Nature and Gardening

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/723334816014531775

I suppose I like Walz, too, but how is it going to feel listening to him trying to justify sending more weapons to Israel?

Anyway, here are a pair of sand fleas my kid and her cousins found at the beach.

#macro #beach #FireIsland #crustacean #WeWantWalz #FreePalestine

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

Laundry drying on the line got a visitor! For some reason, I can't get a thumbnail so here's pic #2:

[alt text: Text that says, "People [say] 'I never see butterflies or lightning bugs in my yard. Their yard: (colon)". Below the text is a photo of a birds-eye view of a large house with an equally large yard. The lawn is covered in standard turfgrass (probably Kentucky bluegrass) that has been recently mowed.]

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/722443662248347948

My almost six-year-old just asked if Kamala Harris is Calvin Harris's sister. Nope, sorry kid.

Anyway, here's a photo of a tiny clam I found on the beach.

#beach #clam #macro #FireIsland #Harris

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

Linked article is about Pennsylvania, but note that Cornell recently announced these lanternflies have invaded the New York grape-growing region of the Finger Lakes: https://cals.cornell.edu/news/2024/07/spotted-lanternfly-found-finger-lakes-region

Also, they are up in Connecticut now: https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2024-07-25/spotted-lanternfly-connecticut-grapes-crops

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences used an economic assessment software program to estimate potential damage and said in the worst-case scenario the damage could climb to half a billion dollars annually.

“I mean, look, it made it to Pennsylvania from China in one shot,” Walsh said. Lanternflies invaded the U.S. attached to a stone shipment sent to a local landscaping company.

“The reality is that some of those assumptions have not played out as predicted. Far and away, lanternflies are not the fire and brimstone, doom and gloom situation that they were originally feared to be,” Walsh said. “Except for grapes — it’s been worse than expected for grapes.”

While extremely disruptive to the wine and grape industry, the spotted lanternfly is not as damaging to hardwood trees used for timber as previously thought, according to 2023 research from Penn State’s Entomology Department.

According to Penn State researchers, the heaviest hit vineyards lost up to 90% of their grapevines.

Grape growers can’t just immediately replace a grapevine either. Creato said it takes up to three years for grapevines to bear fruit and five to seven years to be ready for wine.

Walsh said there is a trend of lanternflies arriving in an area, growing in numbers rapidly for a few years, and then declining for another few years. “But in that sigh of relief, the question is then, ‘Why?’” he said.

“It’s a complex bug that still has lots of secrets that we’re slowly working out,” Walsh said. “Everyday citizens reporting back information and doing the ‘lanternfly stomp’ as they went about their daily travels absolutely had a positive effect in slowing the spread.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/109585

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/721533130187273598

I think the transmission in my 2007 Mazda3 is toast. It had been shifting badly and the AT indicator light turned on the last couple of times I drove it, so decided to try and scan it for error codes. Nothing came up so I thought I would take it around the block. Didn't even make it up the hill before the magic smoke escaped. Fortunately, I was able to roll back home.

Anyway, here's a shot of a pill bug on some stringy stonecrop.

#mazda #CarTrouble #PillBug

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

How is it the middle of July already?!?

The director of our town's library gave me gift cards for doing some educational talks - gift cards to another nursery... The gesture was very kind, and I'm glad to expand our plantings, but wow did I have some mixed feelings that I didn't expect.

And my wife ordered some teeny tiny succulents as favors for our baby shower next week, so now I'm wondering what the rules are for proplifting from plants one is giving as gifts. Please discuss, as well as telling us what's growing on with you all <3

[Image description: an image from the movie Dazed and Confused with text that reads "'This summer is too hot'. Me: 'Have you ever planted trees?' 'No.' Me: 'Be a lot cooler if you did'"

[Image description: four zucchinis, each larger than garden shears, are on my dining table and are fated to become relish]

"It" being that part of the season when you've got to check cucurbits twice a day (for us, at least)

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/717794020275353272

HORSESHOE CRAB UPDATE!

I have been recognized by the United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service for participating in the Horseshoe Crab Tagging Program by reporting the tag I found last weekend (https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/i/web/post/715310569850044948)! They sent me a certificate and a pewter pin. Somehow we got so excited about it that we had to take a family photo.

#HorseshoeCrab #crustacean #conservation #family #Cornell

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

[Image description: a fritillary butterfly rests briefly on my hand]

Just hanging out at the sun goes down and this little friend stopped by. There are a ton of them thanks to our Monarda fistulosa in several gardens around the property

It's been a flurry of activity this week - we've been hosting a friend who's here to build out his photography portfolio. As part of that, there were a number of chores and tasks I had to delay in order for him to get some of the shots he was looking for, followed by mad dashes of activity and pausing for shots while in the doing. He ended up with some ~1200 photos and maybe an hour or two of drone footage:

(I am the blue/gray dot)

I definitely tend to see the work left to do in the gardens instead of what's been accomplished unless I'm showing things to people, so let me just say this:

I'm really impressed by the work you're putting in for your gardens, and how they're coming along!

What's growing on with you all?

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/715690550543209615

Pollen Pants

Here we have some type of bumblebee on some type of St. John's Wort flower, pollen pants loaded.

#bloomscrolling #pollination #pollinator #bee #bumblebee #flower

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

Hello everyone,

As the title said, I am looking at starting some okra from seeds, but wanted to know if I am too late in the season to start, or if I am good for where I am?

I will be growing the okra in large containers specifically, but I could do raised beds if that would be better.

UPDATE: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/717794020275353272

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/715310569850044948

Time comes for us all.

We found this dead horseshoe crab on the beach today. It had a numbered tag on its shell apparently put there by The Maryland Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office. I've seen many horseshoe crabs here over the years, but never one with a tag. I made sure to go to the website and log it.

#beach #shore #NewHavenHarbor #HorseshoeCrab #conservation

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

So far I've planted fruit-bearing trees and other perennials over the past 12 years living in rural Maine. I have zero experience with annual vegetable gardening. My, initial, plan is to start with one vegetable next spring/summer. I've chosen cucumbers since it is the most popular amongst my immediate family members (wife and two boys).

The motivation behind this is NOT for sustenance. It is to add an enjoyable hobby for my self. In the off chance that it is NOT enjoyable, then I haven't invested too much time, effort and money. If I end up enjoying it (which I believe I will), then starting small would be less overwhelming and conducive to a gradual learning experience. Henceforth, since this is not for personal sustenance, we have a local food bank that I could contribute to.

My initial idea is to start growing the cucumbers in a large plastic pot located in my back yard.

And that is how far I've gotten in the planning process.

Any and all advice is very welcome.

Hey all, hope your July has started off well! I've been watching rain systems come our way before splitting apart just west of us only to reform just east of us, but our plants are doing okay so far. On Friday my wife and I are having lunch with a friend who insists I take some plants home, and who am I to say no?

I got to hear happy hummingbird chirps at the bee balm today, which is always nice. And our valerian is flowering - I didn't realize how much I would love its flowers...

So, the bag is labeled as "peperone" and they are growing well, but when do I water them, I've been doing daily. Also, how do I get rid of flies, baby flies are hatching in my pot and I want them gone, I need an organic and affordable solution for that too.

[Image description: the tubular red flowers of Monarda didyma begin to emerge from the flower head]

Let me tell you all how much I love this plant -

The red variety, Monarda didyma, attracts absolute droves of hummingbirds to our gardens, but the native purple flowered variety M. fistulosa does a fair amount of feeding their population as well. We also get scads of hummingbird sphinx moths, which are absolutely powerhouse pollinators.

We harvest leaves for drying and using as a native replacement for oregano flavor in recipes, but they also make a lovely tea. I like to blend them with lemon balm, apple leaves, or raspberry leaves in teas. Additionally, a blend of bergamot and New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) make a tea that's incredibly similar to an earl gray blend.

We also harvest flowers specifically for teas, as a number of First Nations peoples in our region would use the flowers to make tea for "dispirited hearts". We don't generally begin harvesting flowers until the first set has passed (for the pollinators), but anyone else growing this plant can encourage additional flowering by cutting the stem just above any node where two sets of leaves emerge on either side.

A nice little surprise :)

Our peas and beans are really starting to stretch and climb after some recent rains and warm days, which is always very exciting. However, our purple flowering raspberries have started showing off and they took my breath away.

What's growing on with you all?

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/710904650365796010

Hey, little buddy!

I heard this little guy chirping in a bush while I was cleaning up some dog poop. He didn't flinch when I reached in with my camera to get this shot, so I reached in again and petted him gently with my finger. Hopefully, mom or dad will come back with some food soon.

#sparrow #fledgling #bird #birb

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