the environment. Oxygen is dissolved in an aqueous film on a frogs skin and passes from there to the blood and for this reason the skin must remain moist. Unfortunately this process can mainstream toxins into the bloodstream which is part of the source of their decline. Also their eggs are subject to water pollution and no adaptation may protect them from man made poisons.

A true amphibian, frog eggs are laid and fertilized in the water and it is in the pond that young hatch and begin to morph. They appear first as tadpoles then gradually change into young frogs by losing their tail, losing their gills, developing lungs, and finally developing their fabulous hind legs. There are differences between frogs and toads, even though the toad is part of the frog family; the toad has adapted far better than his cousin, the frog.

The frog insists upon a pond to lay her eggs however the toad is not particular and may lay eggs in a standing puddle. The hind legs of a true frog are highly unusual and better suited for leaping than walking; the hind legs of a toad are shorter and well suited for hopping. A toad is not dependant upon water, has warty skin, and a shorter more muscular face. He also has survival tactics against predators which the frog lacks. A toad may inflate his body, play dead, or secrete an unpleasant tasting chemical through a gland behind his eyes. The smooth skinned frog has only the ability to leap long distances away from predators. It is a myth that toads may pass their warts to humans; the warts belong to them alone. The tiny toadlets (baby toads) hiding among the flowers this month are harmless and make adorable playmates for the day… remember to release them by evening.

The males of the family have the voice and will begin their evening song during mating season. From the deep baritone of the Bull Frog to the sweet squeak of the little jumpers, their song is familiar to nightfall and highly anticipated by all who love an evening serenade. The frog hibernates in winter and tends to stay in the same home-place for the duration of their life. Some species may live up to 40 years so you may well see your old familiar friends in the garden for decades.