Aurora's Blog

Today in the Garden 8-07-08
Aug 7, 2008 | 11:00 AM PST
Tags: Black Swallowtail Butterfly , cocoons , caterpillar , Yard of the Month , neighborhood seed/plant swap

We had a butterfly yesterday!!! Our cocoon hatched into a gorgeous Black Swallowtail. After releasing our beauty I brought in the second cocoon that was on my parsley, and there is a HUGE swallowtail caterpillar munching away right now. I've named it Munchy-munch LOL!

It's a cloudy, somewhat cooler day. No rain forecast so I broke Cardinal rule number 1 of gardening- I watered in the middle of the day *blush*. I've been so busy in the evening's lately I haven't had time to water well. Spent about 3 hours at it! Better than cleaning the bathrooms like I originally planned on doing LOL!

Last night was the Civic League's Executive Board meeting. Steve is a part of it. He signed ME up to head the "Yard of the Month" Committee. I could've wrung his neck- I WANT TO WIN THAT LOL!!!!! Actually me and a couple of others get to go around taking pics of people's yards, then everyone in the neighborhood can vote on who has the best-looking yard. I am also thinking of trying to organize a neighborhood seed/plant swap too- me and a couple of neighbors swap every fall, and I would love to add more gardeners :)

Today in the Garden 8-06-08
Aug 6, 2008 | 7:22 AM PST
Tags: seed collecting , caterpillars , cocoons

Found the motherload for wildflowers last evening while on a bike ride :) Lots of what I believe are Tickseed Coreaopsis (collected seeds for those), lots of Meadow Beauties, and what I believe is ninebark, and spicebush too :) I'll go back to take cuttings from the shrubs and gather the Meadow Beauty seeds since they weren't ripe yet.

Took Meg to Patient's First to get her school physical yesterday. Was told that is the child is insured and has a regular pediatrician they don't do that anymore! That really put me in a bind since her pediatrician has no openings until AFTER school starts! So I went to the new pediatric office that opened up right down the street, they didn't have any openings either, BUT have squeezed us in at the end of Aug. Needless to say, that's the kids' new doctors! They were very nice, unlike the people at the old pediatricians.

Steve has informed me that we can't go to PA this weekend and next week like planned because he has to go to Italy. I don't think we're going to be able to go visit his parents at all this summer since the school year is fast approaching (his mom's a teacher), and he still has to go to Bahrain too. Maybe I can talk his parents into coming here next week...

Spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon packaging more seeds, and I gathered some seeds from my Italian White sunflowers, Tithonia, and my volunteer sunflowers. Figured I better get what I want to save now before the goldfinches and cardinals eat them all, as they were doing in the morning LOL! I have also been collecting Four O'Clock seeds, keeping them separated according to color.

Found another caterpillar on my parsley eating. eating, and eating! I was planning on removing the parsley in the fall, but now I don't think I'll be able to with the cocoons! Maybe I can make some sort of "cage" to put it in, like yardgranny did...

My elephant ears are groing like crazy! I measured the new leaves and they are about 31 inches!!! I can now no longer see my car from the window LOL!

Well, I am off to the farmers market- I am really hungry for sweet corn on the cob, and need some more tomatoes to satisfy my son's tom appetitie!  I may also pick up a hot pepper or two for the salsa I plan on making...

Have fun gardening :)