Photo Update: July 9, 2022
Some recent photos from the farm
Plenty of rain and heat this summer means plants are growing like crazy. The banana plant and elephant ears give a tropical feel to the wilder side of the garden.
The buffalo treehopper is so called because its shape resembles that of a bison. Females cut slits in twigs to lay eggs, similar to the method of their cicada cousins, and can cause damage to fruit trees. Adults feed on the sap of various plants. I let this one one live—it’s the first I've ever seen and I'm certainly not worried. I don't even kill Japanese beetles of which there are hundreds.
The colors of midsummer are amazing, and the vegetable plants are healthy with no major disease or insect problems so far. In fact, this year's garden is one of the best ever. I see no deleterious effects from the widespread presence of jumping worms in the garden. It seems like they're helping the compost piles finish faster, but it's hard to judge. Perhaps I'm just building better piles.
The tomato plants are laden with fruit, especially the Romas which my son requested I grow for homemade pasta sauce. We have entered “The Long Wait,” that period when the tomatoes are large and green but appear to be making no change in color.
I bought a pack of seeds touted as burgundy zinnias, which turned out to be a delightful mix of crimson, deep pink, and orange. It's the best case of mislabeling I've ever experienced.
Butterfly weed is coming up in the Savanna, and attracting critters such as this eight spotted forester moth. This was my first sighting. Often mistaken for a butterfly, the adult nectars on various flowers and the caterpillars feed on leaves of grape and Virginia creeper.
Below is the dreaded bamboo, that most vile and despised member of the grass family. Just kidding. This is Fargesia rufa, cursed with the common name ‘bamboo,” but completely benign and well behaved. It's great for soil stabilization and looks handsome with monarda in the background.
If you need a majestic pollinator attractor, look no further than anise hyssop. This shrub-like perennial sports spikes of lavender pollinator magnets and has a long bloom time. One of my favorite plants!
