Categories
Critters Gardening

Pirates and Ninjas

Cryptolaemus

*Cryptolaemus* are hefty, slow, but unstoppably brutal. They devour mealybugs in vast quantities, plowing through dense egg masses like tanks. Each individual may consume up to 250 mealybugs during its 2-3 week larval stage, and each adult female may lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime. Do the Maths yourself.

*Cryptolaemus* are cool for the same reasons that pirates are cool.

Leptomastix

*Leptomastix* are small, nimble, and move faster than the eye can see. The female pounces upon the fully-grown mealybug, delivering an attack that will irreversibly lead to a slow, agonising death, before disappearing into the night without a trace. Within two weeks, up to 100 mealybugs will be the victim of this fearful assassin. No matter where her enemies hide, she will find them.

And what is this mysterious poison that she uses? *Her own offspring*, who will devour her target from the inside out.

*Leptomastix* are cool for the same reason that ninjas are cool.

Categories
Critters Gardening

Bee on anemone

Bee

This plant has been at the bottom of the garden, spreading its ugly leaves wider and wider, and Karen and I were slowly appreciating it less and less. Then, suddenly, flower buds appeared – dozens of them. And we like it now.

Categories
Critters Gardening

Butterfly

Butterfly

A butterfly on my son’s sand-and-water play table.

Categories
Gardening Photos

Buddleia

Buddleia

Lots of these growing by the sides of the roads in my town, and also in my garden.

This is pretty insanely close-up, by the way. Each of these little flower heads is just a few millimetres across.

Categories
Gardening Photos

Snappy

Snappy in July 2007

Snappy’s doing pretty well at the moment. He’s been eating lots of delicious flies lately.

Categories
Gardening Photos

Veiny

Geranium

I think that this is a geranium of some sort.

Categories
Gardening Photos

Herb

Herb

Bernard bought Karen a herb kit for Mothers Day, consisting of three ceramic pots, a wooden rack to hold them, and appropriate quantities of soil and seeds.

We’ve forgotten which one is which, so life’s pretty exciting at the moment, as you can imagine. This one photographs the best, though the one to the right is growing faster.

Categories
Food Gardening

Barbecue

We had the first barbecue of the year today. In an alarmingly fortuitous turn of events, despite having had this planned for a few days, the weather was kind. The sky was overcast, and there were some spots of rain at about 11am, but when lunchtime came around, the clouds parted and conditions were amenable.

Our guests were not fully able to relax and enjoy my delicious meaty offerings, as they discovered that their car was leaking petrol from the underside. There is a happy ending – the AA man was able to replace a leaky connector in the fuel line, and so they could drive it away.

All things considered, and despite lately having more sleep troubles than usual, I’m feeling quite positive about the world. This might also have something to do with the bookcase which I bought yesterday, which has allowed us to tidy up the office ((former Man Cave)) significantly. Now, we periodically poke our heads round the door solely to appreciate how great this room looks. Strange how such small things can bring such pleasure.

My fence panels have also been replaced, at long last. Ever since the storms back in January, there has been a 12′ gap in one of the side fences, and Karen and I have sometimes felt like we share a large communal garden with our neighbours. It’s been an uphill struggle to get replacement panels, as supply is completely failing to match demand, but we got there in the end. They were delivered on Friday, and my neighbour and I installed them yesterday morning. We have our garden back, at last!

I seem to be completely unable to pick a topic and stick to it.

Categories
Gardening Photos

Akebia Quinata

Akebia Quinata

Thanks to Graybo for the identification, and all sorts of other useful information.

Categories
Gardening Photos

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea