okay, looks like we may be getting evacuated: Carstens Fire chez-bb

So, time for ONE photo. 

There's more on twitter, a smidge more on tumblr.

Our backyard at 4 p.m.

Gotta go retrofit a staples box for a chicken.

xoxobb

nature geek tags along w/ golfers on a gorgeous Midwestern fall day

 

The goal for these 2, Bear and his dad, is golf and relaxation...

on a STERLING, Midwestern fall day, 50 dF.

bb, on the other hand, brings binoculars and camera...

jogs off trail to "water hazards" to look for tracks...

squats at dandelions to visit local bees...

stares up at stained glass trees...

takes a quick picture, then leaves a nervous turtle alone...

is drawn off course, toward sunflowers,

so discovers a marshy, boggy mystery,
lurking in the background

and basically spends the afternoon on a wild goose chase,

happy as a clam.

bb


P.S. a few more from-the-plane flight shots,
and a goose ID mystery to solve, later. =)

Super colorful mystery resident of sunflower face

 

Here s/he is...

Close up

Per Sue, this is a red-shouldered stink bug, presumably Thyanta pallidovirens. Wow, Sue's quick, fired out that answer within minutes of posting.

LOVE my smarty blog readers!! =)

Sun comets, streaking through space.

There's such motion and fire in their form.

Heaven.

Today, planning to yank "failure to thrive" tomato plants
and plant peas and broccoli.
I hate pulling live plants,
not even sure if I've done it yet,
but frankly,
they've looked so poorly all summer,
it'll be a relief.

And then, brand fresh baby plants! =)

I do love a good cotyledon...

xobb

Short attention span rewrite: sunflower eye candy, quiz, & OUT

 

I decided that the rousing lack of response to
yesterday's post is 'cause it's too long.

I hear ya. I'm queen of "ech, I can't read all that!"

So, TAKE II

supermane sunflowers in full glory

Photos are big, so click and zoom is good...


new quiz

What is "malacothamnus"? (w/o looking it up)

It repeated incessantly in my brain yesterday morning,
and now that I looked it up, I get why.

I-have-no-idea guesses are appreciated,
as well as studly-spot-on-I-totally-know-this answers.

I'm out!


P.S. FYI I have posted accurate, as well as the creative, answers, so you might want to have your answer ready, before you type it into comments. =)

the sunflower also rises; 4 photo essay

 

xoxo

bb

(please pardon apparently FILTHY lens--eep!)

Baby picture from the garden today, more photos to come

 

One day this tiny creature, should it survive, will be 6-8 feet tall.

That is SO COOL.

=)

More shots from today's garden cruise later. Gotta whirrk. So, you know, we can spend more $$$ on cool seeds. =)

bb

Oh, P.S. "Bear" suggested for my (2.5 mo. ago) birthday I get a lens for my camera so I can take wildlife photos (other than "see that brown tiny blur? That's a bear"-photos). a) WOW, that's exciting, b) I have a Nikon D50 and have NO IDEA what I should get.

Any of you photo-phreaks got any great suggestions? I could use some advice. Thanks!!

caught on a cotyledon, bombardier beetle video WORKS

 

Cute little cotyledons...

Photo I took day before yesterday of adorable bean cotyledons.

And a sunflower baby

I

love

cotyledons.

LOVE.

So, looking closer at this shot:

I noticed a tiny fly on one of the plants.

Then I zoomed in closer.

!

It's the dreaded grasshopper.

But, TINY TINY TINY.

Completely missed it on Friday.

Tomorrow I'll take pictures of the bean plants 'cause not only did they NOT die in 2 days of no watering, they GREW to a ridiculous, magical-fairies-sprinkling-grow-dust-on-my-garden degree.

AWESOME.

Summer, she has begun!

Posted post post-haste...

BOMBARDIER BEETLE VIDEO WORKS, NOW!!!!

It's original context within bb world is here.

I did try to re-post it here, but it's NOT WORKING again, so click above.

Perhaps 'cause I posted it, then took it down as embedded video didn't work, then posted it up again now, for the present giving up on embedded vid.

ANYwho, 2nd most recent post is mostly from last Tuesday, but can be found by scrolling down past the skunk baby post.

I hope y'all are well, be it summer or winter.

While the planet continues to spin...

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

arrrgh!

    
I, JUST THIS MINUTE, having started cleaning 'cause guests are coming our way, have found THE SUNFLOWER SEED PACKETS THAT I KNEW I'd ordered but COULDN'T FIND!

And it's August 8th?!?

Seriously?!?

OGL

So, folks, do I plant them this year and see what happens? Or maybe plant half this year and half next year?

What would YOU do if you found three pretty packets of sunflower seeds (Tiger's Eye mix, Supermane sunflower, and Miriam edible) in mid-summer?

We pretty much have good weather through October, I think, so I've got at least 3 months. 2 years ago it didn't freeze till sometime in December. Days to maturity: Meriam - 60-70, Tiger's eye mix 85-100, Supermane sunflower 100-110.

Would you be willing to VOTE re: what I should do? I'm curious re: different approaches you might take/advise.

biobabbler

(a.k.a. she-who-can-misplace-an-Army-tank)
p.s. and I repeat: arrrgh!