Saturday, September 28, 2024

A walk in the woods

My SO and I took a little hike in the Lindenwood Nature Preserve this past week. I'm always on the lookout for unusual fungi. Most of what we saw we had seen before, but not this blue sample. I haven't been able to identify it. Any guesses?


We also saw some fruit here and there. This is white banebarry, a.k.a. doll's eyes.


Something unusual was this beehive in the ground. (If you look closely at the photo, you can see some honeycomb in the wall of the hole.) We were puzzled about the hole, but then noticed some honeycomb scattered around it, as though something (raccoon?) had tried digging up the hive.


Closer to home, the Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' goldenrod is peaking while its taller cousin on the other side of the house is past its prime.


I attended a harvest festival yesterday and could not resist this flamingo bird house made from a gourd. It will winter inside.


We have been having some rainy days plus lower temperatures, so it *almost* feels like fall. The lawn is happier, as am I, the master waterer.

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Front porch menagerie and conifers at the mall

Speaking of spiders (as I was in my last post), my front porch and yard sport quite a few funnel spiders. From the Illinois Department of Natural Resource: "They have long legs and can move quickly. The body is light brown with some dark markings. These spiders sit at the end of their funnel-shaped web as they wait for insects. Webs are often seen in late summer and early fall close to the ground and covered with dew."

Every year I debate over whether to clear these webs off the porch before or after Halloween. If I wait too long, cold weather causes the spiders to try to sneak through the front door into the house.


Foggy dewy mornings are great for spotting the webs in the lawn and beds. I am fine with spiders being OUTdoors, not so much INdoors.


I used to have a lot of paper wasps making nests on the soffits and porch roof, but updating both mostly eliminated that issue. My son pointed out that this wasp nest is probably from a mud dauber.


New topic: miniature conifers at the mall. For some reason, one of the local malls replaced some of the indoor houseplants with miniature conifers. They are in pots they will probably outgrow, so I am curious to see how long they last.




My research has revealed that just because the name of a plant includes "miniature" doesn't mean it will stay miniature in size. Sometimes it means it just won't get as big as its larger cousins, which may still be too big for its intended location.

Today we *finally* got some rain. Not enough, but maybe the grass in the lawn will become less brittle. Lots of Canada geese have been using our neighborhood as a stopover on their way south; a few mallards do the same down by the pond. Even the starlings are beginning to change to their winter plumage. Winter will be here *someday*.

(If you miss seeing ice and snow, I recommend watching "True Detective: Night Country". It takes place in Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle, but was filmed in Finland. Brrr!!!)

Saturday, September 14, 2024

More August-like weather

The forecast is for at least ten days of 80+ degree temperatures, and no rain in sight. I've been watering plants that ordinarily are on their own, especially ones that look a bit peaked. At least the nights are (relatively) cool.

This past week I've been helping my daughter at her new house. The property had been uninhabited for a year, so while a neighbor kept the lawn mowed, not much of anything else was done. While daughter works on the inside (removing carpet, etc.), I whack weeds, then spray them. With this heat, I last about three hours before having to call it a day. I saw a couple of butterflies and a praying mantis - no pix because I am not fast enough - and spiders.


The yard contains "mature trees" which is another way of saying "call the tree service". They look like fast-growing silver maples and locusts that have been there for probably sixty years. My inclination is to get rid of all of them, but we'll have an arborist give us some advice first. I hate to cut down trees, but these are not exactly the most desirable ones to have, especially regarding sewer lines and electric service. For replacements, I'd recommend some elms in the front yard, Japanese maple and redbud in the back.

There are garden beds all around the house, just aching for something besides pachysandra. I'm pushing dwarf conifers for the front of the house proper, heuchera for a narrow bed that runs along the garage, hostas on the north side, then natives in the backyard, as we can source those from my yard.

I make it sound like this is *my* property. Right now my daugher is too busy with the house itself to give much thought to the yard. She likes to garden, though, so I know she will want to do *something* with the outside.

On my own homefront, there are still weeds to contend with, although they seem to recognize that the growing season is coming to an end. There have been some different visitors to the birdbath this week. A downy woodpecker has discovered the "wildlife" tree as well, but it is too shy to photograph.

Northern flicker

Blue jay

Something I have completely forgotten about are the wild strawberry and wild petunia seeds in the refrigerator. They never sprouted, so I think I will scatter them outside come December, and let Mother Nature have her way with them. Maybe I should put a reminder in my calendar so I don't forget about them *again*.

Sunday, September 08, 2024

More autumn-like

The temps are moderating - again - but the forecast calls for another hot spell later this week. Last Friday we did get about a half inch of rain, which was welcome, but none is expected in the foreseeable future.

The other day I was examining the oak tree to see if there were any acorns. No nuts, but lots of oak galls. And wasps! That is a phenomenon that I had not observed before. Mother Nature is simply fascinating!


I mowed today, even though it wasn't strictly necessary. The past week has been busy, so I feel like I need to get caught up, or even a bit ahead of myself. Who knew retirement would be so FULL?

Sunday, September 01, 2024

Changing seasons

August wasn't done with us last week, as the temps soared into the 90's with plenty of humidity. Today, it is more autumn-like. But it's not time to put the gardens and yard to bed for the winter yet. Rain has been scarce, so I continue to water, plus control weeds.

When my son and his girlfriend were here a few weeks ago, we strolled around the yard. She commented on the lovely scent of the hydrangea. I had never noticed it before - it is rather delicate - but now I sniff them whenever I am in the yard. As the blossoms age, the scent becomes less and less noticable.


Fruit on some shrubs is beginning to turn red. I was suprised to find some berries on the spice bush - it must be a female and someone else nearby must have a male.


Most of the winterberry holly is bearing fruit, but not all. Of course, the male bushes don't, but some of the female randomly don't as well. I noticed this phenomena last year. No real reason that I can discern.


Of course, the goldenrod is putting on a show. This tall variety which I have no memory of planting may be Solidago altissima, known as Canadian goldenrod. Or it may be Solidago gigantea, Giant goldenrod. I'm planning to swap the shorter fence in this photo with the taller fence around the 'meadow'.


The Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks', also known as Rough goldenrod, is a bit behind its big brother.


My daughter is moving to a new-to-her house that has not been occupied for a year. I asked if there were any way I could help that didn't involve stair climbing or heavy lifting. She suggested I take on weed control in the yard. That I can do!

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Roundup on Roundup

In the not-so-distant past, I was adamently organic. Growing all the vegetables for my family meant protecting them from the evils of herbicides and pesticides, especially Roundup. Back then, organic produce was difficult to find, and when found, prohibitively expensive. Hence, my organic garden.

Fast forward to the present day, when I no longer grow food except here and there. Instead, I have a large yard with large beds that provide room for weeds to grow. I now resort to Roundup to keep those weeds under control, especially the perennial and/or prolific ones like Canada thistle, pokeweed, trumpet vine, mulberry seedlings, etc.

Glyphosate is a systemic, non-selective herbicide that is absorbed by the plant and moves throughout the vascular system, ultimately killing the plant. Roundup used to be synomymous with glyphosate, but that is changing. Recently, Bayer announced that glyphosate would be phased out of consumer Roundup products.

So, what do I have? The product that I have been using on weeds in the mulched beds is Roundup Concentrate Plus. I dilute it with water at the heavier concentration, as I'm dealing with perennial weeds, vines, tree stubs, etc. The main ingredient is glyphosate, isopropylamine salt, with diquat dibromide added for quick burndown of the weeds. It works well. I just finished off a container of it. Should I buy more this season or wait? The formula may be different next year.

For the lawn, I use Roundup for Lawns. It targets primarily broadleaf weeds, plus crabgrass and yellow nutsedge. I posted about my nutsedge woes several weeks ago, thinking there was nothing I could do for where it grows in the lawn. Now I will have to try treating it with this product, even if it requires multiple applications. It pays to read the freakin' label! (The label does not mention mulberry seedlings, but the product works on them as well.)

One more product I use, straight from the bottle, is Ortho Groundclear Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer. Its main ingredients are triclopyr, triethylamine salt and diquat dibromide. Triclopyr is a systemic herbicide that affects actively growing plants by mimicking a specific type of plant growth hormone. Plants rapidly take in triclopyr through leaves and roots, which causes uncontrolled plant growth and plant death. When trying to eliminate something like yucca which keeps popping up in the middle of my 'October Skies' aster, I trim back the yucca and brush on this product so it touches only the yucca. Ditto mulberry and sumac seedlings that get beyond the seedling stage.

It may sound like I'm just covering my property with poisons, but that is not the case. Periodically, I patrol the yard, sprayer in hand, on a search-and-destroy mission. I spot treat the specific invaders. I'm careful about exposure to both myself and the pets. These products are tools that are effective and relatively safe when used in their intended manner. However, I would still not use them around food plants.

On a completely different topic, I visited Arbor Farms Nursery the other day, as their pottery was on sale for 50% off. I was looking for some new pots for some houseplants. I also checked out the ginkgo trees for future reference. The pottery was on tables near the butterfly bushes. And there were butterflies! It was all I could do to keep myself from adding a butterfly bush (or two or three) to my shopping, but I held myself in check. I admit I'm thinking of adding some to the landscape, to see if I have better luck attracting butterflies, but that can wait until next year.


I repotted two houseplants today.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Aphids have legs?

My common milkweed plants, Asclepias syriaca, have aphids. They usually do, but this year it seems worse than usual. Should I be worried?

Common milkweed with a sooty mold outbreak

According to a recent essay in the Purdue Landscape Report, it depends. Oleander aphids (Aphis nerii), which is what I think my plants have, actually benefit monarchs by impairing the plant's defenses; larva will grow bigger faster. Oleander aphids are a bright yellow color and the hind legs are completely black.

Oleander aphids

In the past, I think I have also seen Aphis asclepiadis, Dogwood-milkweed aphid. They are slightly duller yellow than Oleander aphids, and the hind legs are not completely black. They are often attended by ants, which is what I have observed.

Oleander aphids, up close and personal

The good news for us lazy gardeners is no treatment is necessary. In fact, using chemicals will harm the monarch caterpillars more than the aphids. However, you can try to reduce the population by spraying with a stream of water. Or, like me, let the natural predators like ladybugs and wasps have their way with the aphids.