OniOniOniArt

I've been a little uneven since losing my sweet boy. He was always there for me,  and I hope I did all I could for him.  This manifests in the ability to be at times excited about some things that are happening in my life, but other times, especially when all is quiet, I cannot help but remember Maceo. It becomes inertia and a lack of energy. Needless to say I've fallen off the wagon completing the year-long art project I challenged myself to. I will pick it back up, at the very least to finish the Creative Sprint portion, in due time.  The photo above is from the Orlando Wetlands in Christmas, Florida, where I spent a few hours of my Saturday. It was a very good day for viewing animals and I saw my first dusky pygmy rattlesnake (a venomous critter) in the wild: Actually, there were two of them at different intervals along the same path. These are very small snakes, usually maxing out at two feet. You can see this one's tiny rattle, which is about hal...

I received a division of this ground orchid from my friend AC over a year ago. She had purchased it from a bargain bin and up until this point, neither of us knew what the blooms looked like. What a pleasant surprise it turned out to be, I've not seen a ground orchid like it before. Doing a quick google search, it appears to be a Spathoglottis , from the Philippines.

So I've been neglecting the Dirt Patch during this period of wretched heat, no-see-ums, and thunderstorms, and it's become a bit overgrown. But who cares, I think it looks wild and lovely! Look at all the blooming zinnias! They took a long time to get going; I direct sowed them in early March and the first isolated bloom finally made an appearance at the end of June.  Believe it or not, now is the time to start sowing the winter seeds. In this miserable summer heat, it is difficult to contemplate that cold weather is even possible here (the lengthy FL summer is the main reason I want to flee to the north. Summer in small doses). I was very late getting the seeds started last year, and my winter garden took all season to grow into its own, only becoming full when the heat arrived and it was time to yank them out of the ground. I really have no excuse this year. The seeds are in the fridge, I have the soil, and miracles , I actually have the time. My biggest problem ...

Stokes blue aster This is the first time my garden has had this many blooming plants at one time since I began planting two years ago - hoorah! Almost all of the plants in the Dirt Patch were started as seeds or cuttings - lots of work and waiting finally paying off. And all with what I contend is some of the worst soil in the world ;) Echinacea Sunflower Dianthus African iris Besides these, the marigolds, Hawaiian blue eyes, a peachy-colored black-eyed Susan vine, day lilies, browallia, Mexican petunia, and blue bedder are all blooming as well. Still waiting on those ground orchids...

  Typocerus zebra on an onion flower They feed on pollen. This one is covered in it.  There was also this antlion larva uncharacteristically moving around outside of its sandy death trap. The larva inches backwards in jumpy erratic movements  The moment it touched sand it began forming a new funnel. "...the hell is she fussing over?" *sigh* "...humans" (Maceo: putting up with my nonsense).

Newly hatched lubber grasshoppers ( Romalea guttatus ) in the Dirt Patch. Despite attaining a rather large size for a grasshopper (roughly 2.5 inches just in body length), they do little damage to garden foliage and so this invasion of hungry babies isn't quite so alarming to me. Also, they will disperse. The black and yellow/orange coloration of youth and later bright adult coloration serves as a warning of their toxicity; however if you're a loggerhead shrike you ignore this, impale your tasty grasshopper on a spike, and simply wait for the toxicity to degrade in a day or so.

I am excited to see some new blooms in the garden after the frost took out about a third of my plants! Calendula officinalis  'Zeolights' Dwarf Toadflax ( Linaria maroccana ) Dianthus amurensis 'Siberian Blue' - the anthers are sky blue at least Browallia americana -  growing where it's not supposed to, but it's pretty so I leave it alone. Vaccinium corymbosum - 'Sunshine Blue' Dwarf Blueberry I acquired the blueberry last year... whence I enjoyed a bountiful harvest of one whole blueberry. I'm hoping for a bit more this year. 

...of my over-zealous fish emulsion campaign... A leaf-footed bug (Coreidae), Acanthocephala terminalis  A plant bug (Miridae) possibly in genus Lopidea Note the glistening dew of eau de fish guts (if you're not familiar with fish emulsion, it is basically liquefied fish guts and leavings, and smells absolutely putrid. I nearly vomit every time I uncap the concentrate. Plants love it!). Both were hanging out in the blue bedder and made their presence known after dousing. My last fish emulsion victim was a rough green snake and is featured in another post. Apologies, critters!

Opheodrys aestivus hanging out in the  Dracaena The rough green snake is so-called because it has keeled scales. The 'keel' is a small ridge which runs the length of each scale. I accidentally poured fish emulsion on this poor guy, which tipped me off to his presence. He was nearly invisible in the foliage ("that's an odd vine... oh !"). What a gorgeous little snake! (And I really am sorry for pouring stinky fish water on your tail.) The keel is clearly visible in this photo It was a rather warm, humid day with a high of 79 F. A good day for basking in the garden.

My camera cannot quite capture the night's beauty The last full moon was the night of the 6th. I sat in the Dirt Patch in quiet contemplation and burned things that needed burning. A rather restorative exercise.

These beautiful dwarf pak choi became a quick stir fry accompaniment to my dinner. Sesame oil, garlic, and a splash of tamari. I love pulling stuff out of my garden and eating it. 

The Johnnies are finally starting to bloom!  Behind it are marigold and Black-eyed Susan vine blossoms. Devil's Trumpet bloom a day before it opens Syrphid fly on echinacea (something else has been munching on it) Thread-waisted wasp on marigold Thread-waisted wasps getting it on in the thyme Dwarf pak choi...I'll be enjoying this in stir fry soon Overall the Dirt Patch is enjoying the cooler weather...

Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth ( Cosmosoma myrodora ) on a marigold Whilst planting the winter seedlings today (yes, I'm a bit late...) I was graced with the presence of this beautiful wasp moth (Family Arctiidae). You can see the marigold through its clear wings in the photo above, a trait not shared by all wasp moths. The moths mimic wasps in their general form and shape and imitate either the flight habits or resting positions of wasps. Some feed on poisonous plants as larvae and attain the added defense of integrating the host plant's toxins into its body as a deterrent against predation. Bright coloration is a warning of the moth's toxicity, however this particular moth is banking on everyone else instilling the fear of indigestion on would-be predators since its larvae do not feed on toxic plants; it merely uses the bright colors as a bluff. Both pretending to be a wasp (in form and behavior) and utilizing false warning coloration are examples of Batesian mimicry.....

Devil's trumpet, Datura metel var. Blackcurrant What a glorious thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning! I have been waiting for its blooms since the seed was sown in April of this year. This is the first to open, but there are several buds on what has become a small shrub. This plant, Datura , is often confused with Brugmansia , the Angel's trumpet, which is closely related. In fact, members of the genus Brugmansia were once included in the genus  Datura . The main differences: the flowers of Devil's trumpet point upward, whereas Angel's trumpets are pendulous and point downward (hence their names); Devil's trumpet has herbaceous blackish-colored stems and is a short-lived perennial, whereas Angel's trumpet has a woody stem and is hardier and longer lived. I have a Brugmansia in the Dirt Patch as well, but alas, it is not as happy as the Datura . I think it gets too much sun. I was being closely watched as I photographed the gorgeous Datura ... ...

Gastrophryne carolinensis It is always a delight to come across a narrow-mouth frog (also called a narrow-mouth toad), which is frequently heard but seldom seen due to its sheltering nature.  The calls sound similar to the bleating of sheep, most commonly heard around my house after a rain.  This is a young frog, but even as adults they rarely reach 1.5 inches in length.  The shape of the narrow-mouth frog is unique, making it easy to identify: a small pointy little snout, rotund body with relatively smooth skin, and a fold of skin across its head located just behind the eyes.  I noticed him hopping away with the insects in front of the hose as I watered the garden.  I then promptly returned him to his place so he could continue eating ants and termites like a good frog.  Special note: if you handle one, wash your hands. The skin secretions of this frog can cause burning if you rub your eyes or somehow get it in your mouth.

Devil-riders: walkingsticks in the family Pseudophasmatidae (see the little male?) Okay, it's actually my holiday.  To make a long sordid story short, I missed my exciting August travel-vacation and have instead settled on a much quieter retreat at home this week in September. This afternoon was spent fixing up the dirt patch.  Weeds and scorched plants were pulled, compost and mulch were added, and an additional layer of stones was added to either end of the run-off area. While moving a crate out of the way I noticed these two-lined walkingsticks, aka devil-riders.  I don't know anyone who has actually called them devil-riders, except insect books, and people quoting insect books. The female is about 4 inches long, and the little male will stay coupled with her for days while hitching a ride on her back (females can be hard to find when you can't fly). These guys are found in the southeastern US, but are particularly abundant in Florida, and they are vegetarians...