Last 2011 Lily

Life here has been difficult for this fragrant heirloom lily, L. speciosum rubrum.  Purchased in the fall of 2008, it has twice been frozen to the ground just after it emerged.  Promising bright green early growth was turned slippery brown by late hard freezes. Later in the summer a single short green leaf nourished each bulb.  We had given them up as lost expecting to see nothing from them this year.

Of the five bulbs purchased, three made an appearance this year.  One withered to brown early never showing even a hint of bud.  The remaining two hung on producing three flowers between them.  In order to improve their survival chances, these bulbs will be potted up and moved to a protected garden location for the winter.  By moving all of the newly potted lily bulbs to a single place, they can all be protected from late spring cold with a single tarp.  Pulling the pots from the ground and moving them into the basement is a workable option if severe cold threatens.  Preparing the lily house is near the top of the list of projects requiring immediate attention.

Don't Know My Eggs From my Aphids

Almost without notice, our activities have shifted toward getting ready for next year's garden.  While clearing out the residue from the second planting of peas, a young milkweed plant was pulled and placed in the weed bucket.  A large number of golden eggs caught my eye but I placed the entire plant in the bucket.  The chance that I may have inadvertently trashed monarch butterfly eggs haunted me.  Monarchs are described as laying their eggs thinly on many different plants.  What I saw on the milkweed stem was a large number of eggs.  Finally the milkweed stem was removed from the weed bucket and tied to a standing milkweed plant.  I had to give the eggs a chance to hatch.

A picture seemed appropriate to record my actions.  While taking the picture I had noticed ants working the eggs. I figured that some of the eggs would be eaten by the ants.  Examination of the picture revealed that the eggs were actually aphids.  The camera sees much more than my old eyes.  It plainly shows the length I went to in order to save aphids and ants from the indignity of the compost bucket.  We have never claimed to actually know what we are doing.