Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, June 24

Happy Summer, everybody! Hope you are taking note of the wonders around us.

Hi KT, we're starting to get butterflies here in East TN. This fellow posed quite nicely for me, insisting that I take photos until I got "a good one." Not sure of the species.

Thank you for the weekend threads!

BeckoningChasm

Care to identify that lovely butterfly?

I pass by this house on my walk sometimes and the garden is just stunning. I would love to talk to the owners to find out how it came together, whether it was all planned out ahead of time or just came together over time.

Sharon (willow's apprentice)

Maybe you should be brave. A conversation would be interesting.

If you enbiggen the photo, you can see that there is a flagstone walkway and a perfect little blue birdhouse in the back.

Such a charming detail. A sign that at least one dedicated gardener lives there.

And another impressive photo:

Tequila and lime. That's what it's called.

There's a daylily with broad petals!

More wonders noticed by The Horde.

I forgot to send these to you this week, but I didn’t know that asparagus ferns had flowers and they are so tiny and sweet! Nan in AZ

Those are blossoms of ornamental asparagus. Likely not too different from those of edible asparagus.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Harvesting anything yet? Some cherries are still on here. We're starting to get nectarines, peaches and a few plums. Strawberries are here, a little late.

This is a potoroo enjoying a a strawberry... if you look closely you can see her baby in her pouch

These small marsupials are from Australia.pic.twitter.com/oLFfayeWyA

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) November 14, 2021

Critters

Meet Your New Nightmare, the Hammerhead Worm

Invasive species are on the rise across the U.S., but they just seem more extreme in Texas. Other states have mild threats, such as California's graceful mute swan or New York's stylish spotted lanternfly. We've got crazy ants that chew through the insulation on electrical wiring, feral hogs that stomp lawns into mud pits, and zebra mussels that slice open swimmers' feet. The latest animal to expand its territory in Texas is a poisonous, slimy, and sort-of-immortal creature that may well be lurking in your garden at this very moment. Let's get to know your new nightmare, the hammerhead worm!

The aptly named invertebrate is easily identified by its creepy, spade-shaped noggin. "It doesn't look like anything else we've seen," says Ashley Morgan-Olvera, research and education director with the Texas Invasive Species Institute. "We knew it to be in East Texas, but it's also in North, Central, and South Texas--so pretty much everywhere but our dry, arid areas." Good news, West Texans! While you do have to watch out for acid-spewing "land lobsters," you get a pass on this one, at least for now.

The worm can reach about a foot in length, though six inches is more typical. Texas is actually home to two hammerhead species: Bipalium kewense, which is more commonly seen, and Bipalium vagum. Both often have a dark stripe down the middle. The latter is smaller, topping out at about two inches, and only began popping up in Texas within the past few years. The larger species is a threat because it eats earthworms, which play a vital role in keeping soil healthy and rich. . .

More on this and other exotic invaders at the link.

This worm is toxic to people and pets. Can't kill 'em by cutting 'em in half with a spade. Use salt or vinegar in a baggie.

I think I saw a small one in SoCal years ago.

Has anyone else encountered them?

Summer, 2021:

Following a torrential summer downpour in northern Arizona, hundreds of bizarre, prehistoric-looking critters emerged from tiny eggs and began swimming around a temporary lake on the desert landscape, according to officials at Wupatki National Monument.

These tadpole-size creatures, called Triops "look like little mini-horseshoe crabs with three eyes," Lauren Carter, lead interpretation ranger at Wupatki National Monument, told Live Science. Their eggs can lie dormant for decades in the desert until enough rainfall falls to create lakes that provide real estate and time for the hatchlings to mature and lay eggs for the next generation, according to Central Michigan University.

Triops' appearances are so uncommon, that when tourists reported seeing them at a temporary, rain-filled lake within the monument's ceremonial ball court -- a circular walled structure 105 feet (32 meters) across -- the monument's staff weren't sure what to make of the critters.

Puttering

Here are a few of the geraniums that have come out of winter storage at my cousin's house, plus a lavender rose. They seem to have survived pretty well.

Adventure

A friend who nearly lost her life to a rare medical condition a few years ago went hiking in Texas this spring. Missed it until now.

Gardens of The Horde

Anything going on in your garden? Seen anything interesting outdoors?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

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Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, June 17

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

posted by K.T. at 01:12 PM

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