20
Nov
Author: admin // Category:
Home Gardening,
Tips
The garden was alive with bees visiting the last of the Aster praealtus, when I turned to watch a bumble fly to another flower stalk.
There she was~dangling by a thin piece of thread, doing what orb weaving spiders do: slowly wrapping her captured prey.
An amazing feat of spider acrobatic skill~holding onto what was left of her web to spin a bee mimic into submission.
She spun while it dangled, she worked while life went on around her. Bumbles flew back and forth to visit the remaining flowers, the wind blew in the trees and the sky provided a marvelous blue background to her amazing dance.
I’ve never been afraid of spiders and appreciate the important role that orb weavers play in our gardens. They keep insects in check and provide food for birds. I’ve been lucky enough to see baby spiders hatch and catch the wind with their gossamer threads. I’ve watched for them all summer and usually discover a few in the late Summer warmth…waiting patiently for unsuspecting critters to get caught in their web.
Each morning they rebuild their tattered webs ~almost always in the same place. I am hoping my orb weaver has mated. But, right now she is catching flies, bee mimics and even bees. She lives to reproduce. She uses the last of her energy to make her egg sac, lay the eggs and hide it someplace safe. Then she will die.
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| click to enlarge~If you dare! |
Until then Neoscona crucifera is a ferocious hunter.
Gail
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17
Nov
Author: admin // Category:
Home Gardening,
Tips
Posted by SteveA
A new study has shown that bugs are second only to worms as things that make gardeners go “Ewww.” But the truth about just how icky (yet strangely fascinating) insects are has been kept secret…
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18
Dec
Author: admin // Category:
Tips
Walking in a winter wonderland is all well and good until we’re confronted with the task of removing it from our driveways. Although snow can usually be shoveled away with relative ease (excluding the back pain that follows, of course), ice can be a little trickier to eliminate. Many options are available, but here are some tried-and-true ideas that continue to stand up to the cold.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Step 1
Make your shovel more user-friendly by adding floor wax to it before starting on your ice-packed driveway. The slickness will help the shovel glide through snow and ice and prevent snow from adhering to the shovel.
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Step 2
Apply rock salt to your driveway for an inexpensive way to help melt away the ice.
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Step 3
Use calcium chloride pellets to melt ice at lower temperatures than rock salt.
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Step 4
Choose potassium chloride when it’s not as frigid outdoors and temperatures are above 15 degrees F. It is less harmful than some of its fellow deicers.
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Step 5
Remove ice using another kind of deicing product known as magnesium chloride. It removes ice at extremely low temperatures and is better for the environment because it releases less chloride than other salt deicers. Additionally, it is less harmful to plants, concrete and other surfaces than some of the other options.
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Step 6
Melt away ice using a hand-held propane torch. These multifunctional units are also good for killing weeds and insects, so it will prove useful all year round.
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Step 7
Eliminate driveway ice in the luxury of your own home
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The garden was alive with bees visiting the last of the Aster praealtus, when I turned to watch a bumble fly to another flower stalk.
