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...

 Actually getting this written on Wednesday this week! Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar on Parsley: It's not been a good year for butterfly caterpillars over-all. I've seen numerous eggs and tiny infant caterpillars, only to find them completely gone. I think wasps or spiders or something pick them them. But I managed to save this one---I covered the container with fine netting to keep away insect predators.  He or she is full size now, so I removed the netting today. Soon he'll wish to depart to cocoon and I didn't want the net to interfere. I love the striped and spotted pattern. A Flower Mix Out Front: I thought the Purple Shamrock leaves mingled with the Dusty Miller, plus a Shamrock flower and the orange buds from the Hen & Chicks was really pretty.  The Dusty Miller and Shamrocks surround a strawberry terra cotta pot of Hen & Chicks.

  The Garden Pic today is my Mexican Milkweed.  Monarch's have tried leaving eggs several times, but something snatched all the baby caterpillars away--probably wasps or Assassin bugs. (Though Assassin bugs are beneficial garden insects, they catch and eat anything.) It also attracts aphids. A couple stems have them, though a heavy rain washes them off easily. But with aphids come Lady Bugs that love to dine on them! So I now I see Lady Bugs a bit more often in my garden. Milkweed also attracts Spicebush Swallowtails. I saw one of these today! I was very excited. They are common throughout the Southeastern U.S. They like Zinnias, too. They are black and blue, though the female is the bluest blue on the lower wings. So it was a female I saw. This is my young fall Garden: Just mulched it with newspaper and grass clippings this week.  4 Broccoli plants down the middle; Cabbage on either side, 3 each side.   In the naked dirt are 3 half rows of seeds: Pad Choi, Sp...

The Garden Pic for today is a nice shot of sunset lit Chocolate Elephant Ears. I've had them for years and when the ones planted in the ground seemed to be dwindling, I rescued as many roots as I could and moved them to this pot where they've been doing well ever since.     Today, I also planted Broccoli & Cabbage plants in one of my raised garden beds for my winter garden.  I didn't do so well with my spring garden---my seeds were old and I wasn't properly prepared. The only thing that grew well was the pickle cucumbers that I dined on all summer and the self-seeded basil in the other raised bed, which is now a huge clump. So I'm going to try and do more for winter. I still have French lettuce & a spinach seed I plan on planting plus I still have two Bell Pepper plants that didn't really produce anything in the heat, but will probably make a ton as weather cools. Plus, I'm going to prepare better for next spring by picking out and ordering my seeds ...