Seldom Seen Garden Serpent

Ed and I are so far behind with our garden work that it is hard to decide what to do next.  Taking advantage of the cooler weather, we decided to attempt to clear the weeds from the bed where Ed hopes to plant his garlic.  So how tall are the weeds we are talking about?  Well the fence in the photo is four feet high and Ed is right in the center of the picture.  This weeding expedition is looking more like something from an Indiana Jones flick.

From my vantage point sitting on my garden cart I was surrounded, but I love a weeding challenge and the scent of the dill was pleasant.  It was when Ed moved a bag of leaves next to where I was sitting that things got exciting.  Sleeping peacefully under the leaf bag was a Eastern Ringed neck snake.   Those who know me know that if I see a snake when I am not expecting to see one  I scream.  I did this time too, but my scream reflex was quickly  overtaken by curiosity and wonder.

I have read about Ring-Neck snakes, but I had never seen one. It is no wonder because these snakes like the dark. They  are most active at night.  Likely he was out late eating slugs (YES!)  worms and other small prey.  Apparently this is a venomous snake but the venom is only used to immobilize prey through one hollow tooth.  A large predator like me has nothing to worry about.  I had just enough time to snap two photos and the snake slithered off and disappeared in the weeds.  Confidant that he was looking for another dark quiet place to sleep, we went back to our weeding.

We revealed a Gloriosa Daisy that Ed liked so he took the time to move it aside  and give it a drink of water.  It is hard to weed out a plant you love but this bed is designated for the garlic. We have been working on the garlic bed for three days.  Finally it is clear of weeds and ready for Ed's soil amendments.  It seemed an impossible task when we started but I guess we can still do the impossible, it just takes longer!

Evening Walk About

At this time of year the scent of summer sweet fills the garden.  Gentle breezes carry the understated aroma for great distances.  One never knows when they will walk into an unexpected cloud of sweet aroma.  Diluted by the wind, the smell is unmistakable and pleasant.  It might be overpowering if brought into the house as a cut flower.  We prefer to enjoy it where it grows.  Even this close to sunset the bees were furiously working the flowers. These two were so intent that they did not respond as I brought the camera close.  Despite their calm demeanor, we look twice before bringing our noses close to the flowers.
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The eye sees the dill as different in color than the grass.  The camera does not record this difference.  The dill marks the location of our new asparagus bed.  Self seeded, the dill was simply too splendid to weed out.  We will watch to see if these two plants will grow together without harm to the other.  Dill is usually scattered around the garden.  We have long wanted a dill patch but we also want an asparagus bed.  The smart thing would be to prepare soil for a dill bed now and cut the seed heads moving them to the new ground.

Late Morning is new to us this year.  Despite the challenges of covering lilies to protect them from late frosts, I cannot stop myself from buying more bulbs.  Spring planted, this variety should bloom earlier next year.  We also hope it grows taller.  We would like to sample its fragrance, but cannot get our noses this close to the ground.

Princeton Silky has been with us for several years.  Many other varieties of day lilies present tattered flowers this late in the day but this one is presently perfect.  Slow to open, this flower will still look good tomorrow morning.  We need to have more days when the tools are put away early and we take the time to savor the beauty that is all around us.

A Late Monarch

This late Monarch had a very close call today. Ed was mowing and saw it just in time to mow around his milkweed leaf. It's so interesting the way Mother Nature hedges her bets. This caterpillar is late.The milkweed is yellowing. Horizontal stalks to hang a chrysalis on are few. Every year the weather patterns are slightly different. Some years the early butterflies succeed, some years the late ones do. They certainly hatch out over a long period of time. It's hard to imagine that this one will find enough to eat, then attach to a plant and have the two weeks or more as a chrysalis that are necessary to become a butterfly. Lately just a day with enough sun to dry off a butterfly's wings has been a rarity.

The same thing happens with plants. Dill seedlings are appearing now that have little chance of survival,but there are other dill seeds waiting that will wait until spring before taking their chances. It's this magnificent excess of seed and egg production that allows the system to work.

Just the same I can't help rooting for this late caterpillar. He avoided the mowing machine, maybe his luck will hold, or maybe he will just be too late.

Can't See The Delphinium For The Dill

I'm great at pulling weeds like grass, ragweed, purslane, lambs quarters... But when it comes to pulling out those plants I like, I run into trouble. The problem is multiplied when the plant is a host plant for black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Somewhere in the back, right next to the fence is my blue delphinium. Time for a plant rescue. A five gallon bucket just wouldn't cut it this time. I went for the wheelbarrow and then got busy. When the wheelbarrow was filled , the same spot looked like this.



There is my blue delphinium. It is a new plant and deserves it's chance to be seen. I still have lots of dill and fennel and parsley. I'm sure there is enough to keep me and the caterpillars happy.

Crazy About Pickles?

Why in the world would anyone grow so much dill? I do like pickles and a dill sauce is nice, but that is only a small part of it.

Here you have the little devil who made me do it. This is the black swallowtail butterfly that uses dill as caterpillar food. When I saw those green , black and yellow caterpillars, I just had to leave the dill plants growing even though they are crowding the lavender plants. These butterflies are gorgeous. This newly hatched one was very hard to catch with the camera. Actually he's still moving!

There is a window when no caterpillars are on the dill. If I pull the dill now what will the next generation eat? Looks like the lavender will stay crowded. These butterflies are the most wanted.

What's Coming Up Here?

Ed's beds are filled with the most wonderful soil. It is a fabulous environment for plants to self-seed. This is a sample of the bed next to the stone patio.

The fuzzy deep green plants are dill. I just let the plants drop their seeds last fall. I always figure who knows better when to plant seeds than the plant itself. I love dill, butterflies love dill--it's a great plant, but planted a bit too thickly here.

The plant in the upper right is a sunflower. This is not an ordinary sunflower, but more of a sunflower bush. This plant originally came from some budgie seed that I planted years ago. It comes back wherever the birds, especially goldfinches and black capped chickadees, plant the seed. It's a real favorite of mine and of the birds.

The pale green feathery plants are gorgeous double pink poppies. These also come up every year. They are a sign that the soil is warming.

The plant in the upper left is lamb's quarters. It really is a weed, but one with some good qualities. It's quite tasty in salads and is full of vitamins. In fact I saw it for sale in NYC at a very high price. However, it does not travel well and wilts very quickly. That's where the gardener who can cut greens right before serving has the advantage.

All of these plants are too close together and need to be thinned. It's definitely not my favorite thing to do. It would be nice to save them all.