Not asparagus

I *thought* the tiny bit of asparagus that survived the landscape redo had reseeded itself into a dense jungle of asparagus. That patch had become so HUGE I decided to cut it back. After hacking away for a while, I came across the original bit of asparagus... and realized what I was hacking down was not asparagus. I don't know what it was (horse tail?), but it's out of there now. Jeesh.

There is a city park near me that is mostly a working 1930's farm, but there is a small rain garden near the trail. When walking the dog there, I check out what is blooming, and right now it is marsh blazing star. That would be a great addition to my own rain garden, so it is now added to Project 2026.

We are in another heat wave this week. I'm keeping up with the upkeep - watering, mowing, a bit of weeding, etc. - but that is about it. It's been dry, so fewer lightning bugs, but the cicadas carry on. Here is a presumably dead one, belly up, for a up close and personal look.

Meanwhile, it's a good weekend to just hunker down and stay inside. Keep cool!

What's that noise?!?

On our way back from a quick trip to Milwaukee, we stopped at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. The parking lots are surrounded by trees which are full of Brood XIII cicadas. And they are LOUD. Inside the gardens themselves, things were relatively calm, although some shrubs and small trees were covered with netting, presumably to protect them from the cicadas.

The previous time we were at the CBG, I came home all excited about the experience. Now - meh. It's not the gardens' fault. I think my interest in expanding my garden exposure has abated. My own yard is enough.

Despite my efforts to attract the birds and bees, there isn't much wildlife activity in my yard. The serviceberry fruit is abundant and dark purple, but the robins don't seem interested. There is no fruit on the chokeberry shrubs, probably because they bloomed too early for the pollinators. Despite the honeysuckle vine and penstemon blooming, no hummingbirds have appeared yet, although it is a bit early. And the bee population seems lower this summer.

The winterberry holly is blooming, but one might not notice it as the blossoms are so small. Last year the bushes next to the house produced no fruit. I have both male and female plants; I wonder if it is a pollinator problem.

At least the wren box sounds like it is full of (noisy) babies.

My house has lost power twice in recent weeks, once from a squirrel in a transformer, today from something else. I've been getting estimates for a whole house backup generator. Holy cow - are they expensive! I like the idea of having automatic backup, but the price is giving me pause. I will get one more quote, then decide.

A trillion cicadas

Nothing says August around here like the drone of cicadas. For the first time since 1803, Brood XIX, or the Great Southern Brood, and Brood XIII, or the Northern Illinois Brood, will appear together in an event known as a dual emergence. I'm not likely to see it, as northeast Indiana is not their home territory. It looks like Illinois and Missouri will be hit the hardest.

Do cicadas bite? No, nor do they sting. But they are lousy fliers and landers, so may become a slimy nuisance on streets and sidewalks. Don't let your pets gorge on them, though.

Cicadas are actually good for Mother Nature. They drill holes in the ground, thereby aerating soil (and my clay soil could use a LOT of that kind of help). The slits they make in trees cause "flagging", a natural pruning of trees; when the limbs start growing again, they will be stronger and yield heavier fruit. Dead cicadas make great fertilizer, so throw them into the compost bin or let them rot where they fall.

Whatever you do, DO NOT try to kill them, especially with sprays as you will kill other bugs that you want to keep around. Just let nature take its course.

(Most of this information came from this article in the New York Times and this one in Smithsonian Magazine.)

Brood XIII (blue dots) and Brood XIX (red dots). Gene Kritsky / Mount St. Joseph University

Closer to home, I've seen something emerging along the south side of the house. At first I thought it was some weed spreading rampantly. Then I remembered what it is: dame's rocket. Technically, it's invasive, but I find it rather easy to get rid of, but I don't. It's quite pretty when it blooms.

Dame's rocket - not pretty yet

The garage setup for the seedlings was not the best (plus I kept forgetting to turn the lights on and off). The past few days, I've been putting them outside once the temps are above 50 in the morning, taking them in before the temps fall below 50 in the evening. They are starting to put out "true" leaves.

I did a little research on spicebushes, as I was wondering why the landscaper planted only one in my backyard. To produce fruit, there needs to be both female and male plants. Mine appears to be a male, so I was wondering if I should get a female. The answer is no. Even though they are native, they tend to be invasive. Also, they grow to be 6-12 feet tall and wide, so one will take up quite a bit of room. It's for attracting the spicebush swallowtail, and they don't eat the berries.

Otherwise, I've been piddling about in the yard. The asters I planted last fall have survived. I've taken in the orange stakes that mark the edges of my driveway and sidewalk (didn't need them this past winter - sigh - I miss snow). The grass has been mowed a second time.