Wednesday, July 2, 2014

busy busy and pictures


Well, I meant to post yesterday but...

Autumn is here for her week and I haven't had time so here's some photos that have been languishing.

I strolled out in the yard the other morning and sprinkled all over were these little mushrooms. The caps were about the size of a nickle.


We had some tree work done last year and we got delayed and didn't get back home til the next day but the guys went ahead and did the work, which was fine, except that instead of just trimming the one limb off the magnolia, they decided to 'even it up' for us and cut all the lower branches that I could reach. One branch has grown enough so that I could reach this one flower. I had been watching the bud for weeks because I didn't want to miss it.


The crinum lilies are blooming. Have to go dig up the rest of them from the city property.


A small ball moss fell out of one of the pecan trees.


Two more of the plumerias I had thought frozen to death have come out. That's all but two of them now and those two are still green at the dirt line so they may still regenerate. And the mexican bird of paradise that my grandboy and I hacked out of the easement almost two weeks ago is sprouting new growth all over itself.


I was cleaning off the table in the garage so I could do some cold work and went to put some safety goggles away in the box where I keep them on the shelf. The top to the box was halfway off and wrens had built a nest in it. Crazy fucking wrens. I don't think they used this one. The males will build several nests hoping to entice a female into one but this one was too close to the door into the house and I know I startled it several times.


The double orange day lilies have been outstanding this year.


I've been putting up corn so we will have some later in the year. This is a sweet bi-color hybrid that I bought from the farmer. Unfortunately it underscores the edge of the cliff that the fungicide neonicinoids are pushing us over. These poisons are commonly used and have been shown to be a major culprit in the dying off of honeybees. I have not seen any bees this year (or butterflies for that matter). Well, an occasional bee but nothing like the swarms that have been common is past years. These ears of corn show incomplete fertilization. Each strand of silk must be fertilized to produce a kernel. Fully 20% to 25% of the 20 ears of corn were affected.


The boys were having a confab.







12 comments:

  1. Love the confab shot. I think it's important to stress that it's not just the neonicotinoids that are stressing the bees, and to focus entirely on that is too not completely solve the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The men on our ten house road drive their lawn tractors to each other's homes. I'll grant you the road is half a mile with two severe hills, but come on. Sometimes they do take bicycles.
    The dearth of bees and butterflies this year is wrenching. I read there was a record monarch hatch, but no idea where they may be.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looking at all the lushness, it's hard to remember how crappy last winter was. I am grateful.

    I love it that animals want to make nests close to you. You do generate a tremendous life force.

    Happy busy summer, Ellen. Love to the grandkids.

    ReplyDelete
  4. glad your magnolia blooms was within reach for you and the transplants are working out well. we had wrens build nests in the dog pooper-scooper, an old light globe, plastic bins, etc. too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. the bees have moved up here, loads of bees! Your beautiful photos are absolutely stunning! See what sunshine does!!!Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. In Oklahoma my grandparents had and ENORMOUS magnolia tree - like the size of an oak. Your picture reminded me of when my grandmother would bring in a bloom, float it in a shallow bowl and the whole room would smell like lemons.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do so worry about the bees. I noticed a dearth of them this year too.
    Your pictures are beautiful but really- is there anything more beautiful than the magnolia blossom?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gorgeous magnolia blossom! I always love when you share scenes from your yard...

    ReplyDelete
  9. You know, for some reason, in England, I see tons of bees. They're all over the place in London. Maybe we're not using the pesticides that are in use in the states? I'm glad to have them.

    You gotta admire that bird's industriousness, especially since it apparently came to naught!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, fungicides have also been connected to bee loss. I am worried if butterflies do not show up soon. I have a few zebra tails and one fritillary! Great magnolia blossom and why is that tree painted two colors in the confab photo?

    ReplyDelete
  11. haven't seen any local corn, but it is real good around here. Mine is starting to tassle. We used to do assembly line with corn as a kid at an aunts.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, those day lilies are lovely. I'm sorry your magnolia got chopped like that.

    ReplyDelete

I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.