Caterpillar battle

Got back from walking the dog and found the two remaining swallowtail caterpillars vying for the same stalk of dill. I'm afraid the third one may have been a starling snack.

After the rain...again

I've given up the potted dill in the front to three swallowtail caterpillars (and aphids, unfortunately). Just hope the starlings that are nesting just three feet above the pot don't eat these guys before they cocoon.


My virginia creeper monster is back full-force.





We had another inch of rain over the past couple of days. I was excited to see the roma tomato already had some fruit started (it's one of three potted tomato varieties) and the honeysuckle and citronella geranium are starting to bloom.

Mueller field in bloom

Poppies and flax and chicory, oh my. I've been meaning to take my camera to the fields along 51st street in the Mueller development for a couple of months now. And today turned out to be the perfect day. They make me happy every time I pass them. Why can't every developer throw out wildflower seeds?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - March 2009

Finally some sun this afternoon! A lot of things are on the verge of blooming, and everything's a bit beat down by the rain, but:

A bee getting the end of the mountain laurel blooms.


Purple trailing lantana has enlarged its footprint over the years.


Sweet smelling alyssum attracts a visitor.


Okay, geraniums might be trite, but I love them.


The last of the pear tree blossoms; this tree is actually the neighbor's behind me, but a pear or two always seem to hang over the fence into my yard.


More borrowed landscape. This tree is between my house and the one next door, and I have no idea what it is. Scrawny tree, wisteria-like blooms.


More freesia. I need to pick some of these this afternoon.

After the rain

So nice to have real rain! Just over 2 inches since Wednesday, according to the gauge, with a slight possibility of more tomorrow. And then sun (and warmth) on Monday. The lawn's about to go crazy. Here's what's going in the back right now:

The cool weather veggies, like chard, kale, and mache, are loving this. Fennel and dill, too. The shallots are looking great, and beet and radish seedlings are coming along. I planted one tomato in this bed Monday, and it's hanging in there with no help from me. The freesia bulbs I planted three falls ago are a bit crowded but still producing the most amazing scented flowers (except for the white ones which smell like pepper). My own mini cutting garden.


And these are 7 of the 8 tomatoes I picked up at the Sunshine Community Garden sale last weekend. Definitely a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach...or full-sun spots, anyway. These back beds really only get anything approaching full sun in the winter when the cottonwood and hackberry are bare. Guess I'll be buying lots of pots at Home Depot in the next few days, since these guys really need to get in some dirt soon.

These inland sea oats are thriving on the rain barrel runoff.

Evolution of daffodils

I stopped off at the Randall's grocery yesterday afternoon, and they had 10 stem bunches of daffodils for $1.50! 20 beautifully cheery flowers for $3. Here they are just after I put them in water, three hours later, and again this morning.