On my backyard gate, I once came across a lacewing larva and a ladybug larva heads together and locked in mortal combat.
I thought,
Wow. Maybe I should intercede!
Knocking on the board with the knuckles of my hand, the lacewing immediately raced away to the bottom of the board. The ladybug sat there ... looking
confused. It turned first one way and then the other. I didn't know if it was trying to locate its prey or injured. I wasn't sure if the lacewing appreciated an opportunity to escape. Anyway, I hope that both had a chance for life and would help me and the plants with the aphids that were blowing out of the tree, nearby.
The neighbor's cat was visiting the garden the last time I was out. Later, I visited another garden, helping the gardener pick her blackberries. Under the vines I came across what was obviously a vole burrow. They can be a real problem in my garden but I haven't even seen evidence that they are eating the tips of the bush beans, so often the situation (you talked about this elsewhere, Zeedman
). It may be the Wil E. Coyote taking out the voles and Benjamin Bunny offspring sure haven't been around much so I'm willing to credit Wil E. Not seeing any "diggings," I think it is Miss Kitty helping me with the voles.
I wish that she wouldn't be vulnerable to coyotes but hope that Kitty is brought indoors, at night. Haven't seen the owls this year but there is certainly history of owls carrying off cats. I had a friend who let her cat out on her deck one morning and while she was still standing there and before the cat even knew what was happening, an owl carried it off (never to be seen again)! Probably at 150% of the owl's weight ...
Steve
