stubbed toes and mud pies

[flowerbug]

melon and squash seeds are sprouting, including the ones that were put under the onions, peppers and tomatoes. beans also sprouting.

raccoons raided the strawberries last night. such is how it goes. i did get a nice handful of them to eat yesterday.

we had to mow today, the grass was long and full of seeds. it took a lot longer than last time. i had a large patch of thistles to mow down that was 1-2ft tall and starting to develop flowers. so it had to be taken down. i had not yet talked to the neighbor but i hope he doesn't mind and understands. it's his property and field, but it is going to be taken over if nothing gets done... normally i can finish mowing on a tank of gas but today i had to refill again. everything being up high meant it took several passes and more time. thank goodness it was cooler out there and a nice breeze.

with the lack of rains i was surprised it all grew as much as it did, but i'd been mowing long to begin with so that probably helped hold moisture and some self-shading for the plants.

in the gardens watered and checked on a few things and that was it for the day.

the North Garden looks nice if you ignore all the stuff i need to remove left over from the daffodils and some weeds. the creeping thyme is blooming and the bright purple flowers are very cheerful and keeping the honeybees very happy. i don't have the time to clean it up until after the planting is done. by then the flowers will likely be fading or gone. it's ok. i like the ephemeral nature of flowers as much as the flowers themselves. it reminds me to enjoy them as they happen no matter the circumstances around them...

 

[flowerbug]

this was a picture from the other day showing where the two large drains/ditches meet up. each branch drains about a square mile (or more, i've not been able to figure out how many exact acres involved).

decorative deer tracks add a nice touch.

to give a sense of the scale the branch coming in from the right is about a foot across and a few inches deep. combined the flow is perhaps a few gallons per second. you can tell by all the bare ground what the normal water level is like.

 

[flowerbug]

tulips

the north garden on a hazy morning (i did even bump up the exposure on the picture to brighten it but it still looks washed out). the creeping thyme is filling in nicely. the large turnip plant will give plenty of seeds for the goldfinches to thrash out.

ferns just budding to send up fronds.

the two sides of the driveway after the culvert was replaced, not as artistic as the first versions we had before, but it is nice to have them put back in place and not sitting there waiting for me to get to it. Mom decided she wanted it done right away instead of waiting until i got done planting so she had one of the nephews do it with her supervision. i was quite ok with that decision.

i needed to really armor both sides because the driveway can be overtopped by water and i didn't want things to get washed out. there's weed barrier, smaller chunks of concrete and then the larger stones on top. hopefully that will hold up to any storms.

purple columbines.

flax, always such a pretty shade of blue. we used to have a large number of flax plants flowering in the more wild spaces, but i've mostly turned those into gardens. this is one of the last flax plants i've seen. i should get those seeds (they're the black ones that are more perennial and last several years instead of the golden kinds of seeds which are an annual).

the beehives to the north east of us (by about 150 feet). blocking our access again. grr... talked to the landowner again and he said he would be seeing the bee keeper today so perhaps this issue will finally be resolved. it's annoying to have to deal with things like this and Mom said that she would just leave things be, but i told her that if we need to do something back there that access should not be blocked as it sets a precedent for future land issues. besides it is also the principle of the matter to not block your neighbors when sharing ownership of an access road.

at least i did solve the mystery of the empty metal drum that was left back there. the beekeepers use it to hold sugar water to feed the bees at times.

i don't know how many hives there are in each of those stacks.

 

[flowerbug]

i do not recommend eating squash sprouts. very bitter. had some trimmings from this morning and thought i would try them. cooked or raw too bitter. sadly. underneath the bitter flavor it tasted pretty good and smelled to me like asparagus.

 

[flowerbug]

some kind of bug, not sure what it might be either a fly or a moth or something else? interesting which is why i took the pic...

mooshrooms!

poppies of a darker shade than what we normally have around here.

creeping thyme flowering, filled in well, keep going!

tomatoes coming along, slowly this year but they'll get here eventually...

low water in the two drains where they meet, at the lowest flow i've seen.

water flowing better a few days later after a few inches (5cm) of rain. the western branch (coming from the right) is showing some cloudy water but that is not unusual because that one comes from fields with drain tiles and they are usually left bare so nutrients will come down through those tubes. the south drain comes from more covered fields and shows the tannins and is normally pretty clear of silt.

 

[digitS']

some kind of bug

Plume Moth, @flowerbug ?

LINK

 

[flowerbug]

Plume Moth, @flowerbug ?

LINK

yes! that looks like it, Rose Plume Moth. thanks! you are a genius!

 

[flowerbug]

saw the very first bumblebee of the season. having not seen any up to this time i was really worried they were gone for good. squash and melons hopefully will give them plenty to eat.

 

[digitS']

There's a squash bee LINK

"they usually do not visit watermelon, cucumber, and melon plants."

I didn't know about these thing until just the other day and still don't know if they are around here. Apparently, there is quite a large area of N America where they live. However, I was reassured to learn that honey, bumble and other types of bees frequent squash & melons, which is as I thought. But, I didn't know that I might have looked at a bee strictly oriented to squash & gourds.

 

[flowerbug]

There's a squash bee LINK

"they usually do not visit watermelon, cucumber, and melon plants."

I didn't know about these thing until just the other day and still don't know if they are around here. Apparently, there is quite a large area of N America where they live. However, I was reassured to learn that honey, bumble and other types of bees frequent squash & melons, which is as I thought. But, I didn't know that I might have looked at a bee strictly oriented to squash & gourds.

i love learning something new each day! thanks!