"Hasta La Vista, Baby"

Petunia

Their life ended with a slippery "squash" leaving a green stain on the driveway on this warm May evening.  Lilac lace dripped under the boysenberry beds.  Lacey petals were the cause of evil interlopers.  Once full, draping petals fluttered in the breeze attracting all kinds of pollinators.  Even evil pollinators.  Yes.  Budworms have attacked the petunias leaving tattered petals in their wake.

Each evening I tour the garden.  Lately, attention is on the petunias to hunt budworms.  Since they grow under the boysenberries, I prefer to hand pick the buggers.  You can pick the damaged bud from the plant and dump it in a bucket of soapy water.  The caterpillars inch down the throat of the blossom to dine on the delicate salad.  Picking the damaged bud is fine since it's ruined anyway.  Budworm hunting season in Bakersfield is May and August (and probably all summer long); so this is a task that needs to be tended to diligently.

Heliothis Virescens - Geranium Budworm

Budworms attack more than just geraniums and petunias.  I have found that gently shaking the plant can jar them from their dinner; but since the buds are already ruined I suppose picking the bud is the neatest way to snag them.  I don't use soapy water.  My trophies get marched out to the driveway just as "Taps" is sounding at sunset.  Then, SMASH!  My garden Croc sends them to the heavens with a "Yippee-ki-yay".  Rinse.  Repeat.

Grape Lovin’ Caterpillars

Look down.The water dish was seasoned with insect droppings this morning.

Look up.Grape leaves have been skeletonized.  Note the grey sky?  That’s right – it’s been raining!  Come on October.

Look up further.Ah ha!  Evidence of more damage along with bits of the culprit(s).

Look up still further.There they are – anchor babies on the grapevines.  Now what?  Do I squash them?  Do I leave them for the birds?  Do I spray the vines with some organic treatment?  Are they doing enough damage to warrant any action?  What kind of caterpillars are these anchor babies?

Breakfast Guest

This morning I had a guest on one of my strawberries.  I have no idea what this critter is except for dead.  It was a little guy; but I didn’t have any intention sharing any other berries. If I find out what this thing is, I’ll post the answer here.

Garden Update

Here’s a few things that have been going on in the garden.

March 6, 2010 – The tomato seeds sprouted.  They were planted, along with pepper seeds, on March 1.

The lilac continues to perfume the garden air.

The broccoli has bolted.  The final harvest was made and the plants removed to make way for summer crops after the soil is amended.  Note:   the Lobelia in the background.  I have been unsuccessful in capturing how dark the purple is on this Crystal Palace variety.  Finally, the color shows when it’s not the focal point.

The beets are really starting to take off.  I usually thin out the smaller ones; but now they’re really starting to get big,

The Red Flame grape is starting to show signs of life.  The vine was fed today.

These little caterpillars along with their thug friends the pill bugs and earry wigs (earwigs) have been found guilty and executed for the damage they have done to the cabbage.

Most of the rest of the cabbage was salvaged.  The bed is now completely vacant awaiting amendments so the summer beans and savory can be planted.

Carrots continue to produce.  A bunch was recently harvested to add to a pot of mushroom/wine chicken.

Peas continue to go nuts.  Now that the heat is cranking up, the pods are filling out at an accelerated pace.  They joined the carrots in the pot with the chicken.

All the fruit trees have been fed:  plum, peach, apple, pear, nectarine, apricot, fig, grapefruit, orange, mandarin, lemon. 

Maybelline’s Crime Scene Investigation

Some varmint is skeltonizing my cabbage!  The evidence/damage isn’t overwhelming.  Just a few outer leaves on a few heads.  Most all of the cabbage heads have been visited by caterpillars gnawing on the outer leaves.  They were discovered and picked off.  This recent damage is different and I can’t determine what is causing this.  I suspect beetle larvae; but I need more clues.

The next crime scene is disturbing.  You may want to click away.

 

 

 

 

 

Alright.  You asked for it.

That’s right.  Something is mowing down my beets. 

Here’s some healthy beets growing.  The little, out of focus, red dots in the foreground are the victims.

Bastards!  My 1st suspicion is pill bugs.  They’ve done me wrong before.  A few years ago, I grew heirloom tomatoes from seed.  The seedlings were transplanted into a beautiful, warm garden.  The next day, most of them had been mowed down.  What the…??!!  I came out that night to catch the fat mob of pill bugs returning to the crime scene.

Right next to the beets are carrots.  This next image may make you nauseous.  Continue on if you feel strong enough.

The offenders seem to prefer beets over carrots.  Nevertheless, damage is occurring in the carrot patch as well.

On New Year’s Day, this is how well the carrots had progressed.  Have you ever eaten a carrot right out of the ground?  Yeowsa!

Last evening, I waited for the sun to be set for an hour or two.  Waiting for darkness insured me the element of surprise to catch any offenders in the act.  I armed myself with a flashlight and camera.  Pumpkin, the yard cat accompanied me.  We were on a mission.  I envisioned hoards of pill bugs invading my garden. My assistant and I walked in darkness to the 1st crime scene then blasted the flashlight on  the cabbages.  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  We moved in darkness to the beets and carrots.  Same results.  What the??!!

The mystery continues.  I’ll try going out later tonight to catch the culprits.  They must be stopped.

To be continued…

Orugas

That means caterpillars. I hunt these guys regularly. You think they would be easy to find – but they’re not. I find their “leavin’s” and look up. That’s how I usually find them. Recently, I found them when harvesting serano peppers. They were not only feasting on the pepper plants, they were eating the peppers too. Curumba! I didn’t think any insect bothered hot peppers. These guys are tough.

I pulled this one off a pepper plant and ran inside to grab my camera while holding him in my gloved hand. I could feel this big baby wriggling in my palm trying to escape my grasp. Typically, I line them up on the wall for birds to enjoy. I wasn’t able to capture this guy’s fate with the camera. I’ll assume there is a happy nest of singing chicks due to this fatty. I wonder if he was spicy.

Okay - I Was Wrong!

It seems that I need to take the birds off my "hit" list. They may have caused minimal damage to the fruit while they were on the job for me.
See, they were doing battle with these creepy creeps. Thanks birds.

Little Bugger

I found this colorful guy munching on some baby lemons. He may like lemonade; but I believe the scrub jays enjoy their caterpillars marinaded in lemon.

Note: The orange-red spot on the right side of the photo is a ladybug munching on some bad bugs. The caterpillar was more than its little mouth could handle.