Choice Morsels

In keeping with it being Halloween, I'm posting a couple pic of my neighbors very elaborately decorated yard! This neighbor is not right next to me, but a house over. A couple in their early 30's I'd guess live there. No kids. But they are enthusiastic decorators for every holiday season of the year and Halloween is no exception. So far, it's different every time. That skeleton must be 15 feet all. I can see it's head and shoulders whenever I come and go from my driveway. Originally, there was one of those inflatable purple dragon wrapped with light "reins" that ran up to the skeletons hand, like it was his steed. But I guess it stopped working, because it was removed a couple weeks later. (There's no music or anything going on.)    To the right of the tall skeleton, on the driveway, they had a skeleton dog playing with a skeleton boy on this wood railed cart. But about a week ago, something came up he needed his cart, so the dog and boy display was re

  Today's Garden Pic: A Gulf Fritillary Butterfly on Dwarf Marigolds These are a common sight in fall here in North Florida. Their caterpillars eat Passion Fruit Vine leaves (also called Maypops.) The caterpillars are orange with spines. I've considered getting a Passion Vine and may yet look into it. They make a lot of runners, so need a spot that works for them.

 The Garden Pic today is one of my Gerber's putting up a fall bloom! Here in Florida, Gerber tend to bloom in both spring & fall, but not during the heat of summer. A couple days later...s ame Gerber, but with an empty Cicada shell underneath.  At first I thought it might be a sleeping bee, but on closer look saw it was just a cicada shell. It's just an Annual Cicada, which have a green tint to there wings. The adult die off in winter. A nymphs like this pop out from underground, craw up something to hatch the winged adult.  A few pop-up now and again thru-out the year and take to the trees to find a mate to start the process all over. I've   found at least 3 shells on my grill cover this year. The other kind, the 17 year type have a red tint to wings and a slimmer body shape.

Garden Pics today include a nice shot of my Blue Cape Plumbago shrub blossom and a pretty look at my backyard garden at sunset: Blue Plumbago : I collect blue flowers, so a Cape Plumbago was a must! They are common here as landscape plants. It took me a number of years to find the "right spot" one would thrive in. They don't like being overly wet. So I planted this one in the woodsy area in the backyard in vicinity of maple tree that is higher ground. It's doing pretty well now. Fairly bushy. I think I should fertilize it better in spring & summer for a better bloom. The area is partial shade during spring & summer as western sun hits it late in day. During late fall & winter, when the maple is bare, it's in full sun.   Here's a nice shot of my backyard around 6pm, as the sun is getting low: Oh, and the Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar I so carefully took care of made it to being a butterfly this morning! I forgot to check the crystallis, so I mis