This month has seen the police execution of Corey Ruiz, the devastation of Menasha by a tornado that hit with 2 minutes of warning, the acceleration of massive wildfires on at least three continents (probably more?), the expansion of the war in Iran, rapid growth of an uncontrolled ebola epidemic, and a general torrent of horrifying news regarding politics and climate. So, this meme has felt more applicable than ever:
Mild disassociation has gone a long way towards keeping me upright and moving forward in spite of both the above factors as well as some minor-but-persistent-and-frustrating health issues. On the plus side, the air quality issues caused by drifting wildfire smoke did not keep me indoors nearly as many days as I was afraid they might. Nothing like the smell of burning plastic to make you appreciate the day it goes away.
Anyway, I’m lingering on the horrors, which are certainly present, but I don’t really want to talk about them right now. Let’s see some bugs instead.
The oregano is, as it has been in past years, extremely popular amongst a wide array of bees, wasps, and others.
There has been the usual steady stream of white cabbage butterflies which, no shade to them, are so ubiquitous that I rarely bother photographing them. The less abundant lepidopteran visitors have included a handful of little azures that have been difficult to snap pics of, as well as the occasional hairstreak and monarch, and (thusfar) one fritillary.
In addition to putting out water for birds and mammals, I also put out a container specifically for pollinators, with rocks to climb on so they don’t drown. What I envisioned as sort of a watering hole for many insects, however, has pretty much turned into a wasp bar. I’m fine with this – I bear them no ill will, they have an important role to play both in nature and in controlling many garden pests – it was just a surprise to me that I have only *ever* seen wasps in it, since I set it out. I am now considering making a tiny sign for them. If you have any clever names for wasp bars, let me know.
As you can see, it’s busy out for the inverts. It’s also busy out for the flora (and everything else); this is the start of the season where everything sort of explodes and I just do my best to keep the super aggressive things from getting too out of hand.
The edible portion of the garden has been trucking along; the periods of intense heat have slowed down some of the things like tomatoes and peppers, but they’re recovering in the cooler periods, and we’re getting a slow but steady drip of cherry and spoon tomatoes.
The japanese beetles, after a quiet year or two, seem to have exploded this summer. I spent a lot of time manually plucking them off the grape vines and plum trees and throwing them into cups of soapy water, a form of bug murder that was somehow cathartic in a way I don’t want to interrogate too much.
I bought some hardneck garlic from Keene’s a few years ago, which was a great investment. The garlic continues to do fantastically, providing both scapes and bulbs. I left a few heads in the ground because I wanted to let a couple scapes fully mature and try planting the bulbils, and I’ll nab some of the biggest bulbs to take apart and replant later this year, but this still leaves a nice supply of fresh garlic for us to eat and share.
The green beans have also finally taken off; I always seem to forget how long it takes them to get rolling, and stress about them not germinating/blooming/etc., and this year that resulted in me planting…maybe more than I would have otherwise? But that’s okay! The snap peas were pretty much a bust, so it’s nice to have something that vaguely fills a similar set of culinary roles. And, my primary reason for growing produce is to have awesome fresh, crisp, tasty veggies for us, and in my opinion green beans straight from the garden are one of the best low-fuss, low-effort payoffs around. I’m harvesting a heaping handful of beans a day for the moment, which doesn’t sound like a ton, but they ramp up quickly, and I’m guessing we’ll have at least a couple gallon freezer bags full at the end of the season.
The pawpaws, hazelnuts, and maypop vines I put in this spring all seem pretty happy and healthy, which is exciting to see. In particular I thought the maypops might just keel over on me, but they are climbing happily and seem to be doing well despite the heat.
So, that’s what’s been keeping me busy, happy, distracted. It’s a rainy day today, and my day off, so I’m going to spend some extra quality time with the kitties, and attempt to absorb some of their zen.
Trash Panda Druiding 