Friday, July 23, 2021

What's Bugging Me?

There are a lot of insects in the garden this year.  And its not just that I think that because I'm spending more time with them.  They're everywhere.  For the most part I leave them alone, even if I suspect they are a "bad bug".  But there are some that really need to be controlled.  

I don't have much trouble with the Japanese sex Beetles.   They're out there.  I pick them off my bean plants.  If I find a large cluster of them I'll go get some sudsy water.  The first thing I checked this morning was the squash plants.  And on the first leaf I turned over (there was some damage visible) I found a whole cluster of Squash Bug nymphs.  Those things are so creepy.  I am sure they are the inspiration for most zombie movies.  But before temperatures warm up, most bugs are pretty easy to round up with either duct tape or soapy water.  This is this morning's bad bug collection


The bad bugs are still the minority.  I try to make it a point to go sit somewhere and see what comes by.  Ten minutes of immobility can be a revelation in the garden.

I was sitting under the apple tree watching the hundreds of pollinators on the creeping thyme when a black butterfly came by.  I think it was a Red Spotted Purple which is a misleading name.  I watched it go down the dry creek bed which is when I noticed that one of the butterfly bushes was covered in butterflies.  There was a Yellow Swallowtail and a Monarch, two white Cabbage Moths and a bunch of the little Pearl Crescents.  By the time I got there the black one had moved on but it was still a flurry of activity.


This Thyme has been extremely popular among all types of bees and butterflies





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