attack gardening ... cathartic, aerobic, risky, & profane

 
It was 7:50 p.m. and I could finally then hop into the garden to try and get something done. Sun sets at 8-something?

Really wanted to plant these:

How cheerful would that giant face of fuzzy yellow happiness be

in our garden this summer? Deee-lightful.

AND they'd provide afternoon shade to our peppers,

which are still suffering sunstroke since I didn't

harden them off before planting. Wuz outta town. Oh, well. =)

So figured out night before last WHERE to put them.

And had done much of the weeding earlier.

This is a plot where we put some of the detritus
from under our oak tree

for free, home-grown compost.

There was even an eggs in a nest fungus there,

all dried out, but I've never seen one in another plot, so v. cool!

So, did the REST of the weeding of that plot

(v. v. rapidly and with a personal vengence against the dreaded non-native grasses)

and this is the plot now, planted.

 Way too close together so will have to thin a LOT, later.

But, really, how can I plant just 3 seeds? Not possible.

Note aviary wire.

Gophers here meant I started my plots via bastard trenching years ago.

Planted.

Things grew! Yay!

Then, things disappeared.

Fully developed, just about to be fruitful squash plants,

gone in a flash.

Gophers.

So, the NEXT year I:

dug out all the dirt (AGAIN)

lined the plots with chicken wire

put all the dirt back (AGAIN)

and planted seeds.

Things grew. Yay.

Then, things disappeared.

Gophers.

SO, the NEXT year, I:

dug out all the dirt (AGAIN)

pulled out all the chicken wire

lined the plots with aviary wire (smaller holes)

put all the dirt back (AGAIN)

and planted seeds.

Things grew. Yay.

Then, things stayed.

Oh!

So, be it ever so picturesque, we are aviary wire people.

Next plot destined for flowers was 100% crazy tall, 

head bobbing laden-with-seed exotic grasses.

Pulled some of the grass and found chicken wire.

Drat.

So, last night I:

dug out all the dirt

pulled out all the chicken wire

and then it got dark.

Much of this I did with my hands,
1,000 MPH.
Started with shovel, but the plot's very narrow,
then went to garden spade,
then hands.

Hands are the best gardening tools EVER, FYI.

Hands can feel how close the chicken wire is,
ferret out grass root clumps,
detect the amount of moisture in the soil, etc.

Hands are awesome.

Later, I can:
line it with aviary wire

and plant seeds

and watch things grow.

Yay.

xobb

gopher-rescuing gardener.... (and check out the PS!)

 
Early this cold morning, the cats, then Bear, then I saw this:

Don't know what was wrong with the little guy, but was pretty much in face-plant mode, barely able to ambulate, tho' he could move a little now and then, and I could see his sides move with his breath.

Just took a few super fast shots, then ran back in the house for gloves, a small cloth, and then picked him up and plunked him into a gopher hole--seemed grateful to descend back into the underground--most I'd seen him move the whole time. Glad it was downhill.

The pattern on his back made it look like he was about 2/3 of the way through getting his summer coat (shorter hair, glossy, on the back and head), shedding his warmer coat (longer hair on the perimeter (legs, bum), dull fur). I wonder if hypothermia is a greater risk while one is transitioning from winter to summer coat?

Objection, your honor, speculation!

Sustained.

Anyhow, I'm not sure what percentage of gardeners try (at least in a minimal way re: nature interference) to rescue gophers, but first and foremost, I'm a conservation biologist. =) And a total softy.

Sucks to be cold. I hope he's curled up now, under the covers, with a big mug of hot cocoa. =)

bb

P.S. EXCITING POST SCRIPT! I was JUST on the phone with a friend (5 p.m.) and looking out the window where I'd relocated that gopher and saw a gopher peek his head out of his hole (rare event!!), looking all cute and buck-toothed. So, of course I hoped it was my rescue-ee.

WELL, a few minutes later for the FIRST TIME EVER saw TWO GOPHERS AT ONCE. Both within 4 feet of the hole where I'd plunked the cold pup. So I am now quite convinced that Mr. and Mrs. Gopher are reunited and enjoying the warm, sunny spell we had this afternoon.

How about that for Gopher Karma? See 2 gophers at once for the first time ever, TODAY. So happy. =)

a handful of spiders: the slow process of evicting salamanders...

 
So, here's WHY we were out there today:

California tiger salamanders: totally charming creatures. Awesome photo courtesy of John Cleckler, of the USGS.

We're trying to trap out all the salamanders at several future project sites. Since they infrequently respond to letters sent by mail, for their own good, we must evict them.

First, you build a fence to exclude wildlife from the area, then you set a bunch (in this case) of bucket traps into the ground (with fancy custom lids, etc.), to catch the salamanders that are IN the fenced in area so you can get them out.

Mind you there's all sorts of USFWS and CDFG stuff we deal with and adhere to since we're, you know, professionals (aHEM! =) ), but I gloss over that stuff so you don't doze off.

In other words, don't try this at home.

Anyhow, salamanders don't just run around every day.

They wait.

And wait.

And wait.

For months.

And then, when it's good and rainy and drippy and (to some humans) gross, THEN they think, "Ah! This is a BEAUtiful day for a stroll. Think I'll get out and stretch my legs."

Then, we hope, the ones within the project area cruise around, bonk into the peripheral fence, travel along said fence to get around it, then PLONK! Fall into our bucket and wait, adorable permanent smile intact, for us to find and release them.

Release them, that is, on the OTHER side of the wildlife fence, so they will no longer be in harm's way.

The unglamorous reality of such work is you spend 99.9% of your time with either no species in the bucket, or with "non-target" (in this case, anything BUT the California tiger salamander) species in the bucket, most of which you then rescue (if alive) or remove (if dead).

So at one point today, I was kneeling down (in the mud and rain) to rescue several centipedes from the one of the buckets. I semi-blindly scooped them up, and withdrawing my hand from said bucket, I find 2 centipedes in my hands and about 5 spiders on my hands. =)

I calmly flung them over the fence, just like every other time I've flung invertebrates today, but it was at that moment that I was reminded that this is not a job for everyone.

Arachnophobia is very common.


According to a few papers which cite a 1992 G.C.L. Davey paper on the topic, as many as 55% of females and 18% of males in Western society "experience arachnophobia."

Since it costs $34 to read the original paper, I'm going to just put that out there, and hope it's at least close.

ANYhow, there were MANY different species of spiders partying down in those buckets today. I dare say they benefit from being at the bottom of a pitfall trap.

I expect many an innocent, unwary bug has tripped and fallen into one those buckets of late, landing in an invertebrate den of wolves, never to be heard from again.

And soon tiny milk cartons will be circulated, with grainy bug portraits: "Johnny Jumper, last seen on a rainy day in January, 2011, on his way to study hall with his cousin Julie." =(

Aversions to other creepy crawlies are also common.

Among the inverts I've handled today:
3 types of worms
slugs (found out later don't need to rescue them, the CAN crawl up a bucket)
pill bugs
big fat red millipedes (the kind that squirt a cyanide compound when disturbed, and one pair of gloves I wore today got nuked, so I tossed those before snacking, I can tell you)
beetles of all sorts
Jerusalem crickets
many many many centipedes
other things I couldn't identify or remember, but nevertheless flung.

Some folks don't like mice and other rodents.

We caught (and processed) several meadow voles and gophers.

Voles are SO cute. Gophers are also pretty freakin' cute, but MUCH much bigger. (My, what big teeth you have!)

Some people don't like getting dirty.

Hm, maybe I will take a photograph of my "outer gear" in all it's muddy glory. VERY dirty today. Totally wrecked boss's car re: mud inside and out. ew.

They are SO used to it, it's very sweet. They cheerfully assuage my guilt, saying "You'd be surprised how well mud cleans up."

Yeah, so sliding around in the mud today, in the rain, despite wearing leather hiking boots that are all about traction.

At a few points I grappled on all fours to keep a grip on the hillside. Works really well, I must say.

Heels would NOT have worked. =)


So, today I thanked my lucky stars I was a tomboy when I was a kid. Otherwise, there's no way I'd do that in the rain on a Sunday. No matter how much they paid me.

And it wouldn't have been nearly as fun. =)

biobabbler

P.S. DEFINITELY bringing camera tomorrow, as hoping rain will taper off, so we'll see. And after that I'm headed back home, so will let you know what happens then.