insects
Seeds of Hope
The snow has pretty much worn out its welcome as far as I am concerned but I came upon something interesting today. In the photo below you can see a milkweed seed covered in snow. As cold & snowy as it is, this is a wonderful reminder that there will be small flocks of Monarch butterflies coming this summer. Sometimes hope comes in small, hidden packages.
milkweed seed
A Nearer Landscape #2
I’m glad that there is some redeeming value in our dying pear tree. Our nearly-dead pear tree continues to produce pears that are shared by mostly ants and bees. I enjoy a few myself but the ants are regulars.
pear #1
My Nerdish Side Comes Out
Dragonfly
It occurs to me that an awful lot of what happens in a garden involves insects and spiders. Because of that I have spent an unusual amount of time watching and photographing them this month.
If you’d like to see a gallery of the results of this please take a look at Insect Portraits.
I find that observing behavior is as fascinating whether it’s children playing in a park or dueling insects on my broccoli plants. Creating environmental portraits in both situations is a challenge I’ve always been prepared to take on. Both require some patience, a little knowledge and good light – just like gardening.
Winged Monkeys
ladybird beetle
There is a war going on in your garden. You may not see or hear it, but be assured – it is as raw and bloody as any war.
It’s not a secret that an army of insects finds your garden as delicious as you do. Their numbers are astounding and their appetite is voracious. I did not attempt to grow string beans this year because of the time I spent last year trying to deal with the Japanese beetles that stripped the plants of their leaves. Despite my best efforts at hand removing them, the beetles won the battle.
But the larger war is not between man and bugs. It is among the bugs themselves. Ladybird beetles eat a small army of aphids that otherwise would suck your tomato plants dry. The ladybug’s cute appearance gives no hint of the coolness of their assassin-like behavior. The dragonfly’s name let’s you know that it is not a passive-aggressive creature.
Today, however, I saw a most startling thing. I’ve seen it before – but only today was I able to photograph it. Two wasps attacked and consumed a green worm on one of my broccoli plants. It happened very quickly and, to my surprise, was repeated again and again. The wasps flew like winged monkeys from plant to plant finding – and eating – more green worms.
Am I the only one seeing these things? I’ll bet not. I’d love to hear your examples of the benefits of a variety of insects in the garden.
wasps gang up on worm
green worm on broccoli
wasp finishes a meal